5-star PG Darius Acuff down to 4 schools
Darius Acuff, the top-ranked point guard in the 2025 class, has decided to take the next step in his recruitment and narrow down his list of schools. Moving forward, the 6-foot-1 rising senior out of IMG Academy (FL) will consider Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, and UConn.
Of his finalists, Arkansas, Kansas, and Michigan (old staff) have hosted the five-star recruit on official visits. He does not currently have any other trips scheduled.
Acuff, a native of Detroit, Michigan, also received offers from programs like Pitt, Nebraska, Providence, DePaul, Alabama, Xavier, LSU, St. John’s, Houston, Missouri, Rutgers, Ohio State, Indiana, UCF, Michigan State, TCU, and Georgia Tech.
Acuff talks programs involved
In a previous interview with On3, Darius Acuff discussed several of the schools recruiting him.
ARKANSAS: “Coach (John) Calipari treats you like family. He welcomed me in on my visit (to Kentucky) like he knew me already. It was a great visit overall. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to visiting them again at Arkansas. They like my aggressiveness. He says he likes how I am able to get downhill, my pace, and my attitude for the game. They see that I just love the game so much and I just want to win.”
MICHIGAN: “It felt like home there. Coach (Juwan) Howard is my dog. He is like a lost uncle. It was sad to see him leave, but they have a great coach there now. One of the first things Coach (Dusty) May said to me when he called was, ‘We hoop over here.’ It was a great conversation we had, he is a good guy, a basketball head for sure. He is trying to get the program back to its winning way and bring what he built at FAU to Michigan.”
KANSAS: “Bill Self is a savage, man, that is my dog. It was a great visit overall. They felt like family there. It is a different atmosphere there. I went there for an unofficial visit too, I went for a game. 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 Self, I talk to them all. Our relationship has grown a lot.”
What he’s looking for in a school
Acuff said what he wants in his future program in a previous interview with On3.
“I want 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.
“College is different, man. I’m going to look at the trainers they have and the nutritionists to get my body right. They play 40-minute games and it gets up and down. So I’m looking at all that.”
Scouting Report
“Darius Acuff steps on the court with a swagger. He has long arms and a purposeful handle. Acuff is a capable scorer from multiple levels, showing deep range off the bounce or the catch. He is comfortable pulling up in the mid-range and he has a crafty bag around the rim. Acuff is more quick than fast. He has a good first step, getting to his spots, but he needs to continue to work on his burst around the basket. Acuff is a solid passer, making reads and distributing passes on target. He needs to continue getting strong passing off movement. He can also get shot happy. While he has put up big scoring totals, he does so mainly with a lot of shot attempts at this point. His over-dribbling can kill the flow of an offense. Efficiency is a big thing with Acuff, his totals can be inefficient. He has quick hand when guarding the ball in the open floor. He seems to have a competitive fire and no fear.” – On3’s Jamie Shaw