Kansas lands Darryn Peterson, nation’s top-ranked shooting guard

Top-ranked shooting guard Darryn Peterson announced his commitment to  Kansas on Friday, giving Bill Self and the Jayhawks their highest-ranked recruit since 2016.

Peterson picked Kansas over a final four that included  Ohio State,  Kansas State and  USC. The Jayhawks have been the presumed favorite for months, but he took official visits to each of his other finalists.

“This was a very hard decision,” Peterson told ESPN. “Ultimately, it was the coaching of Bill Self and the culture of their program. My heart and gut were with Kansas.

“I will have the opportunity to play right away as a freshman, prepare for the draft and be dialed into winning. I won’t look back or ahead. I will be dialed in when I am there.”

A 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Ohio who attends Prolific Prep (California), Peterson is ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPN 100 for 2025. He’s the No. 1-ranked shooting guard in the country.

Peterson becomes Kansas’ highest-ranked recruit since Josh Jackson in 2016 and the highest-ranked guard to join Self’s program since Xavier Henry — who was also No. 3 overall — in 2009.

“Bill Self is a legendary coach, and he believes in me,” Peterson said. “He told me he will hold me accountable every day and make practices hard so the games will be easy. As a person, he is a high-energy guy who gives positive vibes. A guy you want to be around. He is relatable.”

Peterson is one of the most talented scorers in the country, consistently putting up huge offensive output on the Adidas 3SSB circuit with the Phenom United program. Over the spring and summer, Peterson averaged 23.8 points and 7.4 rebounds, including three games of at least 30 points. In July, he had 38 points and 11 rebounds against Indiana Elite and 33 points on just 15 shots against Compton Magic. He got to the free throw line at an incredibly high rate, taking over eight per game and attempting 53 over a three-game stretch in July.

He also helped lead USA Basketball to a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in the summer of 2023. He started all six games, averaging 16.8 points and 3.7 assists, shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range.

Aggressive attacking the basket and finding gaps with power, speed and a change of pace, Peterson is astute at creating fouls due to his college-ready frame and ability to finish through contact. His motor and athletic ability are not in question. He manipulates defenders in ball-screen actions with the threat to turn the corner and score on his own or create for a teammate. He can prevent defenders from going under a screen by making 3s with consistency. Defensively, he averaged nearly three steals and two blocks and is impactful with his ability to grab rebounds and lead the break and put pressure on the defense in transition.

Peterson is Kansas’ first commitment in the 2025 class, but the Jayhawks are also in a good position for top-30 big man Bryson Tiller. Frontcourt prospects Samis Calderon and Mouhamed Sylla are also on Kansas’ target list for 2025.