Darryn Peterson was the No. 1 player in the 2025 high school class, and despite a turbulent season at Kansas, he’s the likely No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, his postgame press conference after Kansas’s 104-85 win has Jayhawks fans dreaming of a Year 2 for the obvious one-and-done superstar, sort of.
Peterson will be entering the draft after the season; that’s a near certainty. Still, as he called out the haters in his final postgame press conference at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, he, seemingly facetiously, indulged Melvin Council Jr.’s chants of “one more year.”
Darryn Peterson with a message for the critics:
— Kole Emplit (@KoleEmplit) March 7, 2026
"I love Kansas, I love everything about being here and my team."
Melvin Council slowly chants 'one more year'
DP: "Maybe one more year. I might run it back."#kubball pic.twitter.com/P6MwUXrZY6
Darryn Peterson can joke about a sophomore season, but he’s gone no matter what
The durability questions that have popped up during Peterson’s freshman year, as he’s battled cramps, an ankle injury, and other issues, have caused a stir throughout sports media. Yet, even if those issues have hurt his draft stock, they have only dropped him behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer, the likely national player of the year.
Even if Peterson were to, knock on wood, suffer a serious injury in the Big 12 or NCAA Tournament, he would still be a top-five pick in the draft, and this year’s class is loaded with talent. That’s how tantalizing Peterson’s scoring ability and athletic upside are, and players like that just don’t go back to college for a second season.
Even with the rise of NIL, which is providing significant paydays for college basketball players, Peterson would be giving up major money to go back to college, and not just for one year. By delaying the start of his rookie contract, he’s pushing back the end of his rookie contract and his first major extension. The goal of a great player like Peterson, who projects to be an eventual max-contract player, is to reach that life-changing money as quickly as possible.
Separate from Peterson’s joke about running it back, the press conference was still a good sign for Kansas fans heading into the postseason. Peterson came off the bench against Kansas State for senior day and scored 27 points in 29 minutes.
Peterson is a self-proclaimed introvert, but he appeared loose in the press conference, confronting those who question his love of the game and dedication to the program. He can take over any game in the blink of an eye, but if Peterson has extra motivation in the postseason, that’s a scary proposition for the rest of the Big 12.