5-star WR Bru McCoy reflects on his USC decision, special moment

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Bru McCoy must have spent 45 minutes after the All-American Bowl on Saturday, signing autographs for fans, taking photos and giving away gloves, knee pads, socks and other parts of his uniform as kids asked the 5-star wide receiver for a souvenir.

McCoy kept smiling, flashing the Fight On sign and obliging every last request until game officials told him he had to leave the field so they could set up for another event.

"It's unbelievable. I've got to get good at writing at my signature -- it's not that good right now. So I'm going to go home and practice a little bit," he said afterward. "But it's unreal. This whole experience has been so amazing."

McCoy wasn't just the center of attention inside the Alamodome on Saturday -- he was also in the national spotlight as he announced his college decision during the fourth quarter of the game live on NBC.

With that announcement that he's heading to USC -- enrolling early and arriving on campus Monday -- McCoy immediately becomes the headliner of a Trojans recruiting class that is up to 20 signees. The local standout from Mater Dei High School is the lone 5-star prospect in that mix and is ranked the No. 1 "athlete" and No. 7 overall prospect in the country.

McCoy had silently signed a financial aide contract with the Trojans in advance of his announcement. Texas and Washington were his other finalists, but this was the expected outcome going into the day.

"It was three days after signing day, I kind of sat down with my family, talked it out, slept on it, prayed on it. I woke up and I knew that I was cool with the decision," McCoy said earlier this week. "Because on signing day I had the schools I was going to sign to in front of me, and I was like, 'I can't do it,.

"Then three days later, I sat down and was like, I can sign right now and I'll be confident I won't have any regrets. I think a lot of people think you're supposed to sign and be like, 'I know in my heart and soul, 100 percent I'm going there.' But I don't think that's the case. I don't think you ever know. It's just a matter of feeling comfortable enough to make the choice. When there's only good in front of you, it's hard to feel fully confident, but I'm happy and I'm solid."

McCoy said he gave USC coach Clay Helton an indication of his intentions during his official visit a few weeks ago.

"On the official I kind of hinted to him, 'This is where I want to be, but I'm still going to take my time, go to this game, do the hat pick, all that.' So think he knows now for sure," McCoy joked. "I obviously called him and let him know I'm going to be picking the hat and coming home."

He also made the tough call to the Texas staff with which he had become close during this process.

"One of the toughest things I've ever had to do. It's almost like breaking up with a girlfriend you still like," McCoy said. "Talking to the Texas coaches specifically, that was not fun."

While he wears No. 5 in homage of former USC star Reggie Bush, and he is close with USC quarterback JT Daniels and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown -- his former Mater Dei teammates -- McCoy made it clear this decision wasn't as easy as some might think.

Especially with USC coming off a 5-7 season.

"I totally went back and forth. It came really down to the wire," McCoy said. "Hiring [offensive coordinator] Kliff Kingsbury was a really big step for me, and then going on the official and kind of solidifying what I hoped was there. They basically brought me in and said, 'Here's your receiver coach, here's your offensive coordinator, here's what we have planned for the future.'

"They kind of went through the way the season went and how it could have gone better. They had a lot of games they lost by narrow margins, so there's a lot of factors that kind of got explained out to me, a lot of questions I asked that got answered the way I wanted to hear them and I don't think anybody was lying to me."

McCoy had said earlier in the week that everything came into focus for him late in the process and that he "got some news and heard some words through the grapevine and made my choice."

Asked about that Saturday, McCoy said he wanted to keep it to himself.

As for what he brings to the Trojans, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound standout used his combination of size and speed to pile up 78 catches for 1,428 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, helping Mater Dei to the No. 1 final ranking in the USA TODAY Super 25 national poll. He was also named the Player of the Year at the All-American Bowl banquet on Friday night.

With McCoy on board, USC is bringing in a stacked group of wide receivers, having also signed 4-star WR Drake London (Moorpark HS) and 3-star WR Munir McClain (JSerra HS) on Early Signing Day. The Trojans also landed a commitment from 4-star WR Kyle Ford (Orange Lutheran HS) during the All-American Bowl on Saturday and still hold a commitment from 4-star WR Puka Nacua (Orem HS/Orem, Utah), though Nacua still has a decision to make and will take an official visit to Washington this month.

McCoy noted it was special to make his announcement shortly after Ford -- who is not enrolling early and still must sign his National Letter of Intent in February -- announced his own USC commitment. Ford was standing near the podium for McCoy's moment and they hugged afterwards.

"There's no feeling like it, having one of your closest friends go to school with you in college. That's unbelievable. ... Especially to go play football together," McCoy said. "... Me and him deal with some of the same issues as far as football, adversity, a lot of haters -- all that stuff. Me and him have always had each other's backs whenever we're down, and I felt like tore my ACL when he tore his ACL. I felt horrible for him. I know he'll bounce back strong and I'm excited to see what we do together in college."

While he knew what he was going to announce Saturday, the moment still hit McCoy, who several times looked up in the air while seemingly trying to soak in the experience.

"Something like this is something I know when I'm way older, I'll look back and watch that video. So I was pretty emotional," he said. "And then having my mom, family from all over the country here to support me, knowing that they're getting to experience something they normally really wouldn't ever get to ... that was special."