Kansas signed Darryn Peterson, the best shooting guard in the country

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

Peterson chose Kansas over the final four, which included Ohio State, Kansas State and USC. The Jayhawks had been the favorite for months, but he took official visits to each of his other finalists.

“This was a very difficult decision,” Peterson told ESPN. “Ultimately it was Bill Self’s coaching 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 prepared to win. I will neither look back nor forward. I’ll be chosen when I get there.”

Peterson, a 6-foot-1 shooting guard from Ohio who attends Prolific Prep (Calif.), is ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPN 100 for 2025. He is 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 the Self 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 was going to hold me accountable every day and make training hard so the games would be easy. As a person, he is an energetic guy who conveys a positive mood. A guy you enjoy being with. He's likeable.” “

Peterson is one of the most talented scorers in the country, consistently producing tremendous offensive performances with the Phenom United program on the Adidas 3SSB track. During the spring and summer, Peterson averaged 23.8 points and 7.4 rebounds, including three games with at least 30 points. In July, he scored 38 points and 11 rebounds against Indiana Elite and 33 points on just 15 shots against the Compton Magic. He reached the free throw line at an incredible rate, making more than eight per game in July and attempting 53 over a three-game span.

He also helped USA Basketball win 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 and shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range.

Peterson attacks the basket aggressively and finds gaps with power, speed and change of pace. He is adept at drawing fouls due to his college-ready frame and ability to finish through contact. His motor and athletic abilities are beyond question. He manipulates defenders into ball-screen actions with the threat of turning the corner and scoring alone or scoring for a teammate. He can prevent defenders from getting under a screen by consistently making threes. Defensively, he averaged nearly three steals and two blocks and is impressive with his ability to grab rebounds, 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' 2025 target list.