BREAKING NEWS: Dylan Harper undergoes elective knee surgery.

Dylan Harper, a standout freshman for Rutgers, had an elective surgery, which will keep him sidelined for a significant amount of the summer, head coach Steve Pikiell told NJ Advance Media. It is said that Harper will be out for four to six weeks.

Harper won’t be able to start the Scarlet Knights’ summer training regimen because of his absence. The purpose of the surgery was to treat a persistent problem with his right knee, which resulted from an injury he had during his senior year of high school.

Harper is anticipated to return to full fitness in plenty of time for the start of preseason drills and the 2024–25 season.

Five-star prospect Harper attended Don Bosco (N.J.) Prep for his high school football career. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that takes into account all four of the major recruitment media businesses, he was the third-best recruit overall in the 2024 cycle.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley was the topic of conversation between Jeff Borzello and ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel during an emergency episode of the College GameDay Podcast. Regarding the head coach of the current team, who has won two national championships, there have been a lot of murmurs and rumors regarding his potential replacement in the NBA.

Borzello believes that in order to replace Hurley, UConn will elevate one of its coaches. But Thamel sees Steve Pikiell, the head coach of Rutgers, as a candidate who is close to the program but is not currently a part of it. However, what are the chances that the Huskies will pursue the Scarlet Knights head coach, and what obstacles, if any, might prevent them from getting back together?

He would be well-known, according to Borzello, “if they do open it up and go kind of outside the current staff.” Once more, though, those are the very kinds of buyouts that I doubt they would cover, as you pointed out. Dan Hurley is very close to Nate Oats. Would Hurley put him forward for the position? Most likely, Oats paid $16–$18 million for the buyout. And that’s not totally practical, particularly for UConn. They might find that $13 million is too much to spend as well. Thus, that explains why. I believe that there are numerous variables that would support internal promotions, both temporarily and permanently.

56-year-old Pikiell was a player at UConn from 1987 to 1991. He would serve as an assistant coach for two seasons after concluding his playing career with the Huskies. After that, he worked with a few different coaching staff members before taking the helm as head coach at Stony Brook in 2005. He stayed there until he accepted the position of records in 2016.

As noted by Borzello, the financial aspect of the situation may be the largest barrier to Pikiell’s employment at UConn. The Rutgers head coach signed an eight-year agreement back in 2023, meaning he is currently committed to the program through the 2030–31 campaign. He also has a nearly $13 million buyout with that extension.