The Expected Lineup Impact of the Class of 2025 Boys

8/15 CGC Staff

In a few days, the class of 2025 will finish their last junior tournaments and complete a long junior golf journey. The challenge of college awaits, as the incoming freshmen will embark on a new journey of balancing academics, living on their own, and fitting in with their new team. Many of the top recruits of this class will be expected to contribute immediately to their team’s lineup, and others may settle for an early backup role. Whatever the expectations, the freshmen should welcome the challenge, embrace the opportunity, and enjoy the experience and challenges ahead of them.

We’ve taken a deep dive into our top-10 boys’ recruiting classes, looked at what their teams’ rosters have lost and the impact the newcomers can make for their teams. Some freshmen are entering rosters that continue to have a strong lineup with solid backup options, and others are joining teams that have spots to fill from graduated seniors and ‘covid year’ fifth years. Whatever the situation, these highly touted freshmen will be hungry to compete and contribute.

Vanderbilt University: Vanderbilt University: It’s common knowledge that Vanderbilt had down year last season, with the well-documented struggles of now-graduated Gordon Sargent. Several players saw lineup action for the first time, but the lineup spots flip-flopped often. The Commodores return Palmer Cup participant Wells Williams, successful sophomore Ryan Downes, and an impressive transfer in Carlos Astiazaran, who won the North & South Amateur this summer. They add the top freshmen class, led by Michael Riebe, the #2 player in our individual rankings. Riebe has been a model of consistency over his junior career, which surprisingly does not include a major win. The US National Development team member only finished outside of the top-10 in junior events once in 2024, and the Commodores will be hungry to add his consistency to their lineup next fall. His top-5 finishes in the past few years include: the 2024 Junior PGA Championship, 2025 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship, 2025 Rolex Tournament of Champions, 2024 Western Junior, and 2023 Junior Jones Cup. The top-10s on his resume include the 2024 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship and the Wyndham Invitationals, and 2025 Junior Invitational. Riebe narrowly missed qualifying for match play at the 2024 US Amateur, qualified for the 2025 US Amateur, and qualified for match play at the last two US Junior Amateurs and North & South Amateurs. We expect Riebe to have the best chance of the freshmen to slot easily into a lineup spot this fall.

Photos: instagram, Dothan Eagle, amateurgolf.com

Will Hartman, ranked #3 in this class, was solidly the #1 recruit in the 2025 class through 2023, but has shown some inconsistency in his play since then. Nevertheless, he still remains an important piece of Vanderbilt’s success this season. Hartman notched top-5 finishes in the following events: the 2024 Junior PGA Championship, 2024 AJGA RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, 2025 AJGA Boys Simplify, and the 2025 Dustin Johnson World Junior. This summer, he made it to the quarterfinals of the North & South Amateur. Hartman found the top-10 on the leaderboard at the 2024 Junior Players and the top-15 at the 2024 Team Taylormade, Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, and Terra Cotta Invitational. On paper, Hartman should be a consistent member of the lineup, but from what we saw from some of the top junior players in the 2024 class, it is not always a guarantee, and Vandy has some solid upperclassmen fighting to keep their spots. The 3rd member of this class, Jon Ed Steed, has been an inconsistent player in big events throughout his junior career, but his recent win at the Magnolia Amateur has us intrigued. Steed, who was 2nd at the 2024 Team Taylormade and won the Bubba Conlee, has potential to be a spoiler in the lineup or individual spot if he can find consistency in his game.

Predictions: Riebe (lineup lock), Hartman (strong lineup possibility), Steed: (lineup/indy spot contender)

University of Florida: University of Florida: The Gators had a successful 2024-2025 season and have the firepower to step on the gas this year. After losing star Ian Gilligan to graduation, they return former US Amateur finalist Noah Kent, who had to sit out the spring semester as a transfer, a resurging Luke Poulter, steady lineup stalwart Jack Turner, and fiery freshman Zack Swanwick, all of whom we expect to be in the lineup. The Gators have several talented returners who will vie for lineup time with a heralded freshman class. Joshua Bai, who has had a down season in 2025, was the 2023 US Junior Amateur runner-up and has been a steady presence in Elite Amateur events for the past two years.

Photos: FSGA, instagram

Photos: X, instagram

Auburn University: Auburn welcomes a solid class to replace the graduation of three of their top-six players, and sports a small roster of eight this year. We consider Koivun, Gilbert, and Pope to be locks in the lineup, with Davis a solid fourth, although if history repeats itself, the Tigers’ lineup fluctuates frequently, relying heavily on qualifying until the post-season. We expect Logan Reilly, the 4th ranked recruit in this class, to be a strong contender for a lineup spot, as he likely had the best 2024 year out of all the 2025 signees.

