College Basketball's freshman class already standing out this season

Josh Tolle

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College Basketball's freshman class already standing out this season image

The 2025-26 NCAA men’s basketball season is barely underway, and one thing is clear: the freshman class is loaded. From Provo to Chapel Hill, the nation’s top recruits are quickly becoming household names. Just a couple of days into the season and the freshmen are quickly rising to the top.

AJ Dybansta produces in win for BYU

The $7 million man in AJ Dybansta did not disappoint in his debut for the BYU Cougars in a 71-66 win over Villanova. The nation’s top recruit led the Cougars in scoring with 21 points shooting 9-of-18 from the field. He also hauled in six rebounds and dished out three assists. At 6-foot-9, he has shown that he will be a matchup nightmare for the Cougars with his length and ability to score from all three levels on the floor.

Dybansta came in with sky-high expectations, and after this season there is a good chance he could be hearing his name No. 1 overall in next year’s NBA draft. Up next for Dybansta and the Cougars is the University of Delaware on Tuesday, November 11^th followed by two top 25 matchups against No. 4 UConn and last year’s Sweet 16 rematch in No. 24 Wisconsin.

Darryn Peterson delivers in Kansas debut

Kansas’s Bill Self once again proved why he is one of the best recruiters in the nation, bringing in highly touted 6-foot-6 guard Darryn Peterson.

Kansas’s highest ever recruited player and won the Naismith Trophy for High School Player of the Year at Napa Christian High School. Peterson in his debut for the Jayhawks scored 21 points in 22 minutes to give the 19th-ranked Jayhawks a 94-51 win over Green Bay. Peterson was 7-of-11 from the field and had three assists in the win.

Self has said that Peterson “is the most talented freshman I have ever had.” And he has shown that he’s not afraid to put in the work. Peterson has natural talent, work ethic, and a high IQ that could make him a lottery pick in June’s NBA draft. The next challenge for Peterson will come on Friday when the Jayhawks head to Chapel Hill to take on the 25th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and other top freshman Caleb Wilson.

Caleb Wilson brings the house down for North Carolina

The 6-foot-10 power forward helped lead North Carolina to a 94-54 win over Central Arkansas in his Tar Heels debut. Wilson scored 22 points, 14 of them coming on dunks. He will live in the paint this season for head coach Hubert Davis.

UNC has a history of dominant big men with names like big game James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and Tyler Hansbrough to name a few. Maybe Wilson can be the next great big man for the Tar Heels. His first test comes on Friday when Tar Heels hosts No. 19 Kansas at the Dean Smith Center.

The Boozer family legacy continues at Duke

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for the Boozer family with twins, Cameron and Cayden, making their way to Duke where their father, Carlos, won a National Championship in 2001 under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. With Jon Schreyer in charge now, the Blue Devils continued where Coach K left off in bringing in some of the top talent to Durham.

Cameron, a 6-foot-9, 250 pound power forward delivered his first career double-double in the 75-60 win over Texas, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Though he did struggle from the field shooting 3-of-12, he made up for it at the free throw line by hitting 9-of-12 for the night.

Even though these two are twins, they are very much different players. Cayden came out as the No. 4 overall point guard in the nation and is the smaller of the two listed at 6-foot-4. He finished the game with two points in 16 minutes of play.

While Cameron will be one of the top scorers for Duke this season, Cayden provides depth off the bench and should grow into one of the next great point guards in Duke history. Up next for the Boozer twins is the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday.

Arkansas’ freshman duo delivers

The 14th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks have two freshman five-star players that will be factors moving forward in Darius Acuff Jr. And Meleek Thomas. The duo made a strong first impression in the 109-77 win over Southern on Monday. John Calipari, who is known to be one of the best coaches at developing college players to the NBA, must be thrilled with what he saw from the two freshmen. Acuff scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half and dished out four assists. Thomas finished the game with 21 points and had seven assists.

Neither guard turned the ball over more than two times and the two were a combined 8-of-15 from downtown. Calipari’s history with players like John Wall, Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox and others speaks for itself. These two could be the next on that list. For Thomas and Acuff, they will see stiffer competition in Michigan State when they head on the road to East Lansing.

A freshman class that is already producing

It might just be the opening week of the season, but this freshman class could be one of the best in recent memory. College basketball fans are in for a treat. And come March, some of these players could be top bill when the Final Four makes its way to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.