The No. 1-ranked point guard in the men’s basketball recruiting class of 2025 has narrowed his list of prospective colleges to Kansas, Arkansas, Michigan and UConn.
Darius Acuff, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, revealed his finalists on the social media site X.
A native of Detroit who grew up a Michigan fan, Acuff has visited three of the four schools (KU, Michigan and Arkansas) and plans on setting up a trip to UConn.
“I probably want to get to UCONN and a couple more schools (for visits),” Acuff said in an interview with Zagsblog.com. “UConn is a great school. They are tough. They play real basketball and it is a winning program.”
Acuff — he is ranked No. 4 overall by 247Sports.com and No. 9 by ESPN.com and Rivals.com — has eliminated Missouri, Pitt, Nebraska, Providence, DePaul, Alabama, Xavier, LSU, St. John’s, Houston, Rutgers, Ohio State, Indiana, UCF, Michigan State, TCU and Georgia Tech.
“Bill Self is a savage. It was a great visit overall,” Acuff told On3.com of his April 19-21 trip to KU. “It felt like family there. It is a different atmosphere there. I went there for an unofficial visit too. I went for a game (last season). So I’ve been to Kansas twice. That atmosphere there is the best in college basketball. It was great to see. I talk to the staff all the time. Coach (Kurtis) Townsend, and coach (Bill) Self, I talk to them all. Our relationship has grown a lot.”
He said he wants to play for a coach “who is going to let me be me out there, but also someone who will hold me accountable for everything I do. Play for a coach that won’t let me do anything that will hurt my game. I want to play for a coach that will develop me. I’m trying to go to the league.”
Last spring Acuff was named MVP of the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, averaging 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists a game.
“A volume-scoring guard capable of making difficult shots look easy and absolutely taking over games from a scoring standpoint, Darius Acuff is as exciting as prospects come,” wrote Rob Cassidy of Rivals.com. “The Detroit native continues to make small strides when it comes to his shot selection, which still needs refining, but he is already one of the most reliable and explosive scorers in the country.”
Noted Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports.com: “The top-5 senior has easily been the best performing guard on the (AAU) circuit. He has been an impossible match for any defender guarding him. He is strong with the ball, elite at changing speeds and has shown excellent touch scoring the ball from all areas on the floor. Whether left open or being tightly guarded, his jumper has been falling, and while he may not be the quickest, he has a knack for breaking down a defense to get wherever he needs to on the floor.”
Jaylen Harrell, a 6-6 senior wing from Cambridge (Massachusetts) Arts, Technology and Science, orally committed to Providence on Monday. He had a final list of KU, Rutgers, Xavier, Alabama and Virginia Tech.
He is ranked No. 81 in the class of 2025 by ESPN.com, No. 89 by Rivals.com and No. 94 by 247Sports.com
“A lot of people compare me to Paul Pierce on Jayson Tatum, when it comes to my play style,” Harrell told On3.com. “A lot of people say I have an old man’s game because of my ability to post up and take advantage of guys smaller than me, but also if a guy is bigger than me, I can blow by you and score the ball with ease. So just a great scoring two-way player.”
