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 freshmen were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, and 17 are projected to go in the first round of ESPN’s latest 2026 mock draft.

The 2025-26 group features an abundance of decorated freshmen with the traits of future stars at the next level. While Cooper Flagg looked the part of a No. 1 pick early in 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 freshmen classes we can recall, we’re here to help you make sense of it all with our Freshman of the Year tracker — a barometer of this strong crew of underclassmen, which we’ll update every other Wednesday as the race takes shape.

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

For now, what follows is the top 10 best freshmen in the country through the first 16 days of the season. Note that we’ve decided that a freshman must play in 50% of his team’s games to be considered, so no need for angry emails about the omission of Kansas star and projected top NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson. We’ll talk when he’s healthy.

Biggest performance so far: 25 points, six rebounds vs. UConn on Nov. 15

Dybantsa exited high school as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class — and he hasn’t disappointed through the first four games. He took over late in the opener against Villanova, performed well against Holy Cross and Delaware, then looked like a No. 1 pick in the second half of Saturday’s narrow loss to UConn, bringing the Cougars almost all the way back from a 20-point deficit before falling short by two. He’s averaging 20.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 57.4% from the field and 40% from 3. — Jeff Borzello

Biggest performance so far: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Kansas (in New York) on Nov. 18

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

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

Against Navy on Tuesday, Wilson dribbled through the lane, rose above the rim and slammed in the ball — one of his many SportsCenter-worthy plays thus far. The five-star prospect from Georgia isn’t lacking in swagger, and he backed up that confidence when 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 the team needs. Wilson will have to carry a bigger load with veteran Seth Trimble sidelined by a broken arm, but the freshman seems equipped to take on the pressure. — Medcalf

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Caleb Wilson elevates for slam vs. North Carolina Central Eagles

Caleb Wilson gets up for the beautiful slam dunk

Biggest performance so far: 29 points, five assists vs. Kentucky on Nov. 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 unguardable, turning it over only once. — Borzello

Biggest performance so far: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Florida on Nov. 3

Peat had one of the most impressive debuts for a freshman in recent memory, dominating reigning champion Florida and arguably the nation’s best frontcourt on opening night to make an early case that he belongs in the top tier of incoming prospects. Peat was the first player in Big 12 history to post 30 points and five assists in their career debut, per ESPN Research. And while his numbers have slowed since, notably struggling against UCLA, he’s still averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. — Borzello

Biggest performance so far: 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds vs. Auburn on Nov. 16

Kelvin Sampson said Houston’s talented freshman class would need time to excel at this level, but the 6-foot-4 Flemings hasn’t needed it. Through four games, he’s 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. combined to score 40 points in Sunday’s win over Auburn in Birmingham, with Flemings dominating as a scorer and distributor, performing at a mature level in his team’s toughest game to date. — Medcalf

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Kingston Fleming comes up with a clutch block

Kingston Fleming stays with Tahaad Pettiford and blocks his shot with less than a minute remaining.

Biggest performance so far: 33 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Providence on Nov. 8

Avdalas is as distinctive a prospect as they come in this season’s freshman class. He’s 6-foot-9, plays the game at his own pace and has some of the best offensive instincts of the group. He went through the NBA draft process last year, even earning an invite to the combine, but Mike Young is certainly glad the Greece native opted to go the college route. Avdalas hasn’t repeated the star performance he had against Providence, but he’s averaging 16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists, tied for second among all freshmen in the latter category. — Borzello

Biggest performance so far: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Northern Kentucky on Nov. 8

Considered one of the elite shotmakers in the 2025 class, there was some concern coming out of the Volunteers’ exhibition games that Ament’s talent wasn’t translating immediately. Once the lights turned on and the regular season started, those concerns dissipated. Ament has scored at least 18 points in each of Tennessee’s four games, and he’s showing more promise as a rebounder (at least eight rebounds in every game) and passer (at least five assists in two games) than expected. He’s averaging 19.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. — Borzello

Biggest performance so far: 27 points and 21 rebounds vs. Colgate on Nov. 14

Mirkovic came to the U.S. after playing professionally in Montenegro for a couple of seasons. That experience has enabled him to hit the ground running in Champaign. He opened his career with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists in Illinois’ win over Jackson State. And he’s averaging 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds (second among all freshmen) and 2.3 assists after his huge outing 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 so far: 32 points, eight assists combined at Michigan State on Nov. 8

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

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Meleek Thomas rocks the rim with powerful dunk

Meleek Thomas gets up for the beautiful flush

Also considered: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford; Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor; Thijs De Ridder, Virginia; Hannes Steinbach, Washington