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Even though USC was almost everyone's favorite to sign Camren McDonald, the 2018 tight end from Long Beach Poly HS was supposed to take his time before making a commitment.

But that isn't what happened. On Sunday, the 6-foot-4 and 205-pound prospect decided to make his commitment early. And that decision surprised even the USC coaching staff.

"They were kind of shocked," McDonald said when asked how the coaches reacted to his pledge. "I guess they didn't really expect it. They were expecting me to wait until the end, I think everyone did. But I didn't see the point anymore."

That's because McDonald has been a target for top programs for many years now. After being recruited by schools all across the country for years, he says he knows USC is the right fit.

"I've been thinking about it for awhile now," McDonald said when asked about his commitment to USC. "My recruiting process started early, so I have enjoyed the recruiting process. But I just felt like I was past the point of, OK, there's nothing new that could really happen. I have the offer that I want, I have the school that I want to go to. So instead of just sitting back and waiting, I might as well lock my spot in. Really, I went to the Rising Stars Camp just to commit to USC."

He even surprised TrojanSports.com with the announcement. In our last interview with McDonald, he told us he wanted to watch Daniel Imatorbhebhe play this season before choosing a school.

Now, he says that doesn't seem as important as it once did.

"I felt like it doesn't really matter," McDonald said when asked about Imatorbhebhe. "As long as I'm on the field playing, getting the ball, it's up to me. You have to get open to get the ball. Coach Tee (Martin) told me how he was going to use me yesterday. And I was like, OK, that makes sense. Daniel's receptions, I guess they're kind of related but at the same time, it's kind of not. So I just went ahead and committed."

It might not matter as much because USC has decided to play McDonald at a unique position. He now expects to play flex tight end at USC.

"He's going to use me as a tight end, but not a traditional tight end," McDonald said. "He said I'm going to be standing up more often than not. The only thing I'm going to do with defensive linemen is I'm going to motion to a double team, go up to the second level on a linebacker, but I'm never going to be isolated, one-on-one with a 280-pound defensive end. Because that's a mismatch in itself. He was like, the only time you're going to be blocking is when I'm double teaming you with the tackle or you're going into the next level to block a linebacker. And that's kind of what I wanted to hear. Because I can block but I'm a pass catching tight end. I'd rather catch balls so he's like, yeah, we're going to be putting the ball in your hands and motioning you into double team blocks. And that's what I wanted to hear."

Despite the fact that USC's coaches changed their plans for McDonald position, he still expects to be their guy at tight end in this class.

"I'm expecting to be the only tight end they take and sign in the 2018 class," McDonald said. "But if they do sign another one, it's not that big of a deal. They do have some tight ends on the field at the same time, they have different kinds of tight ends on the roster and pass catching tight ends. So it wouldn't be that big of a deal if they did."

All of that being said, he'll still consider some options before signing a letter of intent.

"I'm going to still go on all five of my official visits," McDonald said. "It's like a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don't get to take five free vacations at any other time in your life. So I'm probably going to take all five official visits. I want to take an official visit to Texas A&M, Washington, possibly Washington State. USC is going to be my last one, so that's four and I have to schedule one more."

McDonald also says he hopes to enroll in college early.

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