Entering his freshman year at Kansas, Darry Peterson was determined to prove he was worth the hype. The only thing he feared could derail him was an injury, and that’s exactly what happened. Even so, he remains the projected No. 1 pick in NBA mock drafts. Now, preparing for his return, Peterson recently revealed the reality of his rehab and the work fueling his comeback.

“I am just grinding right now, no practice, no games, nothing. Just RDLs and just tons of hamstring workouts, stretch, and flexibility stuff. Probably harder to do rehab than it was to practice and play games. I ain’t gonna lie. ‘Cause you got to be super consistent. Since I have been out, I think we five and two. I think we look great right now, and when I get back, we’ll be even better.”

“Definitely sooner or later, I don’t know yet exactly, I’m still doing tests, starting to practice, and stuff now, and feel it out. Until I feel like I’m ready to play, we’ll go out there cause when I play, I’m going 110, and I can’t go out there if I’m not a 100 because I feel like I am cheating the game, cheating my teammates, cheating my coach. Unless I can go out there and compete at the level I can compete at. I’ll be back,” Peterson shared in a YouTube video titled “Darryn Peterson Episode 4: The Come back.” 

So, no timeline from Peterson himself, but Kansas fans still had a reason to breathe. Bill Self revealed that Darryn Peterson should be cleared for the Missouri game, though he warned that any pregame hiccup could still keep him out.

“He has practiced the last two days, so he should be available, unless he has a setback between now and game time,” Self said. “But we’re approaching it like he’s available.”

Peterson went down with a hamstring injury early in the season, sidelining him for seven games. In his only two appearances so far, he averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, while shooting 50% from three against Green Bay and North Carolina.

Seeing that early promise, Self said he’s eager to coach Peterson. He added that the freshman has been undergoing hamstring treatment four times a day in hopes of speeding up his return.

“We wouldn’t put him out there unless he was full speed,” Self said. “He’s great. And he’s tried his a– off to get back sooner.”

Also, in the video, Peterson responded to chatter on X, message boards, and podcasts questioning whether his absence was load management rather than a genuine rehab process.

Darryn Peterson clears the air

According to former Jayhawk Shakeel Moore, there’s been far too much “slander” surrounding Peterson’s injury, with rumors flying left and right. Moore pointed to his own history as a cautionary tale. He said that he recently had surgery on a fractured ankle that never fully healed, an issue he says was made worse during his time at Kansas.

He has previously spoken about feeling pressured to play through that injury, suggesting the coaching staff grew frustrated when his foot didn’t improve and that he felt compelled to suit up. This time, however, Moore’s message was simple: give Peterson the grace to recover and stop speculating about alternate motives.

Peterson, too, made his stance clear.

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“They’ve been mad at me on Twitter and stuff, saying I’m stealing money and doing all types of stuff, but I love the game. I’m never going to just sit out because hoop (is) my life, how I feed the ‘fam’, so never would I just sit out just to sit out,” Peterson said.

Still, many fans remain frustrated because Kansas built its entire offseason roster around Peterson, and without him, the Jayhawks are noticeably thin on the offensive end. But those complaints don’t help, especially when, as Peterson said, his rehab has been genuinely difficult.