Grading college basketball’s top recruiting hauls: The hits and misses for Kansas, Duke, Arizona and more

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Context matters for every situation, but one fallacy that’s starting to fall by the wayside is the notion that you can’t win with freshmen in this era of college basketball.

That’s simply untrue.

They just have to be the right freshmen. 

Making the right roster-building moves on the margin are essential to maximizing a team with a freshman as the fulcrum, but this class of diaper dandies has been awesome through the first six weeks of the season. There are 101 freshmen averaging north of 10 points, an even more impressive feat in an ecosystem that features tons of NBA-level talent returning to college to cash in on lucrative NIL deals.

It won’t be easy, but there is a very real chance that a team with a freshman as its best player could win the national championship. That hasn’t happened since 2015 Duke and it speaks to the heavy hitters in this freshman class who have flexed their muscles early.

Let’s dive into the early impressions from each of the top 10-rated 2025 recruiting hauls, according to 247Sports.

No. 1 Duke

Cameron Boozer is everything you could want and then some. The five-star forward has been the engine fueling Duke’s 11-0 start. He is the rightful favorite for National Player of the Year, posting video-game-like numbers.

Which counting stat is your favorite? Boozer is averaging 23.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 35% from 3-point range and 68% at the rim. Oh, and he owns a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, even after a six-turnover aberration against Lipscomb.

Maybe more importantly, Boozer has given Duke’s coaching staff peace of mind that in big moments, he will create a terrific shot for himself or others. Boozer is Duke’s fearless closer, and the stats back it up. He’s shooting 5-for-10 from the floor with four assists and just one turnover in 15 minutes of clutch time (score within five points in the final five minutes), per CBB Analytics. Last year’s late-game offensive woes that hurt Duke early and ended its season in the Final Four may not be as much of a hot-button topic because of Boozer’s brilliance.

The rest of Duke’s glitzy recruiting class hasn’t produced a star, but that was to be expected. Nik Khamenia’s 3’s and rebounding will help Duke become the best version of itself. Dame Sarr is an excellent defender, who looks shot out of a cannon in transition, but there have been some growing pains offensively as he works through the hitch in his jumper. Cayden Boozer has not been a better option at PG1 than Caleb Foster, but he has multiple dimes in nine of 11 games as a second-unit floor general. It is what it is. 

Duke gets a high mark because it has one freshman superstar and a few specialists who could grow into so much more. Grade: A

Tommy Lloyd made a bet last spring that Koa Peat and Brayden Burries would be better than anyone Arizona could realistically land in the transfer portal.

Through 10 games, Lloyd’s wager has proved wise.

Peat (14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists) and Burries (13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists) have started every game for the Wildcats. Arizona didn’t need Peat and Burries to be the saviors, but they give the Wildcats an influx of next-level juice that every championship hopeful needs. Peat’s physicality transforms Arizona’s front line into a total battering ram. Burries has been humming lately after a bit of a slow start, providing a barrage of jumpers that serve as the hot sauce on top of the paint dominance that Arizona brings to the table every night.

But Burries and Peat aren’t alone. Ivan Kharchenkov, a German product, has earned a spot in the starting lineup with his ability to pass, dribble, shoot, defend and rebound. He does a little bit of everything, and Dwayne Aristode is another jumbo shooter that has become a real piece of this rotation.

Four freshmen becoming trustworthy rotation players? In this economy? Lloyd might be good at this. Early grade: A

Kingston Flemings is a blast of rocket fuel for this Houston attack. The 6-4 freshman guard has been a phenomenal paint-touch machine for this Houston offense, which allows Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp to play off the ball and attack the advantages Flemings generates. Flemings has soared into the lottery mix for good reason, and he’s been Kelvin Sampson’s second-best player through the first 11 games.

But Houston does not look like Houston yet, especially with all the scouting report mistakes that pop up defensively. Five-star freshman big man Chris Cenac has tools that you can’t teach, but he’s been Houston’s worst defender by a wide margin. Fellow prized freshman Isiah Harwell has also had a bit of a slow ramp-up period. Part of that is the depth chart (good luck playing over Sharp and Uzan), but it feels like only a matter of time until the 6-6, 220-pound freshman asserts himself as the no-doubt, fourth-best guard on this roster.

Overall, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag for Houston’s best recruiting class in school history, but there’s a sky-high upside with this group once Cenac and Harwell find their stride. Grade: B

Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas give Arkansas a mix of thunder and lightning. Acuff’s big-boy drives are the thunder. Thomas’ slippery heaters are the lightning. Together, they’ve combined for 33 points, 7.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists a night. They’ve comfortably transformed into two of Arkansas’ best three players, and even though they do not start together, John Calipari always has Thomas and Acuff on the floor to close games. 

Why? Because they play clean basketball. Acuff has a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Thomas has coughed it up just 11 times this season. They’ve been exceptional at taking care of it, and Arkansas may need to consider ramping up its pick-and-roll rate offensively because good things keep happening when Acuff and Thomas put weak defenders into the action. 

