DePaul received a major recruiting coup Monday when five-star point guard Tyger Campbell committed to the Blue Demons.
Campbell will also reclassify from the 2019 class into the class of 2018. He took an unofficial visit to DePaul's campus over the weekend, which pushed the Blue Demons over the likes of Michigan State, Alabama and UNLV.
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"Their sell was they were honest with me," Campbell said, via ESPN.com. "They haven't had some great seasons in the past. They want me to come in and be the guy. Lead the team, bring DePaul basketball back.
"I really liked coach [Dave] Leitao, seems like a great guy. He's very wise and very knowledgeable. And Chicago itself, it's great city. I got to see it."
While all those things played a factor in Campbell's decision, DePaul had an ace in the hole that separated it from other schools. The Blue Demons recently hired Shane Heirman, who was Campbell's head coach at La Lumiere School (Ind.) the last two seasons, as an assistant coach.
"It was a really big deal," Campbell said of the hire. "I look up to him off the court. He's such a great guy and I know he has my back. We've been through a lot the last two years, on the court, off the court. It played a big part."
It was originally speculated that DePaul may have hired Heirman to lure 2017 five-star forward Brian Bowen to Chicago. Bowen, who is Campbell's high school teammate, remains one of the top-ranked unsigned senior recruits, and could still be in play for DePaul.
Bowen currently has Michigan State, Texas, Arizona, Creighton and North Carolina State listed as his top five schools, but Florida State, Oregon and DePaul have all entered the race.
Campbell's commitment shouldn't affect Bowen's recruitment. He was also teammates with five-star forward Jaren Jackson, who is signed with Michigan State, and Jacob Epperson, who signed with Creighton.
