Highly touted guard Dylan Harper is uncommitted no longer.
The 5-star prospect announced Wednesday his intention to suit up for Rutgers, picking the Scarlet Knights over other finalists Auburn, Duke, Indiana and Kansas, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Harper is the No. 1 combo guard and No. 2 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2024 class.
"Harper is a true combo-guard who is equally effective either on or off the ball," Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports wrote in his evaluation. "He's even versatile in different types of roles as he can thrive as a team's primary creator, as he did in the EYBL with the Rens, or as more of a secondary weapon, as he did with the USA Basketball u19 team. His poise, understanding of the game, and instinctive feel are constants."
On3's Jamie Shaw weighed in and praised Harper's offensive skill set.
"Harper has a supreme feel for angles and footwork," Shaw said. "His pace is never rushed; he always has a plan with the ball in his hands. He is more of a scorer than a shooter. While he can knock down a spot three, he does need to clean some things up there. Harper is great with angles around the basket and has great balance in the paint."
Harper told veteran basketball writer Adam Zagoria he has used Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić as points of reference on the court, which helps to further define his style. None of the three is necessarily an elite perimeter shooter, but Gilgeous-Alexander and Dončić have become versatile scorers from all three levels while facilitating the offense.
Harper's last name is familiar to plenty of basketball fans. His father, Ron, was a five-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, and his brother, Ron Jr., played a starring role at Rutgers.
As a junior at Don Bosco Prep, Harper averaged 24.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He also knocked down 34 three-pointers across 21 contests.
At the national team level, the New Jersey native represented the United States at the 2023 FIBA Men's U19 World Cup. He put up 9.3 points per game as Team USA advanced to the bronze-medal game, losing 84-70 to Turkey.
As one would expect, Harper is already garnering NBA buzz. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked him fifth when examining the 2025 draft class in October, and his stock has probably only improved since then.
Because of that, Harper is all but guaranteed to be a one-and-done. His lone season at Rutgers could still prove to be special.
While the Scarlet Knights aren't a traditional blue blood, staying home and following in his older brother's footsteps was always a logical outcome for Harper. It certainly helped that head coach Steve Pikiell already signed Ace Bailey, the No. 3 overall player in 2024.
Expectations for Rutgers in 2024-25 will be as high as they've been in a long time. Even if their stay in Piscataway is brief, their success could lay the foundation for years to come.
