Blue Ribbon Yearbook Names Preseason All-Americans — Which Purdue Stars Made the Cut?
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Blue Ribbon Yearbook has named its preseason All-Americans for the 2025-26 season, and a pair of Purdue standouts were included on the list. Senior point guard Braden Smith and senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn both earned honors from the publication.
Smith received first-team All-American honors from the magazine, and Kaufman-Renn earned second-team honors. Blue Ribbon Yearbook is one of the top college basketball preview publications on the market.
Last season, Smith was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, the Bob Cousy Award winner, and a first-team All-American selection. He was also a finalist for the Naismith National Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game.
Smith broke Purdue's all-time assist record last year and also joined Purdue's 1,000-point club. This year, he'll have an opportunity to break Bobby Hurley's NCAA all-time assist record.
Kaufman-Renn was one of the most improved players in college basketball last season. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and also received third-team All-America honors.
As a sophomore in the 2023-24 campaign, Kaufman-Renn was a starter on Purdue's Final Four squad, but averaged just 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He improved by nearly 14 points per game and ended the 2024-25 season as the Boilermakers' top scorer and rebounder. He also led the nation in made field goals.
Purdue will play its first exhibition game against Kentucky in Lexington on Friday, Oct. 24. The Boilermakers host Evansville for their regular-season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Blue Ribbon Yearbook All-America teams
First Team
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech
- Alex Condon, Florida
- Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
- Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Braden Smith, Purdue
Second Team
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
- Darryn Peterson, Kansas
- AJ Dybantsa, BYU
- Otega Oweh, Kentucky
- Cameron Boozer, Duke
Third Team
- Graham Ike, Gonzaga
- Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's
- Nate Ament, Tennessee
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Donovan Dent, UCLA
Fourth Team
- Alex Karaban, UConn
- Nate Bittle, Oregon
- Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
- PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
- Emanuel Sharp, Houston
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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