5-star point guard Sharife Cooper commits to Auburn

AUBURN | Bruce Pearl and Auburn have picked up a huge commitment.

Five-star point guard Sharife Cooper, who is ranked the No. 16 overall player in the 2020 class, announced Friday night his intentions to sign with Auburn.

Cooper announced his commitment shortly after arriving on Auburn's campus for an official visit. His reasons for choosing Auburn were simple.

"Just the family atmosphere at Auburn," Cooper said. "Ever since I’ve been here, it’s all about family. And Coach (Bruce) Pearl was a big reason. His style of play, his energy and love of the game. I feel like he’s going to push me.

"Auburn is just the right place for me to be."

Cooper is only the fourth five-star recruit to commit to Auburn since Rivals began its rankings in 2002. All four five-star commitments have come under Bruce Pearl: Mustapha Heron and Austin Wiley in 2016 and Isaac Okoro in 2019. Of the four, Cooper is the highest-ranked at No. 16.

Cooper, who is ranked the No. 4 point guard, is the second commitment in Auburn’s 2020 class. He joins three-star shooting guard Justin Powell, who committed to Auburn in June.

Cooper will be working to get others to join him in Auburn's 2020 class, starting this weekend with five-star shooting guard Jalen Green, who also is on an official visit.

"I’m going to work on Jalen this weekend," Cooper said. "And then Jaemyn Brakefield and Greg Brown."