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

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