Bill Self and the Kansas basketball program have gone back to recruiting at a high level since the smoke from the NCAA infractions case began to disappear. The Jayhawks reeled in 5-star recruit Flory Bidunga in the 2024 class and have been in close contact with top-10 players such as Darius Acuff in the Class of 2025.
While there are several recruits the coaching staff is targeting, arguably the biggest priority for the Jayhawks is top-3 prospect Darryn Peterson. The incoming senior at Huntington Prep is one of, if not the best, guard in his graduating year and the most coveted recruit in Lawrence. It was recently announced that he will take a visit to the KU campus sometime this month, likely during the upcoming weekend.
Five-Star guard Darryn Peterson can’t wait to visit Kansas #kubball. Visit has is scheduled to take place this month.
— JayhawkSlant (@JayhawkSlant) June 17, 2024
LINK: https://t.co/9f8fdvHYtE pic.twitter.com/sawBZmnDYb
Darryn Peterson embarking on visit with Kansas basketball this month
His interest in Kansas basketball has been evident for nearly a year. The 6-foot-5 guard was the first high school basketball player to ever sign an NIL deal with Adidas. In a basketball landscape dominated by Nike and Jordan, fans immediately jumped to the conclusion that the Jayhawks were the frontrunners to land him.
Recruiting talks died down during his high school basketball season, but he is going all in again and could come to a decision by the end of the summer. The Ohio native will also visit Ohio State the following weekend, though the Buckeyes do not offer the same level of basketball prowess or NIL benefits that Kansas does.
Peterson has spoken about why Kansas intrigues him so much in the past. Here is what he said during an interview with On3.com last year:
"Their system sticks out to me, I like how they play their guards. They have a lot of ball screen play with their guards and let them get downhill to make a play. They play with shooters and feed the big. Looking at their team now, they play Elmarko Jackson. So, I see they play freshmen and they trust him to come out and start for them... I want to play for a coach that I know will push me. Put the ball in my hands to play the guard position and help me grow and prepare myself for the NBA. Having guys around me who can play will be big. I like to ring up assists too."Darryn Peterson in an interview
Peterson is a dynamic talent who would take the 2025 KU recruiting class to a different level. Self and Co. have not landed a prospect as highly touted as he since Andrew Wiggins committed. Ironically, Peterson and Wiggins attended the same high school.
The coaching staff has to do everything in its power to show why Peterson should become a Jayhawk on his visit. Don't be surprised if his recruitment starts moving quickly if he believes KU is the right school for him.