Jeff BorzelloJan 15, 2026, 07:30 AM ETCloseJeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.Follow on X
play2:25Cam Boozer leads Duke to a comeback win vs. LouisvilleCam Boozer drops 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in Duke’s comeback win over Louisville.
play0:16Ebuka Okorie drains basket vs North Carolina Tar HeelsEbuka Okorie buries bucket against North Carolina Tar Heels
play0:23Brayden Burries gets the steal for a Koa Peat slamBrayden Burries snatches the rock from TCU and throws it ahead to Koa Peat for a beautiful dunk.
play0:19Jalen Haralson buries basket against Clemson TigersJalen Haralson buries basket against Clemson Tigers
play0:15Darryn Peterson gets the steal and the basket for KansasDarryn Peterson gets the steal and the basket for Kansas.
play0:27Amari Allen rises for an Alabama and-1Amari Allen scores off an inbounds play for the Crimson Tide.
play0:18Gavin Sykes buries shot against CSU Bakersfield RoadrunnersGavin Sykes buries shot against CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners
BYU rallies back to defeat TCU (1:16)AJ Dybantsa leads BYU with 25 points as the Cougars overcome a halftime deficit to win 76-70. (1:16)
Cam Boozer leads Duke to a comeback win vs. LouisvilleCam Boozer drops 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in Duke’s comeback win over Louisville.
Cam Boozer drops 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in Duke’s comeback win over Louisville.
Ebuka Okorie drains basket vs North Carolina Tar HeelsEbuka Okorie buries bucket against North Carolina Tar Heels
Brayden Burries gets the steal for a Koa Peat slamBrayden Burries snatches the rock from TCU and throws it ahead to Koa Peat for a beautiful dunk.
Jalen Haralson buries basket against Clemson TigersJalen Haralson buries basket against Clemson Tigers
Darryn Peterson gets the steal and the basket for KansasDarryn Peterson gets the steal and the basket for Kansas.
Gavin Sykes buries shot against CSU Bakersfield RoadrunnersGavin Sykes buries shot against CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners
play0:19David Mirkovic knocks down the tripleDavid Mirkovic knocks down the triple
play0:18Joel Foxwell drains trey vs. Pepperdine WavesJoel Foxwell drains trey vs. Pepperdine Waves
play0:18Amon Dörries connects on alley-oopAmon Dörries connects on alley-oop
This year’s freshman class was one of the most ballyhooed in recent memory, with NBA front offices circling June’s draft on the calendars well in advance of the 2025-26 cycle. It was no different at the college level, with three legitimately transcendent players — Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer — headlining a loaded group of five-star prospects.
Through the first half of the season, the class has lived up to the hype, and beyond. We had no issue picking out the top 10 freshmen, and in fact had trouble cutting off the second group where we did. Not only has the top of the class been fantastic across the board, there have been plenty of surprises from outside the rankings, and schools have supplemented the American freshman class with dozens of impact players from Europe.
The numbers back up what the eye test has told us. Entering January, the top 10 of the 2025 SCNext class were averaging 17.8 points — the most of any top-10 class since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007, according to ESPN Research. The closest group was the 2007 class, which averaged 16.1 points. The top 10 prospects from the 2025 class also combined for 45 games of 20-plus points in the first two months of the season — the most of any class since that 2007 group.
The NBA hasn’t cooled on this group yet, either. ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft features 16 freshmen in the projected first round, including each of the top seven picks.
Boozer entered college with a reputation as an ultraproductive winner. Entering this week, he was averaging 22.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, leading Duke to a 15-1 start. He’s been among the most efficient players in college basketball while also putting up massive statlines, including 35 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana State and 35 points and nine rebounds against Arkansas.
Cam Boozer leads Duke to a comeback win vs. Louisville
Dybantsa has closed the gap on Boozer for the No. 1 spot in these rankings, setting multiple records over the past six weeks. Saturday’s win over Utah marked the ninth straight game in which he has scored at least 20 points while shooting 50% from the field — he’s the first Division I freshman to do that in 30 years. That performance came on the heels of a December during which Dybantsa averaged 27.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals.
While Boozer and Dybantsa entered the season with sky-high All-American expectations, Wilson has played himself into that discussion. The five-star recruit has been remarkably productive, averaging 19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds entering the week, showing improved passing ability and a motor on the defensive end of the floor. He has had eight games of 20 points and 10 rebounds, including six in his past eight contests.
