College golf has returned, which means the race to make the NCAA Championship is on.
That means the stars of college golf are back on campus and battling it out for major awards, victories and more. It also means a new wave of talent has entered the fold and is ready to make its mark on college golf.
Every year, freshmen come in and make an impact right away. Last year, there was Kihei Akina, the Phil Mickelson Award winner at BYU, and Auburn's Logan Reilly clinching the Tigers' national championship.
Now, it's time to meet the next wave of youngsters in college golf.
Here's a look at 10 men's freshmen to watch during the 2026-27 season.
Golfweek's 10 men's college golf freshmen to watch
Pennson Badgett, Tennessee
Badgett is one of a pair of Tennessee freshmen who could make an immediate impact in Knoxville. Placed T-13 at the
Junior Invitational and T-10 at the Sunnehanna.
Oscar Couilleau, Arizona State
Couilleau won the Monroe Invitational and the European Men's Club Trophy as a junior. If he continues playing well for the Sun Devils, they'll be legit title contenders.
Ayden Fynaut, Pepperdine
Fynaut won the Fresno City Amateur and made the semifinals of the North & South Amateur. One of two Pepperdine freshmen likely to contribute right away.
Lev Grinberg, Arkansas
Grinberg finished fourth at the Junior Invitational and sixth at the European Amateur. Now heads to Fayetteville, where he may be the Hogs' best player from day one.
Mason Howell, Georgia
The 2025 U.S. Amateur champion had a dominant 2025 summer and made double-digit professional starts in the past year to prep for college golf. Likely to be an immediate contributor for the Dawgs.
Hugo Le Goff, Virginia
Virginia loses plenty of experience and will have numerous opportunities for newcomers to come in and play right away. Le Goff is likely to slot in one of those spots.
Noah Maclauchlan, Liberty
Maclauchlan won the U.S. Junior this summer, knocking off Miles Russell in the championship match to do so. Now, his college golf journey begins.
Tyler Mawhinney, Vanderbilt
Mawhinney made the semifinals of the U.S. Junior and is part of a loaded class at Vanderbilt. Another player who could easily be in the lineup every tournament.
Luke Ringkamp, Pepperdine
Ringkamp is the other half of the Pepperdine duo who are likely to contribute from the start. He won the Team TaylorMade Invitational earlier this summer.
Tyler Watts, Tennessee
Watts heads into college ranked third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He could compete for the biggest awards in college golf right from the jump.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: College golf's next stars? These 10 men's freshmen are worth watching in 2026-27
