Another former Auburn player is changing scenery again, and this time Jahki Howard is headed to Long Island.
Howard has committed to transfer from Utah to Long Island University, a Northeast Conference program, though he has not yet signed. The move sends the former Auburn forward back to his home state of New York and gives LIU another Power 5 addition in the same portal class, following Daquan…
A former four-star recruit, Howard was part of Auburn’s 2024 Final Four run and was expected to take on a bigger role in 2025 before entering the portal. At 6-foot-7, he brought the kind of explosive athleticism that can jump off the page, but his college production has not yet matched the hype.
In 21 games at Auburn, Howard averaged 9.1 minutes, 4.2 points and 1.1 rebounds while shooting 53.6% from the field. He also finished those games with 12 dunks and hit 40.9% of his three-point attempts.
Howard left Auburn for Utah in search of more minutes, but the opportunity never really materialized. He appeared in just six games for the Utes, averaging 6.8 minutes per outing and posting 1.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. That was more than a drop-off - it cut his production at Auburn in more than half.
Now he’s on track to join the LIU Sharks, where the hope is that a return home can help unlock the player he was projected to become coming out of high school.
Howard played in the Overtime Elite league in high school, a setting built to spotlight elite young talent. He was ranked the 14th-best small forward in the country and the sixth-best player from Georgia, where he played.
“Howard is hands down one of the most athletically explosive players in the class of 2024,” 247Sports’ Eric Bossi wrote about Howard at the time. “His ability to catch lobs in any situation on the offensive end or appear from out of nowhere defensively for a monster block sets him apart from others… Bottom line he's got undeniable physical tools and slowly but surely his skill, feel for the game and production are catching up to those athletic gifts.”
Howard is still working to become more than a dunk-first player, and LIU could be the place where that happens. He’ll be looking to make his mark with the Sharks in 2026.
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