Kentucky received a commitment from Georgetown (Ky.) Great Crossing center Malachi Moreno on Friday, giving new head coach Mark Pope his first pledge of the 2025 recruiting class.

Moreno announced his college commitment in a ceremony at Great Crossing to close out the week. He had a long list of finalists, which included Louisville, Notre Dame, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio State, and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Former UK coach John Calipari tried to woo Moreno to Fayetteville, but Big Blue won in the end — an encouraging sign early in Pope’s tenure.

“I chose Kentucky because of Coach Pope’s playing style,” Moreno told ESPN. “He likes to play through their big men and allows them to pass. That’s a big part of my game. Since the day the new staff got the job, they have been very consistent in recruiting me. Coach Pope won a national title here as player, so he knows what it takes to be great at Kentucky. I received an offer from [Calipari] and had to start over with Coach Pope. I had to earn my scholarship twice.”

Moreno is a 6-foot-11, 230-pound big man with a diverse skillset on offense and the potential to be a headache as a pick-and-roll defender in certain coverages. He’s a 4-star recruit in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He ranks as the No. 1 prospect from the state of Kentucky, the No. 2 center, and the No. 26 overall player in the class.

He played 26 minutes per game as a junior for Great Crossing, per MaxPreps. In 37 appearances, he averaged 16 points and 13.3 rebounds per game to go with 2.2 assists, 3.7 blocks and 0.9 steals. Turnovers were a bit of an issue, but Moreno is adept at defending the rim without fouling.

He shot 68% from the free throw line as a junior, up 6 percentage points from his sophomore year on greater volume. For his varsity career, he’s a 65% shooter from the floor.

Almost immediately after committing, Moreno put on his recruiter hat and turned the attention to 5-star Overtime Elite guard Jasper Johnson. “You know where home is at, Jasper,” Moreno said. (His commitment was live-streamed on the 247Sports YouTube channel.)

Johnson is a Lexington native who played three seasons at Wofford County. Johnson is considering Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville, and North Carolina in addition to Kentucky. While his father was an All-SEC linebacker at Kentucky, UNC and Alabama are believed to be serious threats to Kentucky in his recruitment.

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According to the 247Composite, Moreno is the highest-rated recruit to come out of a Kentucky high school since 2011. Winning his recruitment could serve as a springboard for Pope, who faced major questions as the successor to someone with Calipari’s recruiting track record.

With an elite big man in the class already for Pope, the Wildcats are in a good spot. That Moreno seems so eager to be a peer recruiter is a positive sign.

You can see some of his highlight tape below: