Cody Peck dunks for Davidson Day School in the 2025-26 season. Contributed photo
The Dayton Flyers coaching staff aimed high aimed high in the 2026 recruiting class, offering scholarships to numerous top-100 four-star recruits.
Most of those recruits committed elsewhere. Cameron Holmes, the brother of former Flyer DaRon Holmes II, picked his home-state team, Arizona. Anthony Thompson, of Lebanon, chose Ohio State. Joseph Hartman, of Gainesville, Fla., signed with Michigan.
In recent weeks, though, Dayton’s hard work on the recruiting trail has paid off. The Flyers landed commitments from two recruits who rank just behind DaRon Holmes among the highest-rated recruits to sign with Dayton in coach Anthony Grant’s nine seasons.
First, 6-foot-7 guard Aiden Derkack, who ranks 48th in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports.com, committed to Dayton on March 22. Then, on Thursday, April 2, 6-10 center Cody Peck, who’s No. 82 on that same list, announced his decision to play at Dayton.
Dayton’s three-man class, which also includes 6-5 guard Julian Washington, now ranks 25th in the nation, according to 247Sports.com. It’s Dayton’s highest-ranked recruiting class since 2021 when the group that included Holmes, Malachi Smith, Lynn Greer III and Kaleb Washington ranked 21st.
Peck played his senior season at the Davidson Day School in Davidson, N.C. His coach Ricky Hickman described him as a player who wants to get better.
“I would say he’s one of the top five most athletic players in the class of 2026,” Hickman told the Dayton Daily News. “The kids’ athleticism is unbelievable. He protects the rim at a very high level. He changes a lot of shots. He has great timing.”
Peck averaged 11.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game for a team with balanced scoring.
“We had probably the most talented roster in the state of North Carolina,” Hickman said, “and we played the toughest schedule in North Carolina — a talented schedule.”
Davidson Day School finished 23-11. It lost 61-45 to Greensboro Day School, the eventual state champion, in the semifinals of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A tournament.
Peck made the 3A all-state team along with teammate Will Stevens, a Clemson recruit.
Peck played his first two seasons at Carmel Christian School in Matthews, N.C. He played his junior season at IMG Academy in Florida. He announced in July 2025 he would return home to Charlotte, N.C., for his senior year and attend Davidson Day School.
“He came very excited to play and contribute and be a part of the team,” Hickman said. “I think he was really excited to come back home for his senior year and play in front of his parents and some of his family and friends.”
Peck received a scholarship offer from Dayton in July 2024 and visited campus the following month. Assistant coach James Kane visited Peck at Davidson Day School in September 2025, according to a photo Peck shared on X. The recruiting continued throughout the basketball season and into this spring.
“They’ve been thorough with their process of recruiting Cody,” Hickman said. “I thought they did probably the best job out of all the schools. You always notice who’s been there the most. That shows you that they want you the most. Dayton showed that to him.”
Peck made his decision late in the recruiting process, but there are still 11 uncommitted recruits in the ESPN Top 100. Hickman said Peck wanted to do his due diligence with the process and that Dayton was always at or near the top of his list because it was one of the most visible and active schools recruiting Peck. He wasn’t surprised Dayton was Peck’s final choice.
As for Peck’s chances of contributing right away in the 2026-27 season, Hickman said, “Any guy coming straight from high school to college, there’s going to be a little bit of adjustment period, but I do think he’s got the ability to adjust quickly with the way he works and his commitment to get better every day. That gives him a great opportunity to come in and help the team right away with whatever they need to do.”