The 2025 high school class entered college basketball with plenty of aplomb. Yet somehow, this loaded class has exceeded expectations early on, with the stars at the top showing out in the biggest moments and new names emerging as the faces of college teams by the day.
With all eyes on this class, will regularly rank the best of the best of this loaded group of freshmen. The ranking will be college basketball-centric and not necessarily an indication of players’ pro prospects.
Here’s an early look at where things stand after the season’s first month.
1. Cameron Boozer, DukeStats: 23.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 56.2% FG%, 37.5% 3FG%
We be surprised by Boozer’s dominance of college basketball given what he has done at every other stop in his basketball career, but it’s still jarring to see how easy the game looks for Duke’s freshman sensation. He followed up an incredible 35-point showing against Arkansas with 29 against the vaunted Florida frontcourt Tuesday. His impact beyond scoring as a playmaker, floor spacer and defender have all exceeded expectations. While some will still question his upside at the NBA level, it’s getting increasingly difficult to ignore Boozer’s absurd productivity in conversations about who will go No. 1 in the upcoming NBA draft.
2. Caleb Wilson, North CarolinaStats: 19.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 52.5% FG%, 20% 3FG%
Wilson didn’t have the most efficient day from the field, but his performance against Kentucky on Tuesday is a good illustration of why he comes in at No. 2 on this list. His 15-point, 12-rebound, six-assist night was the latest example of how his elite athleticism and motor change games even on cold shooting nights. He’s the driving force behind North Carolina’s 7–1 start and should continue to climb draft boards if he keeps this strong play up.
3. AJ Dybantsa, BYU Stats: 19 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 52.3% FG%, 37.5% 3FG%
Dybantsa has yet to have the type of signature moment Boozer had against Arkansas, but he is still off to an incredibly productive start to his college career at BYU. For the most part, he has done the same things that made him one of the top high school prospects in a decade, slicing and dicing his way to the rim thanks to his polished offensive skill set and drawing fouls at will. He’s still refining some of the minute details of his game and hasn’t been an overly consistent outside threat early on, but the talent is there to be one of the best wings in the NBA in time.
4. Kingston Flemings, Houston Stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5 APG, 60.8% FG%, 52.4% 3FG%
Flemings is rapidly emerging as one of the best point guards in this class and a likely one-and-done after a monster first month at Houston. He has taken on significant ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities that many expected to fall on senior Milos Uzan’s plate, and the Cougars have looked most dynamic this season when Flemings is in command of the offense. Scouts love his ability to generate paint touches and finish around the rim in addition to his hot start from beyond the arc.
5. Ebuka Okorie, StanfordStats: 21.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 46.2% FG%, 33.3% 3FG%
SI highlighted Okorie as an under-the-radar freshman this offseason, but even we didn’t see this type of early explosion coming. Head coach Kyle Smith has a remarkable track record with lead guards and has given plenty of freedom to his freshman to go hunt shots early on. He scored a combined 55 points in his first two college games and has been off to the races ever since, with four 25-plus-point showings in his first eight contests helping the Cardinal to a 7–1 start.
6. Koa Peat, ArizonaStats: 15.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 53.9% FG%, 0% 3FG%
No freshman made a better first impression than Peat, who dominated Florida to the tune of 30 points and seven rebounds on the first night of the season. He has cooled some since (in part due to lighter minute loads), but delivered big time with 16 points and 12 boards in a road win at UConn later in the month.
7. Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville Stats: 17 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6 APG, 40.2% FG%, 30.6% 3FG%
Brown is the engine driving Pat Kelsey’s dynamic Louisville offense to an undefeated start to the season. He had his best game of the young season against Louisville’s biggest rival Kentucky, electrifying a packed KFC Yum! Center with 29 points and five assists. His three-point shooting has been shaky, but if he heats up from distance as he’s capable of, he could emerge as one of the best guards in college basketball.
8. Nate Ament, TennesseeStats: 17.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 38.5% FG%, 31% 3FG%
After starting the season with a very soft schedule, scouts were eager to see Ament against higher-level competition at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas. He had some bright moments with a pair of 20-point games against Rutgers and Kansas, but struggled at times with his efficiency and looked limited by his lack of athletic burst before following that up with a bumpy showing in a road loss to Syracuse. Overall, it has been a fairly strong start for Ament especially given that you’d expect him to shoot it a bit better from three moving forward. As he jockeys for position at the top of mock drafts, it will be interesting to watch him deal with athleticism and physicality in high-level games.
9. Darius Acuff, Arkansas Stats: 17.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, 46.8 FG%, 45% 3FG%
While overshadowed slightly in the game by Boozer’s monster showing, Acuff’s 21 points and five assists against Duke on Thanksgiving was a strong audition in front of a huge crowd of NBA scouts. Acuff has shot the ball extremely well so far this season (despite a shot diet that often includes difficult off-dribble threes) and has shown the type of toughness going downhill he’ll need to survive as a smaller guard in the SEC.
10. David Mirkovic, IllinoisStats: 14.3 PPG, 10 RPG, 2.8 APG, 47.6% FG%, 26.7% 3FG%
Mirkovic’s unorthodox style has been a perfect fit in Brad Underwood’s offensive system thus far. The bruising four-man is skilled enough to handle the ball, pop out for threes and pass but tough enough to bang on the boards with the best in college hoops. He struggled some in high-level games against UConn and Alabama but has put up some eye-popping stat lines along the way, including a 27-point, 21-rebound master class against Colgate.
Next Up Isaiah Johnson, Colorado Tounde Yessoufou, BaylorMeleek Thomas, ArkansasAcaden Lewis, VillanovaKillyan Toure, Iowa StateInjury WatchDarryn Peterson, KansasHannes Steinbach, WashingtonBraylon Mullins, UConnMid-Major Standout: Alex Wilkins, FurmanStats: 18.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 49.5% FG%, 31.9% 3FG%
Furman coach Bob Richey has put the ball in Wilkins’s hands from Day 1, and the Massachusetts native has delivered on that confidence with a massive start to the season. The 6' 5" guard is a three-level scorer who has gotten to the rim at will early in his college career, and he has also done a nice job managing ballhandling responsibilities for a Paladins squad without a true point guard. The Middlesex Magic product is the perfect example of a guy who years ago might have gone to a bigger program out of high school but instead is playing a huge role early on for a consistently excellent Paladin program.
