The ACC is renowned as one of the premier college basketball leagues, but it has recently taken a step back. However, all that is changing this year thanks to an impressive freshman class that is stacked with talent. Louisville basketball, Duke, and North Carolina all have freshman phenoms on their roster, and after the first week of the 2025-26 college basketball season, it is clear this Rookie of the Year race is going to be fun to watch.
The Cardinals are led by Mikel Brown Jr., where fans saw him put on a clinic Tuesday night against Kentucky, while North Carolina has Caleb Wilson, who was dominant against Kansas, and Duke has Cameron Boozer, who has passed the eye test early and is emerging as a top-three pick in the NBA Draft. The ACC Rookie of the Year is going to be a fun award to keep an eye on, and it is becoming clear these three stars are must-watch TV anytime they are on the floor.
Related: Louisville basketball's Mikel Brown Jr. just got a huge national nod
Louisville, Duke, and North Carolina freshman impress week 1 of 2025-26 season
Many media outlets and experts are stating that this freshman class is one of the deepest and most talented in the history of college basketball, and after just one week, the ACC fans are believing every second of it.
The ACC Rookie of the Year award is going to be one of the best races in college basketball, as Brown Jr., Wilson, and Boozer are going to make this a thrilling race. Through three games, Brown Jr. is averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He recently put up a career-high 29 points in a win over Kentucky, where he shot 50 percent from the floor.
As for Wilson, he is averaging 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 61.8 percent from the floor. His best game was against No. 19 Kansas, where he stacked his stat sheet with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while shooting 81.8 percent from the floor.
And for Boozer, he is averaging 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor. He scored 25 points against Western Carolina while adding eight rebounds, five assists, and shooting 53.5 percent from the field.
These three 5-stars all ranked inside the top eight of the 2025 recruiting class, and through three games, they are proving they are worth the hype. All three schools are 3-0 and look to be the best of the ACC, and it is these freshman phenoms who are getting the spotlight. This is going to be a fun college basketball season, and the ACC looks to be one of the best leagues again.
With this freshman class and these three superstars, this Rookie of the Year award is going to be a fun one to watch as the season progresses. There are going to be many headlines as the season progresses, but the ACC Rookies of the Year award race might be one of the top topics as these three superstars are shining a bright light on this conference again.