SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Most expected 4-star wide receiver Gary Bryant would announce he was coming to USC as he formally revealed his college decision Saturday during the All-American Bowl.

But he wouldn't even tell his family for sure prior to that moment live on the NBC broadcast as he made his reveal.

"They found out today as well," Bryant told TrojanSports.com afterward. "I wanted everybody to be surprised. Everyone was asking them, they were like, 'I don't even know.'"

Bryant had his 8-year-old brother Kaden grab the USC hat off the table -- from a lineup that also included Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington -- and put it on his own head as the star receiver flashed the Fight On sign and his family applauded around him.

Bryant quietly signed with USC during the early signing period last month so that he can be an early enrollee, but he kept his decision a secret and his parents confirmed that he had refused to tell them what his final decision was, even as they gathered around him on the corner of the field inside the Alamodome on Saturday.

He had coordinated shortly before the announcement with his little brother on what hat to grab so he could be the one to tell everybody.

"It was a surprise to everybody, but I had a feeling that he was going to choose what he chose," his mother April Bryant said. "But he wanted it to be a surprise for the family. It was an exciting moment. I'm happy with his decision."

Said his father, Gary Bryant Sr.: "I was like, 'What do you mean? I helped you on this journey.' He was like, 'Dad, I'm not telling you because you know everybody and you're going to leak it.' He wanted it to be a surprise for me. ...

"The moment was, I wanted to break down -- I had to catch myself. 'Man, wow.' He gave me a hug afterward."