This year's freshman class might be the best that college basketball has ever seen. Many of these elite rookies reside in the ACC, and this conference could be home to the best award race in all of college basketball this season: the ACC Rookie of the Year. Through the first week of the 2025-26 campaign, several ACC freshmen didn't just prove to be top contributors on their respective teams, but proved to be true stars in the making. What will make this race so great is that so many different programs have one elite freshman, which will make this battle so fun to watch all season long. From Blue Blood programs to some under-the-radar teams, there's a plethora of Uber-talented rookies across the conference in 2025-26.
ACC Rookie of the Year race might be the best award race in all of college basketball this season
Across the first week of the season, several impact ACC freshmen put together elite outings. Duke's Cameron Boozer, North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, Virginia Tech's Neoklis Avdalas, and Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. were the main guys who made headlines, but there are also a few names that no one's talking about yet.
ACC Freshman Stats Through First Week of Season:
Cameron Boozer (Duke): 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.3 steals, 42.9% FG%
Caleb Wilson (UNC): 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 60% FG%
Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech): 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 44.4% FG%, 42.9%% 3PTFG%
Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville): 19.3 points, 6.7 assists, 51.5% FG%
Mouhamed Sylla (Georgia Tech): 13.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.3 steals, 59.4% FG%
Kiyan Anthony (Syracuse): 17.0 points, 3.5 assists, 66.7% FG%, 42.9% 3PTFG%
Even besides this top slew of freshmen, there's an elite level of depth across the ACC rookie class. Granted, several other power conferences have their own roster of stellar rookies, but the ACC might have the deepest class of talent.
Boozer leads the Blue Devils in three of the five major statistical categories so far this season, and has looked like potentially the most complete player in college basketball. Wilson has been absolutely dominant in the paint, recently tallying 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in an 87-74 Tar Heels' win over No. 25 Kansas. On Tuesday night, Brown lit up against No. 9 Kentucky with 29 points as the Cardinals won the Battle of the Bluegrass 96-88.
Even for guys like Avdalas, Sylla, and Anthony, who play on lower-tier squads in the conference, their performances are still eye-opening. Avdalas looks like a young Luka Dončić, recently tallying 33 points in a 107-101 overtime victory over Providence. No one has been talking about Sylla quite yet, but the big man has quietly racked up three straight double-doubles to begin the season. As for Anthony, he's carrying his father Carmelo's legacy for the Orange as an elite scorer, as he's missed just seven shots so far this season.
This ACC freshman class has been elite to watch so far, and will be a ton of fun for fans to follow as the ACC Rookie of the Year race heats up throughout the season.