Kansas basketball freshman Darryn Peterson earns multiple preseason Big 12 honors

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.

Shreyas Laddha

The Kansas City Star

Shreyas Laddha covers KU hoops and football for The Star. He’s a Georgia native and graduated from the University of Georgia.