Tracking college basketball freshman debuts: Koa Peat explodes, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa impress We’re tracking the performances of every five-star recruit from the 2025 recruiting class in their first college game By Cameron Salerno Nov 4, 2025 at 8:26 am ET • 6 min read Join the Conversation comments Getty Some of the biggest stars in the 2025 recruiting class make their respective college debuts on the opening night of the 2025-26 college basketball season on Monday. While Kansas guard Darryn Peterson showed basketball fans a glimpse of why he could be the No.
1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Arizona forward Koa Peat stole the show and produced one of the most impressive performances by a first-year player in recent memory.Peat finished with 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block in Arizona’s 93-87 upset win over reigning national champion Florida. He physically imposed his will against one of the most talented frontcourts in the nation and used his 6-foot-8, 235-pound frame to score at will.While Peat was lighting up the competition in Sin City, Peterson was making his debut in front of fans at Allen Fieldhouse.
Peterson finished with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in the 94-51 win over Green Bay. BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, the No.
2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, also finished with 21 points in a win over Villanova. Expert picks for Final Four: Who will win the 2026 NCAA Tournament and more bold predictions for this season Kyle Boone Duke forward Cameron Boozer will make his college debut on Tuesday when his team faces Texas in a marquee nonconference showdown.
The Blue Devils produced the National Player of the Year last season (Cooper Flagg), and Boozer is expected to also be in the mix for the most prestigious individual award in the sport. Here is how every five-star prospect from the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports fared in their college debuts this week.
Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas247Sports ranking: 1 Peterson started strong against Green Bay. He scored 18 points in the first half and connected on 6 of 10 attempts from the floor in the first 20 minutes of action.
Peterson also showed off his playmaking (three assists) and played some solid on-ball defense. The real test for Peterson will come against better competition, but it’s hard to not get excited about his long-term outlook.
Again, it would be surprising to me if he wasn’t considered the clear-cut No. 1 prospect within the next few weeks.
The Darryn Peterson experience, summarized in 3 clips.18 PTS (6-10 FG) through the 1st half. pic.twitter.com/fHeOI5qzlJ— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) November 4, 2025 AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU247Sports ranking: 2 Dybansta made his debut in Las Vegas against Villanova in the most highly anticipated debut in the history of BYU’s basketball program.
One of the top candidates to become the No. 1 overall pick this summer finished with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists.
There has never been more hype around the BYU program than right now. If Dybansta plays to his potential, that hype will grow tenfold.
Dybansta scored 12 of those 21 points in the second half during his team’s 69-64 win. The burst from AJ Dybantsa to the rim 💥Villanova vs No.
8 BYU is on TNT, truTV & HBO Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/bu4JjwajDB— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) November 4, 2025 Cameron Boozer | F | Duke247Sports ranking: 3Boozer will make his college debut on Tuesday against Texas.
Nate Ament | F | Tennessee247Sports ranking: 4 Ament, the highest-ranked recruit in Tennessee program history, started slow in the first half before coming on strong. Ament scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half during the 76-61 win over Mercer.
Ament is a skilled shotmaker who should thrive in a featured role for Rick Barnes’ squad. Barnes has had plenty of hits in the transfer portal, but Ament is the most talented player he has had since arriving in Knoxville.
This was just insane to watch. Nate Ament euro steps from the three-point line.
#Vols pic.twitter.com/yXyHKEI9ex— Rylee Robinson (@ryleerobinsontv) November 4, 2025 Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas247Sports ranking: 5 Arkansas coach John Calipari had plenty of success stories at Kentucky in developing point guards who are ready to play at the NBA level.
Acuff looks like he’s going to be next. Acuff finished with 22 points, four assists and two rebounds in 29 minutes during a 109-77 win over Southern.
Acuff was good as advertised and he can be a real difference maker for Calipari this season. Darius Acuff vs Southern22 Points 4 Assists 1 Block 1 Steal 8/13 FG 3/5 3PT 3/3 FT pic.twitter.com/aX2OX7YNDO— Isaiah Silas (@ProspectReportt) November 4, 2025 Mikel Brown Jr.
| G | Louisville247Sports ranking: 6 Brown only logged 18 minutes amid a blowout win over South Carolina State. Brown finished with 11 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Brown thrived this summer while playing in the FIBA U19 World Cup. He is a true floor general who can raise the floor and ceiling of this Louisville roster.
