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Darryn Peterson Poised to Lead Kansas as True Freshman

Originally posted on Heartland College Sports
By Brian McQuillen | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 12:39 PM ET

Throughout the long history of college basketball, the Kansas Jayhawks have cemented themselves as one of the top programs, winning four national championships.

Head coach Bill Self, a six-time Big 12 Coach of the Year recipient, has strung together 624 wins leading the Jayhawks. He has an .800 winning percentage and won AP Coach of the Year twice as well.

Self has coached several five-star prospects, including Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson, who both went on to become top-five picks in the NBA Draft.

Darryn Peterson, the top prospect in the Class of 2025, committed to play for the Jayhawks and Self has high expectations for the true freshman.

“I haven’t been around anybody that’s more prepared to be a college freshman that can carry the load more so than Darryn can,” Self said on Jon Rothstein’s College Hoops Today podcast.

Bill Self firmly believes that Darryn Peterson is the best freshman that he's ever recruited.

https://t.co/c9JLel2QnF (Apple)
https://t.co/EsZxIkca32 (Spotify) pic.twitter.com/lyIaSDfEzz
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 31, 2025

Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard, earned the Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year award and was named a McDonald’s All-American.

In his senior season, Peterson averaged an impressive 30.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. He was very efficient from the floor, knocking down 52% of his field goals, and also averaged 2.2 steals.

Self added that Peterson’s play style and ability to take over the game is something he has not seen from a freshman.

“As a freshman coming in with the ability to put a team on his back, I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I’ve had one,” Self said. “We didn’t ask Wiggs (Andrew Wiggins) to do that as a freshman, (Joel) Embiid didn’t do that as a freshman.

The Jayhawks have a solid roster around Peterson, with four-star commit Kohl Rosario, forward Tre White, and center Flory Bidunga.

Since winning the National Championship in 2022, KU has not made it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Jayhawks finished 21-13 and placed fifth in the Big 12 Conference.

This article first appeared on Heartland College Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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