Duke basketball freshman sensation Cam Boozer has undoubtedly been one of the most dominant players in college basketball this season, and the rookie forward is currently the runaway favorite to take home the National Player of the Year award. Jon Scheyer could potentially have the nation's top player on his roster two years in a row, and the Blue Devils are once again chasing their sixth national title. Duke reached the Final Four with Cooper Flagg, the 2025 AP National Player of the Year, but this season's Blue Devils squad has gotten off to an even more dominant start, sitting at 10-0 with four ranked wins already.
Boozer has looked like the best player on the floor in each of the Blue Devils' contests this season, and five of those games were against high-major opponents. Even against dominant frontcourts like that of Florida or Michigan State, the 6'9 forward has still asserted his dominance, impacting the game in so many different ways. It's no secret that he's the favorite to take home the NPOY award, but it isn't even close right now, and some insiders are already ready to call the discussion quits.
Jon Rothstein says "I don't see anybody coming close" to Duke basketball's Cam Boozer for National Player of the Year award
Boozer is currently averaging 23.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.7 steals a night on 55.9% shooting from the field, 37.2% shooting from three, and 77.1% shooting from the free throw line. He currently leads Duke in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
College basketball insider Jon Rothstein said he doesn't see anyone touching Boozer on a recent edition of Inside College Basketball Now.
"I know a lot of things can change, and a lot of things will change in college basketball," Rothstein said. "But with what we've seen so far, with what we have sampled within, let's just say four, five weeks of the 2025-26 college basketball season, it's pretty safe to say that Duke's going to be one of the best teams in the sport all year. And if that is going to hold serve, then I just don't see how this guy [Cameron Boozer] is going to be pushed for the National Player of the Year award."
"So, where we're at right now, I don't see anybody coming close to Cam Boozer with the way he's playing."
At this point in the campaign, the NPOY race practically isn't even a discussion. Boozer has single-handedly carried Duke to several marquee wins and has been consistently dominant en route to the Blue Devils' earning what could be the nation's top resume so far.
Through Duke's four ranked games, Boozer averaged 25 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 53.6% shooting from the floor. This includes a 35-point performance, 20 of which came in the second half, against Arkansas, and a 29-point performance against Florida.
Beyond that, Boozer is literally doing things that no one has done at the college or NBA levels in decades. Through Duke's first eight games of the season, Boozer became the only Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to have an eight-game span with 175+ points, 75+ rebounds, 25+ assists, and 10 or fewer turnovers while going undefeated. He did it in the first eight games of his career.
Boozer is putting together what could ultimately be one of the best freshman seasons that college basketball has ever seen, and it's going to be a difficult road for any player to catch him for NPOY honors.