For all of the debates tied to revenue-sharing, big NIL deals, loosened eligibility rules, transfer-waivers and the supposed "chaos" those things have combined to bring to college athletics, there's no denying that changes to the system, dramatic as they might be, are keeping elite talent in school longer.
This upcoming season is a reminder.
The CBS Sports All-America teams are evidence.
In any other era of the sport, players like Florida's Thomas Haugh, Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner, Texas Tech's JT Toppin and Virginia Thijs De Ridder, just to name a few, would no longer be in college -- and De Ridder probably would've never even enrolled considering he's a former professional from Belgium. As it is, though, each of them is an established college star who has passed on professional opportunities to either enroll in school or stay in school (or both), and they were all voted by a panel of writers and analysts to one of the three 2026-27 CBS Sports preseason All-America teams.
Haugh and Tanner, among the favorites to be SEC Player of the Year, were joined on the FIrst Team by Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes and Illinois sophomore David Mirkovic. That means 40% of the First Team comes from either the Big Ten or SEC, which shouldn't be surprising considering those are the two wealthiest conferences.
Fears and Haugh were unanimous first-team selections.
Toppin was voted Second Team despite the possibility that he won't be available to start the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee last February. The 6-foot-9 forward was the 2025 Big 12 Player of the Year.
The only school from outside of the Power Four (football term) with a CBS Sports preseason All-American is UConn (Silas Demary). Here's the conference breakdown of the three All-America teams:
- Big 12: 4
- SEC: 4
- ACC: 3
- Big Ten: 3
- Big East: 1
Note: The 2026-27 CBS Sports Preseason All-America Teams were voted on by college basketball reporters at CBS Sports, 247Sports and analysts and on-air talent from CBS and CBS Sports Network.
CBS Sports Preseason All-America First Team
Jeremy Fears Jr. | PG | Michigan State | 6-2 | R-Jr.
Fears is a wizard playmaker who led all of college basketball in assists (9.4 per game) last season. Fears' 53.1 assist rate was the best mark in the last two decades, according to KenPom.com, and he flirted with a mind-boggling 4-to-1, assist-to-turnover ratio. No Big Ten player has ever averaged more than 10 assists in a single season, but Fears could change that and put his name in the Big Ten record books forever.
Fears' creation is vital for Michigan State's outlook in 2026-27, but if he can take one more surge as a shot-maker, the Spartans can start dreaming of winning six in a row. Fears' jumper has gotten better every year, and if that trend sticks, Fears is on the verge of a historic season. -- Isaac Trotter
Thomas Haugh | SF | Florida | 6-9 | Sr.
Haugh's rise from no-name, three-star prospect to a preseason All-American is special stuff. The 6-9 forward passed on a first-round grade from NBA decision-makers to cash in on a lot money to be the face of Florida basketball. Haugh could easily average 17-and-6 again for a loaded Gators squad that is the sturdiest preseason No. 1 outfit we've seen in years. Haugh's energy is a constant. He's an awesome transition scorer who can make hay as a cutter, slasher and real-deal defender. If Haugh can go from 32% to 38% from 3-point range and improve his on-ball potency, he will solidify himself as a lottery pick in a wide-open 2027 NBA Draft. -- IT
Tyler Tanner | PG | Vanderbilt | 6-0 | Jr.
Tanner is an outlier of all outliers. He's a shade under 5-11 barefoot. He wasn't a ballyhooed recruit. He's also incredible. Tanner is a big-time athlete who jack-hammered 17 dunks, becoming just the third high-major guard who is 6-foot or shorter to reach that threshold in the Bart Torvik database, which stretches back to 2008.
But his superpowers stretch beyond just creating dunks at a historical rate. The lightning-quick point guard just does not make mistakes. He posted a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover rate this past season. He creates advantages offensively in his sleep using speed and a nasty change of direction. There was a play against Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament where Tanner de-pantsed three defenders with three separate crossovers on his way to the cup. Oh, and he defends. And rebounds. And draws fouls. And makes tough shots. And runs his team. Like Thanos (and Cameron Boozer last season), Tanner is inevitable. -- IT
Tyran Stokes | PF | Kansas | 6-8 | Fr.
College basketball's most naturally gifted player will lace 'em up for the Jayhawks. Stokes is on the inside track to be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft because he can blend excellent positional size with real on-ball utility. Stokes is all of 6-7 and 230 pounds. He will bully smaller defenders and dust heftier defenders. Stokes' big-boy drives will be a staple of Kansas' offense, and he should automatically vault to the top of the charts in transition scoring.
Stokes' maturity and on-court antics have long been a point of emphasis, but if Bill Self can help his star freshman stay on the straight and narrow, he has a chance to be a terrifying two-way player who could up some bonkers counting stats as Kansas' head honcho. An average stat line of 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists is firmly in Stokes' range of potential outcomes. -- IT
David Mirkovic | PF | Illinois | 6-9 | Soph.
Illinois' razor-sharp offense has produced a string of All-Americans like Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Keaton Wagler. Brad Underwood believes Mirkovic could be up next. The burly 6-9 forward sees the game at an advanced level, and his physicality, competitiveness, feel and 3-point shooting are all extremely attractive traits. Mirkovic used maniac rebounding to become a Day 1 starter for Illinois, despite being just a teenager in a new country, but the Montenegro native has transformed into a true offensive hub who can initiate pick-and-rolls or play in backdowns to create advantages. Mirkovic was the third-best freshman in the Big Ten last year behind two lottery picks in Wagler and Washington's Hannes Steinbach.