Oklahoma State: The defending national champion Cowboys are not losing any starters and gain the #1 recruit in the 2025 class. It’s safe to say, watch out for the Cowboys this year, as returnees Ethan Fang and Preston Stout both had big wins this summer. Henry Guan surprised everyone by reclassing from 2026 to 2025 and announcing his commitment to play for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys will welcome his talent in their lineup, although the competition for a spot will be fierce with the returning starters.

Guan’s name has been synonymous with elite junior golf for many years. Over the past two years he has amassed a long resume of successes in high profile events. They include top-5s at the 2024 AJGA Mayakoba Invitational, Western Amateur, and South Beach International Amateur. His notable top-10s include the 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational and Simplify Boys Championship, 2024 Jones Cup, and Rolex Tournament of champions. Guan reached the round of 64 at the 2024 US Amateur. Guan also reached the round of 32 at the last three US Junior Amateurs. It seems strange to say that he is not an absolute lineup lock due to the Cowboy depth this year; nonetheless, expect to see his name on leaderboards. The second member of this class is Texan Jaxon Bandelier, a player who has steadily improved to become a top-50 recruit. In 2024, Bandelier showed solid play from March-June, his highlight being a runner-up finish at the Southern Junior. He also notched a 2nd place finish at a Legends Junior Tour event and reached match play at the US Junior. In 2025, Bandelier was runner-up at the Texas Amateur and has made some appearances in Elite Amateur events. He will likely find making lineups a challenge, but his game should flourish in the competitive environment.

Predictions: Guan (Strong lineup possibility), Bandelier (outside looking in)

Photos: AJGA, instagram

Texas: The Longhorns return their entire starting lineup from the team that made match play at NCAAs, bowing out in the quarterfinals, and gain a formidable transfer in Matthew Comegys from Texas Tech. Comegys red-shirted last season but has appeared on the elite amateur circuit this summer, and should challenge for a lineup spot. Texas has two solid incoming freshmen in Brooks Simmons and Adam Villanueva. Brooks Simmons, #10 on our recruit list, has had some strong tournament results in the past few years.

Photos: AJGA

Simmons has a collection of top-5 finishes in big events, including the Western Junior and AJGA Mayakoba Invitational in 2024, and the Toyota Junior World Cup in 2025. He a recorded top-10 finish at the 2025 AJGA Simplify, with top-15s at the 2025 Wyndham Invitational and the 2024 Wyndham and Ping Invitationals. Simmons made a good run at the 2024 US Junior Amateur, reaching the quarterfinals, and advanced to the round of 32 this year. He has improved his consistency in 2025, and should challenge for a lineup or individual spot, though this lineup will be a tough one to crack. The second recruit in this class, Villanueva, has had a mixed bag of results, with top-10 finishes at the 2025 Texas Amateur, 2024 Junior PGA Championship, and the 2024 Rolex Tournament of Champions. Like Simmons, he reached the round of 32 at the 2025 US Junior, and added a runner-up finish at the 2024 Texas Junior Amateur. He struggled in his introduction to Elite Amateur series events this summer, and may be looking to contend for an individual spot while learning from the experienced upperclassmen this year.

Predictions: Simmons (contender), Villanueva (outside looking in)

Tennessee: The Vols had an up and down year last season, and have significant roster turnover without losing the heart of their lineup. Bruce Murphy and Lance Simpson look to lead the team and keep their positions in the lineup, and sophomore Jackson Herrington should find himself in the starting five again. The Vols have two other contending returnees in addition to Auburn transfer Reed Lotter, expecting to join the lineup. The freshman class is led by Chae Kyes, an athlete always near the top of rankings metrics, although he doesn’t compete as much as his 2025 classmates. he shows consistency of solid finishes. He finished in the top-5 at the 2024 Western Junior and carded a top-10 finish at the 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational.

Photos: Amateurgolf.com, AJGA

Kyes found himself in the top-15 at the 2024 Dustin Johnson World Junior and made the round of 32 in the 2025 US Junior after qualifying for match play in 2024. Kyes hasn’t shown consistency this summer and may find competition challenging for playing time, although he has shown toughness as a competitor over the years and will welcome the challenge of qualifying competitions. The second member of this class is Canadian Luke Smith, a steady presence in the top-50 in the JGS rankings over the past two years, carding a win at the 2024 Golf Ontario Super Camp & Tour Championship, with four other top-5 finishes in Canada in 2024 & 2025. Smith’s best national showing in 2024 was a top-5 at the AJGA Wyndham Invitational, along with a top-10 at the 2023 Junior Jones Cup and top-15 at the 2024 Ping Invitational. Smith should thrive in a warmer climate and welcome the challenge of qualifying competition. Overall, we expect the Vols to have similar results as last year as they wait for the arrival of a stellar 2026 class.

