As the men's basketball team kicked off their regular season today, they also began to put together their 2025 recruiting class, picking up the first commit in local point guard Jax Howard on his birthday.

After he committed to the program, he caught up with GoMiddle to recap his decision.

The new point guard commit is a local standout, running the show for Tennessee power The Webb School. Being able to play for the local school at the next level is something that caught his attention.

"Committing to a local program means a lot to me," he told GoMiddle. "I know a lot of people in this community and I hope to see them in the stands over these next 4 years! I am excited to be able to play in front of people I know and love."

The program still had to win him over and that was done by showing him a family atmosphere inside of the program as they enter this season with some new excitement.

"My confidence in MTSU came from seeing how much of a family atmosphere it was. Everyone loves everyone there, and I wanted to be a part of that."

Part of that family atmosphere comes from the player-coach relationships and for Howard, the relationships with the coaches at Middle Tennessee were stronger than anywhere else, beginning with head coach Nick McDevitt and associate head coach Wes Long.

"My relationship with the coaches was the strongest of any of the colleges I talked to. I talked to Coach McDevitt and Coach Long the most throughout my time. Their message to me was that it’s going to be hard but rewarding. I was happy that they were honest and open with me and I feel like that’s what made our relationship strong."

On the court, Howard sees a potential fit as well. As he watched what the Blue Raiders want to do with their point guards in practice, he saw a lot of things that cater to the strengths in his game.

"I loved watching their point guards in practice. They play a similar style to my high school team. A lot of get action and ball screen action which fits right into my strengths. They also play very fast and I love to use my speed to my advantage."