In the past couple of seasons, there has been a relative lack of high-end talent and depth at the top of the freshman classes. Two seasons ago, Alabama's Brandon Miller was the lone freshman All-American. Last season, there wasn't a single freshman on All-American teams. That will very likely change this season -- and, in fact, we're tracking one of the best freshman classes in recent memory
It's similar from an NBA perspective. Miller was the only college player chosen in the top five of the 2023 NBA draft, while last year featured just two college players -- freshmen Reed Sheppard and Stephon Castle -- in the top six. June's NBA draft could feature four or five freshmen in a row at the top of the board.
Here's some context. Entering the week, there were 24 players ranked in the ESPN 100 for 2024 who are now averaging double figures in scoring on their college team. At this point last season, there were just 16 hitting that mark. That group of 24 also doesn't include Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis, BYU's Egor Demin and SMU's Samet Yigitoglu, all of whom are freshmen and would be considered elite recruits had they not been playing professionally overseas before coming to college.
The top of the class is living up to the hype, with 21 of those 24 double-figure scorers ranked in the top 45 coming out of high school. More than 20 players from this class would have been shoo-ins for top-10 freshmen rankings in years past.
Of course, roles will change as the season progresses; some freshmen will get more comfortable with the college game while others will hit a wall. But things are looking awfully rosy for the current freshman class. Let's take stock of the group.
Stats through Dec. 9 games