Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff are heating up their efforts with the 2026 recruiting class, and several top prospects have been rumored to be heading to Duke once their commitments arrive. Now, new breaking news on 5-star forward Bryson Howard has put the Blue Devils in the driver's seat for his services, just one day before he is set to announce his commitment. It was announced on October 20th that Howard would announce his commitment between Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky on October 21st. Not long after, it was reported that Howard had received a crystal ball prediction to land with the Blue Devils.
5-star Bryson Howard to announce commitment tomorrow, Duke basketball receives crystal ball to land 2026 forward
2026 5⭐️ Bryson Howard will make his decision October 21st. Howard will choose between Duke, Kentucky & UNC pic.twitter.com/yJjBqnSNjr
— The Basketball Tribune (@TheBBallTribune) October 20, 2025
Howard is the No. 12 overall player, No. 4 small forward, and No. 1 player out of the state of Texas according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings. The Heritage High School (TX) product went from an unranked recruit to a 5-star talent in a matter of months after elite performances through the EYBL circuit. The 6'5", 188-pound forward took official visits to all three schools still in contention for his services this fall. He announced his final three less than two weeks ago, with his commitment thought to be announced sooner rather than later. In just a couple of hours, the Duke program has stolen the show and is now viewed as the favorite to land Howard.
Shortly after it was reported that Howard would be committing on October 21st, The Devils Den contributor Chad Lykins placed a crystal ball prediction of medium confidence for Howard to land in Durham.
The top-15 prospect isn't the only elite 2026 talent that is favored to be heading to Duke. Shortly after 5-stars Jordan Smith Jr. and Cameron Williams were in attendance for Countdown to Craziness, a crystal ball prediction was placed for Smith to land at Duke, and Williams cancelled his official visit to USC that was slated for the following weekend.
Scheyer and his staff have yet to secure a commitment from a 2026 prospect, but several appear to be on their way.