Predictions: Kyes (contender), Smith (outside looking in)

Clemson: The Tigers lose strong lineup presence with the graduation of Andrew Swanson and Kian Rose, but will welcome the addition of top-10 freshman Jackson Byrd. Their next four top returners are all within own stroke in the 2024-2025 averages, and any four could find themselves in the lineup. Byrd’s lineup contribution should be immediate to the lineup, as Byrd is no stranger to success in big tournaments. Byrd broke through this past fall with a big win at the AJGA Ping Invitational. He has carded top-5 finishes at the 2024 AJGA RLX Ralph Lauren Classic and the 2025 Junior Invitational.

His top-10 finishes include the 2024 Toyota Junior World Cup, 2024 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, and the 2025 Terra Cotta, Byrd also finished in the top-15 at the 2024 Junior Players Championship. He has had an inconsistent summer in Elite Amateur series events, his best finish a 25th place at the Northeast Amateur. Nonetheless, expect to see Byrd’s name in multiple tournaments this year. The next recruit, Samuel Duran of Panama, has had significant success in his home country, winning four straight events last fall, in addition to three wins earlier in 2024. However, Duran has not replicated his success when competing against competition in the US, and how his talent translates to college golf remains to be seen. He qualified to the last two US Junior Amateurs through his WAGR rankings, but hasn’t come close to making match play. The final recruit in this class is Tip Price, who was in the top-50 of the JGS rankings in 2023. Price hasn’t seen as much competitive action in 2024 and 2025 and looks to return to his prior form while at Clemson.

Predictions: Byrd (lineup lock), Duran (contender), Price (outside looking in)

Photos: AJGA, AOGA

North Carolina: The Tarheels’ lineup takes a big hit with the loss of now-PGA Tour member David Ford, along with his brother Maxwell, who did struggle with his game in the spring season. Their graduation opens two lineup spots, and it is expected that senior Keaton Vo and sophomore spring standout Sihan Sandhu fill two positions. The next three spots and the individual position are expected to fluctuate between returnees, Northwestern transfer Niall Sheils Donegan, and incoming freshman Carson Bertagnole, #6 on our 2025 recruit list.

Photos: The Pilot, instagram

In 2024, Bertagnole has proved worthy of his signing with a string of top-10 finishes in big events and a win at the 2024 AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational. He finished in the top-5 at the 2023 Junior Jones Cup, and his top-10 finishes include the 2024 AJGA Wyndham Invitational, Bertagnole also notched top-15 finishes at the 2024 Junior Players Championship and the 2024 Terra Cotta Invitational, and qualified for the US Amateur. 2025 has brought at top-5 at the Junior Invitational and top-10 at the AJGA Simplify, in addition to reaching the round of 32 at the US Junior. Mack Edwards' strong results started taking off after he committed to UNC, he crept into the top-25 in the JGS rankings in 2024, with a strong showing at the US Junior Amateur, finishing 3rd in stroke play. In 2024, he also carded top-10 finishes at the AJGA Wyndham Invitational and an AJGA open event. He again qualified to the US Junior in 2025 amd finished in the top-10 at the Western Junior and top-15 at the Wyndham Invitational.

Predictions: Bertagnole (strong lineup possibility), Edwards (contender)

Brigham Young: BYU was a sneaky good team last year, finishing in the top-15 at the NCAA Championships, and they return several top performers. Peter Kim and Simon Kwon should return to the heart of the lineup, and we anticipate Cooper Jones to return from a mission and into a lineup spot. Several other returners will vie for lineup spots, and freshman Kihei Akina is expected to slot into the starting five. Akina has shown very consistent golf in big-stage tournaments in the past two years.

Photos: Deseret News, Utah PGA

In 2025, he reached the semifinals at the North & South Amateur, found himself in the top-10 at the Northeast Amateur and top-20 at the Sunnehanna, and was runner-up at the Terracotta. He was a model of consistency in 2024, with only two finishes outside the top-15 in junior events. His top-5 finishes include the 2024Terra Cotta Invitational and the 2024 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. He has found success in amateur competition with top-5 showings at the 2023 & 2024 Hawaii Match Play Championships, and a top-15 finish at the Sunnehanna Amateur in 2024. He made it to the round of 32 at the 2024 US Junior Amateur, and carded regional tour wins in his home state in 2024. Last but not least, Akina made the cut in a Korn Ferry event in his home state in 2024. BYU should be excited for his arrival this year. The second recruit in this class is Jackson Shelley, whose older brother is a Cougar. Shelley picked up a win at the 2024 AJGA Salt Lake Junior, qualified for the 2024 US Junior Amateur, and found the top-5 at the Nike Junior Invitational. He recently carded a top-5 finish at the Utah Men’s Amateur, and his results are limited in the past year.

