4-Star Center Picks Kentucky Over Ohio State, Numerous Other Schools

Malachi Moreno is a top three center in the 2025 recruiting class. The seven-footer and four-star prospect committed to the Kentucky Wildcats over Ohio State and other finalists on Friday.

Spencer County's Camden Cox (24) and Great Crossing's Malachi Moreno (24) come together after the No.1 Warhawks rallied to beat the much smaller but tough Spencer team in the first round of the 2024 UK Healthcare KHSAA Boys' Sweet 16 in Lexington. March 20, 2024 / Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The month of July and the early part of August was full of top 2025 recruits keeping the Ohio State Buckeyes high on their list of schools. This has been encouraging for Jake Diebler and his staff to secure commitments from at least a few of these players in the current recruiting cycle.

Four-star center Malachi Moreno was one of those targets for the Buckeyes, but the seven-footer decided to stay in Kentucky. On Friday, Moreno announced his commitment to the Kentucky Wildcats, picking them over a long list of finalists.

NEWS: 2025 Top-25 recruit Malachi Moreno is staying home and has committed to Kentucky, he tells @On3Recruits.

The 7-foot center is the No. 1 ranked player in Kentucky and the top-ranked center in the country.

Story w/ quotes: https://t.co/bThBzNVxyl pic.twitter.com/ODojKWAvWq

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 16, 2024

In addition to the Buckeyes missing out on the big man, so did the Arkansas Razorbacks, Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina Tar Heels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

This is a big win for new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope. Pope recently took over the Wildcats program after the departure of John Calipari and secures his first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class.

Moreno is currently ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Kentucky on both 247 Sports and On3. He is also the No. 1 center in the nation on On3's industry ranking, while being the No. 2 center in the country via 247 Sports composite rankings.

In his junior season of high school basketball at Great Crossing in Kentucky, the big man averaged a double-double with 16 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. He also added 3.7 blocks and 2.2 assists per game as he helped lead his team to a 36-2 record.

Although getting Moreno would have been huge for the Buckeyes, Ohio State certainly has an opportunity to secure commitments from several other top prospects in this class. The Buckeyes do also have a 7'1" transfer center from Kentucky on the current roster with Aaron Bradshaw.