Mililani running back Vavae Malepeai smiles after donning a University of Southern California cap at the 2016 Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance signing ceremony. CJ Caraang | SL

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WAIKIKI — Vavae Malepeai played his cards close to his chest and had quite the surprise to reveal Wednesday morning.

The Mililani running back, who had been verbally committed to the University of Oregon since June of last year, instead signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Southern California at the annual Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance Signing Day Ceremony at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

"I'm extremely happy," Malepeai said minutes after signing. "The process is done, I know where I'm going for sure — there's no turning back now — and I'm blessed."

Sources confirmed to ScoringLive on Friday that Malepeai would be signing with USC. He took an official recruiting visit to the Los Angeles campus last weekend, where he had a change of heart.

"It was definitely hard," Malepeai said. "I was going back and forth. I probably told my parents I was ‘going to Oregon and then nevermind, I'm going to USC' a lot of times, but the pen finally went to the paper and I'm glad."

The 6-foot, 200-pound Malepeai said it was during his visit that he saw more of what the Trojans have to offer.

"The education speaks for itself," Malepeai said. "I'm not saying that the University of Oregon doesn't have a great education — because they really do — but just seeing how coach (Clay) Helton wanted to use me in the offense and believing how I'd fit perfectly in and I just felt like this was where I had to go. I've been praying on it a long time and this is where it is."

After serving on an interim basis for part of the 2015 season following the dismissal of former head coach Steve Sarkisian, Helton was named the permanent coach on Oct. 11.

The Ducks also experienced some shakeup in recent months on its coaching staff, which saw former offensive coordinator Scott Frost depart to become head coach at Central Florida.

Malepeai's teammate at Mililani, quarterback McKenzie Milton, signed with Frost and UCF Wednesday after being previously committed to the University of Hawaii.

It wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that Malepeai finalized his decision.

"I came to terms with it when I came home from school," Malepeai said. "I (verbally)  committed when I was in (Los Angeles) for my visit and the coaches just kept calling me all day when I was in school. I couldn't answer my phone because I was in class, of course, but they just wanted to get me on the phone and make sure that I was good. They really like my play, the kind of student I am and I just felt it in my heart because I've been praying on this for a real long time and it's just awesome."

Despite a deep-rooted family history with Oregon — his uncles Silila, Tasi and Pulou all played college football there — Malepeai said he felt Los Angeles, and not Eugene, Ore., was the right place for him.

"First of all I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for the Man above and my family — especially my uncles that went to the University of Oregon," Malepeai said. "They've been providing me with opportunities to get offers in the first place, but at the end of the day I'm going to be the one attending the school, I'm going to be the one going through all the hardships at the university, I'm going to be the one living out there so I feel like what they did was great, but I have their support going to USC and that's all I could ask for."

Malepeai is rated as a four-star recruit and rushed for a game-high 66 yards in last month's Army All-American Game in San Antonio. He finished his decorated prep career as the all-time leading rusher in Hawaii prep football history with 4,631 rushing yards and 73 touchdowns.

As a sophomore in 2013, Malepeai rushed for 1,350 yards and 20 touchdowns, helping the Trojans to a state runner-up finish. He recorded 1,337 yards and 24 TDs to help the Trojans win their first state title in 2014 before racking up a state-best 1,944 yards and 29 TDs as a senior last fall, when he was named All-Hawaii Division I Offensive Player of the Year.

Along with Malepeai, Saint Louis linebacker Jordan Iosefa also signed with USC Wednesday, the first day that high school seniors were allowed to sign binding National Letters of Intent.