Baylor basketball freshman Tounde Yessoufou added to prestigious watch list

The Bears' five-star freshman has major expectations on him

Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images

If Baylor basketball is going to be as good in 2025-26, the Bears are going to lean on their star freshman, Tounde Yessoufou. The former five-star has high expectations placed on him, especially after proceeding VJ Edgecombe and the start he's had in the NBA.

Baylor will have a good supporting cast around Yessoufou and after two exhibition games, it's clear the talent is surreal. This is one reason he was recently placed on the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year preseason watch list.

Yessoufou and 19 other players were placed on the watch list and all eyes are going to be on the talented player this season.

Here is the full list of players who made the watch list:

JULIUS ERVING SMALL FORWARD OF THE YEAR PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Karter Knox, Arkansas
Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Dame Sarr, Duke
Derrion Reid, Oklahoma
Isiah Harwell, Houston
Andrej Stojaković, Illinois
Tucker DeVries, Indiana
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
Coen Carr, Michigan State
Darrion Williams, NC State
Devin Royal, Ohio State
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue
Miles Byrd, SDSU
Nate Ament, Tennessee
Dailyn Swain, Texas
LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
Eric Dailey Jr., UCLA
Braylon Mullins, UConn
Chad Baker-Mazara, USC

Full press release below

Baylor men's basketball's Tounde Yessoufou was featured on the 2025-26 Naismith Starting 5 – Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

The Julius Erving Award recognized the best small forward in men's college basketball every year. The Contonou, Benin, native is listed among the top 20 in the country.

Rated as a five-star prospect by ESPN out of St. Joseph High School in California, Yessoufou joined the Bears as the No. 2 player in the State of California and the fifth-best small forward in the 2025 class.

The winner of the 2025 McDonald's All-American dunk contest helped the Knights reach the California Interscholastic Foundation playoffs his senior season with a 31-4 record. In his previous three seasons, he compiled the Knights an 86-15 record, averaging at least 26 points per game in all three seasons.

In Baylor's last two exhibition matchups, Yessoufou has put up double-figures, averaging 16.5 points.

The Julius Erving Watch List will narrow down to 10 players in late January, with the final five being announced in March. The award winner and presentation details will be revealed at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

More From Baylor On SI:

• 3 Keys to a Baylor football victory over UCF
• National CFB analyst places Baylor’s Dave Aranda on the hot seat
• Following Morris commitment, Baylor jumps into the top 25 recruiting class rankings
• What Baylor HC Dave Aranda said on Monday, including why O-line coach Mason Miller isn't with the program anymore
• Baylor football makes staff change amidst 4-4 season