Consensus four-star and top 25 2025 recruit Malachi Moreno will announce his college decision on August 16 at 11.am., per Joe Tipton of On3. Moreno is still choosing between his final eight schools: Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.
Despite still reportedly considering all eight of his finalists, On3, Rivals, and 247Sports believe that Moreno will stay close to home. The 7-foot center, a native of Georgetown (KY), is expected to choose to attend Kentucky next fall. Georgetown is 13 miles north of Lexington.
“I think Kentucky has solidified themselves as the leader and things sound to be heading more and more in favor of the Wildcats to keep the in-state star home,” 247Sports Travis Branham told CatsPause.com.
2025 Top Rated Center Expected To Choose Home State School Over 7 Other Programs, Including A Few Top Schools Located In The South East
Moreno, the No. 1 rated prospect in Kentucky and the consensus top center in the class of 2024, holds 30 scholarship offers. He has made 16 recruiting campus visits, including five to UK, two of which have been since June. He was on the Lexington campus on Aug. 2 for an unofficial visit and spoke about it with Kentucky Sports Radio.
“It was a great visit. He’s [Mark Pope] a big guy, so he knows how to coach big men. That’s one message he tried to push toward me, he knows how to coach big men my size and really improve them.”He says he can really develop my game and help me stay in the NBA, keep up as the game is going. That was one of the major pushes he put on me while I was on my visit.”
The first thing that pops with Malachi Moreno is his size. He is a legit 7-footer with good length and a projectable frame. The athletic fluidity is intriguing with Moreno. He runs the floor well and he is able to open his hips and change direction. Moreno is a good area rebounder. Will get in the paint and mix it up an attack the boards with two hands. He finishes around the basket with both hands and above the rim. He has a go-to move over his left shoulder and is comfortable getting to that on the block. Like to see him continue developing the counters. Defensively he is a solid rim protector and he walls up well, staying under control in the paint. He has touch and can stretch the floor, will need to make a couple of tweaks with his release that flatten things out, will help become a better free throw shooter as well. He has nice upside as a big man and he has continued to improve each time he’s stepped on the floor over the past 8-12 months.
Looking At Moreno’s 8 Finalists
As stated above, Moreno has made 16 campus visits, five of them to Kentucky. He has also been to Indiana and Ohio State multiple times. Additionally, he had scheduled seven upcoming official visits that likely will not happen due to his forthcoming commitment.
1. Kentucky Wildcats
“Pope called Moreno the first day he took the job, then had a keen eye on him during the first live period in May. Then, Pope flew to Colorado Springs over Memorial Day weekend to watch Moreno compete at the United States U18 National Team trials. In June, Pope also scouted Moreno at the prestigious NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando and then again at the KABC Titans/Rockets Shootout in Shelbyville.”
2. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana appears to be Kentucky’s biggest competition in this recruiting battle. The Hoosiers, who have been recruiting Moreno since his freshman campaign, have hosted Moreno three times, the last time in December. He had set up an official visit to Bloomington on Sept. 20.
Jaime Shaw of On3 reported yesterday that IU had been the favorite for Moreno until recently, as the Hoosiers have been recruiting him since his freshman campaign.
For a good portion of this process, I am told from sources close to the recruitment that Indiana held the lead here. Head Coach Mike Woodson and staff have recruited Moreno since his freshman year, I am told, and they were able to develop a good relationship with him.
One source told me that momentum had started to shift toward Kentucky’s favor as the summer started to close down, but it was a late July / early August unofficial visit to Lexington that put the Wildcats over the top. Moreno said to me that he sees the vision Mark Pope has for him in his system and the fact that Pope was a big man himself played a role.
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
Moreno has taken two unofficial visits to Ohio State, one of the first schools to offer Moreno. He also had scheduled an official upcoming visit to Columbus on Sept. 7. Mick Walker of the Letterman Row said that the Buckeyes have prioritized Moreno, but the Buckeyes weren’t expected to beat out UK.
“Coach (Jake) Diebler called me the first day he got the job and let me know that he still wanted me to play for him, Moreno previously told Shaw in July. “He wants to grow as a family and that I am part of his family. He makes sure that I know that Ohio State is part of the best environment in the country.”
