By Max Marcilla

The Maryland Terrapins were the recipients of encouraging recruiting news on Friday when four-star combo guard Eric Ayala (Bradenton, Florida) committed to the Terps. The news comes just 24 hours after five-star point guard Devon Dotson chose Kansas over Maryland.

Ayala announced his decision at an event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Ayala, who attends the illustrious IMG Academy in Florida, chose Maryland over Miami and Oregon. He is ranked as the 76th best player in the 247Sports’ composite rankings and No. 70 in its standard rankings.

Ayala joins a 2018 class that includes Baltimore forward Jalen Smith and Aaron Wiggins, a small forward from North Carolina. Smith was Maryland’s highest-rated commit since Diamond Stone, who entered the NBA Draft after one year at Maryland. Wiggins is also ranked in the top 50

Maryland’s recruiting class could get even better in the coming weeks as head coach Mark Turgeon’s squad is awaiting the commitments of Keldon Johnson and Moses Brown, the 14th and 15th ranked prospects according to 247Sports. Johnson, a small forward, and Brown, a center, are both listed as the second-best players at their respective positions.

The Terps will open the 2017-18 regular season in East Garden City, New York when it plays Stony Brook at the Nassau Coliseum.