Acuff’s coming-out party came against Duke on Thanksgiving, when he put up 21 points against the Blue Devils — and he hasn’t slowed down since. He entered the week ranking fourth among all freshmen in scoring and second in assists, and he’s averaging 21.7 points and 6.7 assists in six games against ranked opponents this season. Acuff was given a high-usage role from day one, and as a result he has played himself into the lottery discussion.
Perhaps no point guard in the country has boosted his stock as much as Flemings has through the first two months of the season. Entering the week, he was averaging 15.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals, establishing himself among the elite two-way guards in college basketball. Flemings has excelled in a demanding Kelvin Sampson system, and has put up big numbers in big games: 22 points against Auburn, 25 against Tennessee, 21 against Arkansas, 23 against Texas Tech.
An unranked four-star recruit coming out of high school, Wagler projects as a lottery pick at this point in the season. He is 6-foot-6, shooting better than 41% from 3-point range and averaging 5.2 rebounds. He’s also a top-25 freshman in assists at 3.8 per game — despite not being Illinois’ primary ballhandler or playmaker. He has been particularly terrific over the past month, with two games of 20-plus points and two games of 10 assists.
Ebuka Okorie drains basket vs North Carolina Tar Heels
Ebuka Okorie buries bucket against North Carolina Tar Heels
Brayden Burries snatches the rock from TCU and throws it ahead to Koa Peat for a beautiful dunk.
The highest-ranked international student on this list, Steinbach entered the week sixth among all freshmen in scoring and tied with Caleb Wilson atop the rebounding charts. The Germany native has nine double-doubles, never scoring fewer than 10 points and putting up five games of 20 points and 10 rebounds. He’s averaging 18.4 points and 11.0 rebounds, shooting 58% from the field.
Another international addition, De Ridder is back to playing his best basketball after a lull in December. He opened his college career with four 20-point outings in his first five games, and has now put up at least 22 in three of his past five games entering the week. The Belgium native has been as productive as advertised, leading the Cavaliers in scoring (16.4 PPG) and ranking second in rebounding (6.1 RPG).
Yessoufou has struggled a bit since the start of Big 12 play, averaging 10.3 points and shooting 35.5% from the field in the opening three games. But he’s generally been one of the best freshman scorers in the country, which is right in line with his scouting report coming out of high school as California’s all-time leading scorer. He’s averaging 17.5 points and scored at least 22 points on five separate occasions.
Thomas was right there with Acuff through the first few games, and still among the best first-year guards in the country. He’s averaging 15.4 points and 2.8 assists, and has been playing much better over the past couple of weeks, putting up 19.0 points and shooting 53.8% from 3-point range in the past four games.
Entering college right behind the big three freshmen (Darryn Peterson, Dybantsa, Peterson) when it comes to prospects, Ament came out of the gates playing at a high level. He was averaging 19.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists through his first six games. He has since slowed down, showing some inconsistency on the offensive end, but he’s still averaging 14.9 points on the season and just had 17 against Florida.
Mullins missed the first six games with an ankle injury, but it took him just two weeks to force his way into the starting lineup. He had 17 points on the road at Kansas in his second career game and is averaging 13.4 points in seven games as a starter, shooting 44.4% from 3 in that stretch. He’s coming off two games in which he had 24 points at Providence and 16 against DePaul.
Toure didn’t enter college with a ton of preseason buzz, but he slotted into Iowa State’s starting lineup and has started every game for the No. 2 team in the country that suffered its first loss of the season just this week. Toure’s true star turn came in Las Vegas at the Players Era Championship, when he took on a bigger load with Tamin Lipsey sidelined and had 20 points against Creighton and 19 against Syracuse. He’s averaging 10.4 points and has also been terrific defensively.
Mingo missed two games with an injury earlier this month, but when he’s been on the floor he has been one of the most productive guards in the Big Ten. He’s among the top 25 freshman scorers (14.9 PPG) and top 10 distributors (4.5 APG), while also leading all freshmen in steals (2.5 SPG). He had 24 points against Harvard earlier this season and flirted with a triple-double in a loss to Michigan State.
Avdalas, who withdrew from the NBA draft last spring, has produced some of the best individual performances of anyone on this list. The Greek native had 33 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 3-pointers in an overtime win over Providence in the second game of the season, and also went for 30 points in a win over Western Carolina. Entering the week, Avdalas was putting up 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists.