Reranking men’s college basketball Freshman of the Year contenders

The talent of this freshman class was one of the biggest storylines heading into the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season. The group has lived up to the hype so far and is showing no sign of slowing down.

According to ESPN Research, the top 10 recruits in the 2025 SC Next 100 rankings were averaging 17.8 points entering 2026 — the most since ESPN’s recruiting database started in 2007.

Most of those players will be found in our updated freshman rankings below, but there are two you won’t find in this week’s edition: Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. Peterson still doesn’t meet our threshold of having played in 50% of his team’s games, while Brown has missed the past five games with a back injury and had been inconsistent the previous few weeks.

With conference play in full swing, some of these players could hit the “freshman wall.” But for now, we’re looking at an incredibly deep crop of newcomers that extends well beyond the 10 names below.

Previous rank: 1

Biggest performance so far: 35 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Arkansas in Chicago on Nov. 27

Boozer remains No. 1 as he chases history with his prolific output. In 2002, Dean Oliver wrote “Basketball on Paper,” the ultimate guidebook for a generation of basketball analytics experts. Part of that manual included the offensive rating metric, which does more to identify a player’s individual contribution beyond the traditional points/rebounds/assists numbers. The average offensive rating for the last five National Player of the Year winners, a group that includes Cooper Flagg, is 125.2 — not far below Nuggets star Nikola Jokic‘s mark of 128.0. And, well, Boozer has an offensive rating of 134.3. He’s in a league of his own. — Myron Medcalf

Previous rank: 2

Biggest performance so far: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Clemson in New York City on Dec. 9

Dybantsa narrowed the gap between himself and Boozer considerably after putting together one of the most impressive stretches of basketball we’ve seen from a freshman. In December, Dybantsa averaged 27.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting nearly 66% from the field. He had two 30-point efforts plus 28 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists against Clemson, with the vast majority coming in the second half of that comeback. Dybantsa then backed that up with 24 points and eight rebounds in a win over Kansas State in his first Big 12 game this past Saturday. — Jeff Borzello

Previous rank: 3

Biggest performance so far: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists vs. Kansas on Nov. 7

North Carolina’s 97-83 loss at SMU on Saturday not only ended the Tar Heels’ seven-game winning streak, it also ended a streak for Wilson. He had scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least eight rebounds in six consecutive games. Against the Mustangs? He finished with only 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. That’s also a sign of the elevated expectations he faces as the young star of a North Carolina team in Hubert Davis’ bounce-back season. A near double-double is considered to be subpar based on the way the projected NBA draft lottery pick has played to date. — Medcalf

Previous rank: 4

Biggest performance so far: 29 points, 4 assists vs. Tennessee on Jan. 3

Acuff has clearly taken over the No. 4 spot, separating himself as the best guard in the rankings given the injury issues to Peterson. Acuff is up to fourth among all freshmen in scoring and second in assists, averaging 19.5 points and 6.0 assists. He took over against Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Tennessee this past Saturday, finishing with 29 points and 4 assists — yet another massive individual performance against a top opponent. In the six games Arkansas has played against ranked teams, Acuff is averaging 21.7 points and 6.7 assists. — Borzello

play

Darius Acuff Jr. drills a 3 with a hand in his face

Darius Acuff Jr. sinks a 3-pointer late for Arkansas.

Previous rank: 6

Biggest performance so far: 23 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds vs. Texas Tech on Jan. 6

After Flemings registered two single-digit performances at the Players Era Festival during Feast Week, Kelvin Sampson said Houston would “[have] to wait” on his team’s growth because he had made the rare move to tap elite freshmen or portal prospects this season. But that rocky experience in Las Vegas seems to have been a catalyst for Flemings, who is undeniably one of the best guards in the country. Since November, he has registered 35 assists and 11 turnovers for the Cougars. — Medcalf

Previous rank: 8

Biggest performance so far: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists vs. Missouri on Dec. 22

After making his debut in the last edition of these rankings on Dec. 17, Wagler continues to move up with one stellar performance after another. He went for 22 points and 8 rebounds in a blowout win over Missouri before Christmas, then had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists against Southern before opening 2026 with 16 points and 3 assists against Penn State. Wagler is now averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting nearly 41% from 3-point range. — Borzello

Previous rank: 5

Biggest performance so far: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists vs. UCLA on Dec. 3

The 6-foot-11 standout missed three games at the end of November after suffering a sprained ankle in a road win over rival Washington State on Nov. 14. He hasn’t missed a beat since his return, averaging 18.3 PPG and 11.8 RPG — and Washington has been the beneficiary. The Huskies have ranked 58th in adjusted offensive efficiency over that stretch, a steep improvement for a program that finished as a sub-100 squad in the same category a season ago. — Medcalf

play

Hannes Steinbach buries basket against Indiana Hoosiers

Hannes Steinbach buries basket against Indiana Hoosiers

Previous Rank: Unranked

Biggest performance so far: 22 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Virginia Tech on Dec. 31

A Belgium native with multiple years of professional experience in Europe, De Ridder started off the season on a tear, scoring 20-plus points in four of his first five games. After a couple weeks of inconsistency, though, he has returned to form just in time for ACC play. In the Cavaliers’ final game before Christmas, De Ridder had 27 points and eight rebounds — and is now averaging 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists through Virginia’s first two ACC games against Virginia Tech and NC State. Despite going 3 for 11 from 3 against Tech, the 6-foot-9 De Ridder is still shooting 40% from 3. — Borzello

Previous rank: 9

Biggest performance so far: 28 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists vs. Alabama on Dec. 13

Burries, a 6-foot-4 guard, had the fortune of being a freshman on a deep and talented Arizona squad that didn’t need him to immediately hit his stride. Having had time to develop, he has found a rhythm and emerged as one of the best freshmen in the country. After combining for 39 points in his first five games, he has averaged 17.7 PPG in the past nine contests. He has become one of the top defenders (1.6 SPG) in the nation, too.

Previous Rank: Unranked

Biggest performance so far: 28 points, 3 assists vs. Louisville on Jan. 2

The top of the freshman scoring charts is a star-studded affair: Dybantsa is No. 1, Boozer is No. 2, Acuff is No. 4, Wilson is No. 5. And who’s at No. 3? None other than Okorie, who entered the week averaging 22.0 points. He’s also coming off arguably his best game of the season, posting 28 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in a win over Louisville last Friday. Kyle Smith gave him a high-usage role from day one, and Okorie has responded. He scored at least 20 points in each of his first four games and has put up at least 28 points in three of his last four games. — Borzello