Annual report · 2026 edition · 2025–26 season
The state of high-school-to-college basketball, 2026
In 2025–26, 4,209 players made an NCAA men's basketball roster for the first time — 7.8 for every 1,000 boys playing high-school basketball, and only 30% of them at D1. 42% of college players stay in their home state; the median D1 roster is 64% new each season; 24.2% of returning players changed school. Eight chapters, one number from each of the studies on this site, for the 2025–26 season.
Computed from 17,036 players · 2020–21 to 2025–26 · updated Sep 18, 2026
7.8 first-year NCAA spots per 1,000 high-school players — 2.3 at D1.
4,209 entrants across 1,046 programs; D3 alone took 46% of them.
42% of players stay in their home state, from 8% (Arizona) to 66% (Pennsylvania).
Recruiting is regional, and the region is the state. The map in chapter 3 shows every state with enough players to say.
24.2% of returning players changed school in 2025–26, against 11.6% in 2021–22.
The median D1 roster is 64% new each season. A guard listed at 6'0"–6'2" reached D1 23% of the time.
1. The funnel: how many make it
4,209 players made an NCAA men's basketball roster for the first time in 2025–26 — 1,250 at D1, 1,008 at D2 and 1,951 at D3, across 1,046 programs. Against the 539,883 boys the NFHS counted playing high-school basketball in 2025-26, that is 7.8 first-year college spots per 1,000 high-school players, 2.3 of them at D1.
The pool is real, and it is mostly not D1: 30% of the entering class joined a Division I roster. A plan built only around those spots is a plan built around 30% of the doors.
First-year NCAA players by level
2025–26
n = 4,209
7.8 first-year college spots per 1,000 boys playing high-school basketball (NFHS 2025-26: 539,883).
Chapter 1 · Programs, first-year players and the ratio to the high-school pool · 2025–26
| Level | Programs | First-year players | Share of entrants | Per 1,000 high-school players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 364 | 1,250 | 30% | 2.3 |
| D2 | 279 | 1,008 | 24% | 1.9 |
| D3 | 403 | 1,951 | 46% | 3.6 |
| All NCAA | 1,046 | 4,209 | 100% | 7.8 |
2. Who they are: height, weight and where they were born
The rosters describe the players who made it. The average D1 guard is listed at 6'3", the average D3 guard at 6'1" — 1.9 inches apart. At D1 a center averages 6'11", 7.9 inches more than a guard. The average listed D1 player weighs 204 lb. 7.1% of D1 players with a home on record come from outside the United States.
Average listed height by level and position
D1
D2
D3
Heights as the rosters list them; a cell under 30 players is not shown.
Chapter 2 · Height by position, weight and the international share, by level · 2025–26
| Level | Guards | Forwards | Centers | Mean weight | From outside the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 6'3" | 6'8" | 6'11" | 204 lb | 7.1% |
| D2 | 6'2" | 6'7" | 6'10" | 194 lb | 4.3% |
| D3 | 6'1" | 6'5" | 6'8" | 189 lb | 3.0% |
3. Where they come from: the states and the high schools
New York put the most players on NCAA rosters (2,279), and 64% of them stayed in New York for college. Nationally 42% of players play in their home state — but the number runs from 8% in Arizona to 66% in Pennsylvania, so no rule of thumb serves every family.
The high schools with the most players on NCAA rosters in this data: IMG Academy (FL, 175 players), Montverde Academy (FL, 93 players), Sunrise Christian Academy (KS, 85 players).
Share of each state's players who stayed in their home state for college
Lightest 8% (AZ) · darkest 66% (PA) · unshaded = not enough players
A state with fewer than 200 players is left unshaded. Nationally 42% of players stay in their home state.
