native of canton Darryn Peterson He made one of the most anticipated decisions on the national college basketball recruiting scene by selecting the University of Kansas for his 2025-26 freshman season.

Peterson He announced his commitment Friday night on broadcast channel CBS Sports HQ. He chose Kansas over three other finalists: Kansas State, Ohio State and USC.

“I’ll take my talents to the University of Kansas. Go to the Jayhawks.” Peterson he said at CBS Sports Headquarters.

Peterson’s father, Darryl Peterson IIHe seemingly telegraphed Kansas as the selection earlier in the week, posting an Instagram story announcing that Jayhawks coach Bill Self would make his final recruiting visit with Peterson in development of the commitment.

“I feel like it fits my academic and athletic goals perfectly,” Peterson said. “Kansas has a strong history of development and success, and those were two important things for me in this process – finding a place where I could grow as a player and finding success while doing so.

“They did a great job recruiting me. They’ve been recruiting me since my freshman year. So the relationship was there. (Self) told me how he could use me offensively and what he could do to take advantage of my abilities and talents and what he saw for me. I saw the same things he saw.” “

PetersonIt is widely expected that he is 17 years old a high-profile NBA draft pick in the near future, probably after just one college season. This has been Peterson’s projected career path since his days at CVCA, where he starred as a basketball phenom as a freshman and sophomore. Five star employee He averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 assists. Final season of Ohio High School basketball.

Peterson He had narrowed his college choices down to a list of eight schools: Arizona State, Louisville, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Ohio State, USC and Washington. He then narrowed it down to Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State and USC. In the end, Kansas won the Peterson sweepstakes.

Peterson, a 6-foot-10 guard, is ranked third in the nation as a high school senior. ESPN’s recruiting database.

“I feel like I can score, I can defend, I can facilitate, I can rebound,” Peterson said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

Peterson He was born in Canton and raised in Akron and Canton; was his father and former University of Akron basketball player. Darryl Peterson II told Beacon Journal in 2023.

Peterson leaves Northeast Ohio in 2023 to play at Huntington Prep When I was young in West Virginia and after Transferred to Prolific Prep in August in California’s Napa Valley for his senior season.

After leaving CVCA, Peterson He became the first high school athlete to sign an NIL deal with Adidas, which has an apparel contract with Kansas.

“A lot of high school athletes could have chosen (Adidas), but they chose me to be the first one,” Peterson said. “It feels great to be a part of history, it’s great to have a world-class brand behind me and to believe in me.”

Shortly after signing with Adidas, Peterson also signed a trading card deal with Fanatics. The Ohio High School Athletic Association prohibits student-athletes from signing sponsorship deals, so deals with Adidas and Fanatics failed to materialize while Peterson was playing for the CVCA.

“Sure, so (NIL) was part of the decision to transfer from Ohio.” That wasn’t the biggest part,” Dad Darryl Peterson II he told the Beacon Journal last year. “The main part was really playing against national talent, national level, prep, getting ready for university and stuff like that. That was the important thing. But if we could do that and still get to the NIL, why not? Going to prep school allowed us to expose that and it was great.”

NFL and NBA futures?: Darryl and Darryn Peterson push each other with their dreams of becoming brothers playing at the highest levels of football.

Between Peterson’s senior season at CVCA and his lone season at Huntington Prep, Won gold medal with USA Men’s U16 National Team. He averaged 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.3 steals in six tournament games. Team USA On his way to winning the 2023 FIBA ​​Men’s U16 Americas Championship.

Now Peterson He’ll be in the spotlight for NCAA basketball at Kansas.

“I will do my best to reach the championship and bring it back,” Peterson said.

Is he the next Kobe Bryant?: CVCA’s Darryn Peterson compares former NBA coach to Los Angeles Lakers icon

Nate Ulrich can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article first appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Darryn Peterson committed to playing college basketball at Kansas