KU’s Darryn Peterson Named No. 2 Player in College Basketball

The preseason accolades continue to pile up for Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson as CBS Sports has named him the second best player in all of college basketball heading into the 2025-26 season.

The ranking comes as part of CBS Sports’ list of “The Top 100 and 1 Players” in the country as voted on by college basketball experts Gary Parrish, Matt Norlander, Kyle Boone, David Cobb, Cameron Salerno and Isaac Trotter.

Kansas sophomore center Flory Bidunga also made the cut at No. 44 overall.

It’s obviously high praise for Peterson, considering the only college basketball experience he has thus far is one half against Louisville in a recent exhibition between the two teams.

Here’s what Norlander had to say about Peterson’s ranking:

“The Canton, Ohio, product is the most anticipated freshman Bill Self has ever coached, thanks in part to Self saying multiple times in recent months that he's never had a freshman as good as Peterson. High praise and big words. All of it seems justified. Peterson was outstanding in KU's scrimmage at Louisville. His frame is NBA-ready. His two-way ability should be Kansas' best attribute. This freshman class could be one of the best ever, and at the top of it stands Peterson, who will be must-see TV for a Kansas team I think will finish second in the Big 12. Though we have Smith ranked above, I'd put Peterson No. 1.”

It's clear that Kansas head coach Bill Self is not the only one with big expectations for KU’s star freshman.

For Peterson to be named the second best player in college basketball among all the talented players returning and all the talented freshmen entering college basketball this year, it shows just how highly thought of he is as a player.

In addition to this ranking, Peterson has earned a number of preseason honors, including being named Preseason All-Big 12 and the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year. He’s also been chosen by multiple outlets (USA TODAY, The Athletic, CBS Sports) as a Preseason All-American and is one of 20 players named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List and Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Watch List.

This is the most preseason recognition a Kansas freshman has received in years – even more than fellow KU freshmen phenoms Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson.

If Peterson truly is the player everyone thinks he is, he’ll be receiving a lot of hardware when the season is over – and hopefully his team will be too.