Tallest men’s college basketball players for 2024-25 season
(BVM) – Meet the tallest big men in Division I men’s college basketball for the 2024-25 season.
There are about 5,775 NCAA D-I men’s basketball players spread across 364 teams and 31 conferences. Despite such a large pool, only a handful stand out as the tallest 7-footers in college basketball.
Editor’s note: Official heights per college basketball rosters as of Nov. 4, the official start of the season.
Rioux, a 7-foot-9, 305-pound freshman center for the Florida Gators, is the tallest college basketball player in history. He also owns the Guinness World Record for the “tallest living teenager.”
In contrast, the shortest Division-I men’s basketball player this season is Cam Brent, a 5-foot-4, 125-pound guard at Ole Miss.
Only two college basketball players in history have come close to Rioux’s height; Kenny George (UNC Asheville, 2006-08) and Mike Lanier (Hardin-Simmons/UCLA, 1988-1993) were both 7-foot-7.
If Rioux goes pro, he would also become the tallest NBA player of all time – surpassing 7-foot-7 centers Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan. The tallest active NBA players are 7-foot-4 stars Victor Wembanyama, Zach Edey and Boban Marjanovic. Interestingly, by many accounts, Rioux is still growing.
Burns is a 7-foot-5, 235-pound freshman center for the Missouri Tigers. He is the second tallest player in college basketball – standing four inches shorter than Rioux.
Burns was ranked the No. 20 center in the Class of 2024. The former Texas high school basketball star averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks during his senior year.
“The combination of shooting and shot-blocking at Trent’s height is not something easy to find,” said head coach Dennis Gates.
The 7-foot-4, 265-pound Syracuse Orange senior says he has his sights set on Defensive Player of the Year.
McLeod enters the 2024-25 season fully recovered from the foot injury that sidelined him for most of last year. In his 14 starts, he averaged 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 0.2 steals.
“I actually have three more inches to grow,” McLeod said after talks with his doctors. “I’m supposed to be 7’7” when it’s all said and done.”
T-3. Daniel Jacobsen, 7-foot-4
Once again, the Purdue Boilermakers boast one of the tallest players in men’s college basketball. With Zach Edey now in the NBA, 7-foot-4, 230-pound freshman center Daniel Jacobsen is stepping in to fill those big shoes.
Jacobsen, a former New Hampshire high school basketball star, was ranked among the top 30 centers in the Class of 2024.
He had a strong college basketball debut – earning the starting job for Purdue’s opener, where he tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
T-3. Matthew Van Komen, 7-foot-4
The 7-foot-4, 260-pound center for the Elon Phoenix is in his sixth year of college basketball. Back in 2016, Van Komen made headlines as the tallest high school freshman in America (still 7-foot-4).
Van Komen joins Elon as a graduate transfer from Hawaii Pacific, where he played in 21 games and averaged 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and recorded 47 blocked shots.
Overall, only five men’s college basketball players this season are 7-foot-4 or taller, and an additional four players are listed at 7-foot-3: Aday Mara (UCLA), Gabe Dynes (Youngstown State), Bol Kuir (Alabama A&M) and Mathok Majok (Oral Roberts).
See here for “Tallest women’s college basketball players for 2024-25 season.”