Now, it's his turn.
Mirkovic is slowly but surely working his way back from an offseason foot surgery, but he's positioned to be one of the top big men (and interviews) in all of college ball. -- IT
CBS Sports Preseason All-America Second Team
Motiejus Krivas | C | Arizona | 7-2 | Sr.
Krivas is primed to elevate his game even higher after a breakout junior season in which he started all 39 games while shining as a paint protector for a Final Four team. The towering Lithuanian is the Big 12's leading returning shot blocker and a rugged rebounder.
His offensive repertoire isn't particularly robust, but Arizona doesn't need him to be Nikola Jokic. The Wildcats need size, physicality and production, which he brings in abundance as one of the nation's most-proven bigs. -- David Cobb
JT Toppin | PF/C | Texas Tech | 6-9 | Sr.
Toppin earned multiple All-American honors last season, even after suffering a season-ending ACL injury in mid-February. The 6-9 senior is tracking for a midseason return (if not before Christmas, potentially) and should quickly reclaim his place as one of the nation's top interior scorers.
Before his injury, Toppin averaged 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 54.8% shooting. Toppin is a matchup nightmare for many teams because he's too agile and athletic for many opposing 5 and too strong for many opposing 4s. -- DC
Silas Demary Jr. | PG | UConn | 6-4 | Sr.
Demary gritted through injuries during UConn's postseason run after proving himself to be an ideal fit to run point for Dan Hurley during his first season with the Huskies. The Georgia transfer transformed into a pass-first floor general with UConn, leading the Big East with 5.9 assists per game.
Demary also brings great size to his position, which helps make him UConn's best perimeter defender. Demary was fifth in scoring for the Huskies last season at 10.1 points per game, but his all-around value is significantly deeper than his own offensive production. -- DC
Flory Bidunga | PF/C | Louisville | 6-9 | Jr.
Bidunga ranked as the No. 1 transfer of the cycle after earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and all-conference honors at Kansas as a sophomore. Now, he is joining a Louisville program in need of the physicality and front court pop that Bidunga provides in abundance.
At 6-9 and 235 pounds, Bidunga brings a level of productivity and star power to the paint that was missing from coach Pat Kelsey's first two teams. He's an excellent lob threat and a versatile defender with the agility to switch and recover. -- DC
John Blackwell | SG | Duke | 6-5 | Sr.
After leading Wisconsin in scoring at 19.1 points per game as a junior, Blackwell is taking his bucket-getting powers to a Duke program that lost leading scorers Cam Boozer and Isaiah Evans. The fourth-year guard will get plenty of spot-up opportunities just like Evans did a year ago.
Regardless of where he ultimately falls in the scoring hierarchy for a loaded Duke team, Blackwell will be called upon to hit big shots and make plays offensively. A three-year body of work at Wisconsin suggests he'll be up to the task. -- DC
CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team
Thijs De Ridder | PF | Virginia | 6-9 | Soph.
De Ridder, 23, was named the preseason ACC Player of the Year by CBS Sports and is one of the most experienced players returning to the conference. The Virginia forward averaged 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists during his freshman season. The 23-year-old forward previously played for Bilbao Basket (2023-25) and Antwerp Giants (2020-23) before arriving in the States to play college basketball. After a 30-win season in Year 1 of Ryan Odum's tenure, expectations are high at Virginia. -- Cameron Salerno
Elliot Cadeau | PG | Michigan | 6-1 | Senior
Cadeau completed one of the best redemption stories in college basketball after being named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four. Cadeau, who began his career at North Carolina, is a crucial returning starter from Michigan's national title roster and is one of the most experienced and productive players returning to the sport. He averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists last season with the Wolverines and will be Mike Boynton's most trusted piece in the wake of Dusty May leaving for the Mavericks. -- CS
Milan Momcilovic | SF/PF | Kentucky | 6-9 | Sr.
Momcilvoic was the best 3-point shooter in college basketball last season and knocked down 136 3-pointers, while shooting 48.7% from beyond the arc. After exiting Iowa State, he was considered one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal. Kentucky landed him -- and had to pay a pretty penny in the process -- but it gave the Cats a true star who should be a perfect fit in Mark Pope's expressive offensive system. -- CS
Robert Wright III | PG | BYU | 6-1 | Jr.
Wright entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason, then withdrew and returned to BYU. Wright is coming off a season in which he averaged 18.1 points and 4.6 assists during his first season with the Cougars while playing the Robin role next to eventual No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa. The former Baylor star is one of the top bucket-getters in the sport and figures to see his usage rise. -- CS
Rueben Chinyelu | C | Florida | 6-10 | Sr.
Florida is the only team with two preseason All-America honorees. The reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year is part of a massive and intimidating Florida frontline. Chinyelu was one of 14 players in Division I who averaged a double-double (10.9 points, 11.2 rebounds) last season. Chinyelu has been a full-time starter in each of the last two seasons for the Gators. Florida earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament both times with Chinyelu as a starter. -- CS
