Kansas lands Darryn Peterson, the nation's top-rated shooting guard

Top-rated 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 four finalists that included Ohio State, Kansas State and USC. The Jayhawks have been the presumptive favorites 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 his program. My heart and my guts were with Kansas.

“I'll have the opportunity to play right away as a rookie, prepare for the draft and be ready to win. I won't look back or forward. I'll be ready when I'm there.”

Peterson, a 6-foot-6 guard from Ohio who attends Prolific Prep (California), is ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPN 100 for 2025. He is the No. 1 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's going to hold me accountable every day and make practices hard so games are easy. As a person, he's a high-energy guy who gives off positive vibes. A guy you want to be around. He's someone identifiable.”

Peterson is one of the most talented scorers in the country and consistently puts up great offensive production 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, making more than eight per game and attempting 53 in a three-game span 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 almost 43% from 3-point range.

Aggressively attacking the basket and finding space with power, speed and changes 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 is not in doubt. Manipulates defenders into ball screen actions with the threat of turning the corner and scoring on his own or creating for a teammate. He can prevent defenders from going under a screen by making 3-pointers with consistency. Defensively, he averaged almost three steals and two blocks and is impressive for his ability to grab rebounds, lead the fast 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. Top prospects Samis Calderon and Mouhamed Sylla are also on Kansas' 2025 target list.