FT. MYERS, Fla. – The No. 12 prospect in the 2025 Rivals150, Darius Acuff Jr., is one of the most explosive and versatile scorers in all of high school hoops. He has no shortage of major offers and is starting to take campus visits while the picture of his recruitment begins to take shape. Acuff recently played in front of Texas head coach Rodney Terry at the City of Palms Classic and spoke with Rivals.com about his recruitment following the contest.
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2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2026 Rankings: Top 65
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
ON TEXAS HEAD COACH RODNEY TERRY WHO WATCHED HIS GAME FROM A COURTSIDE SEAT
“I saw him over there for sure. I’ve talked to him like two or three times. It’s been good. We’re just building a relationship. It’s been good so far, you know? We’re still getting to know each other.”
ON HOW MUCH SEEING HEAD COACHES AT HIS GAMES ACTUALLY MATTERS TO HIM?
“For me, it matters. I definitely like to see that. I was focused on the game, but it’s nice to know when they are there and all that.”
ON HIS KENTUCKY VISIT
“It was good. It was a family. There were a lot of people there. Coach [John Calipari] coach Chuck [Martin] – the whole staff was cool. It was a good visit.”
ON KENTUCKY’S NBA PIPELINE
“If you think about it, the best players come from there. Everyone has seen that picture of the guards that all went there. That’s legendary. That tells you everything about Kentucky right there.”
ON HIS MICHIGAN VISIT
“It just felt like home. I was back home. Going there made Ann Arbor feel like even more of a home. It’s about an hour away from home (Detroit), but it still felt like home. Juwan [Howard] that’s my dog. Coach Saddi [Washington] is, too. I love the whole staff. Just like Kentucky, it was a family.”
ON HOW KENTUCKY AND MICHIGAN ARE DIFFERENT
“They’re the same, as far as family, but they are different because they play two different styles. They both do guards, but I think coach Juwan does forward a lot, too, because he’s a big guy. They are the same, but they are two different coaches and cultures for sure.”
ON VISITS HE HOPES TO TAKE IN THE YEAR AHEAD
“Houston, Rutgers, Indiana … there’s a lot of places, but those three are in there.”
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RIVALS REACTION
At this juncture, Michigan and Kentucky have to be seen as the solid favorites to land Acuff. That’s not only because they are the only programs that have hosted him for visits but also because of the longstanding relationship the five-star guard has built with both coaching staffs. The list of serious players may grow as Acuff takes additional visits, so keep an eye on Indiana, Houston and Rutgers down the road should they get the five-star on campus.
