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The first week of the 2025-26 college basketball season is in the books. It's safe to say that the 2025 recruiting class is already living up to the preseason hype and shaping up to be an all-time class.

Casual college basketball fans might have been familiar with the "Big Three" heading into the season. That would be Kansas' Darryn Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer. However, this class is much deeper than just those three studs. There are plenty of first-year players making their presence felt early and contributing to key wins already.

Look no further than Arizona forward Koa Peat, who had the strongest debut of any first-year player in the sport. Peat was a dominant force inside for the Wildcats and helped his team pull off an upset win over reigning national champion Florida during the opening night of the season.

Let's jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2025-26 college basketball season.

Freshman of the Week: Koa Peat, Arizona

Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten most impressive freshmen in college basketball. For the 11th season in a row CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week, we'll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.

The No. 11-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports is making a strong case to be in the best freshman conversation. Peat is part of a loaded recruiting class that Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd landed, which includes himself, five-star Brayden Burries, four-star Dwayne Aristode, and Bryce James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James.

Peat had the most impressive showing of almost any player in the country against Florida. Peat finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals during a 93-87 upset win. What made Peat's performance even more impressive is that he was going up against arguably the best and deepest frontcourt in the nation. Peat outplayed the more experienced competition and had a performance to remember against the Gators. He also scored 18 points in 28 minutes against Utah Tech later in the week.

Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshmen

1. Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas

Stats: 21.5 PPG | 3.5 RPG | 3.0 APG

Peterson debuts at No. 1 in Frosh Watch. The Kansas star, in my opinion, should be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The way he can move with the ball in his hands and his shotmaking ability are second to none. Kansas can't generate enough offense without him on the floor.

Peterson had a really tough matchup against UNC standout senior defender Seth Trimble last week. The Tar Heels sold out to make anyone else on Kansas' roster beat them, and to an extent, it worked. Peterson still finished with 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting in the 87-74 Jayhawk loss.

2. Cameron Boozer | F | Duke

Stats: 20 PPG | 10.5 RPG | 3.5 APG

Boozer is going to be able to wake up, get out of bed, drive to the arena and record a double-double. It's almost effortless for him. Even when he struggled in the first half of his collegiate debut against Texas, he still managed to finish with 15 points and 13 rebounds. All 15 of those points came after halftime, too.

Against Western Carolina, Boozer had his best performance of the young season. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists in just 23 minutes of action. Boozer is going to end up averaging a double-double this season. He brings it every night.

3. Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina

Stats: 22.0 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 3.5 APG

Wilson was considered for Frosh of the Week after having two standout performances. Wilson scored 22 points and grabbed four rebounds in just 25 minutes against Western Carolina and followed it up with an even better showing against Kansas.

Wilson finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, four steals and four assists in the win over the Jayhawks in Chapel Hill. What stood out to me is what Wilson did in those minutes. He was consistently hustling all over the floor, diving on the floor and playing tough defense. When your best player plays like he has something to prove, you have something special brewing. UNC hasn't had a lottery pick since 2019. That will change this summer.

Put Caleb Wilson among nation's top freshmen as well after UNC's win vs. Kansas in early blue-blood battle
Isaac Trotter
Put Caleb Wilson among nation's top freshmen as well after UNC's win vs. Kansas in early blue-blood battle

4. Koa Peat | F | Arizona

Stats: 24.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 4.0 APG

Peat was simply dominant against an experienced and talented Florida frontcourt. He was the best player on the floor against two players (Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh) who are potential All-American candidates.

Peat's blend of size and strength makes him a matchup nightmare. He still isn't a threat as an outside shooter, but anything inside the 3-point line has a chance to go in. Peat should be a strong contender for Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

Tracking college basketball freshman debuts: Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa impress, Koa Peat explodes
Cameron Salerno
Tracking college basketball freshman debuts: Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa impress, Koa Peat explodes

5. AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU

Stats: 19.0 PPG | 7.0 RPG | 3.0 APG

Dybantsa entered as the most hyped-up recruit in BYU program history. He had a strong showing (21 points, six rebounds and three assists) in a win over Villanova.

Although he is ranked No. 5 in these initial rankings, Dybantsa has a strong case to move up into the top three. The big test will come against UConn this weekend in Boston, which will be a homecoming game for Dybantsa.

6. Nate Ament | F | Tennessee

Stats: 20.5 PPG | 8.5 RPG | 3.0 APG

Ament is the highest-ranked recruit in Tennessee program history. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes has had multiple key transfers over the years that have gone on to be productive players, but he hasn't had someone with the raw talent like Ament has.

In his debut against Mercer, he finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. He followed it up by scoring 23 points in a blowout win over Northern Kentucky. What was impressive in particular about that game was that Ament was able to get to the free-throw line 10 times.

7. Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas

Stats: 19.0 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 5.0 APG

Arkansas coach John Calipari has done a phenomenal job producing guards at the college level who are immediately ready to play in the NBA. Acuff has the makings to be the next great point guard Calipari will coach. He is a true floor general who can do a little bit of everything.

Acuff scored 22 points in his debut against Southern and finished with 16 points and six assists in front of a hostile environment at Michigan State.

8. Mikel Brown Jr. | G | Louisville

Stats: 14.5 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 7.5 APG

Brown didn't play much (18 minutes) during Louisville's opener against South Carolina State, but still finished with 11 points and six assists. Brown logged 26 minutes against Jackson State and finished with 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

Something to keep an eye on is turnovers. He had three in the opener and six in his second game. Brown has the potential to be the first true point guard taken in the draft this summer.

9. Neoklis Avdalas | G | Virginia Tech

Stats: 20.5 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 7.5 APG

If you haven't had the chance to watch Avdalas play, you should immediately. He was someone who flew under the radar heading into the season because of all the talent entering college basketball. However, Avdalas looks more than capable of working his way into the best freshman conversation.

The Kalamata, Greece native is a 6-9 guard who can shoot, make plays and score. He knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 33 points in a 107-101 win over Providence.

10. David Mirkovic | F | Illinois

Stats: 18.0 PPG | 12.5 RPG | 2.5 APG

Mirkovic had a strong opening week of the season for Illinois. The Niksic, Montenegro native finished with a double-double in both games, which included him going for 19 points and 14 rebounds during a 113-55 win over Jackson State.

Illinois had a strong offseason by landing a handful of impact players from the international ranks. Mirkovic looks like a strong contender to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year.