The fight for the No. 1 spot in the 2025 basketball recruiting class is heating up fast. Kansas commit Darryn Peterson is climbing the national rankings. Meanwhile, AJ Dybantsa, a longtime top prospect, is fighting back with fresh energy. It feels like the two rivals are battling each other for the No. 1 spot.
But this battle brings excitement to the college basketball community. With both players showing amazing skills and impressive plays, fans and experts are talking nonstop. Now, the race has reached a point where only the stats on paper are not enough to compare their place at the top.
Darryn Peterson’s Rise Fuels AJ Dybantsa’s Comeback in 2025 Recruiting War
According to top recruiting portals like On3, ESPN, and Rivals, Dybantsa is officially the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025. He was originally part of the 2026 class but reclassified to 2025 and still held onto the top spot. That alone says a lot about his talent and dominance. His decision to commit to BYU shocked many because he picked the Cougars over big programs like Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. Nobody saw it coming.
But now someone has come to challenge his position. Kansas commit Peterson seems like the perfect rival, heating up the ‘Best Player’ battle. On a recent episode of “Sleepers Media,” Carter Elliott captured this sentiment.
He said, “He’s the best player in the class by most services. You know, him being at that top spot so long, I even fell victim to it a little bit. I was like, you know, is Darryn Peterson better, right? And Darryn Peterson is incredible. Don’t get me wrong.”
His podcast partner Greg Waddell added, “I think that’s a good part of this too, is he’s, you know, Darryn Peterson is going to Kansas, the traditional blue blood… But AJ’s heard that. Get the sense AJ’s heard that.”
The two stars have already faced off twice, and Peterson has had the last laugh both times. In their first meeting, Dybantsa scored 28 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, handed out 6 assists, and made 4 steals. Though it was impressive, Peterson answered with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in a 76–70 win.
The rematch was even more thrilling. Peterson dropped a staggering 58 points, hitting the game-winning three. Dybantsa responded with 49 points in a close 88–86 loss.
COMING TO BIG 12 HOOPS NEXT SEASON:
#1 Recruit Darryn Peterson (Kansas commit) vs #2 Recruit AJ Dybantsa (BYU commit)
Dybantsa dropped 49 & Peterson dropped 58 and the game winner. Mark down the BYU-Kansas games next year 🍿 pic.twitter.com/KbT0P241Ge
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) April 9, 2025
Despite that, Elliott leans toward Dybantsa as the best overall prospect. He acknowledged the fatigue around AJ being at the top for so long but ultimately said, “You should just be on the right side, and this kid is just incredible. And he’s going to be incredible for BYU… No, it is the biggest get. I’m sorry. Let’s not act like it isn’t.”
KEEP READING: ‘At Least 15’ NBA Stars Predicted To Emerge As AJ Dybantsa Leads Impressive Team USA Outing
Elliott really made a controversial take. Some will agree with him, and some will not. But it was an interesting discussion that was truly needed at this time.