16-Year-Old Darryn Peterson Becomes The First High School Athlete To Ink An NIL Deal With Adidas

Huntington Prep School shooting guard Darryn Peterson has inked an NIL deal with the sportswear company — making the 16-year-old the first high school athlete to do so — according to On3. 

“I’m extremely proud to join an elite group of athletes with adidas,” Peterson shared in a statement, per On3. “I look forward to working with the team as I embark on this pivotal moment in my career.”

Peterson, who is a five-star, No. 3 prospect in the U.S. for the class of 2025, per On3, has joined fellow student-athletes Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze in the Adidas roster. As previously reported by AFROTECH, in October 2023, the Washington Huskies players became Adidas’ first NIL football athletes.

“Darryn is an all-star athlete and at such a young age embodies what adidas Basketball is all about,” Eric Wise, global general manager of Adidas Basketball, said. “We cannot wait to see what the future holds and welcome him into the 3 Stripe family.”

Prior to joining Huntington Prep School’s basketball team in Huntington, VA, Peterson played for Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA) in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. A significant factor behind the transfer was that West Virginia was a state where he could leverage NIL deals, per On3.

“We don’t have NIL deals in Ohio,” CVCA coach Matt Futch said. “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.”

As of this writing, Peterson’s ON3 NIL valuation stands at $269,000. What’s more, he ranks at No. 22 on its high school basketball NIL rank. As previously shared by AFROTECH, On3 takes performance, influence, and exposure into consideration for NIL valuations.