Tracking the Progress of the Top Recruits from the Class of 2026
After a first week of collegiate action with only a few events on the schedule, the pace really picked up in week two as more schools took the mat. One of the new adjustments that we’re still getting used to this season is the lack of redshirts and the ability to wrestle true freshmen at any time without worrying about harming their eligibility status.
With that in mind, freshmen could impact the collegiate landscape more than in past years. There will likely be more battles for starting spots, rather than a freshman sitting out while a senior finishes his career, and just more intrigue, in general. At the same time, freshmen have never been more ready to win at a high level right out of the gate and the high school Class of 2026 is a particularly good one.
Add all of that together and we’re in for a fun season. Since we have two weeks' worth of data in the books, let's catch up with the top prospects from the Class of 2026 to see how they’ve fared thus far.
#1 - Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) - Forrest will always be a weird inclusion here since he graduated early and enrolled at Oklahoma State last year and finished as a national champion. Forrest looked like you might expect in his 18-2 tech fall win over Drexel’s Cole Hagarty during Sunday’s dual meet.
#2 - Bo Bassett (Virginia Tech) - I’m not sure if you noticed or not, but Bo Bassett was in action over the past couple of days. On Friday, he made his Virginia Tech debut a memorable one by taking out top-ranked Luke Stanich of Lehigh. Sunday, he came back and tallied three wins via tech fall at the Journeymen Collegiate Challenge, one coming over ACC opponent #15 Zach Redding.
#3 - Jayden James (Penn State) - Did not compete and is expected to grayshirt for Penn State/Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
#4 - Dreshaun Ross (Oklahoma State) - Ross continues to impress with a 14-4 major decision over #20 Nate Schon of Drexel. He’s now 4-0 on the season with two ranked wins and all have come with bonus points.
#5 - Jordyn Raney (Oklahoma State) - Jordyn Raney was part of the Oklahoma State contingent that traveled to the Michigan State Open. He ended up winning the 149 lb weight class in the open division. His best win in East Lansing was a gritty 2-0 decision over #17 Pierson Manville. In two tournaments, Raney’s only loss (which isn’t an official loss) came to teammate and returning national champion Sergio Vega.
#6 - Jayden Raney (Oklahoma State) - After winning the Cowboy Invitational last weekend, Jayden Raney was in Oklahoma State’s dual lineup against Drexel. He impressed with a 22-6 tech fall over Anthony DePaul.
#7 - Coby Merrill (Iowa State) - Merrill got his second dual win in as many weeks with a 22-6 tech fall victory over Will McCleary in the Cyclones victory over Utah Valley on Friday night.
#8 - Rocklin Zinkin (Oklahoma State) - After dominating his way through the Cowboy Invitational last weekend, Zinkin got the call again at 125 lbs for the Drexel dual. He continues to look like a future (current) star with a 17-3 major decision over #33 Oumar Tounkara.
#9 - Michael White (Oklahoma State) - One of the big surprises from week one was Michael White’s 10-4 win over All-American teammate Bennett Berge. That led to White getting the nod against Drexel. He posted a 22-6 tech fall over Ethan Wilson to bring his record to 4-0.
#10 - Moses Mendoza (Michigan) - Moses Mendoza made his Michigan debut last weekend with a dual victory against VMI. This week, he was at the Michigan State Open and won the 133 lb Open bracket. Mendoza will make his first appearance in the rankings tomorrow after a pair of ranked wins - the most impressive coming over #8 Markel Baker of Northern Illinois.
#11 - Antonio Mills (Ohio State) - Mills also went to Michigan State and took fifth place in the Open division at 125 lbs. Both losses came to opponents from the University of Michigan - freshman Henry Aslikyan and Chris Kiser. He finished his tournament with a win via fall over Kent State starter Adan Benavidez.
#12 - Adam Waters (Ohio State) - Waters did not compete this weekend or on week one of the collegiate season. There’s a chance he could make his debut Sunday against Columbia.
#13 - Kellen Wolbert (Michigan) - Wolbert had a busy Saturday with five wins en route to third place at the Michigan State Open. His only loss of the tournament was a rather ugly one, a 18-3 tech fall to Arizona State’s Kyler Larkin. Along the way, Wolbert defeated two teammates and Central Michigan’s Zeke Seltzer.
#14 - Brandt Harer (Rutgers) - Brandt Harer got the call at 149 lbs for Rutgers in both of their dual meet wins on Saturday. He majored LIU’s Brayden Roberts and pinned Navy’s Coltyn Reedy.
#15 - Tyler Dekraker (Minnesota) - Dekraker got off to a good start with three wins at 141 lbs at the Daktronics Invitational on Sunday. It appeared as if the Gophers might get some clarity as to who “the guy” is at that weight, as he and two-time AA Vance Vombaur were slated to meet, but it never materialized.
#16 - Haakon Peterson (Michigan) - It was a quality debut in the Maize and Blue for Haakon Peterson, as he captured a title at the Michigan State Open at 157 lbs. Peterson was forced to grind out multiple close wins against older competition, which should bode well for the future.
#17 - Michael Mocco (Iowa) - Iowa has yet to take the mat in the 2026-27 season, so no Mocco sighting as of yet.
#18 - Rylan Seacrist (Arizona State) - Seacrist took part in the Freshman/Sophomore division of the Michigan State Open and went 2-2. He won his first two bouts, but then dropped back-to-back close matches to fellow freshman Liam Davis (Northwestern) and Northern Illinois’ Josh Vasquez.
#19 - Joe Uhorchuk (Army West Point) - Uhorchuk and Army West Point were not in action over the weekend. He did participate in the Princeton Open last weekend and won three of four bouts at 133 lbs.
#20 - Joey Jeter (Cornell) - Jeter hasn’t enrolled at Cornell yet, so he’s competing for the Spartan Combat RTC. Spartan Combat brought a large group to the Michigan State Open, so Jeter competed in the Open division at 184 lbs. Jeter posted four wins and advanced to the fifth-place match. His only two losses on the day came to returning NCAA qualifiers, Tyler Bienus (Bucknell) and Aidan Brenot (Arizona State).
#21 - Karson Brown (Ohio State) - Brown did not compete this week, but went 2-2 in his debut at the Clarion Open. One of his losses came via 1-0 score to returning All-American Carter Nogle (Air Force).
#22 - Lincoln Sledzianowski (Nebraska) - Sledzianowski and the Nebraska team started their season on Sunday with a dual win over Wyoming. Sledzianowski got his hand raised with an 11-2 major decision over fellow freshman Derek Barrows. There’s some uncertainty around the starting position at 141 lbs, so Sledzianowski made a good first impression.
#23 - Dean Bechtold (Lehigh) - Bechtold already has nine matches under his belt during the 2026-27 campaign. He won two of three matches at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Bechtold avenged one of his losses from week one, but majoring Binghamton’s Charlie Tibbitts, 12-2 on Sunday. His only loss was an 18-12 decision to #18 Vincent Mueller (Columbia).
#24 - Dom Munaretto (Ohio State) - Munaretto was in the Open division at 125 lbs at the Michigan State Open. He advanced to the finals, but medically forfeited against Michigan’s Henry Aslikyan. One interesting result is a win over Michigan’s Chris Kiser - an opponent who beat Munaretto’s teammate, Antonio Mills.
#25 - Waylon Cressell (Northern Iowa) - Northern Iowa has yet to compete in 2026-27. This weekend, they’ll send a crew to the Grand View Open, where Cressell will presumably be in action.