Chapter 3 · The 12 states with the most players on NCAA rosters, and where they went
| State | Players | Stayed in state | Reached D1 | Most common state they left for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 2,279 | 64% | 21% | Pennsylvania (15% of leavers) |
| California | 2,085 | 46% | 45% | Oregon (8% of leavers) |
| Pennsylvania | 1,965 | 66% | 22% | New York (16% of leavers) |
| Texas | 1,928 | 45% | 43% | Oklahoma (8% of leavers) |
| Florida | 1,752 | 16% | 50% | New York (9% of leavers) |
| Illinois | 1,681 | 38% | 30% | Wisconsin (20% of leavers) |
| North Carolina | 1,526 | 44% | 40% | Virginia (19% of leavers) |
| New Jersey | 1,465 | 37% | 26% | Pennsylvania (33% of leavers) |
| Ohio | 1,428 | 56% | 29% | Pennsylvania (16% of leavers) |
| Virginia | 1,319 | 36% | 35% | Pennsylvania (19% of leavers) |
| Georgia | 1,257 | 33% | 45% | North Carolina (11% of leavers) |
| Maryland | 1,112 | 26% | 35% | Pennsylvania (31% of leavers) |
4. How far they go: home, next door, or across the country
In 2025–26, 25% of D1 players came from the college's own state and 7% from outside the US. At D3 it is 53% from the same state and 74% from the same or a bordering state — the level closest to home. High schools carry no coordinates in our data, so distance is by state, never miles.
Where a roster's players come from, by level
D1
n = 4,546
D2
n = 3,752
D3
n = 5,723
Home = the college's own state · Next = a bordering state · Far = elsewhere in the US · Intl = outside the US.
Chapter 4 · Home state against college state, by level · 2025–26
| Level | Players | Same state | Bordering state | Farther in the US | Outside the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 4,546 | 25% | 20% | 48% | 7% |
| D2 | 3,752 | 45% | 23% | 28% | 4% |
| D3 | 5,723 | 53% | 21% | 23% | 3% |
5. What a roster is: size, mix and turnover
A D1 roster lists a median of 15 players, 59% of them guards, and 27% of its labelled players are freshmen. The median roster is 64% new at D1, 54% new at D2, 44% new at D3 — a player not on the same program's roster the season before.
The median share of a roster that is new this season
Median program
New = not on the same program's roster the season before, by id or by name.
Chapter 5 · Roster size, position mix, freshmen and turnover, by level · 2025–26
| Level | Programs | Median roster | Guards | Forwards | Centers | Freshmen | Median new |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 359 | 15 | 59% | 35% | 5% | 27% | 64% |
| D2 | 276 | 16 | 64% | 33% | 3% | 29% | 54% |
| D3 | 403 | 17 | 65% | 32% | 3% | 30% | 44% |
6. The portal: what changed for the freshman's seat
Of the 9,349 players on an NCAA roster in both 2024–25 and 2025–26, 2,267 (24.2%) were at a different college — against 11.6% in 2021–22. Of the 9,878 players new to their college in 2025–26, 23% came from another college roster rather than from high school, prep school or overseas.
Share of returning players who changed school
Chapter 6 · Returning players, how many changed school, and which way they moved
| Season | Returning | Changed school | Share | Up a level | Same level | Down a level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 9,599 | 1,114 | 11.6% | 68 | 834 | 212 |
| 2022–23 | 9,441 | 1,262 | 13.4% | 101 | 931 | 230 |
| 2023–24 | 9,560 | 1,456 | 15.2% | 120 | 1,100 | 236 |
| 2024–25 | 9,956 | 1,962 | 19.7% | 192 | 1,453 | 317 |
| 2025–26 | 9,349 | 2,267 | 24.2% | 232 | 1,693 | 342 |
7. The trend: are they getting taller?
The average D1 player was listed at 77.5 inches in 2025–26 against 77.1 in 2020–21 — up 0.4 inches over 5 seasons.
Among the 33 D1 conferences with enough players to show, Big East Conference is the tallest at 6'6" and Northeast Conference the shortest at 6'4".
Average listed height by season and level
Inches, one decimal. The chart's scale is truncated to show the slope; the table carries the values.
Chapter 7 · Mean listed height in inches, by season and level · 2020–21 to 2025–26
| Season | D1 | D2 | D3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 77.1 | 75.8 | 74.7 |
| 2021–22 | 77.1 | 75.9 | 74.8 |
| 2022–23 | 77.2 | 76.0 | 74.9 |
| 2023–24 | 77.2 | 76.0 | 75.0 |
| 2024–25 | 77.3 | 76.1 | 75.0 |
| 2025–26 | 77.5 | 76.1 | 74.9 |
8. The guard question: where a 6'0" to 6'2" guard actually lands
Of the 10,142 guards listed at 6'0"–6'2" over 2020–21 to 2025–26, 23% played at D1, 27% at D2 and 50% at D3 — the case every parent asks about, answered by the rosters rather than by a rule of thumb.
