Kentucky MBB target Bryson Howard picks another Blue Blood

Four-star prospect Bryson Howard was down to a trio of Blue Bloods, but he won’t be wearing Kentucky blue once he makes his way to college.

Howard announced his commitment to Duke on Tuesday afternoon, choosing the Blue Devils over the Wildcats and North Carolina. After holding no high-major scholarship offers as recently as early May, Howard used the summer to establish himself as one of the top recruits in the 2026 cycle. The Rivals Industry Ranking considers the 6-foot-4 shooting guard as the 16th-best high school senior in the country.

The son of former NBA player Josh Howard, who was born and raised in North Carolina, Bryson officially visited all three of his finalists in September and October before ultimately choosing Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

NEWS: Bryson Howard, the No. 11 overall recruit in the 2026 class, has committed to Duke, he tells @Rivals.

The 6-4 shooting guard chose the Blue Devils over Kentucky, North Carolina, and others. https://t.co/jxOWGA74bS pic.twitter.com/XJKi708rSY

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 21, 2025

As mentioned, Howard was mostly unknown in the recruiting world going into the spring out of Heritage (TX). But his impressive play on the Nike EYBL circuit for Pro Skills caught the attention of coaches all over the country, Kentucky included. UK assistants Alvin Brooks III and Mikhail McLean — who have ties to the state of Texas — first made contact with him in May after the first live period of the season.

That led to an offer from the ‘Cats in June as a result of Howard’s performance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 22.6 minutes per outing while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from deep on high volume. Howard, who didn’t play varsity until his junior year, went from being ranked outside of the top 150 in the spring to being considered one of the top players in the country by the end of the summer.

Kentucky coaches even visited Howard in person ahead of his OV to Lexington at the beginning of October. But it wasn’t enough to land a commitment in the end. That being said, UK remains in the running for several other talented 2026 targets, such as Deron Rippey Jr., Jordan Smith Jr., Caleb Holt, Baba Oladotun, Maximo Adams, Christian Collins, Arafan Diane, Josh Irving, and, of course, Tyran Stokes.

It’s only a matter of time before Mark Pope locks down one (or two, or three) high-end recruits for the 2026-27 season.

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