Ranking men’s basketball Freshman of the Year contenders: Who is No. 1?

After years of high school players playing overseas or for the G League or Overtime Elite as they developed their skills for the NBA, college basketball has again emerged with a monopoly on these first-year talents.

The numbers prove it: Eighteen rookies were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, and 17 are projected to go in the first round ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft,

The 2025-26 group features an abundance of newcomers adorned with the characteristics of future stars of the next level. Whereas cooper flag With the No. 1 pick looking the part at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, this season’s race for the top spot could be one of the most competitive battles in recent history.

With one of the strongest freshman classes we can remember, we’re here to help you make sense of it all with our Freshman of the Year tracker – a barometer of this strong contingent of underclassmen, which we’ll update every other Wednesday as the race progresses.

The conversation about the top NBA prospects will continue, but this ranking aims to answer a different question: Who is the best freshman in America? This answer will likely change throughout the season, and players on the list now may not be on it in a month or two.

As of right now, here are the top 10 best freshmen in the country through the first 16 days of the season. Note that we have stipulated that a freshman must play in 50% of his team’s games, so there is no need for angry emails about the omission of the Kansas star and projected top NBA draft pick. darrin petersonwe will talk when he is healthy,

Biggest performance ever: 25 points, six rebounds vs. UConn on November 15

Dyabantsa came out of high school as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class — and he hasn’t disappointed in the first four games. He took over late in the opener against Villanova, played well against Holy Cross and Delaware, then looked like a No. 1 pick in the second half of Saturday’s close loss to UConn, leading the Cougars to almost completely rally back from a 20-point deficit to within two points. He is averaging 20.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 57.4% from the field and 40% from 3. –Jeff Borzello

Biggest performance ever: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Kansas (at New York) on November 18

Although Boozer struggled early in Duke’s win over Kansas in Tuesday’s Champions Classic, he finished with a commendable stat line. The performance on the big stage at Madison Square Garden was proof that even on an off night, Boozer still manages to play an important role for his team. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year began his college career with a breakout effort in an exhibition win over Tennessee, before he recorded a double-double in the season-opening win against Texas. There was more preseason buzz around DiBantsa, and Peterson is the projected No. 1 pick in ESPN’s latest NBA mock draftBut Boozer has already made claims that he is as good as any rookie or player in America. – Myron Medcalf

Biggest performance ever: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists against Kansas on November 7

On Tuesday against Navy, Wilson dribbled in the lane, rose above the rim and slammed the ball down — one of his many SportsCenter-worthy plays so far. The five-star prospect from Georgia has no shortage of swag, and he carried that confidence as he led the Tar Heels to a win over Kansas in his second college game. Beyond the numbers (20.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg), he has also been praised by coach Hubert Davis as a vocal leader on the team. Wilson will have to carry a bigger burden with the experienced Seth Trimble He has been sidelined with a broken hand, but the new player looks ready to handle the pressure. — medcalf

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Caleb Wilson leads the way for a slam vs. North Carolina Central Eagles

Caleb Wilson stood up for a beautiful slam dunk

Biggest performance ever: 29 points, five assists vs. Kentucky, November 11

It was clear from the moment Brown committed that Pat Kelsey was going to hand him the keys to the Cardinals’ offense. It has worked so far, with Brown leading a unit that ranks third in the country in scoring at 103 points per game. He has been both a scorer and playmaker for Louisville, averaging 19.3 points and 6.8 assists, both tops among all freshmen. His performance in last week’s rivalry win over Kentucky was special – he carved up the Wildcats’ defense and looked generally vulnerable, turning it over just once. — Borzello

Biggest performance ever: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Florida on November 3

Peat had one of the most impressive debuts for a freshman in recent memory, dominating defending champion Florida and arguably the best frontcourt in the country on opening night to assert that he belongs in the top tier of incoming prospects. According to ESPN Research, Peat was the first player in Big 12 history to average 30 points and five assists in his debut. And while his numbers have slowed down since then, especially struggling against UCLA, he is still averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. — Borzello

Biggest performance ever: 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds vs. Auburn on November 16

Kelvin Sampson said Houston’s talented newcomer class will need time to excel at this level, but the 6-foot-4 Flemings doesn’t need it. Through four games, he is the best player on a team chasing the program’s first national championship, leading the Cougars in scoring (17.3) and assists (5.3). He and fellow freshman Chris Cenac Jr.Flemings dominated as a scorer and distributor, scoring a combined 40 points in Sunday’s win over Auburn in Birmingham, performing at a mature level in his team’s toughest game yet, — medcalf

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Kingston Fleming comes with a clutch block

Kingston Fleming stays with Tahadh Pettiford and blocks his shot with less than a minute left.

Biggest performance ever: 33 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Providence on November 8

Avadalas is an elite prospect as he comes into the freshman class this season. He is 6 feet 9 inches tall, plays the game at his pace and has the best offensive instincts of the group. He went through the NBA draft process last year, even earning an invitation to the combine, but Mike Young is certainly happy the Greece native chose the college path. Avdalas did not repeat his star performance against Providence, but he averaged 16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists, second among all freshmen in the latter category. — Borzello

Biggest performance ever: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Northern Kentucky, November 8

Considered one of the elite shotmakers in the 2025 class, the Volunteers’ exhibition games were raising some concerns that Ament’s talent was not coming to the fore right away. Once the lights went on and the regular season began, those concerns went away. Ament has scored at least 18 points in each of Tennessee’s four games, and he is showing more promise than expected as a rebounder (at least eight rebounds in each game) and passer (at least five assists in two games). He averaged 19.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. — Borzello

Biggest performance ever: 27 points and 21 rebounds vs. Colgate on November 14

Mirkovic came to the United States after playing professionally for a few seasons in Montenegro. That experience has enabled him to advance in Champagne. He began his career with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists in Illinois’ victory over Jackson State. And he averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds (second among all freshmen) and 2.3 assists after his huge performance against Colgate, in which he became the first Illinois player to post 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Nick Weatherspoon in 1972. — Borzello

Biggest performance ever: Combined 32 points, eight assists at Michigan State on November 8

We thought Arkansas’ two stars, who combined for 38 points in Tuesday’s 84-83 win against Winthrop, were both good enough to make this list. They are a package deal and have staked their claim as one of America’s best duos in just a few games. Together, they are averaging nearly 40 points and 10 assists. A 6-3 point guard, Acuff has made 42% of his shots from beyond the arc. And Thomas, a 6-5 wing, averaged 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. John Calipari has some elite newcomers in his backcourt. — medcalf

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Melek Thomas rocks the rim with powerful dunk

Melek Thomas rises for beautiful flush

Also considered: Ebuka Okorie, stanford, Tounde Yessoufou, boiler, Thijs De Ridder, Virginia, hannes steinbach, Washington