Report Card Grades for 2025-26 Top Freshmen in Men's College Basketball
Though Duke freshman Cameron Boozer is already the clear favorite for National Player of the Year, quite a few other first-year stars such as BYU's AJ Dybantsa, North Carolina's Caleb Wilson and Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. are hot on his heels if he slips back into the pack.
Excluding Alijah Arenas—who is recovering from a car crash and a torn meniscus and might not play at all this season at USC—there are 14 players who were rated as 5-star recruits in this year's freshman class by both 247 Sports and ESPN.
Roughly six weeks into what will be just a four- or five-month college career for most of them, how are things going?
For the most part, they have been pretty good. But we've assigned an updated report card grade to each of those 14 diaper dandies, with the listed "Previous Grade" for each player coming from our Dec. 3 edition of this exercise.
For the record, grades have nothing to do with NBA draft potential. (We have NBA draft guru Jonathan Wasserman for that.) For our grading purposes, it's more a question of "Has he wowed us?" and "Could we see him anchoring a championship run?"
Players are presented in alphabetical order by last name. All stats and analysis current through the start of play on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
1 of 14
Season Stats: 18.2 PPG, 6.1 APG, 3.1 RPG, 44.3% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: A / A-plus
Recent Developments
Though Acuff played quite well against both Michigan State and Duke, averaging 18.5 points and 5.5 assists in those two marquee opportunities, it was noteworthy that the Razorbacks lost each game and he pretty much vanished in the final 10 minutes of each one.
We gave him an A, but we couldn't justify elevating it to an A-plus.
Well, in the December wins over Louisville and Texas Tech, Acuff averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 assists and was very much a factor late in each one, basically going toe-to-toe with Mikel Brown Jr. and Christian Anderson and coming out the victor twice.
Moreover, it has become clear Acuff is the brighter star of this two-pronged freshman backcourt; the Steph Curry to Meleek Thomas' Klay Thompson.
One more colossal nonconference test on the horizon when Arkansas faces Houston on Saturday. But if Acuff just keeps doing his thing against the Cougars' vaunted D and clearly outshines Kingston Flemings in the process, that would be a massive statement.
Nate Ament, Tennessee
2 of 14
Season Stats: 16.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 30.6% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: C-plus / C-minus
Recent Developments
At his best, Nate Ament shows flashes of a poor man's Kevin Durant, as a rail-thin, almost seven-footer who can rise up and hit three-pointers over the vast majority of perimeter defenders.
For the most part, though, he has been underwhelming. Raw. Easily pushed around. Turnover-prone. Invisible for large stretches of the game. And very much still figuring things out on the defensive end of the floor.
If he was merely the 10th-highest rated recruit in this year's class, the criticisms would be much less pervasive, because he has been a fine freshman who we all expect will develop as the season progresses.
The problem for Ament is that he was heralded before the season as the guy who could crash the Boozer/Dybantsa/Peterson party, and he is just nowhere close to as polished as that trio. That's how a freshman averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and nearly three assists per game ends up feeling a bit disappointing.
Give it time, though. It's going to be fun if and when he starts to piece it all together.
Cameron Boozer, Duke
3 of 14
Season Stats: 23.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 34.8% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: A-plus / A-plus
Recent Developments
Duke has only played two games since our last report card update, and Tuesday's contest against Lipscomb hardly bears mentioning, even though it was tight for about 26 minutes.
The other one, however, was a true road game against Michigan State. And though the Spartans and their veteran front line did a remarkable job of neutralizing Boozer in the first half, he took over after the intermission and pretty much single-handedly willed the Blue Devils back to victory.
What initially looked like a tough afternoon for Boozer turned into a ho-hum 18 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block and an unconfirmed partridge in a pear tree.
He has scored nearly twice as many points as his closest teammate while also leading the team in rebounds, assists and steals.
The big man has also been one of Duke's most reliable three-point shooters, which feels like some sort of cheat code. He could mess around and end up with 360 rebounds and 60 made three-pointers, which is a ludicrous combination.
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Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
4 of 14
Season Stats: 16.6 PPG, 5.1 APG, 3.0 RPG, 26.8% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: A-minus / B
Recent Developments
First and foremost, here's hoping the back injury that kept Mikel Brown Jr. out of Tuesday's game against Tennessee doesn't turn into a long-term problem. He has evidently been playing through it for weeks, but it must have been a little sorer than usual.
Prior to that game, though, it was more or less business as usual for Brown in the first half of December. Fewer assists than in November and even more missed three-pointers on average, but it's hard to complain too much about 15.7 points and 3.0 assists per game against Arkansas, Indiana and Memphis.
Where he lands in the Freshman of the Year conversation (as well as the NBA draft conversation) is going to hinge on the three-point shooting. He's 19-for-71 (26.8 percent) on the year, and 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) over his last three games. But don't hold your breath for Pat Kelsey to turn off that permanent green light any time soon. He's just going to need to shoot himself out of this tough start.
