Rex Pflueger to Notre Dame: Fighting Irish Land 4-Star SG Prospect

The allure of staying close to home is often too much for elite prospects to pass up. Not so much, apparently, when you're Rex Pflueger.

The 4-star guard surprised many by committing to the University of Notre Dame on Thursday, turning down multiple high-profile offers on the West Coast. The move was first reported by CBS Sports' Jeff Borzello:

Pflueger, a 6'5" shooting guard out of the famed Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, was expected by most experts to stay within the friendly confines of his home state. 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections gave him a 75 percent chance of landing at San Diego State, while USC was the only other school listed as a legitimate possibility.

Pflueger also had offers from California, Connecticut and Florida, among others. He is Mike Brey's third commitment in the 2015 recruiting class, joining 3-star forwards Matt Ryan and Elijah Burns.

The Fighting Irish were considered the 37th-ranked class nationally before Pflueger's signing, so he should vault them well into the 20s.

"

Notre Dame gets another quality addition in 2015 with Rex Pflueger joining Elijah Burns/Matt Ryan. Pflueger is a good athlete & shooter.

— Alex Kline (@TheRecruitScoop) September 12, 2014"

In late August, Pflueger explained to Christian McCollum of Irish Sports Daily why Notre Dame was a finalist. “The whole situation going on there with the players and the system and how it fits my position. Also how great of an institution it is along with its great history of winning. Notre Dame has always been in there,” he said.

As a junior, Pflueger impressed college coaches with a solid all-around game. He averaged 12 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game while helping push Mater Dei to a national No. 2 ranking.

The giant campus is considered one of the best high school programs in the nation, and Pflueger should take an even bigger step forward as a senior.

Pflueger played his first two years of high school basketball at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano.

The real draw of Pflueger's game comes from a maturity beyond his years. He's a heady off-guard who handles the ball well and rarely makes mistakes within the offense. He's excellent at slashing to the basket and has a natural feel for when he should kick it outside.

While a good shooter, Pflueger made only 43 threes last season and could stand to extend his range with more consistency at the next level.

It will also be interesting to see how he handles ACC competition from an athletic standpoint.

Nonetheless, this is a coup for Brey at a time when his 2015 class was starting to look a little weak. Composite rankings at 247Sports have Pflueger as the No. 113 prospect nationally and the 14th-best player in the state of California.

Given how hard local schools—especially San Diego State—pushed him to commit, this will be a nice little feather in the Irish cap. Let's see if Pflueger's commitment creates some momentum in South Bend, Indiana.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter @tylerconway22.