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Adidas is including highschool student-athletes to its roster for NIL offers. On Friday, the corporate introduced it signed Darryn Peterson, a junior at Huntington Prep in Huntington, West Virginia.
“I’m extremely proud to join an elite group of athletes with adidas,” Peterson said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the team as I embark on this pivotal moment in my career.”
The 16-year-old shooting guard is considered the country’s third-ranked prospect in the class of 2025. Originally from Canton, Ohio, he transferred from Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy to Huntington to pursue NIL opportunities.
“We don’t have NIL deals in Ohio,” CVCA coach Matt Futch said, according to On3. “That was a lot in the reasoning and decision-making that they had to go into making this decision. You gotta put yourself in a position as a young person to take advantage of that. That can be life-changing. That played a major role in this decision because Ohio does not have NIL.”
Peterson averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 assists during the 2022-2023 season. He was a finalist for the Ohio Mr. Basketball award and recently helped Team USA’s under-16 team win the gold during this summer’s FIBA America Championship.
“Darryn is an all-star athlete and at such a young age embodies what adidas Basketball is all about,” adidas basketball’s global general manager Eric Wise said in a statement. “We cannot wait to see what the future holds and welcome him into the 3 Stripe family.”
The 16-year-old has a $269,000 NIL valuation — including him in the top 25 high school basketball rankings. Peterson is also looking toward his collegiate career.
“I’ll probably start looking at my recruiting during my junior year,” Peterson told On3 this summer. “I want to play for a coach that is going to hold me accountable. Sam Mitchell played in the league coached in the league, he’s my AAU coach, and he’s holding me accountable, getting us ready for the next level. I want that from every coach I play for.”
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