Duke basketball may be competing against a dark horse aiming to steal their coveted recruit, Dylan Harper, from right under their noses.

The Duke Blue Devils are trying to land a whale: five-star combo guard Dylan Harper from Don Bosco Prep.

Even with the school's relatively small 2024 recruiting class, Jon Scheyer and his team of coaches are right behind Harper every step of the way, hounding the top-ranked prospect and hopefully convincing him to make the right choice. The Blue Blood choice, that is.

While many around the college basketball community believe Duke are the frontrunners in the Dylan Harper sweepstakes, an underdog may be rising to snatch Harper away. And of course, it's a school from New Jersey.

Rutgers has ascended to become the top school to win Harper's favor, per analyst Rob Cassidy. Here's why:

"Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell] developed Harper's older brother, Ron Harper Jr., into a certified star at the school, and the fact that fellow 2024 guard Dellquan Warren recently backed off his pledge to Rutgers to seek a new home may, in fact, suggest that he thinks Harper will land in Piscataway for college…Scarlet Knight fans should feel cautiously optimistic."

Homegrown roots run deep.

Duke falls behind Rutgers and Indiana in race to recruit Dylan Harper

Harper is expected to make his decision sometime this summer, and as of now, the schools still jostling for his talents include Duke, Rutgers, Indiana, Auburn, and Kansas.

The 6-foot-5 guard has already visited Duke, Rutgers, and Indiana, and he will likely make an official visit to Auburn and Kansas in the coming months.

Not too long ago, Duke appeared to be firmly in the driver's seat leading Harper's recruitment, yet the other schools each have their own siren songs that could lure Harper away from Jon Scheyer's grabby hands.

As Cassidy notes, Harper's deep-seated familial connection to the Scarlet Knights makes them a dangerous contender. Indiana may also get a leg up from Harper's strong links to Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers staff.

This is no one-horse race — as many as five different schools could feasibly recruit Dylan Harper this summer, and Duke's name may not carry the weight as it once did. New Jersey boys, unite!