A ratio is not a probability: your own odds turn on production, position and the programs you target, not on the national share.
Where guards land, by listed height
5'9"–5'11"
n = 3,270
6'0"–6'2"
n = 10,142
6'3"–6'5"
n = 9,780
6'6"–6'8"
n = 1,957
Chapter 8 · Guards by height band and the level they play at · 2020–21 to 2025–26
| Listed height | Guards | D1 | D2 | D3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5'9"–5'11" | 3,270 | 15% | 26% | 60% |
| 6'0"–6'2" | 10,142 | 23% | 27% | 50% |
| 6'3"–6'5" | 9,780 | 35% | 31% | 34% |
| 6'6"–6'8" | 1,957 | 57% | 29% | 13% |
How to read this for your own case
How to read itCount the doors at every level.
2,959 of the 4,209 first-year spots were at D2 or D3. The school pages on this site show each program's roster and who is leaving.
Your state is your first market.
42% of players stay home, and the share for your state is on its own page. Start with the programs within a drive.
A roster turns over every year.
The median D1 roster replaces 64% of itself each season, and a growing share of those seats go to transfers. The freshman's seat is the one that has to be earned earlier.
The honest test is program by program.
The Level Calculator turns your height, position and state into a level estimate from the same rosters, and the free preview scores your profile against every program in the data.
See where you fit — free
Your profile, scored against every program in this data. The free Market Preview takes six minutes and needs no card.
Methodology
Source · sample · scope17,036 players · 1,060 programs · 2020–21 to 2025–26
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, 2020–21 to 2025–26, collected by Depth Chart; players' home states and high schools as the rosters and bios record them.
- Sample
- 17,036 players listed on a 2025–26 roster. Each chapter states its own sample; a cell under 30 players is not shown, and a state under 200 players is not shaded.
- Edition
- The 2026 edition describes the completed 2025–26 season. This address is permanent and is never rolled forward to a later season; the next edition publishes at its own address. A refresh re-reads the same season from the rosters as they stand.
- High-school participants
- National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), High School Athletics Participation Survey, 2025-26 school year: 539,883 boys basketball participants at 18,799 schools (https://www.nfhs.org/resources/sports/high-school-participation-survey-archive). The only number on this page not computed from our rosters; it enters one ratio and nothing else.
- Chapters
- Every chapter's numbers are computed by the same code as the study it draws on, so the two pages cannot disagree. The funnel: How many high school basketball players play in college? (/resources/data/how-many-high-school-players-play-college-basketball). Who they are: Average height by position and division (/resources/data/average-height-by-position-and-division); Average weight by position and division (/resources/data/average-weight-by-position-and-division); International players in college basketball (/resources/data/international-players-in-college-basketball). Where they come from: Where players from your state go (one page per state) (/resources/data/where-new-york-players-land); High schools producing the most college basketball players (/resources/data/high-schools-producing-the-most-college-basketball-players). How far they go: How far from home players play (/resources/data/how-far-from-home-players-play). What a roster is: What a college basketball roster looks like (/resources/data/what-a-college-basketball-roster-looks-like); Roster class breakdown and turnover (/resources/data/roster-class-breakdown-and-turnover). The portal: What the transfer portal did to recruiting (/resources/data/what-the-transfer-portal-did-to-recruiting). The trend: Are college basketball players getting taller? (/resources/data/are-college-basketball-players-getting-taller); Average height by conference (/resources/data/average-height-by-conference). The guard question: Where 6'0" to 6'2" guards actually land (/resources/data/where-6-0-to-6-2-guards-actually-land).
- First-year player
- A player the school lists as a freshman who appears on no NCAA roster we hold for the five seasons before 2025–26.
- Levels
- NCAA Division I, II and III men's basketball. NAIA, junior college and other rosters are not in this data, so the ratio to the high-school pool understates how many play college basketball somewhere.
- Computed
- Sep 18, 2026 · methodology 2026-08-28.1
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