Isiah Thomas has already made a splash on the recruiting trail, but this one will send shockwaves through the college basketball world.

The new Florida International coach just landed a legitimate McDonald's All-American candidate in athletic 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward Dominique Ferguson.

The pickup comes on the heels of Thomas landing two potential impact players in July - talented point guard Phil Taylor and 6-foot-10, 250-pound rising junior Chris Coleman. 

But Ferguson is a big-time get. 

Ferguson was ranked No. 16 in Scout.com's national rankings in the Class of 2010 entering the summer.

Ferguson, who will transfer from Lawrence North (Ind.) to Hargrave Military Academy this year, was also pursued by the likes of Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona and DePaul.

"If Isiah Thomas had been at a big-time school, I'd be going with him," Ferguson said on Friday afternoon while on an unofficial visit to FIU. "He's been in the league, has played in the league and has developed so many good players."

"Everyone wants to get to the next level, and he knows what it takes," Ferguson added.

"I think biggest thing that stands out is his versatility and the things he can do not only in post, but also off dribble," Scout.com’s national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels said. "This is a huge get for FIU. It's pretty unheard of for a mid-level program to go in and get a guy that's currently ranked in top 20-25. Huge get and another addition to an already strong class."

Ferguson was arguably Billy Gillispie's top commitment while he was at Kentucky, but he re-opened his recruitment after Gillispie was fired and replaced by John Calipari.