Five-Star Recruit Harper Commits to Rutgers, Signs Fanatics NIL Deal
Dylan Harper of Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) started his Wednesday like any other high school senior - attending class - but the normalcy ended there for the 17-year-old. After his morning classes, Harper left school early to watch his older brother Ron Jr. and the G-League's Toronto 905 take on the Westchester Knicks, before making some major news of his own.
The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper was the last remaining five-star in the 2024 class to make his college commitment, but certainly did so in style.
During a live stream hosted at Fanatics headquarters in New York City and viewed on Overtime's app and Instagram - Harper announced his commitment to Rutgers - becoming the highest rated recruit in the Scarlet Knights' history.
"Staying home was the biggest thing to me," Harper shared with Sports Illustrated. "Just to be able to play my next level of basketball at home in my backyard - with all of my family, friends and everyone who has seen me grown up and supported me - that was the main factor."
Concurrently, he also announced a multiyear NIL deal with Fanatics - his first brand partnership - who will feature him in trading cards and collectibles. Not a bad hump day for Harper.
To officially tip off his Fanatics relationship, the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2024 class sat with brand ambassador Jalen Rose for a Q&A session with fans and employees.
"You can probably tell from just speaking to him (Harper) for a few minutes the type of kid he is," Fanatics Collectibles' Head of Athlete Relations Omar Wilkes told Sports Illustrated, "I'd be lying if I said his immense talents didn't stand out. He's arguably the best high school basketball player in America, so we were naturally attracted to his talent. But once you actually meet him and get a sense of his character, his family - obviously great pedigree there - it was just a no-brainer."
To start, Harper will appear across five different Fanatics collections, beginning with the McDonald's All-American Game set next year.
"He's the type of athlete as we continue to build out Fanatics Collectibles - and we start creating these really unique and cool exclusive partnerships with athletes - we want to start with athletes that can be transcendent," added Wilkes. "We have a lot of big plans moving forward with him and we hope it's something that sustains through his entire career and beyond. Hopefully we will be at his Hall of Fame speech in 30 years and still be partners."
"I'm excited to see my card," Harper added. "Just to hold my card in my hand. When I was a kid, my brother and I would open boxes of cards for days. I always wanted to be on a card - it's a special moment for my family."
"It was the great people at Fanatics like Omar (Wilkes) and Michael Rubin," Harper said. "Right when I met them there was a bond and great energy. This is like a family. Me being the first high school to sign with Fanatics is special."
Harper - the first big-time recruit to stay home and play for Rutgers - joins a highly-touted Scarlet Knights recruiting class that includes No. 3 overall player Ace Bailey - making this class by far the best in program history.
Although hailing from a well-known basketball family, Harper has already carved his own path with his Rutgers decision and Fanatics partnership. "It's about making my own way, to inspire the youth to do things your own way," Harper shared. "Being true to myself and knowing who I am. All of the hard work - waking up to train at 4AM - pay off in moments like this."
With Rutgers adding Harper to Bailey and three-star forwards Lathan Sommerville, Bryce Dortch, and Dylan Grant, the Scarlet Knights now boasts the No. 3 best recruiting class, just behind Kentucky at No. 2 and Duke at No. 1.
"We're coming," added Harper. "There's not going to be a lot of teams that will be able to stop us next year - even this year - so having that on my mind, all the hard work payed off and there's so much more to go."
Over the Summer at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, Harper averaged 21.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists. The 6'6" combo guard also considered Duke, Indiana, Kansas and Auburn.
