Malachi Jordan Commits to St. John’s
Prolific Prep forward Malachi Jordan committed to St. John’s on November 3, giving Rick Pitino’s program a major high school recruiting win.
St. John’s secured a verbal commitment from Malachi Jordan, a highly ranked forward at Prolific Prep in California, on November 3. The pledge is the program’s first from a five-star recruit in 13 years, though Jordan is also described as a four-star prospect. He is ranked among the nation’s top 25, with a Rivals Industry rating of 96.73 and a top-20 position in that ranking system.
The commitment marks a step in the Red Storm’s shift toward recruiting more high school players, after the program concentrated much of its recruiting on college transfers. Coach Rick Pitino had recently discussed adjusting the approach, and Jordan’s decision followed that change.
St. John’s beat out a field that included Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kansas, USC and Washington. The Red Storm had been fifth in prediction rankings, with a 12.2% chance of landing Jordan; Vanderbilt led at 20.1%. St. John’s, Vanderbilt and Kansas were reportedly the final three, and Jordan had visited all five schools as well as Washington. His visit to St. John’s was his most recent. The commitment also gives the Red Storm momentum as it seeks to narrow the recruiting gap with UConn, which has landed two five-star players in the 2027 class.