Why Wilson Now Viewed as Top Contender for Freshman Award

This college basketball season has been dominated by incoming freshman making an immediate impact for their respective teams. This development has also created anticipation for the 2026 NBA Draft, which is expected to be one of the best classes in recent memory.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the fortunate programs to have a superstar freshman as a key component on the roster. Forward Caleb Wilson was a five-star recruit entering this season, but he was not expected to be this good, this soon.

ESPN updated its rankings of the top-10 contenders for Freshman of the Year. Basketball recruiting insider Jeff Borzello and Staff Writer Myron Medcalf compiled the list.

Medcalf's Thoughts on Wilson

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

"There is drama in Chapel Hill, and Wilson has been at the center of it," Medcalf said. "Following his team's loss to Stanford - part of a 1-3 stretch for UNC entering the week - Wilson suggested the Cardinal had used the same plays all game to beat the Tar Heels. Coach Hubert Davis disagreed with his star player's assessment. Despite the struggles around him, Wilson has held on to this No. 3 spot because he's still one of the best players in America. He has scored 20 points or more in 12 games this year. The Tar Heels have issues they must fix, but Wilson isn't one of them."

Medcalf is alluding to the comments the 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward made after North Carolina's 95-90 loss last Wednesday. Those comments were addressed by the 55-year-old head coach shortly after.

Stanford Postgame Fallout

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8), guard Kyan Evans (0), and Stanford Cardinal forward Aidan Cammann (52) reach for a loose ball in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

“They ran the same play, pretty much every time down the court,” Wilson said. “[They] brought the three and the four up, came off the right side, and basically just played isolation basketball.”

“I guess, at the end of the day, it’s just about being able to guard the ball,” Wilson said. “That’s really all I can say. They stuck to exactly what was working. They were in the same place over and over again. It wasn’t like they were doing anything special.”

“I would respectfully disagree with that,” Davis said. “It was coming from a number of different situations. They were scoring threes in transition; it was coming off of isolation. It was coming off of ball screens, late communication, closeouts, and in terms of rotations. And so, whether it was running a consecutive play, they were getting different things.”

Overall Thoughts

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) dunks during warm ups before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

In this list, Wilson was ranked as the No. 3 freshman for this award, just behind Duke's Cameron Boozer and BYU's A.J. Dybantsa. Wilson is averaging a double-double this season, leading the Tar Heels in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks this season.

North Carolina is in the midst of a skid, but the star freshman is nowhere near the reason for the team's struggles in the last month. Without Wilson, the Tar Heels could be teetering around the .500 mark.

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