Duke basketball starts its 2026 recruiting class with an ACC legacy player
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bryson Howard will announce his college choice Tuesday, drawing Duke, UNC, Kentucky.
- Howard, a 6-5 small forward and 45% 3-point shooter, projects as two-way prospect.
- Announcement airs on CBS Sports College Basketball YouTube channel at 4:30 p.m.
Having attracted the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class to Duke in three of the past four seasons, Jon Scheyer secured the first player toward continuing that success on Tuesday.
Bryson Howard, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard rated the No. 12 player in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports, announced Tuesday he’ll play for Scheyer’s Blue Devils beginning next season. The Frisco (Texas) Heritage High star is the son of Josh Howard, a former ACC player of the year at Wake Forest and later an NBA All-Star.
Bryson Howard picked the Blue Devils over North Carolina and Kentucky, having made official visits to Duke and UNC in September and to Kentucky this month. He announced his decision on YouTube.
“For the next couple of years,” Howard said, unzipping his jacket to reveal a Duke T-shirt, “I’d like to say that I will be committing to the brotherhood, Duke University.”
A left-handed shooter, Howard was a 45 percent 3-point shooter who is not bashful in attacking the basket. His wingspan has been measured at 6 feet, 11 inches and recruiting analysts say he is fully engaged defensively.
His stock rose during the Nike EYBL season last spring and summer.
“It’s been crazy,” Howard told CBS Sports during his commitment announcement Tuesday. “Like going into that EYBL season, I wasn’t really thinking how much pub I was gonna get. But I knew that my work was going to show, and I just kept my confidence up and kept playing.”
Josh Howard, a Winston-Salem native, was named a first-team All-America at Wake Forest and unanimous choice as ACC player of the year in 2002-03. A first-round draft pick of the Dallas Mavericks, the 6-7 forward played for the Mavs, Washington Wizards. Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves during his 10-year NBA career.
The younger Howard, though, chose another ACC school.
“It felt like home, really,” Bryson Howard said, “with how I fit into their places. Off-ball screens, back-door cuts, getting up and down defensively. It’s really great. It made the most sense to me. I talked to my mom and dad about it. They think it makes the most sense for me.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 11:53 AM.
