"Did NOT see this coming" "Just fell to my knees": College hoops fans have hilarious reactions as Rutgers' Dylan Harper makes NBA draft decision

Rutgers guard Dylan Harper appeared on the "NBA Today" on Monday and declared for the 2025 draft. The all-freshmen team honoree averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.4% in his only Division I season. Pairing with five-star recruit Ace Bailey, the two led the team in every major statistical category.

Harper finished with 564 points, etching the freshman scoring record and a top five spot on the Big Ten leaderboard. He scored 27 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in his lone NCAA tournament game. The crafty guard is expected to be the No. 2 pick on June 25.

"First of all, I want to say thank you to my mom who's in the building, sister ... and all my family just coaches, trainers, people who've been there for me since Day 1, always believed in me and trusted me," he said. "With that being said, I'll be declaring for the 2025 NBA draft."

Fans were in awe on social media while reacting to Dylan Harper's draft declaration.

"I did NOT see this coming. What, next you’re gonna tell me Ace is going to declare too?!" a fan wrote.

"I just fell to my knees on an LX bus," a Reddit user added.

"It’s Rutgovers 😔," another fan commented.

Fans react to Harper's draft declaration on Reddit | via r/CollegeBasketball

More fans joined in on X.

"I wish he stayed in college and transferred to Duke," a user wrote.

"It’s official Dylan Harper has declared for the draft!!! Hopefully he is a Net. Come on basketball gods!!" a fan added.

"Harper is extremely hyped and no deserving of any lottery pick; 2nd round or FA like his brother," another user commented.

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Dylan Harper's plan on preparing for the draft combine and the NBA

Dylan Harper suffered an ankle injury in November, slowing him down as soon as he got a feel for college basketball. January saw him battle with the flu and lose significant weight. With that, the 19-year-old already has a plan to get his body in right shape before making his big league entry.

"The next few months, I'll be spending a lot of time in the gym, watching film, getting my body right, preparing for the next level and making sure everything is sharp," he said.

Despite the presence of another lottery talent on the team, Dylan Harper led Rutgers to significant wins this season. He posted 36 points in an overtime thriller against Notre Dame, followed by 37 points against Alabama the next day and 28 points against Illinois in February.