We’re less than a week away from the Early Signing Period, and the action on the high school recruiting trail continues to heat up. Top-ranked players have been flying off the board, as a majority of the five-stars on the 247Sports Composite have already announced their commitments.
Below is a rundown of the biggest recent headlines from the recruiting world.
Malachi Jordan commits to St. John’s
On Tuesday, five-star Jordan (No. 20 in the 247Sports Composite) committed to St. John’s, choosing the Red Storm over Kansas and Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-6 forward from Nashville became the highest-ranked recruit in program history.
A do-it-all wing with great positional size, Jordan is one of the premier athletes in the 2027 class. He’s a lockdown perimeter defender who presents a ton of matchup problems on the other end, especially when his perimeter shot is falling. He played for both the Oakland Soldiers and Arizona Unity on this year’s EYBL circuit, averaging 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
“He’s a superstar athlete,” Soldiers assistant coach Cameron Quick told Hoops HQ over the summer. “He’s learning how to play better in space. He’s really unselfish, wants to see other players score and do well. And he can defend one through five. I think in today’s era of basketball, having a guy who can do that — who can switch out and guard a point guard or guard a big and rebound, then push the ball himself. That’s special. You combine all that in one player, you get a Malachi Jordan.”
Quick added that he could see Jordan thriving at a school that prioritizes defense and plays a physical brand of basketball, so it’s no surprise that the Prolific Prep (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) standout chose St. John’s. Under Rick Pitino, the Red Storm have developed a reputation as a defensive powerhouse.
Pitino hasn’t been very active on the high school recruiting front since arriving in Queens. St. John’s was a late addition to the race for Jordan, extending him an offer in early October. But after the 18-year-old took official visits to USC (Sept. 4), Kansas (Sept. 11), Vanderbilt (Sept. 19), Tennessee (Sept. 25), Alabama (Oct. 9), St. John’s (Oct. 23) and Mississippi State (Oct. 30), he gravitated to the Johnnies.
In his announcement video, Jordan pretended to be talking on the phone with Pitino. “I really need a coach who’s going to develop me, who’s going to push me every single day, be relentless with me and very honest with me,” he said. “Just a coach who can really get it out of me. Do you feel like you can do that for me, coach?”
Cherif Millogo commits to Kentucky
Mark Pope is putting together his best recruiting class since taking over at Kentucky. After receiving a commitment from 6-foot-6 wing Ryan Hampton (No. 26) in June, Pope landed another major prize in the 2027 cycle this week: 7-foot-4 center Cherif Millogo (No. 29).
With his remarkable size, length (7-foot-8 wingspan) and athleticism, Millogo has established himself as one of the nation’s most intriguing high school prospects. After missing his sophomore season at St. Francis High School in California due to a torn ACL, Millogo returned to the court last year and averaged a staggering 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks. As his skill set continues to expand, he has arguably the most upside of any big man in the 2027 class.
During the past few weeks, Millogo took official visits to BYU and USC, but his Oct. 10 trip to Lexington ultimately sold him on the Wildcats.
Originally from Burkina Faso in West Africa, Millogo has ties to recently hired Kentucky assistant Alfred Aboya, a native of Cameroon who previously served as the head coach of NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. Aboya played at UCLA in the late aughts alongside Luc Mbah a Moute, Millogo’s legal guardian. That relationship appeared to help the Wildcats secure Millogo’s commitment.
Kentucky now has the No. 11-ranked recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports, and isn’t done building. The program is a finalist for 6-foot-4 guard Adan Diggs (No. 6), who will announce his decision on Nov. 16, and is in a good spot with 6-foot-10 forward CJ Rosser (No. 2), both of whom have taken official visits.
Brady Pettigrew still contemplating reclassifying
A five-star in the Class of 2028, Pettigrew’s potential reclassification to 2027 remains a major storyline to monitor. The 6-foot-3 guard from Illinois told Hoops HQ that moving up is still very much on the table. “It’s not over,” Pettigrew said. “It depends on what college I feel like is the right fit.”
The 17-year-old has a wide range of options. Duke is the latest program to enter the sweepstakes, as Jon Scheyer attended one of Pettigrew’s practices at Bolingbrook High School last week and extended an offer. Gonzaga also recently emerged as a contender. North Carolina hosted Pettigrew last weekend, shortly after the program earned a commitment from 6-foot-7 forward Demarcus Henry (No. 3). Among the other schools involved are Kentucky, BYU, Michigan, Arkansas, Florida and Ohio State. Pettigrew’s hometown program, Illinois, is in hot pursuit as well.
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“It’s right in my backyard — the hometown hero thing is really cool,” Pettigrew said of Illinois. “The visit was awesome. They really made me feel like a priority and I had a lot of fun.”
Pettigrew is a battle-tested prospect with a winning pedigree. He lit up the 16U Nike EYBL circuit this summer, averaging 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals for Brad Beal Elite, which finished 13-5. Many believe he is more than ready to make the jump to 2027. Should he ultimately reclassify, Pettigrew should remain in the five-star range and become one of the most coveted additions to the present cycle.
Georgia remains active
With a pair of elite 2027 prospects already on board — 6-foot-5 guard Jarvis Hayes Jr. (No. 40) and 6-foot-4 guard Justin Wise (No. 54) — Georgia remains active on the recruiting trail. The program’s resurgence under Mike White, coupled with its new run-and-gun system, has made it a more attractive option for top recruits.
This weekend, White will host 7-foot-6 center Jongkuch Mach out of Orangeville Prep in Canada. Mach is originally from Australia and previously played for the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, where he averaged 4.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 18 minutes. Georgia will be his second official visit after he saw Colorado a few weeks ago.
The Bulldogs remain in the mix for 6-foot-3 point guard and Georgia native Nasir Anderson (No. 12), who visited Athens last weekend. The hometown kid has also taken official visits to Providence, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. As the leader of the Atlanta Celtics on this year’s Adidas 3SSB circuit, Anderson averaged 18.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals.
AJ Williams (No. 5), another five-star and Georgia native, named UGA as one of his 10 finalists. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 20.9 points and 8.1 rebounds for Team CP3 on the EYBL circuit. Williams reclassified from 2028 to 2027 in August and took an official visit to Georgia in early October.
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