At a packed Looney’s Pub Friday, Stefon Diggs, a five-star wide receiver from a local high school, announced that he will be making this university his home.

Stefon Diggs finally put an end to the months of swirling speculation over his destination this fall.

But not before building a little more suspense. The five-star wide receiver from Good Counsel High School set his announcement for 6 p.m. Friday — nine days after national signing day — at Looney’s Pub, only to let the buzzing, near-capacity crowd simmer until he finally arrived at 7:30.

He made it worth the wait for the throngs of Terrapins football fans, though, when he took to the stage, shunned the Florida and Ohio State hats on the table, said, “I want to win a championship, I want to win ball games, and where else is a better place to do it than your city?” and pulled on a Terps hat.

Suddenly, a middling recruiting class for the Terps had gotten a whole lot better. The team’s incoming class now ranks No. 35 in the country by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Ultimately, Diggs said, the chance to play for his “hometown team” and stay close to his family made the difference. Diggs’ father died several years ago, and he’s chosen to remain a father figure for his younger brother, Trevon.

“I want to see my little brother progress,” Diggs said. “He’s going into high school. I just want to see him grow up because my father was here to see me grow up.”

“His brother is so happy,” Diggs’ mother, Stephanie, said. “He asked Trevon how did he feel about him going to Florida? And Tre was like, ‘It’s OK.’ But [Diggs] said, ‘Do you prefer me to stay here with you?’ And he said yeah.”

Diggs added that his official visit to the university Feb. 4, when a raucous crowd at the Terps’ men’s basketball team’s game against North Carolina regularly broke out into chants of “We want Ste-fon,” helped push him over the edge.

“I ain’t going to lie, probably that UNC-Maryland game with the chanting [convinced me],” the nation’s No. 2 wide receiver prospect said. “I felt a little bit more at home. I felt comfortable. I felt wanted.”

The importance of Diggs’ commitment can scarcely be overstated. The team’s first five-star recruit since offensive lineman Bruce Campbell joined the Terps in 2007, Diggs certainly improves the team’s talent.

Perhaps more important about his arrival, though, is that it could herald the beginning of what the Terps hope will be a long line of local stars to stay home.

“This shows our commitment and effort to keep the best local players at home,” coach Randy Edsall said in a release. “We got the No. 1 player in the state of Maryland (Diggs) and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Washington, D.C. (running back Albert Reid). Hopefully, the top players in the area will follow their lead in the future.”

Diggs is one of four to arrive from powerhouse Good Counsel in the fall, joining four-star running back Wes Brown and offensive lineman Mike Madaras, as well as linebacker Zach Dancel, who transferred from New Mexico.

cwalsh@umdbk.com