Five-star forward Bryson Howard, the son of former NBA All-Star Josh Howard, verbally committed to Duke on Tuesday.
Howard – the No. 12 player in the class of 2026, according to the 247Sports Composite – chose the Blue Devils over fellow finalists North Carolina and Kentucky.
While Howard is Duke’s only assignment so far in 2026, Jon Scheyer’s track record suggests that won’t be the case for much longer. In three of the four offseasons since Scheyer took over for Mike Krzyzewski, he has ended up signing the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class — and in Howard, the Blue Devils have a key piece of what they hope will ultimately be another standout freshman.
In many ways, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Howard plays like his father, Josh, a former All-American at Wake Forest who spent more than a decade in the NBA. The younger Howard is an electric athlete, especially when he drives to the limit, which he turned into 19.7 points per game at Nike’s annual grassroots championship, Peach Jam. He also averaged six rebounds per game on his way to ranking in the top 10 in the league in both player index and overall efficiency.
That’s to say nothing of Howard’s defensive potential. Josh Howard was known as a two-way threat in both college and the pros, and his son has the same potential, especially as he continues to fill out his frame. With a 6-foot-1 wingspan, Howard’s size also fits nicely with the focus on length that Scheyer has shown during his young career as a head coach.
Howard’s potential swing skill, like many young wings, is his shooting — and there are reasons to be encouraged there, too. Howard shot 40.6 percent from 3 during Peach Jam (on more than five attempts per game) and 48.6 percent from 3 in the base summer. With Duke’s expected turnover next offseason, Howard has a chance to develop into a crucial player for the 2026-2027 Blue Devils.
Where does Duke go from here? For all intents and purposes, the top remaining target on Scheyer’s board is combo guard Jordan Smith, the No. 2 player in the class. Like Howard, Smith has a significant wingspan and is known for his two-way impact. Smith also attends Paul VI Catholic High (Va.), which produced former Duke guards Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels and current Blue Devils Patrick Ngongba and Darren Harris.
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