UNC Basketball Finally Enters Fray for Talented 7-Footer

Malachi Moreno becomes the 10th 2025 prospect to receive a UNC basketball offer.

UNC basketball / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

A UNC basketball chase in the Malachi Moreno race seemed inevitable. Now, it's official, as the Great Crossing High School (Ky.) big man announced his offer from the Tar Heels on Monday afternoon.

ALSO READ: Kentucky Re-Offers Top-Ranked Tar Heel Recruiting Target

Earlier this month, Moreno listed UNC among the programs he hears from the most, along with Kentucky, Arkansas, Southern Cal, Michigan, Iowa, and Texas.

The 7-foot-1, 220-pound polished center, a four-star prospect ranking No. 38 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, has hinted in the past at ending his recruitment as soon as June, but he's yet to name finalists. So, although UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and his staff are a bit late to the race, perhaps they've arrived on the scene just in time to seize momentum down the homestretch.

Excited & humbled to receive an offer from the University of North Carolina! Thank you to Coach Davis, Coach May, and the rest of the staff for believing in me! Go Heels! #GoTarHeels 🤍🐏@GCwarhawksbball @IndianaElite pic.twitter.com/DI1IrmPX35

— Malachi Moreno (@malachimoreno24) May 20, 2024

Moreno holds dozens of offers. Some view Kentucky as the favorite, seeing that he lives within a half-hour drive from the Wildcats. However, no Crystal Ball predictions exist for the battle.

And it's worth pointing out that Malachi Moreno is now the lone center on the Tar Heels' 10-deep 2025 offer sheet. He's the only four-star on that list, as the other nine are five-star talents boasting top-20 composite rankings.

All 10 UNC targets remain undecided in their recruitments.

ALSO READ: Hubert Davis Now Talking With Parents of Priority Recruit

Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI for more on the Tar Heels' pursuit of Malachi Moreno and other UNC basketball recruiting news.