Duke Basketball Recruiting: Premier Guard Takes Huge Visit Elsewhere

Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) standout and longtime Duke basketball offer holder Dylan Harper has been somewhat secretive about his plans lately. But on Friday, the 2024 five-star told 247Sports' Travis Branham that he is on a weekend official visit to Rutgers, the perceived frontrunner in his recruitment for the past few months.

It's not his first trip to Rutgers, where his older brother, Ron Harper Jr., recently developed for four years on his way to the NBA.

However, it's the first official visit anywhere this year for Dylan Harper, who is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and ranks No. 1 among guards and No. 2 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite.

Last October, Harper visited Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils during Countdown to Craziness weekend in Durham. It's unlikely he'll return for this year's edition on Friday night (Duke basketball hosts three 2024 targets in five-star small forward Cooper Flagg, five-star center Patrick Ngongba II, and five-star shooting guard VJ Edgecombe).

Then again, Harper hasn't been short on surprises thus far, as he teased a decision in early August, only to then enter hush-hush mode for a few weeks before confirming that all five of his finalists (Duke, Rutgers, Auburn, Kansas, Indiana) remain in the mix.

For now, though, the Scarlet Knights should have every reason to believe they are the frontrunners. His official visit, alongside his friend and a 2024 Rutgers prize in five-star forward Ace Bailey, is in progress. And every insider prediction across major recruiting sites points to them coming out on top.

Dylan Harper was himself @Wootten_Camp! Fantastic! Heading to Rutgers his offical visit tomorrow. @dy1anharper @RutgersMBB @LeagueRDY pic.twitter.com/425uHJuPLd
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) October 13, 2023

Maybe it's a matter of days before Harper reveals a commitment. Or it could be several months.

"I don't know," he recently said about his timeline in a chat with Rivals' Krysten Peek. "I think when my gut tells me to do it, that's when I'm gonna do it."

List of Every Recruit Holding Duke Offer

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.