Dylan Howard was promoted to Associate Head Coach during June 2025 after a one-year stint as an assistant coach for the Jackson State women's program. He joined the Jackson State staff after a one-year stint at Oakwood following a one-year stint as the associate head coach for the Southern men's basketball team.
During his first season at Jackson, Howard helped lead the team to a fourth place finish in the SWAC regular season and a berth in the tournament semifinals.The Tigers led the conference in several statistical categories including free throw percentage (72.3), three-point field goal percentage (31.4), three-point percentage defense (27.0), and three-pointers per game (5.4). They also finished top three in free throws made per game (13.71), defensive rebounds per game (24.9), and winning percentage.
Jackson State ended the 2024-25 campaign with the Player (and Newcomer) of the Year in the conference Taleah Dilworth and HBCU All-Star selection Zoe Cooper.
He is no stranger to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) after serving as an assistant coach at Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M, before serving three years as the men's head coach for the Bulldogs. During his time at Southern, he held the Jaguars finish as the top-scoring team in the league and one of the top defensive teams in the nation finishing seventh in turnovers forced per game. While at Alabama A&M, he helped the Bulldogs to the conference semifinals, and his team was ranked No. 1 in the RPI rankings. Howard has helped develop several all-conference performers during his career as well as All-Americans in his 28-year coaching career.
During the 2021-22 season, Alabama A&M saw its best record since its 2015-16 outing going 10-8 in conference play. They made it to the semi-final round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Tournament last season for the first time in five years. Throughout his tenure at Alabama A&M as the head coach, Dylan Howard had great success on off the court. He had several big in state wins vs Jacksonville St, Troy, North Alabama, South Alabama, and Samford. After the Samford win in 2020 Coach Howard had his team ranked #1 in the nation in the RPI rankings. The first time any HBCU was ranked #1. Coach Howard also was successful in the classroom having a multiyear APR score of 947.
Player development was a big key for his success. One of the best players in conference was Jalen Johnson from Indianapolis, Indiana. He was First-Team All SWAC in 2022 and Second-Team All SWAC in 2021. He was also two-time BOXTOROW All American. Howard took over the Bulldog program as the interim head coach prior to the 2018 season and immediately impacted the program's success. As interim head coach he recruited and developed Andre Kennedy into Second-Team All SWAC. Â
Before leading the Alabama A&M men's basketball program, Howard acted as the associate head coach for the 2017-18 season. He held the same position at Morehead State for five seasons, helping the team win 86 games and a second-place finish in the 2016 College Basketball Invitational. Howard was the top assistant at Mississippi Valley State from 2008-11. He assisted in putting together two top-50 recruiting classes in three seasons at MVSU. Coach Howard recruited five All-SWAC players, including 2012 MVP Paul Crosby and SWAC Tournament MVP Cor-J Cox.
Prior to MVSU, Howard had a seven-year run (2001-08) as the head coach at Division III Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, Texas. He was named American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 2005 after guiding the Cowboys to their first-ever league tournament appearance. In 2007, HSU reached the ASC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history. Coach Howard developed three conference players of year while at Hardin Simmons. Calvin Nite (2005), Zach Pickelman (2007), and Mardochee Jean (2008).Â
Coach Howard started his coaching career at the University of St. Francis (NAIA) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He helped guide St. Francis to a 31-win season and the #1 ranked team in the nation in 2000 and coached the national player of the year Steve Smith.Â
As a player, Howard played at UAB. As a player he won 84 games and led them to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1986 and 1987 and an NIT Final Four berth in 1989. After college, he went on to be a two-time all-league selection in the Asian Professional Basketball Association in Taipei, Taiwan.
Howard earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from UAB in 1992 and a master's degree in sports recreation and management from Hardin-Simmons in 2005 obtaining a 4.0 GPA while being the head coach.
In 2010, Howard was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's Silver Anniversary Team.
Howard, a McDonald’s All-American Nominee, was invited to the 1985 McDonald’s Derby Classic, was rated as high as the nation’s 11th-best player in the nation in high school.
Howard is married to his wife Nicole, and they have one daughter, Danielle.
