Four Freshmen and One Transfer Just Made the CBS All-America Team, and College Basketball Will Never Be The Same

Here's what you need to know about the 2025-26 college basketball season in one stat: four of the five CBS Sports First Team All-Americans are freshmen. That's not a typo. That's "The Year of the Freshmen," and it's real.

Duke's Cameron Boozer, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, BYU's AJ Dybantsa, and Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. all earned unanimous first-team selections. Illinois' Keaton Wagler rounded out the squad after splitting votes with other candidates. The ballots came in Monday, meaning every game from the start of the season through the Elite Eight counted toward these picks.

Wagler's Stunning Rise From Nowhere

Let's talk about Wagler first because his story is absolutely wild. The 6-foot-6 freshman was only the 150th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025. Nobody was losing sleep over him. Then he got to Illinois and immediately became the team's best player. On Saturday, Wagler dropped 25 points, three assists, and two rebounds in a 71-59 win over Iowa that sent the Illini to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. He was the biggest surprise on the First Team relative to what everyone expected coming in. He's already a projected top-10 pick in this year's NBA Draft.

The Freshmen Taking Over

Dybantsa and Boozer are expected to go in the top five of June's NBA Draft. Wagler and Acuff could too. Lendeborg is the only non-freshman on the First Team, and he's the favorite to win Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four.

Acuff led the SEC in scoring with 23.5 points per game and assists with 6.1, joining Pete Maravich as the only players to accomplish that feat in conference history. The 6-foot-3 point guard led Arkansas to 28 wins before the team lost in the Sweet 16 to No. 1 seed Arizona.

Boozer, the 6-foot-9 power forward, averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists over 38 games for Duke, shooting 39 percent from three and recording 22 double-doubles. He's in the conversation with Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis as one of the best freshman seasons ever.

Lendeborg, a transfer from UAB, is putting up 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for Michigan, which won the Big Ten's regular season title and earned a No. 1 seed. The Wolverines face Arizona on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.