It became clear from the very beginning that Kansas would be extremely tough to beat for Darryn Peterson, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif. The Jayhawks were always considered a player for Peterson, the No. 3 ranked player in the 20205 class. However, following his official visit to Kansas back on June 23, it felt like Kansas had officially emerged as the team to beat for the top-ranked shooting guard in the class.
"The visit went incredible," said Darryl Peterson, the father of Five-Star guard Darryn Peterson. "Coach Self and his staff did an amazing job of laying out the plan they have for Darryn as far development and role he will play on the team as well as opportunities that are going to a place with such a rich basketball history like Kansas could afford a kid like Darryn. Very exciting
"What stood out the most to Darryn is when Coach Self said ask the hard questions and a question that came from most competitors is why would a guard like Darryn go to a big man driven school like Kansas and Self was prepared, had all stats going back to 2016 of all averages and accolades of players just to prove the facts that he’s had a ton of success with guards and Darryn could have even more at a place like Kansas," he added.
From that moment in time, Kansas was viewed as the team to beat for Peterson, a five-star prospect. However, a plan was originally put in place for Peterson to take a number of official visits before making a final decision about his future.
When the dust finally settled near the end of his recruitment, just four programs, Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State, and USC were left standing for Peterson.
While the other programs might have made the decision more difficult for Peterson, saying no to Kansas simply wasn't an option for one of the truly elite players in the 20205 class.
Bill Self made Darryn Peterson in the 2025 class and, because of his efforts, Self and the Jayhawks were rewarded with a verbal commitment from a future star on Friday night.
What exactly is Kansas getting in Darryn Peterson? JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Jacey Zembal from TheWolfPackCentral.com (https://ncstate.rivals.com/) to get his thoughts on KU’s first commit from the 2025 class.
“Every now and then, you have a young prospect who has such a strong reputation that there is a build-up to see him play,” said Zembak. “Darryn Peterson fits that description coming out Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) Christian High. After watching Peterson play with the New Jersey Scholars 16s in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, it was clear that his potential was legit and that he’d be a contender for the top five in the country.
“Peterson and his family were rewarded with its own traveling team program Phenom United on the Adidas 3SSB circuit in 2023,” he added. “He became a threat to score 30-plus points any time he played and was coached by former NBA coach Sam Mitchell this past summer.
“Peterson is a true Alpha on the court, whether it is with USA Basketball or other events, and scores in a variety of ways at all three levels,” he continued. “In some ways, he could be like Paul Pierce in the sense that he isn’t scoring due to being an elite run/jump NFL combine kind of athlete, but due to shotmaking and skill. Like most players, he can continue to improve his outside jumper, but he should be a quality contributor his freshman year.”
