The recruitment of one of the top prospects in the 2025 Rivals150 is nearing its end, as IMG Academy star Darius Acuff Jr. is poised to announce his college choice on Friday. Acuff will choose among Arkansas, Kansas and Michigan, all of which he has visited and seems to feel comfortable with.
Below, Rivals breaks down the decision that lies before the five-star guard and outlines the perceived pecking order as Acuff’s process begins its swan song.
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THE FRONT-RUNNER: Arkansas
When it comes to Acuff’s recruitment, things have been trending toward Arkansas for some time. New Razorbacks head coach John Calipari had Kentucky heavily in the mix back when he was running the show in Lexington, and that relationship seamlessly transferred when Calipari departed the Bluegrass State for Fayetteville.
The coaching change at Michigan that took place concurrently to Calipari’s change of address also helped the Hawgs seize the lead, as the Michigan-born Acuff was comfortable with former Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard and seen as a UM lean before things in Ann Arbor fell apart.
Whatever the case, the Razorbacks seized the lead during a May official visit and have not relinquished it. Nothing is ever set in stone in the reciting world, obviously, but if sportsbooks offered lines on the commitments of high school prospects, the Razorbacks would almost definitely be the betting favorite.
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THE OTHER REAL POSSIBILITY: Kansas
Acuff’s April visit to Kansas seemed to really resonate with the five-star guard, who has been on campus in Lawrence on two separate occasions. There were times where it seemed as though KU might pull into the lead to land the IMG Academy star. In fact, it still feels like the Jayhawks have a puncher’s chance to surprise everyone when Acuff makes the call on Friday.
Counting Bill Self out of high-profile recruitment is often unwise, but KU is also pretty far down the road with Darryn Peterson, another five-star guard and is seen as a serious contender to land his pledge at this juncture. It seems highly unlikely that Self could secure both Peterson and Acuff.
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PROBABLY NOT, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW: Michigan
Michigan would have been listed as the favorite to land Acuff had an announcement taken place six months ago, but once the Wolverines pulled the trigger on a coaching change they seemed to lose a few steps in the race. Still, Acuff is a proud Detroit native and seems to want to play for his home-state program if all things are equal.
Dusty May and his staff were placed in a difficult position and forced to play catch-up, however, once they took the reins of the program in late March. Stranger things have happened, sure, but Michigan landing Acuff at this juncture would surprise even some of the most optimistic Wolverine fans.
