We often look back at a season when it’s over and think of it as the “Year of the X”; the 2025-26 season may be looked back upon as the Year of the Freshmen.” The young season is less than two weeks old, and the first-year stars are certainly showing out early on. Coming into the season, we knew this freshman class could be special, and they’ve wasted little time in showing us why.
All across the country, there have been eye-popping performances from these not-so-green underclassmen. Whether it’s Madden Collins leading the American Eagles in scoring early on, or Virginia Tech’s Neoklis Avdalas showing off his Swiss-Army knife-like skills in a 33-point, six rebound, five assist effort against Providence. The lights haven’t been too bright for them so far, and the more highly-touted freshmen like UNC’s Caleb Wilson, the Boozer twins at Duke, Louisville’s Mikel Brown, Jr., and Nate Ament for the Tennessee Volunteers are showing they are more than ready for the big time.
In no conference has the first-year stardom been more evident over the first 2 weeks of the season than in the Big 12. The conference with six teams in the latest AP poll and led by the No. 1 team in the country, the Houston Cougars, is littered with the type of talent that we as college basketball fans, regardless of fandom, should enjoy for as long as we have it. The Big 12 has the cream of the crop when it comes to first-year players.
BYU Cougars-AJ Dybantsa
Let’s start our look at these young stars with the guy looking to propel a program to heights it hasn’t seen in over four decades. When AJ Dybantsa committed to BYU, it sent a shockwave through the college basketball landscape. The 6’8 Brockton, Massachusetts native and potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft committed to second-year coach Kevin Young with the hopes of leading BYU to heights not seen since another Massachusetts legend, Danny Ainge, was leading the Cougars.
Over the first three games, it looks like Dybantsa is everything everyone thought he would be. He’s led the Cougars to a 3-0 start after defeating Delaware on Tuesday night. He’s shown the gamut of what he can do, averaging 18 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He’s shown some touch on the perimeter as well, knocking down a couple of three-pointers. Granted, the competition hasn’t been top-notch yet, but that begins on Saturday when BYU travels to Boston to take on No. 3 UConn. Playing in front of the home folks, Dybantsa should be ready to put on a show.
Kansas Jayhawks-Darryn Peterson
The guy in competition for the top overall pick in the NBA draft with Dybantsa happens to play in the same conference. Darryn Peterson is a 6’6 wing from Canton, Ohio, who can do everything and do it well. Peterson is an elite three-level scorer with the silky smoothness to create for himself and others. His skillset has NBA execs salivating over his potential, and his first two weeks for the Jayhawks have done nothing to dampen that excitement.
One thing that can be said about Peterson’s start to his college career is that it has been consistent. He’s scored at least 20 points in both games he’s played in; he sat out Tuesday night’s win with a hamstring injury. He’s also had at least three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Another thing that has jumped out about Peterson so far has been his efficiency. He’s shooting 60% from the field on 12 attempts per game and 50% from deep and has missed just two free throws in two games. With games against both Duke, UConn, and NC State on deck before Christmas, Peterson has a chance to stake his claim as the best freshman in the country.
Arizona Wildcats-Koa Peat
Most athletes dream of starring for their home team on the big stage. Arizona's Koa Peat got the chance to fulfill all those dreams in his very first game. The 6'8 forward from Chandler, Arizona, made his collegiate debut against the defending national champions, Florida, and did he ever deliver. Peat showed off the entire arsenal on the biggest stage of opening night, leading the Wildcats to a win over the Gators.
Peat went off for 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in the win over Florida in the performance of opening night. His second game, a win over Utah Tech, was equally impressive as he didn’t need to stuff the stat sheet, but still ended up with 18 points, three rebounds, and assists. But what made his night impressive was that he went 6-7 from the field and 6-7 from the free-throw line. You’ll notice there is no mention of three pointers; that’s because, through three games, Peat has done his damage while attempting a grand total of zero.
Baylor Bears-Tounde Yessoufou
Scott Drew had quite the task this summer, given that nine players were lost either to the transfer portal or graduation. The losses left the Baylor Bears needing to fill the roster, and the result is that the entirety of the roster is new to the program. The biggest addition has been 6’5 guard Tounde Yessoufou. The native of Benin gives Baylor some length out of the backcourt, and his ability to attack the rim and his athleticism make him Baylor’s most important player in a sea of fresh faces.
Unlike other freshmen on this list, Yessoufou isn’t leading Baylor in a major category, but what he does have in common with Dybantsa and Peterson is that he will do a little bit of everything for the Bears. After going for 24 points and seven rebounds in the season opener, he followed it up with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block in a win over Washington. The schedule picks up for Yessoufou and the Bears as they travel to Las Vegas to take part in the Players’ Era Festival with back-to-back games against Creighton and St. John’s before Thanksgiving. He may not be Baylor’s top scorer or rebounder in either of these games, but you can bet he will be the Baylor player people will leave there talking about.
Houston Cougars-Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac, Jr.
The No. 1 team in the country has a pair of heralded freshmen who have made their presence felt in the first week. Both Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac, Jr. have had outstanding starts to their careers. Flemings is a 6'4 guard out of San Antonio and is a pure bucket getter. His classmate Cenac, Jr, is a big-bodied 6'11 240lb. Forward from New Orleans, who will become a double-double machine for the Cougars.
Flemings had his coming-out party in the Cougars’ second game of the year, a 17-point win over a good Towson squad. He had 20 points while chipping in with three assists and a couple of rebounds. But the impressive thing was, he was 7-7 inside the arc. In fact, in Houston’s first two games of the year, the only shots Flemings missed (3) have come from behind the arc. We’ll see if that trend continues on Wednesday against Oakland before taking on Auburn in Birmingham on Sunday.
Cenac, Jr. has shown at 6-11 that he has an emerging touch on the perimeter, knocking down a couple of threes against Lehigh. What makes him special early on has been his rebounding prowess, and what makes him even scarier is that Houston has historically been one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and has done so with no player averaging more than eight per game in the Kelvin Sampson era. In his first two games, Cenac, Jr. has pulled down 23 in Houston’s first two games, with nearly a third of them coming on the offensive glass. One of the best rebounding teams in the country, with the best rebounder they’ve had in over a decade, is a scary proposition.