Kentucky basketball lands No. 2 center in 2025 recruiting class

Mark Pope landed his first future recruit as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats , securing a commitment from 2025 center Malachi Moreno on Friday morning.

Moreno is a 7’0 center from Georgetown, KY, about fifteen minutes down the road from Lexington. A four-star prospect who is ranked No. 25 in the 2025 class at 247Sports, Moreno chose the hometown Wildcats over seven other finalists: Arkansas , Indiana, Louisville, Iowa , Ohio State , North Carolina , and Notre Dame .

“It being a dream school of mine since I was a wee little fella’,” Moreno said of why he picked Kentucky. “Just the coaching staff, the play-style and the place of Kentucky, it felt right.”

Moreno is very skilled for his size, with a 7’1 wingspan and above average coordination, balance, and footwork for a player at his age and size. He continues to develop physically as an athlete, and is projected to be an impactful, versatile offensive player at the college level – especially if the outside shooting continues to develop.

Moreno is the highest rated recruit Pope has brought in during his few months as the head coach at Kentucky, joining 2024 recruits Trent Noah and Travis Perry who are both from the state as well.