HONOLULU, Hawaii -- When five-star cornerback Domani Jackson decommitted from USC in mid-November, he didn't think there was any chance he'd end up back with the Trojans.

"Truthfully, no. Just, I couldn't see myself there in that type of atmosphere and everyone was just individual, but now it's a team so we're ready," he said Friday while watching the final Polynesian Bowl practice here in Honolulu.

Jackson lived for five years across town in Pearl City, Hawaii, when he was younger, before moving back to California at the age of 10. It was one of many stops on his journey growing up -- one that started in Oceanside and also included time in Ohio and Pennsylvania before Hawaii and his family's eventual return back to Southern California.

For that reason, though, he never felt like he had to stay close to "home" in college.

He had just grown an affinity for USC since former head coach Clay Helton offered him a scholarship when he was in eighth grade. That's why he committed to the Trojans last January.

Ultimately, USC's 4-8 nadir this fall and all the questions about the culture within the program pushed him to look elsewhere, and he says he was pretty much committed to Alabama at one point after visiting Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Crimson Tide's game against LSU (about a week before his USC decommitment).

"I told [coach Nick Saban] when I came home, 'I want to come here, I want to be part of a great program,'" Jackson recalled. "[When I changed my mind] I called him back. I'm a man of my word so I had to tell him what it was and he respected me."

How did USC manage to get him back at that point? Jackson went in-depth with TrojanSports.com on Friday.

Watch the full video interview below and keep reading for the full story ...