Bossi's Best: Cooper Flagg is the National Freshman of the Year, headlines 247Sports' All-Freshman teams
Duke's Cooper Flagg is the easy choice for 247Sports Freshman of the Year. He's joined by impressive talents on the 247Sports All-Freshman teams in a year where first-year players were the most relevant they've been in a while.
Led by the nation's top-ranked basketball prospect, players from the 2024 recruiting class spent 2024-25 season making freshmen relevant again in the age of the transfer portal. While Cooper Flagg has led Duke to a No. 1 ranking in this week's AP Top 25 and is set to compete for National Player of the Year, he's been backed up by one heck of a talented supporting cast of first-year players who have made a major impression.
Today, we sort through the best of the best while naming 247Sports' all-freshman teams.
The battle for spots on the three teams was intense, and there were some major talents who fell just short of cracking the top three teams.
SALUTE FLAGG, THE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
There can't be anybody left who doesn't know Flagg's story. A Maine native who played his high school ball for mighty Montverde (Fla.) Academy, he was so impressive that he ranked No. 1 in the class of 2024 despite graduating a year early and arriving at Duke as a 17-year-old freshman.
To say that Year 1 expectations for Flagg were high would be a mighty understatement. At this point, he's surpassed even the loftiest expectations. Even among a loaded group of true freshmen, he's truly in a class of his own. Flagg is the easy selection as 247Sports National Freshman of the Year.
The ACC's Player of the Year, Flagg has Duke among the favorites to cut down the nets in April. He just may be the National Player of the Year after leading the Blue Devils in points (19.4), rebounds (7.6), assists (4.2), blocks (1.3) and steals (1.5) per game. He had a signature 42-point performance against Notre Dame in January. While some may be tired of hearing this, it's utterly absurd that this should have been his senior season in high school.
It's also absurd that he's got three high school teammates left to go on this list and that a strong argument could be made that a fourth belongs.
FIRST TEAM
Ace Bailey, Rutgers forward: The No. 2 player in the class of 2024 was part of a much-ballyhooed freshman combo. While things didn't go as planned from a team standpoint, his individual season was mostly a success. Among all of college basketball's most electrifying players, Bailey tailed off a bit towards the end of the season but still managed to average 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Derik Queen, Maryland center: The Big Ten was loaded with big-time freshmen this season, and none were more important than Queen. He opened his career with a ridiculous 22-point, 20-rebound night against Manhattan and never slowed down. Incredibly skilled in the post with soft touch, Queen posed problems on the block that few could solve this season while putting up 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Maryland enters the Big Ten Tournament ranked 11th nationally, and Queen's Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team season has a lot to do with the Terrapins' resurgence.
Dylan Harper, Rutgers guard: The No. 3 player in the 2024 class and second half of the Scarlet Knights' duo of phenom freshmen with Bailey, Harper held up his end of the bargain. Playing the role of alpha scorer and creator for others, Harper played a complete game and showed why he's going to be one of the 2025 NBA Draft's top five picks. His 36 points in overtime against Notre Dame in November was one of the most memorable performances by a first-year player all season. Harper stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 19.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois guard: Don't let the No. 24 Fighting Illini's 20-11 record fool you — they could be very dangerous in March. They have a lot of weapons, and the scoring and playmaking of Jakucionis could be quite problematic for defenses trying to decide which part of his game to try and limit. The Lithuanian is strong, gets into the lane, can go on scoring runs and, on the nights where his jumper is falling with consistency, he's pretty tough to stop. His likely one-year pitstop in college has been impressive.Tre Johnson, Texas guard: The SEC Freshman of the Year's ability to score is the single biggest reason why the Longhorns are even on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Formerly the No. 6 player in the 2024 class, Johnson's size, ability to put the ball on the floor and gorgeous jump shot have all translated to the rugged SEC at a high level. Johnson eclipsed the 20-point mark 13 times and went for 30 or more on three occasions. He'll be an NBA Draft Lottery pick in a few months.