Predictions: Akina (lineup lock), Shelley (contender)

Princeton: If all underclassmen return, the Tigers have seven returnees and three newcomers this season. As of printing, their 2025-2026 roster is not posted. We expect Reed Greyserman, Ricardo Fantanelli, and Charlie Palmer to keep their places in the lineup after strong seasons, with several others in the mix with the three incoming freshmen. Canadian Eric Zhao had a strong 2023 then fell off a bit in 2024, but seemed to regain form in 2025 with wins at the Ontario Men’s Amateur and the NextGen Ontario Championship. He recently had a top-15 finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur missed match play by a few strokes at the 2025 US Junior.

Photos: Barrie 360, AJGA, WAGR

The next member of this class is Luke Brandler, a dual sport ahtlete who won the 2024 AJGA Brandon Wu Championship and had a top-5 finishes at the 2024 & 2025 IMG (now USwing) Junior World Championships. The runner-up finishes on his resume include the 2024 Hong Kong Junior Open, and two AJGA opens. He has twice finished in the top-10 at the NCGA Amateur Stroke Play. His results in elite field events are not as strong, and time will tell if he can adapt to the college game quickly. Canadian James Lee rounds out the 2025 class. In 2024 he had a runner-up showing at an open AJGA events and an appearance at the US Junior Amateur, with some struggles in amateur event. He only has one event listed on WAGR for 2025, indicating he has not competed often. Lee should benefit from the competitive atmosphere of college qualifying.

Predictions: Zhao (contender), Brandler (contender), Lee (outside looking in)

His recent best finishes are top-5s at the 2025 & 2024 Junior Invitationals and the Auckland Match Play, and he reached the round of 16 at the 2024 North & South Amateur. Last year, we would have considered him a strong contender for a lineup spot, but his inconsistency has that in question. 2024 US Junior Amateur champion Trevor Gutschewski was once a wildcard, even with his win, but has gained consistency this summer with a win at the Western Junior, a quarterfinal appearance at the North & South, and match play appearance at the recent US Junior. His stock has risen, and he will be a lineup contender if he continues his summer form into his first college season. The third member of this class is local product Parker Severs, who had one AJGA 2nd place finish on his resume in 2024, along with a top-10 showing at the AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational. Severs placed 8th at the 2024 Florida Junior Amateur and has added top-10 finishes at the 2025 Florida Junior Am, Yellow Hammer Invitational, and the Sunshine State Amateur. He may be on the outside of lineups this year, gaining valuable experience for the future. Florida has a strong team, and we expect competitive qualifiers involving the entire roster.

Predictions: Bai (contender), Gutschewski (contender), Severs: (outside looking in)

He made winning a habit, taking home the trophy at both the 2024 Virginia Men's Amateur and the Virginia Open professional event, as well as the Scott Robertson Memorial. He found himself in the top-5 at the 2024 AJGA Junior Players Championship and the AJGA Team Taylormade Invitational, with as additional top-10 at the 2024 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship. Reilly was in the top-15 at the 2024 Junior PGA Championship and qualified for the 2024 US Amateur. In 2025, he was runner-up at the Terra Cotta Invitational, has a top-10 at the Junior Invitational, reached match play at the US Amateur, and reached the round of 32 at the US Junior. Jake Albert, ranked 9th in our individual rankings, is another solid freshman with a strong shot at making lineups or an individual spot. He has improved his consistency in 2025, with top-5s at the Dustin Johnson World Junior and the Fox Puss Invitational, top-10s at the Scott Robertson and the Rice Planters Amateur, and a repeat AJGA open win at home. In 2024, Albert placed in the top-5 at the 2024 Junior PGA Championship and the 2023 Elite Invitational and found the top-10 at the 2024 Western Junior, & 2024 Scott Robertson. The 3rd member of this class is Jack Roberts, once one of the top recruits in the 2025 class, after winning the 2021 Southern Junior. In 2024, he took 8th at the Bobby Chapman Invitational and 15th at the Western Junior. If the competitive environment at Auburn suits Roberts well, he should make improvements to return to his early junior career form.

Predictions: Reilly (strong lineup possibility), Albert (strong lineup/indy spot possibility), Roberts (outside looking in)