One of Rutgers‘ star freshmen will be out for a notable portion of the summer, as Dylan Harper underwent an elective surgery, head coach Steve Pikiell told NJ Advance Media. Harper will reportedly be out for four to six weeks.
Harper’s absence will cause him to miss the beginning of the Scarlet Knights’ summer workout program. The surgery itself was to address a nagging issue in his right knee, stemming from an injury sustained during his final high school season.
Harper is expected to be back and healthy with more than enough time to spare for preseason practices and the start of the 2024-25 season.
Harper played high school football at Don Bosco (N.J.) Prep, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. three overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Pikiell was considered as a potential replacement for Dan Hurley at UConn if the job opened
During an emergency edition of the College GameDay Podcast, ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel were joined by Jeff Borzello to discuss UConn head coach Dan Hurley being pursued by the Los Angeles Lakers. There have been rumblings and rumors of plenty about who would replace the reigning two-time national championship head coach should he head to the NBA.
Borzello thinks UConn will promote one of its assistants to replace Hurley. However, Thamel sees a candidate currently not part of the program but who has deep ties to it: Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. But how likely is it that the Huskies go after the Scarlet Knights head coach, and what roadblocks, if any, would stand in the way of their reunion?
“I think that if they do open it up and go kind of outside the current staff, he would be a name,” Borzello said. “But again, that buyout you mentioned; those are the kind of buyouts that I don’t think they would pay. Nate Oats is very tight with Dan Hurley. Would Hurley recommend him for the job? Probably, but Oats’ buyout is something like $16 or $18 million. And that’s not entirely feasible, especially for UConn. $13 million might be too much for them to spend, too. So that’s why. There’s just so many factors that I think would just lend them to promoting from within, whether that’s on a short-term [or] long-term basis.”
Pikiell, who is 56, played at UConn from 1987-91. After his playing career wrapped up with the Huskies, he would join their coaching staff as an assistant for two seasons. From there, he had a handful of coaching staff before becoming the head coach at Stony Brook in 2005 where he remained until taking the records job in 2016.
As Borzello mentioned, arguably the biggest obstacle in UConn hiring Pikiell is the financial side of the puzzle. Currently, the Rutgers head coach is tied to the program until the 2030- 31 season after he signed an 8-year extension back in 2023. And with that extension, he has a buyout of nearly $13 million.
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