Son of ACC Legend; 5-Star Forward Bryson Howard Becomes a Blue Devil

For a number of years, Duke has been a hub for NBA wings, a staple of positionless basketball under Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Jon Scheyer has continued the tradition of landing the best wings in high school and, once again, a top wing prospect has chosen the Blue Devils – this time Bryson Howard. Howard, a top 15 prospect in the 2026 class. Fresh off of official visits to Duke and North Carolina in September and Kentucky in earlier in October, Howard fast tracked his decision, surprisingly deciding to announce today.  The Texas native has chosen Duke over 2 other Blue Bloods in UNC and Kentucky. The last name Howard should ring a bell for Duke and ACC fans alike. Bryson is the son of Josh Howard of Wake Forest fame. Howard went on to be drafted in the first doubt by the Dallas Mavericks where he played from 2003-2010 before playing for the Wizards, Jazz and Timberwolves. Josh Currently is the head coach of the university of North Texas at Dallas.

#12 according to 247Sports, #16 according to on3 and #20 according to ESPN, no player in the 2026 class saw his stock rise as much as Howard in the last few cycles, and that trajectory will likely continue heading into his last season. At 6’5 and 188-pounds, Howard has solidified himself as a top player in his class on both ends of the floor. A physical wing who can be a playmaker on offense and a stopper on defense. He’s seen his stock continually rise over the past year, vaulting him into top 15 status, and could probably end up being a top 5 player. Howard has also seen an increased ability to hit shots from range on in, that coupled with his athleticism, he’s a perfect fit for Jon Scheyer’s defense first mantra. Bryson becomes Duke’s first commit in the 2026 class and looks to play a major role next season as Duke is set to lose, once again, a huge amount of its current roster.

Recruiting is always a complicated animal, especially at Duke, where one blow up or glow up season means you lose a player to the NBA. Duke has to walk a fine line but Jon Scheyer has several irons in the fire including 2 top 10 players in big man Cameron Williams and 2-guard Jordan Smith Jr. Duke also currently has arguably the top point guard in the class visiting this week in Daron Rippey Jr. Duke also hosted top-100 big man Maxime Meyer just a few days ago. Duke sits fairly comfortably with each recruit, with Williams and Smith being Duke leans if you believe the current chatter. Decisions for Smith Jr. and Williams could come as early as next month or perhaps drag on until the Spring.