Rivals Exclusive: Five-star Ferguson commits

Coming out of the summer, five-star shooting guard Terrance Ferguson figured that he would need a few post-summer visits to make his decision. Turns out, he only needed to see Alabama before ending his recruitment.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Dallas (Texas) Prime Prep committed to the Crimson Tide during a Rivals.com exclusive video on Monday and says that Avery Johnson, the Tide staff and the chance to create his own legacy won him over quickly.

"When I went up there I felt like I was at home," Ferguson told Rivals. "Everybody treats each other like family. I know coach Johnson is going to change that program around and I want to be a part of that change.

"I want to start my own legacy and I don't want to follow in anybody else's footsteps. For that, Alabama is the place to be."

Ferguson, a native of Tulsa, Okla., ranks No. 11 overall in the 2016 class and is perhaps its premier shooter. But he is every bit as athletic as he is dangerous from deep. Johnson put his team in a good spot when he impressed during his in-home visit with Ferguson and football coach Nick Saban assisted in the recruiting effort.

"I heard from all the coaches at Alabama during my visit," Ferguson said. "I even talked to coach Saban. He told me that it started off for him with getting that one person to change things and that's what I want to be for Alabama basketball."

Though he has deep shooting range and NBA-level athleticism, Ferguson still has some areas to address if he wants to make an instant impact.

"I'm going to need to work on a lot and it's a different level, just one below the NBA," Ferguson said. "I need to get my body ready and get my mind right. I know that they want me to come in and make an instant impact and that's what I want to try and do.

"I know I can shoot and I'm going to try and go ballistic on the scoring board and do everything I can to help get wins and make a name for Alabama."

The first member of Alabama's 2016 recruiting class, Ferguson is the highest-ranked player to pick the Crimson Tide since Richard Hendrix was No. 9 overall in the class of 2005.

"I've been waiting for this day for most of my life," he said. "I've watched videos of this day just to see how it would go for me. For me, my family and everybody in my life this process has just been a blessing."

I am proud to announce that I will be furthering my education and basketball career at The University of Alabama 🐘🔴🏀 #RollTide #BuckleUp- T-FERG (@the2kferguson) August 17, 2015

[rl]