Every few years we get a freshman crop in college basketball that oozes promise. That promise, however, typically centers around a handful of one-and-done prospects that can define a season (see Flagg, Cooper). If your team isn’t in the mix for a five-star lottery pick, the hope is to find a productive freshman that can be a multi-year piece for your program.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and this 2025-26 freshman class might be one of them. What’s already unfolding speaks to more than just five-star names and highlight reels—it speaks to a level of impact, readiness, depth college basketball hasn’t seen before.
That depth is what makes this season feel different. Yes, we’ve seen heralded freshmen like Koa Peat or Caleb Wilson ignite marquee games; the kind that make highlight shows and post-game debates. But what’s different this time is how many of them are being trusted now—creating, closing possessions, defending, spacing—in roles that were reserved for upperclassmen five or 10 years ago.
Think about Peat’s debut: 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block against the nation’s best frontcourt, in Las Vegas, under the lights. That wasn’t a freshman getting minutes; that was a freshman controlling a game. Then there’s Wilson, whose 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists propelled North Carolina to a statement win over Kansas. He was also the kind of presence that sends a message to opponents about who is anchoring the team.
The early dominance felt symbolic, too, of a sport in transition given the shifting roster dynamics in the sport. Preseason questions lingered about the talent vacuum left behind by the end of the COVID-year seniors. For the last four seasons, coaches and general managers have turned to the transfer portal to find experienced pieces that could slide right into their roster. With five classes worth of players ready to fill spots, there always seemed to be a reliable option available.
There are still a few super seniors sprinkled across the college basketball landscape, yet that supply is near extinction. Some programs continued to lean into the transfer portal with mixed results (which is largely the cost of doing business), but early returns indicate the hit rate may be lower than past years given the shrinking talent pool.
Who was going to fill the void left without as many fifth-year guys? How lucky is the sport that the answer has turned out to be the deepest and most talented freshman class we’ve ever seen.
And that’s what sets the tone for this season. It’s not just about how many freshmen are good; it’s about how many freshmen are impactful. How many have already been trusted in late-game line-ups. How many coaches are scripting for them rather than around them. Every coach, every program that found major turnover or counted on transfers is now looking at this class like a solution.
Yes, we expected BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson to be the go-to guys on their teams. That trio has been battling it out at the top of the class for years now, and NBA teams have been “definitely not at all tanking” (wink wink) to improve their odds to land one of the three. Buzz had also been building behind another group of prospects led by Nate Ament, Darius Acuff Jr. and Mikel Brown Jr., the latter of whom starred for Team USA in this summer’s FIBA U19 World Cup.
If the freshmen named in the top tier are stealing the spotlight, turn around and you’ll find another wave that might matter just as much. The difference here isn’t just one or two headliners—it’s that the second tier of this class is already shaping outcomes. These aren’t freshmen waiting for their moment: they’re steps ahead of most juniors used to being handed minutes.
This class did enter with high expectations and all those players have met them. Still, no one saw this many freshmen being this productive.
Let’s start with Neoklis Avdalas at Virginia Tech. The 6-9 guard came in with less flash but much to offer: smoothing out offense, managing pace, and making plays. His performance against Providence (33 points, six assists, five rebounds) jumped off the screen not just because of the production, but how comfortable he looked being ‘the guy.’ The guy Virginia Tech relied on to create everything and the guy the Friars were doing everything they could to slow down—and couldn’t. The result is that the Hokies may have their best season yet under Mike Young.
And don’t forget Hannes Steinbach at Washington. Sometimes the best freshmen aren’t in the headlines—they’re in the box scores and on the floor doing the stuff that makes rotations trustworthy. Steinbach’s instincts as a stretch-big, with rebounding and passing chops, give Washington flexibility many “veteran” teams still lack. The fact he’s already second on the Huskies in minutes speaks to the confidence the staff has in his readiness.
Even players like Arizona State’s Mor Massamba Diop have jumped off the screen with their skill set. I detailed his start in Monday’s Rauf Report and why head coach Bobby Hurley’s goal is “to find ways to keep getting him the ball in different places.”
Of course, those players speak to the foreign influence on college basketball. Avdalas has two years of professional experience in Greece’s top league. Steinbach came to Washington from Würzburg Baskets of the German Bundesliga, the country’s top professional division. Diop has professional experience in Spain.
Those are just three examples, but the foreign imports have helped raise the overall level of play across the country. International development pipelines are preparing players to contribute from day one.
And think about where they’re playing, too. Virginia Tech, Washington, and Arizona State all have stars—freshmen stars—that are worth talking about on the national stage. That is a great thing for the game!
Even so, the depth of this freshman class isn’t just reliant on international players with some professional experience.
Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, rated as the No. 99 overall prospect in the country in the 247sports Composite, is averaging 27.5 points per game to start his college career. South Carolina’s Eli Ellis, No. 103, is averaging 31 minutes and 15.5 points for the Gamecocks. Keaton Wagler, No. 260, has started every game for Illinois and scored 16 points in his first half of collegiate basketball.
I could go on and on to ensure we mentioned players like Providence’s Stefan Vaaks, Michigan’s Trey McKenney, Houston’s Kingston Flemings, or Syracuse’s Kiyan Anthony, yet it’s virtually impossible to ensure we cover everyone that’s made an impact. That’s especially true if you include the mid-major ranks, where players like Bradley’s Montana Wheeler have been vital pieces since Opening Day.
But that’s kind of the point!
It’s natural for us in the media to talk about freshmen at this point in the season. After all, this is the first stretch in which they’ve been tested against this level of competition. Yet that conversation is largely confined to maybe a handful or two of players every season.
This season, there’s simply too many to list. Everyone appears to have a freshman that can flip a game, and that is awesome.
Another angle: the wider spread of programs that have a freshman star. A decade ago, impact freshmen were reserved for a handful of blue-bloods. This fall, programs across the map are reaping the benefits, and that means more games matter. There are more opportunities for close games, slip ups, and upsets. That distribution of talent has somewhat flattened the sport’s hierarchy.
That doesn’t mean the ride will be smooth all season long. Freshmen hit walls. They’ll face veteran defenses, the fatigue of a long season, and the scouting reports that inevitably catch up. What’s overly impressive about this group is not just what they did in one or two games—it’s that they look comfortable and confident doing it. Nothing about the production feels fluky or happenstance. They’ve all checked boxes usually reserved for sophomores or juniors.
That breadth matters for how you evaluate programs. In past seasons, you might grade a freshman class on whether the top guy proved he could start. This season you’re asking: how many freshmen are starters? How many are rotation fixtures? And how many are difference-makers that pinch games in February? The answer so far: more than ever.
The beautiful irony is that this return to youth has come from the same chaos that once threatened to bury it. The transfer portal and NIL created an arms race for proven players, and the COVID rule provided a plethora of those options. Coaches routinely discussed how their strategies for roster building shifted away from high school recruiting towards a near exclusive focus on the portal.
That chaos actually cleared the runway for elite freshmen to have immediate opportunity.
But if the freshmen are changing the sport, they’re also saving a piece of what makes it special. We’ve worried about college basketball losing its identity — about it becoming a transactional, one-year pit stop or what would happen if it was flooded with overseas professionals. And sure, some of that is true.
Yet watching a new class of players light up November reminds you why the sport works. It’s discovery. It’s surprise. It’s the sheer joy of seeing someone play their first meaningful college minutes and realizing, “Oh, this guy is real.” It’s the appeal of having your school, your community being represented by a player who might actually be a real difference maker.
This freshman class is bringing hope and evoking pride. That’s the connective tissue college basketball has always had and never lost, even through all its evolution.
And remember how we were worried the one-and-done rule would cause the level of play to suffer? Or that the transfer portal and constant roster turnover would cause the level of play to suffer?
Led by this freshman class, scoring is at an all-time high. That’s a reflection of faster pace, better spacing, and more ready-made offensive players entering the college game. Ken Pomeroy wrote a great article detailing the offensive surge.
The level of play across the sport has never been higher, and freshmen are leading the way.
The trick is what happens next. Because for this to be more than just a fun first month, we need to see these freshmen carry it through the grind. If they can, the ripple effects are huge.
And that’s where the real intrigue lies. Because this group could. They have the talent, the size, the systems, the coaches who believe in them. They’re not a collection of highlights — they’re a movement toward redefining what freshmen expectations could and should be, because this group hasn’t been just “ready” for minutes. They’re already ready to be high-impact players.
There’s always a danger in getting ahead of ourselves by turning early-season takeaways into gospel. Sometimes, though, the eye test tells you more than the numbers can. And if you’ve been watching closely, you’ve felt it. This freshman class has made the early part of the season not just exciting but essential. Every night brings another performance that forces you to re-evaluate what’s possible.
That’s the part I keep coming back to. College basketball is supposed to surprise us. It’s supposed to make us rethink our assumptions about who can win and what kind of player succeeds. This freshman class is doing that in real time.
The top of the class is shining, no doubt. But the depth of true difference-makers this class has provided, sprinkled to schools at every level of prestige, is what changes the narrative.
You know the refrain “you can’t win with freshmen” that you hear almost every college basketball season? You won’t be hearing that this year.
These players aren’t waiting for their moment. They’re making their moments now.