Acuff, specifically, is dousing the overblown concerns that he is a ball-stopping, “after me, you come first” guard. Acuff is the leader in the pack for SEC Freshman of the Year, and Thomas should join him on the All-SEC Freshman team. They’ve been terrific. Grade: A

Caleb Wilson waltzes onto the floor trying to put defenders on a poster. The power, athleticism, effort, joy and IQ that he brings to the game has been a breath of fresh air for North Carolina basketball.

It’s not always pretty, but Wilson is a walking double-double who makes this UNC defense hum. The Tar Heels have a top-five defense in America when Wilson is on the floor, holding opponents to a meager 89.9 offensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions), according to Hoop Explorer.

Wilson is the face of the program, but fellow freshman Derek Dixon has been a welcome addition. The 6-5 guard delivered some enormous buckets in the final minutes to help UNC knock off Kentucky on the road. He’s shooting over 46% from downtown and looks like a safe bet to stay in this rotation even when Seth Trimble returns because of his ability to knock down open shots and steady defense. He pestered Georgetown star point guard Malik Mack into a 3-for-17 showing in UNC’s 20-point romp over the Hoyas.

You can’t ask for anything more from these UNC freshmen. Grade: A

SMU has not gotten a ton from its freshmen so far. The Mustangs are 9-2 largely thanks to their three senior guards: Boopie Miller, Jaron Pierre and BJ Edwards. But don’t be surprised if Jaden Toombs becomes a massive piece for SMU in the thick of ACC play. The freshman big man was sidelined with a wrist injury for the first month. He’s still working out the kinks, but he made a strong impression with a 16-point showing in Saturday’s loss to LSU. I’d expect SMU to start uncorking a heavy diet of double-big lineups, featuring Samet Yigitoglu and Toombs in the not-so-distant future. Grade: C

No. 7 Kentucky

It’s been far from perfect, but Malachi Moreno has brought more good than bad to the floor for Kentucky. The Wildcats’ rim protection has been much better when the 7-footer is on the floor, and he is the best passing 5-man on the roster. 

It’ll be fascinating to see how Mark Pope adjusts Moreno’s minutes when Jayden Quaintance is back in the fold. I think playing them together in some matchups could firmly be on the table, but TBD on that front.

The Jasper Johnson situation does not appear to be close to being rectified yet. The fearless lefty is unafraid and can be a second-unit bucket-getter, but it’s been choppy in the early going. Johnson’s erratic shot selection has not helped his case for more minutes. He is shooting 6-for-24 from the field with just one assist in five games against high-major competition, so other guards are ahead of Johnson in the pecking order right now.

Kentucky’s freshmen haven’t been the problem, but they haven’t looked like the solution, either. Grade: C+

There were some warning signs in the preseason that Nate Ament could struggle in this Tennessee offense that leans heavily on floppy actions to create advantages. Off-movement shooting wasn’t a real huge asset in his toolbox, and so far, the talented five-star has been more miss than hit in the first 11 games while he plays the 3 (he will be a 4 in the NBA) in a halfcourt offense that can be clunky. 

The interior finishing is certainly concerning. Ament has just two dunks and is shooting 43% on layups. That can’t be sticky moving forward. 

One lesson with freshmen is it’s never as bad as it looks or as great as it seems. For Ament, the truth is probably in the middle. The 6-10 forward needs to play with more physicality and become more of a terror as a downhill driver.

Tennessee may be a bit of a hot-or-cold team while its hot-or-cold freshman simplifies his game.

But Rick Barnes may have a gem in DeWayne Brown. The big man’s similarity score on KenPom is … former Tennessee big man Tobe Awaka. The fouls? The brute-force effort on the glass? It’s a perfect path for Brown to follow. Grade: B-

When Darryn Peterson is on the floor, this extremely hard game looks so ridiculously easy. Even when defenders are draped onto him, Peterson is unfazed. He has been absolutely tremendous, but the lingering hamstring injury is scary.

If Peterson can get right, Kansas can be a second-weekend team with room for more because of his brilliance. But he has to get his body right. Tyrese Haliburton had a calf strain and then tore an Achilles tendon. Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum both had calf issues before suffering Achilles’ injuries, too. Leg injuries aren’t anything to be trifled with, especially for a prospect like Peterson, who has millions on the line if he can be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The rest of Kansas’ freshmen class has not been major needle-movers. Paul Mbiya does not look ready yet. Kohl Rosario, predictably, has been passed by some of Kansas’ other guards in the pecking order. 

KU’s entire outlook hinges on Peterson’s status. Grade: Incomplete

Nate Oats’ portal class has been underwhelming, but this freshman haul sure hasn’t. Amari Allen is a keeper. The 6-8 wing can guard multiple positions, make open 3s, attack closeouts and initiate the offense in a pinch. He’s tough, reliable and Alabama’s defense has been 10 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. Fellow young wing London Jemison has made a case for more minutes with a trio of treys against Clemson and a 20-point showing in 18 minutes against UTSA. The 6-8 wing is up to 39% from downtown, but there’s a lot of mouths to feed on the perimeter so the little things like defense and rebounding could determine just how many minutes he can steal.

Allen and Jemison look like pieces Alabama needs to keep out of the portal this spring. Grade: B+

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