Four-star guard Bryce Heard has announced his four finalists and that he will make his commitment on July 24. NC State, Xavier, Mississippi State, and Southern Cal are the top contenders for the highly sought-after player, with just one week remaining before his decision.
Heard took an official visit to NC State in late June, the only official visit he has made to a school within his Top 4. The 6-foot-5, 187-pound guard also took an official visit to Arkansas before current USC head coach Eric Musselman made the move this offseason but has yet to visit the USC campus in Los Angeles.
Heard received an offer from the Wolfpack in September 2023, which was his 12th offer at the time. Since then, his list of offers has grown to over 20 as the Flossmoor (IL) Homewood-Flossmoor guard has emerged as one of the top players in the 2025 class.
Heard is a four-star prospect who is currently ranked No. 2 overall in Illinois for the 2025 class and No. 89 nationally in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. There’s also a chance that he may advance to the class of 2024 and sign up right away, but that hasn’t been decided upon yet.
Heard is still averaging 11.7 points and 1.7 assists per game on the elite AAU circuit, and he has been playing well this summer with Mac Irvin Fire on the Nike EYBL circuit. He has an 84 percent clip from the free-throw line, 30.2 percent from behind the arc, and 40 percent from the field. In games where he has played 10 minutes or more, Heard has averaged 14.3 points. He had a 29-point game with five made 3-pointers.
As we’ve talked about this offseason, with the return of Michael O’Connell, Breon Pass, and Jayden Taylor along with four additional transfer arrivals who all max out their eligibility for the upcoming season, NC State will need to replace at least seven players by the end of the following campaign. Securing a commitment from a guard ranked in the top 100 for the 2024 or 2025 class would be extremely beneficial for the future of the Pack.