In a non-blowout situation, he should get more opportunities to show that. Chris Cenac Jr.
| C | Houston247Sports ranking: 7 Cenac was one of two freshmen in Houston’s starting lineup on opening night against Lehigh. Cenac, a projected first-round pick in this summer’s draft, showed off why he was one of the most coveted big men in the most recent recruiting cycle by posting a double-double: 12 points, 10 rebounds in a 75-57 win.
The race for Big 12 Freshman of the Year should be an all-timer, and Cenac should be in the mix. That is pure from Chris Cenac Jr.He’s 3-3 with 7 points in his first 3 minutes of college basketball…
@UHCougarMBK pic.twitter.com/BQ3bqPhvtW— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) November 4, 2025 Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina 247Sports ranking: 8 Since 2013, North Carolina has produced just two lottery picks. Cameron Johnson (No.
11 overall) and Coby White (No. 7 overall) were both selected in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The good news for North Carolina is that the drought could end this summer. Wilson logged just 25 minutes but finished with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
He also added four rebounds and three assists in the 94-54 win over Central Arkansas. He looks like the real deal.
Caleb Wilson vs Central Arkansas22 Points 4 Rebounds 3 Assists 1 Block 1 Steal 8/10 FG 1/1 3PT 5/6 FT pic.twitter.com/E4UgJDCkYG— Isaiah Silas (@ProspectReportt) November 4, 2025 Brayden Burries | G | Arizona247Sports ranking: 9 Burries was in the starting lineup against Florida and finished with three points and two assists in the upset win over the Gators. Burries was in foul trouble and picked up his fifth and final foul with less than four minutes remaining.
Alijah Arenas | G | USC247Sports ranking: 10 Arenas suffered a torn meniscus earlier this summer and is expected to miss most — if not all — of the 2025-26 season. He is the son of the former NBA player Gilbert Arenas.
Koa Peat | F | Arizona247Sports ranking: 11 Peat had one of the best debuts by any player in the history of the sport. The 30 points Peat finished with mostly came at the rim.
Peat was going up against a talented and experienced frontcourt and was the best player on the floor regardless of age or position. Peat has a chance to be a real player for Tommy Lloyd this season.
This debut was just a glimpse of what he might be able to do. The last time Arizona went to the Final Four was 2001.
If Peat plays like this the rest of the year, the Wildcats will be in the mix. KOA PEAT ARE YOU SERIOUS 😱GET TO TNT NOW 📺 pic.twitter.com/Mogf5s2uE4— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 4, 2025 Braylon Mullins | G | UConn247Sports ranking: 12 Mullins suffered an ankle injury in practice last month and is expected to be sidelined for most of the month of November.
Mullins was named the preseason Big East Freshman of the Year by CBS Sports. Meleek Thomas | G | Arkansas247Sports ranking: 13 Thomas was an instant spark off the bench for the Razorbacks.
Thomas finished with 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. Three different Arkansas players finished with at least 20 points, and two of them were first-year players.
Calipari has developed plenty of one-and-done players during his coaching career. Thomas and Acuff are well on their way to becoming the next great one-and-done players to play for Coach Cal.
Tounde Yessoufou | F | Baylor247Sports ranking: 14 Since 2021, Baylor coach Scott Drew has produced six first-round picks — including VJ Edgecombe, who became the highest-drafted player in program history this past summer. Yessoufou is going to be next.
He finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in just 30 minutes of play. He was also efficient by connecting on 10 of 16 of his attempts from the floor.
Yessoufou is already one of the most athletic players in the sport. Baylor freshman Tounde Yessoufou had 24 points and 7 boards in his college debut 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1BrK3Ls30y— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 4, 2025 Nikolas Khamenia | F | Duke247Sports ranking: 15 Khamenia will make his college debut on Tuesday against Texas.
Source: CBS Sports
Read the full article at: CBS Sports
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