UNC Basketball: Darryn Peterson announces top eight schools

To kick off the new year, five-star Class of 2025 standout Darryn Peterson announced his top eight schools.

Ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in his class (according to 247Sports), Peterson has received a ton of interest from some of the top programs in the country. At this point in his recruitment, he's ready to focus on eight schools, including still considering professional options as well.

The UNC basketball program remains in the mix, as they are joined by Arkansas, Baylor, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio State among the remaining competitors. He no longer is considering Auburn, South Carolina, Oregon, Louisville, Michigan State, Texas, UCLA, and Kansas State, all schools that were in his original top 16.

For the Tar Heels, the good news is that Peterson is planning on taking an official visit to Chapel Hill before making his decision. The bad news is, one of his current NIL deals may ultimately get in the way.

In late November, Peterson inked an NIL deal with Adidas, and as we all know, North Carolina is known for the Jordan Brand with Nike. Considering that Peterson hasn't eliminated the Tar Heels up to this point, the NIL deal might not ultimately deter him from potentially committing to the UNC basketball program. Fortunately, only Kansas is Adidas sponsored among Peterson's finalists.

Landing Peterson would be a huge get for Hubert Davis and company, as he's not only one of the top players in the country but is one who would immediately make an impact for the Tar Heels. It seems like Peterson's recruitment is starting to heat up a bit, as a decision could be looming once his final official visit takes place over the next few months.

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