Brayden Burries, Arizona
5 of 14
Season Stats: 13.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 34.9% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: D-plus / B
Recent Developments
Brayden Burries basically no-showed Arizona's first three games against opponents worth a darn, going for a combined total of 12 points, five assists and two rebounds in 71 minutes played against Florida, UCLA and Connecticut.
However, he had a few impressive performances against no-name competition, so we threw him a D-plus last time instead of a failing grade.
That "only plays well when it doesn't matter" narrative sure has changed in a hurry, though.
Burries went for 16 points and five rebounds in the win over Auburn two Saturdays ago, and he really went off for 28 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists while carrying the Wildcats to a dominant victory over Alabama in what was essentially a road environment.
As Arizona turned a 58-49 lead into a 75-54 laugher, Burries did nearly all the damage. He scored 15 of those 17 points and had the steal and assist on Tobe Awaka's fast-break dunk that started the onslaught.
The Crimson Tide pretty much dared him to beat them, and he obliged. (Though, more so, it was Arizona's 22 offensive rebounds and plus-11 turnover margin that made the game virtually unwinnable for Alabama.)
Throw in the 20-point performance against Abilene Christian on Tuesday, and Burries gets a clear A-plus for the past two weeks, which brings his overall grade up to a B. And if he starts reliably hitting threes moving forward, it's going to become impossible to find fault with this Arizona machine.
Chris Cenac Jr., Houston
6 of 14
Season Stats: 9.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 35.0% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: B / B-minus
Recent Developments
Consistency remains a major concern with Chris Cenac Jr. as Houston prepares for what will be a meat grinder of a Big 12 schedule.
He went for a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds) in his collegiate debut against Lehigh. One game later, he was held to two points by Towson.
Cenac was huge in the win over Auburn, going for 18 points and nine rebounds in that one. But then he managed just four points and two rebounds against Notre Dame to end November.
And it's been more of the same in December, playing a key role with 15 points, 10 rebounds and even three assists (matching his total through his first eight games) in the win over Florida State—before turning around and putting up two, five and zero, respectively, against a Jackson State team with one of the worst frontcourts in the nation.
He also hasn't made a triple in his last five games after starting out 7-for-14.
Would the real Cenac please stand up and kindly remain standing? Because Houston's chances of winning six straight in the NCAA tournament will be quite slim if these highly inconsistent tendencies continue.
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
7 of 14
Season Stats: 21.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 32.1% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: A-minus / A-plus
Recent Developments
Without a doubt, AJ Dybantsa was impressive in November. He scored at least 16 points in each game and had a few stretches—particularly in the comeback attempt against UConn—in which he was the unstoppable force that was advertised long ago.
When the calendar flipped to December, though, Dybantsa flipped a switch and became oppressive.
He averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals in his first three games of the month, tallying at least five dimes in each contest after maxing out at three in November.
Sure, Cal Baptist and UC Riverside were never expected to put up a fight against BYU. But the way Dybantsa took over against Clemson and simply willed the Cougars to a 22-point comeback was legendary. And regardless of the competition, his 26-8-7-5 line against UCR was outrageous.
Something clicked and he realized he can't be stopped, which remarkably has coincided with becoming a more willing passer, too.
The key moving forward is going to be getting him to tap into takeover mode earlier in games. It's great that he brought them back against Clemson and almost brought them back against UConn. But when he starts preventing BYU from getting into those holes in the first place, this team is going to be a certified problem.
Nikolas Khamenia, Duke
8 of 14
Season Stats: 6.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 37.1% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: D / D-minus
Recent Developments
At our last check-in, Duke had played four games against major-conference foes, with Nikolas Khamenia putting together a combined line of 12 points, 13 rebounds and three assists against Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Florida.
To some extent, though, the fifth time was the charm.
In the starting lineup for the second time in his young career, Khamenia went for 10 points and nine rebounds in the marquee road win over Michigan State.
However, in what should have been a nice little stat-padding matchup with Lipscomb on Tuesday, he had his worst game to date, missing all three of his field-goal attempts while committing three turnovers and four fouls.
That game against Michigan State seemed to be an exception to the rule as opposed to a coming-out party for "Kha-Mania."
We shall see if he's still in the starting lineup against Texas Tech on Saturday.
Braylon Mullins, Connecticut
9 of 14
Season Stats: 9.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 30.8% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: Incomplete / B
Recent Developments
The biggest development with Braylon Mullins is that his role is increasing after missing the first six games with an ankle injury.
In fact, he has already replaced Jaylin Stewart in the starting lineup, doing so for Friday's win over Texas and remaining the starter in Tuesday's Big East opener against Butler.
Despite the delayed start, he's making a real impact on both ends of the floor.
Mullins seemed to be everywhere against the Bulldogs, turning blocks, steals and defensive rebounds into transition buckets. And he is a cerebral scorer with athleticism that had Donny Marshall drawing comparisons to his former UConn teammate, Ray Allen.
