4-star 2026 C Moustapha Diop would like to visit Kentucky

Moustapha “Mou” Diop might be the best rim protector in the entire 2026 recruiting class. It’s why he’s considered a unanimous Top 20 high school junior in the country by all four major recruiting outlets. The On3 Industry Ranking slots him at No. 13 overall in his cycle.

The Kentucky Wildcats are showing interest in the 6-foot-10 center, too.

“They’ve been talking to me,” Diop told KSR last week at the adidas 3SSB Championship in Rock Hill, SC about UK. “They’re interested and they’re coming to watch me. Keep working until I get an offer.”

I was able to see Diop in action last Friday when he suited up for Game Elite 16U against Wildcat Select, which features four-star 2026 point guard Tay Kinney, another Kentucky recruiting target. Watching from the sidelines was a trio of UK coaches: head coach Mark Pope along with assistants Jason Hart and Cody Fueger.

Diop, who attends Marietta (GA) The Walker School, says he talks with someone from Kentucky “every weekend” and “for sure” wants to make a trip to Lexington. As of the time of our conversation, he had yet to schedule any visits but added that UK, Georgia Tech, and Auburn are schools he’s looking to go see.

“It’s a big program,” Diop said of Kentucky. “Everybody knows it. It’s international, everyone knows what Kentucky is about. It’s a big school, big basketball program and all that. I feel like if I get an opportunity to get an offer or be able to go there, that would be a really good opportunity.”

So far, Diop has been extended offers by Georgia Tech, Alabama, Ole Miss, South Florida, Georgia, Central Florida, Auburn, Missouri, and Cincinnati. He’s an athletic and mobile big man who can defend all across the floor. His offensive game is still coming along, but there’s plenty to like about the high-motor athlete.

“Run the floor hard, block shots, I’m a rim protector, talk on the floor, and I always make sure my energy is there,” Diop said when asked to describe his game. “When it’s not my day, I always make sure the difference is my energy is there, my effort.”

Kentucky has only extended one offer to a 2026 prospect, which was to No. 1 overall recruit Tyran Stokes. Diop hasn’t reached that point yet, but he’s clearly on the Wildcats’ radar.