Bill Self gives unfortunate update on Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson

Kansas head coach Bill Self gave some unfortunate news on Tuesday regarding the status of freshman Darryn Peterson.

The Kansas Jayhawks finally Peterson back on the floor for two straight games after he missed seven in a row with a hamstring injury. The star freshman scored 43 points with seven rebounds and six assists combined in his first two college games before suffering the injury in November.

On Saturday against North Carolina State, Peterson scored 17 points with five rebounds and four assists, giving everyone a glimpse of the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. It marked the second straight game where he had scored 17 points.

However, just before the Jayhawks’ game against Towson on Tuesday, Self gave some unfortunate news regarding Peterson’s status.

“Darryn experienced cramping in his quad against NC State on Saturday and felt similar in practice yesterday. He is not able to compete at full strength. He will not play tonight against Towson. He will continue to work tirelessly and prepare to compete with his teammates and represent Kansas in the very near future,” Self said in a statement posted on the Kansas X page.

Peterson sat out the end of the NC State game on Saturday due to cramping.

In four games, Peterson is averaging 19.3 points with 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 52% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.

Some fans were wondering if Peterson’s previous injury absence was intentional, although Self said that the layoff “frustrates” Peterson.

Kansas has an 8-3 record this season, with their losses coming against North Carolina, Duke and UConn.

Peterson is ranked No. 2 in the SC Next 100 behind BYU star AJ Dybansta. In November, Jeremy Woo of ESPN had Peterson going No. 1 overall to the Brooklyn Nets in a 2026 NBA mock draft.

For now, Peterson will work on getting healthy again. Kansas faces Towson and then Davidson before beginning Big 12 Conference play against UCF on January 3.