BREAKING: 4-star WR Gary Bryant announces USC decision at All-American Bowl
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- USC officially reeled in its highest-ranked prospect of this 2020 recruiting class Saturday as 4-star wide receiver Gary Bryant announced during the All-American Bowl that he'll become a Trojan.
Bryant, who made the announcement during the third quarter of the high school all-star showcase in the Alamodome (live on NBC), had already signed with USC and will be an early enrollee.
The standout from Corona Centennial High School is the No. 9-ranked WR and No. 62 overall prospect nationally, and he becomes the only Rivals100 prospect and just the second 4-star recruit (along with offensive lineman Jonah Monheim) to join this USC class.
Underscoring further how important Bryant's addition is for the Trojans, he is the only top-20 in-state prospect to commit/sign with a program that not long ago used to dominate recruiting in its backyard.
Bryant chose USC over Washington, Oregon, Arizona State and Oklahoma. The decision wasn't much of a surprise, though, as the smooth and speedy receiver had been to four Trojans home games this fall and was long projected to join the program.
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"[I knew my decision] after my last official visit. I tried to hold out to the end and give all the schools a chance to recruit me. After the last official, I felt like the school that I chose it was just home for me," he said earlier this week.
That last official visit was to Arizona State the final week of the regular season, but the previous weekend he was in the Coliseum watching USC QB Kedon Slovis pass for 515 yards and four different receivers each top 100 yards in coordinator Graham Harrell's high-flying offense.
"That was the first time I've ever seen that personally, so that was amazing for me to see," Bryant said of the four 100-yard receivers.
As for the Trojans, they have more pressing needs than wide receiver, but Bryant is an impact addition regardless of depth at the position. He dominated one-on-one reps at All-American Bowl practices this week, easily separating from DBs with his game-changing speed.
Bryant had 58 catches for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns (and 138 yards and 2 TDs rushing) for Corona Centennial High School this fall, according to MaxPreps. He put on a show in the All-American Bowl, catching 2 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
Bryant's addition gives USC two wide receivers in this class -- along with 3-star Narbonne HS wideout Joshua Jackson -- and 12 signees overall so far.
The Trojans addressed their needs along the offensive line with six early signees and on the defensive line with two defensive tackles and a defensive end. Their other signee is kicker Parker Lewis.
USC would still like to add a quarterback in this class, a running back, a defensive back and whatever else it can add by National Signing Day in February, but the Trojans have limited scholarship space available in this cycle so it will remain a small class numbering in the mid-teens with only a few more additions regardless.
It wasn't all positive for USC on Saturday as the Trojans' top two cornerback targets put on hats for other programs, but neither was a surprise.
As expected, Dwight McGlothern (Klein Oak HS/Spring, Texas) chose LSU. McGlothern was briefly silently committed to USC, but LSU was always his preferred destination and the Tigers ultimately decided they had space for him in their class.
And Darion Green-Warren, a local prospect who was the Trojans' top DB target, chose Michigan. The Narbonne HS standout was deciding between the Wolverines and the Trojans, and the opportunity for earlier playing time at Michigan -- given USC's crowded secondary -- was believed to be one factor in his decision.