Isiah Harwell, a 5-star shooting guard out of Utah, committed to Houston on Thursday.

"I chose Houston because the culture fit. I feel like I can thrive and succeed there and I believe in Coach [Kelvin] Sampson and the whole staff," Harwell told Joe Tipton of On3. "Coach Sampson has a way with speaking that just makes me motivated and ready to play. He also has a lot of experience and knows what he's looking for."

He chose Houston over Gonzaga, Texas and California.

Harwell is considered the No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2025, the No. 10 player overall and the No. 2 player from the state of Utah, per 247Sports' Composite Rankings. That makes him the highest-ranked recruit in Houston history, per Tipton, and the first 5-star recruit to join Houston since Danuel House back in 2012.

Earlier in September, Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports described Harwell as a "true two-way player who impacts the game on both ends of the floor" and one who possesses "good backcourt size, strength, and physicality."

He also noted that he's "undoubtedly advanced" on the defensive end, where he's "tough and competitive" despite lacking elite length. Overall, he "plays hard, competes and is versatile enough to play as a big secondary guard or a more conventional wing."

"I would describe my game as a two-way player who can score at all three levels and makes the right plays," Harwell told Tipton while analyzing his own skill set.

Sampson's presence clearly was an important factor in his decision.

"Coach Sampson is a cool dude," he told ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi. "He knows what it takes for players to reach the next level, we talked about that. I need to shoot 38-40 percent from three, average six or seven rebounds and play defense on the opponent's best perimeter player. He said if you don't play defense you won't play at Houston."

"Their culture is real," he added.

Harwell was forced to take time off during the summer after suffering a knee injury during his junior season, though he's expected back on the court in the fall before joining the Cougars ahead of the 2025-26 season. He is Houston's first commit in the Class of 2025.