Auburn Lands Five-Star Senior Guard Mustapha Heron

Auburn received some unexpectedly sudden but welcoming news on Sunday morning when Class of 2016 five-star guard Mustapha Heron gave the program a verbal commitment while on campus on an unofficial visit.

More info via Scout.com:

Five-star wing prospect Mustapha Heron has verbally committed to Bruce Pearl and Auburn, he tells Scout.

 

Heron, a 6-foot-5 strongly built wing out of Waterbury (Conn.) Sacred Heart, made the pledge during an unofficial visit to Auburn’s campus on Sunday.

 

“I was comfortable with it right away,” Heron said a few minutes following the pledge.

 

Prior to the visit, Heron wasn’t planning to make a commitment, but the Tigers won him over.

 

“I had no idea,” Heron said. “But I got a vibe here that I didn’t get at any other schools that I visited. It was a family oriented thing.”

 

What pushed him over the edge?

 

“The feeling I got when I saw the team and how they interacted,” he added. “It’s a brotherhood. I know the developmental piece will be there when I get here.”

 

Heron was scheduled to visit Mississippi State soon and had taken visits to Alabama, Marquette, St. John’s and also was considering UNLV. Heron said Pearl and associate head coach Chuck Person prioritized him.

 

“It’s great,” he said of his relationship with the Auburn staff. “Right now we are still working on it and we have a lot of time to do that and build a great relationship with coach Pearl, as well as coach Person.”

 

Last year Auburn reeled in a pair of top 100 prospects, but this is the biggest commitment of the Bruce Pearl era, as Heron checks in at No. 17 overall in the 2016 class.

 

Auburn now has three commitments in 2016. Heron joins point guard Jared Harper and power forward Anfernee McLemore to make up their class.