Michigan State joins slew of programs making Cass Tech guard Darius Acuff Jr. a priority in ’25

There are some guys who “blow up” and there are guys who blow up. Michigan State recruiting target Darius Acuff Jr. falls into the latter category, becoming one of the hottest 2025 names in the nation after his play the past two weekends with The Family in 17U play at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

Posting averages of 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, Acuff made a profound impact on the game that ran far beyond the box score. College coaches could see that too, as evidenced by the offers that he received.
Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Central Florida, and Nebraska have all offered the
tantalizing 6-foot-1 playmaker over the past ten days. It’s been a bit surreal, but the confident
sophomore saw this coming quite some time ago.

“It’s been good, but I really kind of expected it going into the season,” Acuff explained of the
attention that he has received from college coaches, scouts, and fans alike. “I’m taking it all in
and am really grateful for it.”

Wrapping up a legendary season at Detroit Cass Tech, Acuff led an insane comeback against
Detroit Martin Luther King to win the Detroit Public School League title, pouring in 18 points in the game’s final four minutes and overtime. He doubled up by then leading Cass Tech to their first ever Michigan State High School Athletic Association championship played at Michigan State.

Momentum from his sophomore season at Cass Tech has followed Acuff into the grassroots season with The Family.

Having only visited Iowa State thus far, Acuff says that he “hasn’t really gotten to all of that,” in
terms of scheduling visits in the immediate future.

As far as in-state programs are concerned, Michigan was the first high major program to offer Acuff. Michigan State put it’s foot on the gas in the past week, placing an offer on the table to Acuff to join them in East Lansing.

“This past week, for real,” responded Acuff on when he began having serious communication
from Michigan State coaches. “I knew they were watching me, though. I’ve been talking to some of the
assistants and then with (Tom) Izzo himself. I have good connections with them.”

Having not even wrapped up his sophomore academic year, Acuff seems to be focused on
getting better more than the attention and accolades that he is receiving. The super aggressive
lead guard is outstanding in pick and roll play, utilizing an innate ability to change speeds and
direction coming off of ball screens. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree either, as his father
(Darius Acuff) was a 12 point-per-game scorer as a lead guard back in the late 90’s. The
younger Acuff knows that he’s far from a finished product, pinpointing a couple of things that
he’s truly focusing on in his off-season regimen.

“I’m working on getting stronger and getting my body right,” he humbly admitted on his focuses
right now. “I’m really working on my legs and trying to jump higher.”

Michigan-based recruiting analyst TJ Kelley of Inside Prep Sports gave me a tip on Acuff over a year ago and as we saw this past weekend, he was certainly right.

With the combination of aggressive play, ability to change speeds, and the constant pressure he
puts on the defense, Acuff Jr. is in “go mode” at all times. On the flip side, when it comes to
recruitment, it seems as if he doesn’t appear to be in any rush whatsoever and is going to
simply let things come naturally.

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