How Many Purdue Players Earned AP Preseason All-America Honors?
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The Associated Press released its Preseason All-Americans for the 2025-26 college basketball season, and senior guard Braden Smith was the only Purdue player included. He was the only player who earned a spot unanimously.
Smith, who averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game last season, was also the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for a second straight season. He is considered among the favorites to win the National Player of the Year award.
Smith was the winner of the Big Ten Player of the Year, the Bob Cousy Award, and received first-team All-Big Ten and All-American selections.
The full Preseason Associated Press All-America Team includes:
- Braden Smith, Purdue (57 votes)
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech (52 votes)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan (30 votes)
- AJ Dybantsa, BYU (22 votes)
- Alex Condon, Florida (16 votes)
Former Purdue big man Zach Edey, who was a two-time National Player of the Year, was the last Boilermaker to receive unanimous selection to the Preseason All-America Team from the Associated Press.
The Boilermakers enter the 2025-26 season ranked as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press's preseason poll. It's the first time in school history Purdue has earned that honor.
Purdue travels to Lexington for an exhibition game against No. 9 Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 24. The game tips off at 6 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network.
Trey Kaufman-Renn not included as All-American
If Purdue was to get a second All-American on the preseason list, it would have likely been senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. He's coming off the best season of his career, averaging 20.1 points and 6.5 points per game, leading the team in both categories.
Kaufman-Renn also converted at a 59.5% clip last season and finished the year with more field goals than any other player in college basketball. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Last year, Kaufman-Renn spent a lot of time at the five spot because of the injury to freshman center Daniel Jacobsen. With the Boilermakers adding 6-foot-11 center Oscar Cluff via the transfer portal and Jacobsen returning from injury, Kaufman-Renn will be able to play at the four spot, a position where he can dominate.
There may still be some small-ball lineups in which Kaufman-Renn is moved to the five spot, but it probably won't be a regular occurrence like it was last year.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
- BRADEN SMITH BY THE DATA: Evan Miyakawa's preseason ratings have Purdue's Braden Smith listed as the best player in college basketball. How wide is the gap between Smith and the rest? CLICK HERE
- PAINTER NOT CHANGING RECRUITING PHILOSOPHY: Purdue's recent success opens the program up to landing better recruits. But Matt Painter says he doesn't want "better players," he wants the "same people." CLICK HERE
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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