Kansas basketball freshman Darryn Peterson earns multiple preseason Big 12 honors
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- Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson picked Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.
- Peterson earned Naismith High School POY and McDonald’s All-American honors.
- He averaged 30.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 2024-25 season.
Kansas Jayhawks freshman Darryn Peterson was named the Big 12 Freshman Player of the Year and preseason all-conference on Thursday.
Peterson was one of four unanimous selections by the coaches on the Preseason All-Big 12 team. A 6-foot-6 guard from Canton, Ohio, he is one of the most-recruited players in KU history.
He earned the Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American honors for his play during the 2024-25 high school season.
Peterson averaged 30.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He’s the 10th Jayhawk to be named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.
K-State’s P.J. Haggerty also made the preseason All-Big 12 team.
Here’s a look at the rest of the team and how other awards shaped out.
Preseason All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball Team, 2025-26
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Richie Saunders, BYU
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Milos Uzan, Houston
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Darryn Peterson, Kansas
P.J. Haggerty, K-State
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Preseason Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech
Kansas picked to finish middle-of-pack by coaches
Also released on Thursday was the preseason coaches’ poll.
Kansas is ranked No. 6 in the coaches’ preseason poll, with 163 points. Houston (224 points) is the coaches’ favorite, followed by BYU (204), Texas Tech (200), Arizona (179), and Iowa State (170).
K-State is ranked No. 9, with 119 points. Here’s a look at how the coaches saw the entire league.
Big 12 coaches preseason poll
1. Houston (14) – 224
2. BYU (1) – 204
3. Texas Tech – 200
4. Arizona (1) – 179
5. Iowa State – 170
6. Kansas – 163
7. Baylor – 137
8. Cincinnati – 120
9. Kansas State – 117
10. TCU – 90
11. West Virginia – 79
12. Oklahoma State – 77
13. Utah – 50
14. UCF – 39
15. Colorado – 37
16. Arizona State – 34
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Kansas basketball freshman Darryn Peterson earns multiple preseason Big 12 honors."
