SAN ANTONIO - Gary Bryant has made it no secret in recent months that he was seriously leaning toward Pac-12 schools.
And it was no major surprise Saturday when the four-star receiver from Corona (Calif.) Centennial committed to USC over Arizona State, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma and others at the All-American Bowl.
He had taken numerous visits to the school. He had developed a strong relationship with the coaching staff. He is a close friend of former high school teammate Drake Jackson. And he sees a big opportunity in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s offense, especially with some elite receivers departing for the pros soon.
Arizona State made a serious push and he considered the Sun Devils. Bryant was also enamored with Washington for some time. There was some late buzz about Oklahoma, but that never seriously materialized, although early in his recruitment Bryant loved that offense and his opportunity there.
In the end, it was the school that had been consistently recruiting him the longest and is closest to home, and USC is adding a major weapon at receiver in the coming years.
IN HIS OWN WORDS:
“I like the fact that Harrell is coming back and the offense seems like they pass the ball the most in the Pac-12, stats-wise. Coach (Clay) Helton is coming back so that’s a benefit for SC as well.
“Just coming in there to play, there are slots open to come in and play. If Tyler (Vaughns) decides to stay, you can learn from him and (Amon-Ra) St. Brown. Having veterans is a good thing there as well.”
RIVALS’ REACTION
USC is loaded at wide receiver but many of them will be off to the NFL soon, and Bryant is going to be a terrific replacement in the years to come. He is one of the fastest receivers in this class, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him play special teams because of his game-breaking ability and then work into the receiver rotation.
There’s no telling the future of Helton after this following season - and that would possibly mean Harrell’s offense could be changed as well under a new regime. That wouldn’t be great news, since Bryant fits perfectly in a spread attack because he’s so great in space, but he’s going to a program right now that plays to his strengths and those are speed and making things happen all over the field.
For USC, this is not a surprising commitment, but a big one nonetheless.
