It wasn’t hard to tell which school was the leader for Dakarai Allen throughout the summer.

The Aztecs’ coaching staff was at all of his games in July, and they were also the one school he consistently mentioned during interviews. For most observers, it was only a matter of time before Allen made his decision.

That day turned out to be Wednesday, when Allen committed to San Diego State.

“I chose the Aztecs because of the coaching staff,” Allen told CBSSports.com. “They made me feel like family and have my future at heart.”

Allen, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Sheldon, Calif., said he was considering Washington, UCLA, Washington State, USC and Pepperdine down the stretch.

The No. 81-ranked player in the class of 2013, Allen is arguably the best perimeter defender in the class. He prides himself on his play on that side of the ball, and he has the ability to guard multiple positions. Allen’s length and aggressiveness are simply a nightmare to face for opponents -- and he doesn’t back down from guarding whichever player is hot at the time.

San Diego State already has plenty of size and length in its frontcourt, and the Aztecs also have Winston Shepard entering school this fall. Shepard was one of the best perimeter defenders in the class of 2012. Combining Shepard and Allen on the wings would be terrifying to run an offense against.