Former Utah basketball forward set to enter transfer portal

Another player the Utah basketball program brought in last offseason for Alex Jensen's first year as head coach has announced their intentions of entering the transfer portal.

Less than a week after Elijah "Choppa" Moore made his plans of going into the portal known, Joe Tipton of On3 reported Tuesday that Jahki Howard plans to do the same.

Like Moore, Howard did not spend the entire 2025-26 campaign with the Runnin' Utes. The school announced in January that the former Auburn transfer and four-star recruit had left the team to attend to family matters.

A four-star and top-30 forward in the transfer portal, Howard was viewed as a big addition to Utah's roster when he committed to Jensen and company in April. The Overtime Elite product was coming off a freshman season in which he put up 4.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game across 21 appearances for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers, showcasing his elite athleticism and bounce on both ends of the floor in the process.

Howard never quite took off at Utah, though. The 6-foot-7 forward logged 10 or more minutes just twice, made two field goals on the season and never established himself in Jensen's rotation. He averaged 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in the six games he played in before departing the program.

A native of Boston, Howard previously played in the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite league. While suiting up for City Reapers, he put up 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game, earning All-OTE second team honors in the process.

Howard was the No. 6-ranked recruit in the state of Georgia and No. 93 nationally in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.

News of Howard's portal plans came about a week after Utah's season ended in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. Moore's offseason intentions went public roughly 24 hours after the Utes' postseason loss to Cincinnati.

Moore never found a niche in Jensen's rotation. He appeared in the season-opener against San José State and never saw the floor after stepping away from the team due to "personal matters" in December.

Without Howard in the fold, Utah looked to 6-foot-9 forward Josh Hayes to step up off the bench down the stretch of Big 12 play. Hayes logged 15 or more minutes in six of the final 14 games of the season, providing the Utes with more wing depth behind Keanu Dawes and Seydou Traore.

Hayes, Dawes and Traore are eligible to return next season.

The 15-day transfer portal window opens April 7.

Former Utah forward Jahki Howard plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he told @On3.

The 6-foot-6 sophmore began his college career at Auburn and is a former 4⭐️ recruit. https://t.co/kY6oWuY4VP pic.twitter.com/dvP1rOAWMn
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) March 17, 2026