With a sensational freshman class joining the mix and NIL keeping some of the biggest stars from turning pro, college basketball is loaded with talent for the 2025-26 campaign. We should be in store for another fascinating National Player of the Year race.
From high-profile newcomers to former All-Americans, below are 10 of the top contenders to win this season’s Wooden Award.
1. Braden Smith, 6-foot senior guard, Purdue
The engine of a Purdue team that could open the season ranked No. 1 in the country, Smith is the early favorite to take home NPOY honors. A consensus First Team All-American in 2024-25, Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists (second in Division I), 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals while shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from behind the arc.
Smith and returning big man Trey Kaufman-Renn, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, will once again form one of the nation’s top duos and should have the Boilermakers competing for an NCAA title. If Purdue wins the Big Ten and holds steady near the top of the national rankings, Smith could emerge as an easy choice for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor. He would be the fourth player in program history to win the award, joining Zach Edey (2023, 2024), Glenn Robinson (1994) and John Wooden (1932).
2. JT Toppin, 6-foot-9 junior forward, Texas Tech
Toppin, the reigning Big 12 POY, is back and poised to put up huge numbers for coach Grant McCasland. The athletic forward led the Red Raiders in scoring (18.1 points per game), rebounds (9.4) and blocks (1.5) last season, earning Second Team All-American honors. He posted a double-double in all four of Texas Tech’s NCAA Tournament games, nearly guiding the program to its second-ever Final Four.
With a year in Lubbock under his belt, Toppin is expected to make yet another leap in 2025-26. There’s no doubt he will fill the stat sheet, so if Texas Tech — a borderline preseason top 10 team — can make a run at the Big 12 crown and remain highly-ranked nationally, Toppin could become the first NPOY in program history.
3. AJ Dybantsa, 6-foot-9 freshman wing, BYU
A season ago, Duke’s Cooper Flagg became just the fourth freshman in college basketball history to win NPOY, joining Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant. Dybantsa has a chance to become the fifth.
The gifted wing, who was ranked No. 1 in the class of 2025 by ESPN, is BYU’s first-ever 5-star recruit. He will be the centerpiece of a stacked Cougars team that should begin the season ranked in the top 10 and contend for a Big 12 championship. Over the summer, Dybantsa won MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup, averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists as USA cruised to the gold medal.
4. Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-foot-9 senior forward, Michigan
After contemplating turning pro, Lendeborg ultimately withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and finalized his transfer from UAB to Michigan. That decision vaulted the Wolverines into the preseason top 10 conversation, as Lendeborg was Hoops HQ’s No. 1-ranked player in the portal.
The do-it-all forward averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals for the Blazers last season while claiming his second AAC Defensive Player of the Year award. If he can come close to replicating those ridiculous numbers in the Big Ten, Michigan will certainly be in contention for the conference title, and Lendeborg might just be the Wooden winner.
Top 10 Big 12 Breakout Candidates for the 2025-26 Season
Which candidates have the chops to be the next JT Toppin? Here are 10 rising stars from the Big 12 to keep an eye on.
5. Darryn Peterson, 6-foot-6 freshman guard, Kansas
Few players will carry a heavier burden than Peterson this season. Bill Self is counting on the stellar freshman, who was the 2025 Naismith High School Player of the Year, to help Kansas bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which it finished sixth in the Big 12 and got bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Peterson has the talent to lead the program’s resurgence. A big combo guard with effortless scoring ability, he averaged 30.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a senior at Napa Christian High School. He’ll spend just one year in Lawrence — Hoops HQ draft expert Jonathan Wasserman currently projects him to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — but it has a chance to be a very memorable season.
6. Otega Oweh, 6-foot-4 senior guard, Kentucky
Oweh will be the focal point of a loaded Kentucky squad that should compete for an SEC title. The athletic guard dropped out of the NBA Draft in May and is on a mission to raise his stock this season. As a junior, Oweh averaged a team-high 16.2 points on 49.2 percent shooting from the field while adding 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
After signing Hoops HQ’s No. 1-ranked transfer class, Kentucky is expected to ascend in Mark Pope’s second year at the helm. If that happens, the major reason won’t be one of the transfers — it will be Oweh.
7. Trey Kaufman-Renn, 6-foot-9 senior forward, Purdue
Braden Smith isn’t the only Wooden candidate on Purdue’s roster. Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers in points (20.1) and rebounds (6.5) last season, and the arrival of South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff, a 6-foot-11 senior center, should make things a little bit easier for him on both ends.
With his combination of experience and skill — not to mention his tremendous chemistry with Smith — Kaufman-Renn could very well compete for the national scoring title. Smith might be the engine of the Boilermakers, but Kaufman-Renn is the X-factor. At his best, he’s as dominant as any big man in America.
8. Cameron Boozer, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, Duke
Duke’s next superstar freshman has a chance to follow in Flagg’s footsteps. A 5-star prospect out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Boozer is a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, four-time state champion and three-time Peach Jam champion. He won a national title at 2025 Chipotle Nationals and earned two gold medals with USA Basketball.
The son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, he possesses the size, strength and polished skill set to dominate college basketball from day one. Boozer will be joined at Duke by his twin brother Cayden, a 6-foot-4 guard who was also a 5-star recruit. The two should have the Blue Devils contending for a national title once again.
9. Solo Ball, 6-foot-3 junior guard, UConn
On a UConn roster that once again shows national championship potential, Ball has the highest ceiling. As a sophomore, the sharpshooting wing averaged 14.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while hitting a conference-best 41.4 percent from behind the arc. He was named to the All-Big East Second Team.
With Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr., 5-star freshman Braylon Mullins and returnees Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. around him, Ball should get plenty of open looks this year. He’s poised to lead the Huskies in scoring and should have them battling to reclaim the Big East title from St. John’s.
10. Darrion Williams, 6-foot-6 senior forward, NC State
As Will Wade told Hoops HQ in June, Darrion Williams was the No. 1 transfer on NC State’s board. The versatile forward is coming off an All-Big 12 season at Texas Tech in which he averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. He scored at least 20 points in three of the Red Raiders’ four NCAA Tournament games, earning West All-Region honors.
Williams will be the go-to option for a completely revamped Wolfpack team that’s likely to be ranked in the preseason top 25. Wade envisions the 22-year-old playing more guard than he did at Texas Tech, which should lead to more scoring and playmaking opportunities.
