Five-Star 2025 Combo Guard Darryn Peterson Commits To Kansas Over Ohio State 

Ohio State and Jake Diebler lost out on a potentially program-altering recruit on Nov. 1 when Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep five-star combo guard Darryn Peterson committed to Kansas over Ohio State, Kansas State and USC. 

Peterson, the nation’s third-best prospect and top-rated combo guard in the class, would have been Ohio State’s highest-rated recruit since two-time All-American forward Jared Sullinger, but he instead he will play for Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Self and blue blood Kansas for what will likely be a one-and-done 2024-25 season. 

Peterson took a sip of water and picked up the Kansas bucket hat in front of his family as he announced his decision to pledge to the Jayhawks.

“I’ll be taking my talents to the University of Kansas,” Peterson said. “Go Jayhawks.”

This recruiting loss will sting for Diebler and the Buckeyes, as the program had been in relentless pursuit of Peterson, a Canton, Ohio, native, for the past several years. Ohio State, then-led by former head coach Chris Holtmann, first offered the guard a scholarship just before his freshman year of high school at Cuyahoga (Ohio) Valley in August of 2021, becoming the first of what turned into 23 offers for the guard. 

The program maintained contact with him throughout his eventful high school career, hosting him on unofficial visits in September of 2022 and last October before bringing him in for his first and only official visit this August for Ohio State’s football season opener, his first first trip to Columbus since Diebler was hired as full-time head coach. 

Peterson and his family had said throughout his recruitment that he valued the long-term relationship he had built with Ohio State and Diebler — who served as his primary recruiter and made it a point to re-offer him a scholarship when he took over as head coach. But that still did not prove to be enough to lure him away from the mighty Jayhawks, who have now secured their first commitment of the 2025 class. 

“I just felt it aligned perfectly with my academic, athletic goals,” Peterson said of his decision to go to Kansas. “Kansas has a strong history of development and success, which are two huge things for me during this process.”

Although the history and championship pedigree of Self’s Kansas program was an obvious allure for Peterson, he was also likely swayed by factors outside of basketball. 

Kansas is outfitted by Adidas, the clothing brand that signed Peterson to a lucrative NIL deal last season, their first-ever for a high school player, while Ohio State — along with Kansas State and USC — is outfitted by Nike.

Regardless, the loss of Peterson is a significant one for the Buckeyes, as the five-star is viewed as a big, versatile guard with a potentially NBA skill set that could transition him well into the next level. 

With Peterson off the board, Ohio State will pivot to other names to fill out its 2025 recruiting class, which they hope is a three or four-man class. 

Ohio State has already secured pledges from Cleveland Richmond Heights four-star shooting guard Dorian Jones (6-4, 180) and Branson (Mo.) Link Academy four-star center A’Mare Bynum (6-8, 210), but they are still heavily interested in prospects such as Peterson’s Prolific Prep teammate and five-star power forward Niko Bundalo (6-10, 215), Bynum’s Link Academy teammate and four-star combo guard Jerry Easter (6-3, 183) and Atlanta (Ga.) Holy Innocents Episcopal School five-star power forward Caleb Wilson (6-9, 205), each of whom have taken official visits to Ohio State this fall.