Kentucky set to welcome 4-star SG Bryson Howard for official visit this weekend

Another highly-rated high school recruit will spend a few days in Lexington.

The latest guest is four-star prospect Bryson Howard, who is scheduled to officially visit Kentucky from Friday through Sunday (Oct. 3-5). This will be the third OV for Howard, who went on trips to see North Carolina and Duke last month. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound shooting guard does not currently have any more visits on the docket. Howard is considered the No. 16 overall recruit in the 2026 class by the Rivals Industry Ranking.

Bryson is the son of former NBA player Josh Howard, who played 10 seasons in the league and even earned an All-Star nod as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Here’s what you need to know about the younger Howard ahead of his weekend stay on UK’s campus.

Howard was mostly unknown in the recruiting world going into the spring. He had no high-major offers until May. But his impressive play on the Nike EYBL circuit for Pro Skills caught the attention of coaches all over the country, Kentucky included. Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Mikhail McLean first made contact with him in May after the first live period of the season.

That led to an offer 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 best high school players in the country by the end of the summer.

“Howard is a connecting guard, able to fill in the holes on offense and play off others,” On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote about Howard at Peach Jam in July. “He got his team into sets, moved the ball, pulled gravity as he provided spacing, and he finished at the rim. The 6-foot-4 Howard plays a controlled and composed game. Where he shines the most might be on the defensive end. He has good length and athleticism and he really understands leverage allowing him to guard up and down a line up. There is a lot to like with Howard’s game.”

Kentucky appears to be putting on the full-court press with Howard. Last week, according to Jacob Poalcheck of KSR+, members of the coaching staff traveled to see him at his high school, Heritage (Frisco, TX), ahead of his visit to Lexington. Both Brooks and McLean have strong ties to the state of Texas, as well.

“The way they play is exactly how I play,” Howard told KSR+ about Kentucky at Peach Jam. “They get after it, they play hard, and that’s one of the main things I do. It was nice watching them. I enjoyed how they played.”

This appears to be a battle of the Blue Bloods right now between UK, Duke, and North Carolina. Howard’s weekend visit to the Bluegrass State will be important for the Wildcats.

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