Shades of what Liam McNeeley did for the Huskies last season, but with a better supporting cast around him. Mullins is still nowhere near his ceiling, either.
Koa Peat, Arizona
10 of 14
Season Stats: 14.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.0 SPG
Previous Grade / New Grade: A-minus / B-plus
Recent Developments
When he's on, Koa Peat is clearly a special big man.
His 30-point debut against Florida remains one of the most impressive individual performances of the season. Going for 16 points and 12 rebounds in the road win over Connecticut was also quite the achievement—even though the Huskies were notably without Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins for that one.
Racking up a team-high 18 points with five assists, four rebounds and two steals in the recent win over Auburn netted Peat his third KenPom game MVP against a marquee opponent.
However, he followed up that gem with an invisible outing against Alabama, mustering just six points, one assist and one rebound in that 96-75 victory. And in between the Florida and Connecticut performances, he had a seven-point, six-turnover, four-foul dud against UCLA.
That's three huge successes and two completely forgettable nights. Let's see which he does more of the rest of the way.
Darryn Peterson, Kansas
11 of 14
Season Stats: 19.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 42.3% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: Incomplete / Incomplete
Recent Developments
The good news for Darryn Peterson is the NBA folks don't seem to be concerned in the slightest about his hamstring/quadricep issues. Despite appearing in just four games thus far, every 2026 mock draft under the sun still has him going in the top three, if not No. 1 overall.
Much like Kyrie Irving 15 years ago, however, the few glimpses we have had of Peterson have been impressive, even though he has been playing at less than 100 percent.
Prior to reaggravating the injury against NC State, he was setting the tone in that road win over the Wolfpack, going for 17 points, five rebounds and four assists with no turnovers. (Though, Melvin Council Jr. sure did take over once Peterson went down.)
The same goes for the prior 20-point blowout of Missouri, in which Peterson had 17 points in 23 minutes played after a month on the shelf.
In an ideal world, he'll be a full go in time for March Madness and will be putting on shows on par with what Steph Curry did in the 2008 NCAA tournament. But his grade will remain an "Incomplete" until he actually plays in half of Kansas' games, since that's mostly how his season feels from afar.
Meleek Thomas, Arkansas
12 of 14
Season Stats: 14.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 32.5% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: A / B
Recent Developments
As mentioned, it has become apparent in recent weeks that Darius Acuff Jr. is the more indispensable of Arkansas' two sensational freshmen, if only because of what is now a stark difference in assist rate.
In November, it was 31 dimes from Acuff and 27 from Meleek Thomas. But through the first four games of December, it was 36 and nine, respectively.
Moreover, Thomas shot just 2-for-8 from the field in that marquee win over Texas Tech, amassing two rebounds, one assist and no points in the final 14 minutes of that thriller.
By no means are we writing him off, though. His grade slips a couple notches while Acuff's increases, but Thomas has still shown himself to be one of the best bucket-getters in the nation, regardless of that unremarkable afternoon against the Red Raiders.
There will be plenty of contests where Thomas is the main attraction by virtue of his perimeter game. And this Saturday against Houston would be a colossal time for one of those unstoppable nights.
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
13 of 14
Season Stats: 19.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG
Previous Grade / New Grade: A-plus / A-plus
Recent Developments
The Caleb Wilson Show remains appointment viewing television, as the Tar Heel just keeps racking up double-doubles.
Building upon previous gems against Kansas and Kentucky, he went for 20 points (on 12 field-goal attempts) and 14 rebounds in a 20-point rout of Georgetown, followed by 20 points (on seven field-goal attempts), 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the 18-point victory over USC Upstate.
Wilson is relentless on the glass, but he also draws fouls at one of the highest rates in the nation (7.8 per 40 minutes played), resulting in at least six free-throw attempts in each of his first 11 games. And he has done a solid job of making the opposition pay for that, converting at a 73 percent clip on those one-point attempts.
Moreover, UNC's two-point defense ranks among the best, as the three-headed frontcourt force of (all 6'10" or taller) Wilson, Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson has been quite the nightmare for opponents to navigate.
Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
14 of 14
Season Stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.3 APG, 31.3% 3PT
Previous Grade / New Grade: A-minus / A
Recent Developments
Baylor's loss to Memphis two weekends ago? It certainly wasn't Tounde Yessoufou's fault.
The rest of Baylor's starting five shot a combined 9-for-40 from the field in that one, but Yessoufou went 8-for-15, scoring the last of his 22 points to give the Bears a two-point lead with a little over eight minutes remaining—after which they seemed to forget this star freshman exists.
He grabbed multiple offensive rebounds in that contest, as has been the case in all but one game thus far, which is a testament to the type of nose for the ball this 6'5" wing-forward has.
Yessoufou also shot 4-for-8 from three-point range against the Tigers, which could be the start of him leveling up, so to speak. He was 9-for-34 from distance in his first seven games, doing most of his damage either in transition or as a driver. But if he starts hitting threes with some degree of consistency and really forces opponents to respect that aspect of his game, that's going to make him even more unstoppable.
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