Kentucky coaches expected to watch Darius Acuff, Darryn Peterson in NKY
Two of John Calipari’s top targets from the class of 2025 will be in northern Kentucky this weekend. Darius Acuff (IMG Academy) and Darryn Peterson (Huntington Prep) are set to play in a high-profile high school event in Erlanger, KY on Friday.
Acuff and Peterson are considered to be among the top 10 recruits in the junior class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Acuff and IMG Academy (FL) will take on Elder (OH) High on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST while Peterson and Huntington Prep (WV) will take on Newport (KY) High right after at 9:00 p.m. EST. IMG Academy will also play on Saturday against Lloyd Memorial at 7:30 p.m. EST.
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim has learned that members of the Kentucky men’s basketball staff expect to be in attendance for both games on Friday ahead of the Wildcats’ road trip this weekend. UK is set to face No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday in Atlanta. Friday’s games will be played at the Griffin Elite Sports and Wellness Complex. Tickets are currently available through the link here.
Acuff and Peterson already hold scholarship offers from the Wildcats and have been on Kentucky’s radar for a while now. This is the first season playing at the prep school level for both prospects.
Starting with Acuff, the 6-foot-1 point guard picked up an offer from UK back in April and took an official visit to Lexington in October for Big Blue Madness. He’s ranked No. 10 overall in the 2025 class by the On3 Industry ranking. Michigan also received an official visit from Acuff back in the fall.
Meanwhile, Peterson was the first class of 2025 recruit to earn an offer from Kentucky, which came in August 2022. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard was also in Lexington for Big Blue Madness. He’s ranked No. 3 overall in 2025 by the On3 Industry Ranking, although he’s long been rumored as a potential reclass candidate for 2024. The likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Kanas are also involved.
There’s another prospect to keep an eye on this weekend, too. During Friday’s first game between IMG Academy and Newport, the latter will roll out class of 2026 point guard Tay Kinney. The 6-foot sophomore leads Newport (No. 7 in KSR’s statewide rankings) in scoring at 19 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from both the field and beyond the arc. Kinney holds offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Louisville, Purdue, Notre Dame, and more.
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