Former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon has committed to Maryland, sources confirmed to InsideMDSports.

Sulaimon finalized a verbal commitment to Terps coach Mark Turgeon after taking a visit to College Park on Friday and will enroll at Maryland in August after graduating from Duke, potentially boosting a heralded Terps team to No. 1 in the preseason polls.

Sulaimon, a gifted 6-foot-5 shooting guard who was dismissed by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in January, chose Maryland over 10-to-15 other interested high-major schools. By graduating from Duke, he'll bypass NCAA rules requiring transfers to sit out one season at their new school, giving Mark Turgeon arguably the nation's most talented roster next season.

UPDATE: Maryland confirmed Sulaimon's addition in a press release.

“I am extremely grateful to the University of Maryland and coach Turgeon for this opportunity to further my education and continue to play the game I love,” Sulaimon said in the release. “I’m looking forward to starting this next chapter at Maryland.”

A former McDonald's All-American from Houston, Sulaimon developed a relationship with Turgeon and assistant Dustin Clark, then at Texas A&M, early in his high school career and strongly considered the Aggies before Duke offered. Maryland began pursuing him in February, weeks after his falling out Krzyzewski resulted in his dismissal, and wrapped up his commitment without Sulaimon visiting any other schools. Despite opportunities for more playing time and a chance to be more prominently featured as a scorer at other programs, Sulaimon chose Maryland because of those relationships and the opportunity to win a national title, sources close to his recruitment told IMS.

Sulaimon, who visited Maryland last week unofficially on his way home from Duke, will return for an official visit with his family in June to further familiarize himself with the school and basketball program. He did spend time briefly with his future teammates during his unofficial visit, though, and he joined Terps forward Jake Layman on the 2012 USA team that won gold in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Brazil.

Sulaimon was arguably the most talented guard available on the transfer wire this spring; Turgeon seemingly passed on Drexel transfer Damion Lee while focusing on Sulaimon, with Clark the point man in his recruitment. If he wins the starting shooting guard spot as expected, Maryland a starting lineup comprised of five potential NBA Draft picks; Melo Trimble, Jake Layman, Robert Carter and Diamond Stone are all NBA prospects, though Stone will have to beat out junior-to-be Damonte Dodd at center. Turgeon also has the makings of a deep bench, featuring rising sophomores Dion Wiley, Jared Nickens and Michal Cekovsky, along with Dodd or Stone and incoming junior college recruit Jaylen Brantley.

Sulaimon recently told ESPN it was his handling of a benching -- not unsubstantiated reports linking his departure to sexual assault allegations -- that brought the end to his career at Duke. After averaging 11.6 points per game en route to ACC All-Freshman honors in his first year, he flirted with leaving for the NBA Draft but became convinced he'd be best suited by returning, only to see his minutes cut each of the two following seasons.

"I have never sexually assaulted, not only anyone on the Duke campus, but anyone period ... It's not in my nature at all. I have great respect for the role of women in society. I would never demean or do anything to a woman in this manner. No, I've never done anything like this in my life," he said. "I'm a very competitive guy and I believe I should have been starting ... Quite simply, I just got frustrated. In retrospect, in looking back on it, I didn't handle it well."

Sources told IMS Turgeon is confident Sulaimon's final chapter at Duke was an out-of-character misstep, and he vetted the possible addition with his players, who were unanimous in their approval, in a team meeting last Thursday -- and did the same earlier with the school's administration.

"I’ve known Rasheed and his family since he was in the seventh grade, first meeting him when he attended our basketball camp at Texas A&M,” Turgeon said in the release. “He was a very polite and poised young man and I recruited him while I was at Texas A&M because of his commitment to both academics and athletics. We competed against Rasheed on multiple occasions in the ACC and I was reminded of his dynamic playmaking ability. During our conversations with Rasheed and his parents, Kenny and Angela, Rasheed expressed the importance of proving that he is committed to being a great student-athlete and a selfless teammate. I have full confidence that Rasheed will embrace this opportunity at the University of Maryland."

Stay tuned for more on this breaking story.