Three Purdue Players Included Among Top 40 in College Basketball
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There's a reason Purdue is considered one of the favorites to win the national championship this season. The Boilermakers are loaded with talent entering the 2025-26 college basketball season. How many players are considered among the top 40 in the sport?
SportsGrid released a list of the "Top 40 Players in College Basketball" for the upcoming season. Three Boilermakers were included: senior guard Braden Smith, senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, and senior center Oscar Cluff.
Smith and Kaufman-Renn have spent their entire careers at Purdue. Cluff committed to Purdue out of the transfer portal, previously playing at Washington State and South Dakota State.
On SportsGrid's list, Smith was ranked as the No. 2 player in the country, behind only Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty. Kaufman-Renn was one spot behind his teammate, ranked No. 3.
Cluff was the final player to be included, as he ranked No. 40 on SportsGrid's list.
No. 2: Braden Smith
Last season, Smith was the Big Ten Player of the Year and the Bob Cousy Award winner after averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game.
"Purdue's Braden Smith has a chance to become the third Boilermaker in four seasons to take home the Wooden Award, a feat that hasn't been pulled off since Duke did it between 1998 and 2002," SportsGrid's David Connelly writes. "It's rare to see someone stick it out at the same school for four seasons, but that's what Smith will do as he gives it one more go to bring a national championship to West Lafayette."
No. 3: Trey Kaufman-Renn
Last season, Kaufman-Renn was one of the most improved players in college basketball. He went from averaging 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds as a sophomore to Purdue's top scorer and rebounder during the 2024-25 campaign.
Kaufman-Renn ended last year averaging 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
"The Boilermakers get two into our top three with big man Trey Kaufman-Renn sliding into the third spot. After the departure of Zach Edey to the NBA last offseason, TKR took on the majority of the workload in his place and has taken full advantage of the opportunity," Connelly wrote. "Even with a hefty workload that allowed him to score over 20 points per game, he still maintained an efficient 60 percent shooting from the floor. Expect more of the same as the frontcourt member of the best high-low duo in college basketball."
No. 40: Oscar Cluff
Cluff is a new addition to Purdue's roster after a dominant year at South Dakota State. Last season, he averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. He fills a big void for the Boilermakers, bringing a tenacity on the glass they just didn't possess a year ago.
"The transfer portal often draws plenty of criticism, but one of its overlooked benefits is giving players the chance to drop down a level and shine," Connelly writes. "After a solid 2023-24 campaign at Washington State, Oscar Cluff opted to take that path, landing at South Dakota State. The move paid off in a big way; he became the Summit League’s leading rebounder and its sixth-highest scorer. Now, Cluff looks poised to follow the well-worn pipeline of dominant Purdue big men ready to take over the Big Ten."
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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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