Class of 2023 ACC Recruiting Deep Dive

Last week marked the release of our recruiting class rankings and yesterday we followed those up with five schools that earned honorable mentions. So, we’re all finished with the Class of 2023 recruiting? Not quite. Starting Wednesday, we’ve drilled down a bit and looked further into each conference for more recruiting information. With some of the traditional superpowers consistently atop national recruiting rankings, this will be a way for more schools to get recognized for their recruiting efforts. ACC on the 2023 Big Board NC State: #24 Koy Buesgens (New Prague, MN), #50 Vincent Robinson (Homewood-Flossmoor, IL) North Carolina: #108 Sabino Portella (Red Bank Catholic, NJ), #131 Omaury Alvarez (Baylor School, TN), #186 Derek Guanajuato (Valiant Prep, AZ) Pittsburgh: #18 Anthony Santaniello (Brick Memorial, NJ), #105 Grant Mackay (Laurel, PA), #140 Dylan Evans (Chartiers Valley, PA), #183 Tyler Chappell (Seneca Valley, PA) Virginia: #57 Dylan Newsome (Bishop Hartley, OH), #122 Gable Porter (Underwood, IA) Virginia Tech: #13 Jim Mullen (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #42 Sonny Sasso (Nazareth, PA), #47 Rafael Hipolito (Independence, VA), #49 Mac Church (Waynesburg, PA), #85 Hunter Mason (Greeneville, TN), #157 Logan Frazier (Crown Point, IN) The ACC almost had half as many Big Boarder’s this year (17) as it did in 2022 (30). That shouldn’t be cause for concern as NC State, Pittsburgh, and Virginia had much smaller classes this year, compared to the past. There are only so many “huge” recruiting classes a school can sign in a row. Top Transfers Pittsburgh: Finn Solomon (NC State) Virginia: Ryan Catka (Navy), Sammie Hayes (Illinois) Again, there wasn’t a whole lot on the transfer front in the conference this year. Finn Solomon stays in the ACC, but moves back north to Pittsburgh. He’ll challenge for the starting spot at 149 and could be a national qualifier in 2024. The same can be said for Ryan Catka, who has a lot of experience at Navy. We’re not as sure about what to expect from Hayes, who only saw action in one bout last year, but he was a solid recruit. ACC fans will remember his older brother, Louie, an All-American for the Cavaliers in 2021. Under-the-Radar Signees Duke: Aiden Wallace (Bergen Catholic, NJ) NC State: Tyler Tracy (Cardinal Gibbons, NC) North Carolina: Cullan Kane (Cambridge, GA) Pittsburgh: Daniel Gurorvich (Camarillo, CA) Virginia: Steven Burrell Jr (Greens Farms, CT) Virginia Tech: Jack Bastarrika (Mt. Olive, NJ) These wrestlers were not listed on the Class of 2023 Big Board, but still look capable of making a big impact at their respective schools. ACC Recruiting Rankings 1. Virginia Tech See InterMat’s Recruiting Rankings article for more information 2. NC State See InterMat’s Recruiting Rankings article for more information 3. Pittsburgh See InterMat’s Recruiting Rankings article for more information 4. Virginia Recruits: Steven Burrell Jr. (Greens Farms Academy, CT), Michael Murphy (Westfield, NJ), Dylan Newsome (Bishop Hartley, OH), Gable Porter (Underwood, IA), Luke Roberts (Loudoun County, VA) Transfers: Ryan Catka (Navy), Sammie Hayes (Illinois) Last season saw the University of Virginia ink a huge class that was ranked ninth in the nation. With such a huge class like that, you generally have a smaller one the following year. The Cavaliers also get a boost with transfers at the bookends. Both Sammie Hayes and Ryan Catka will help solidify the beginning and the end of the Hoo lineup. The late addition of former Oklahoma commit Dylan Newsome gives the Cavaliers a pair of Big Boarder’s. Keep an eye out for Steven Burrell Jr, whose stock shot through the roof after taking a post-grad year that saw him win National Preps and make the finals of the U20 World Team Trials in freestyle. This class, combined with the 2022 group, should have Virginia back in contention for an ACC title. 5. North Carolina Recruits: Omaury Alvarez (Baylor School, TN), Derek Guanajuato (Valiant Prep, AZ), Cullan Kane (Cambridge, GA), Collin Nugent (Phillips Exeter, MA), Nolan O’Boyle (Norfolk Academy, VA), Sabino Portella (Red Bank Catholic, NJ), Marco Tocci (Warwick, PA) Under Coleman Scott’s leadership and with the direction of Tony Ramos, North Carolina has typically been in the national recruiting rankings. They just missed the cut this season, but still ended up with three of the top-200 wrestlers. Years of good recruiting have left the Tar Heels without any major holes to fill. Most of their 2023-24 lineup should be filled by wrestlers that are still young, but were highly-touted recruits. UNC has had difficulties at 125 in the past, so adding Derek Guanajuato and Marco Tocci at 125 is very helpful. Guanajuato was a Junior Greco finalist and a UWW U17 All-American in freestyle. One of the Tarheels Big Boarder’s, Omaury Alvarez, was a double Junior All-American in Fargo last summer and then went on to place at the Ironman. Top recruit, Sabino Portella was a three-time NJ state medalist and a Fargo Junior freestyle AA. 6. Duke Recruits: Raymond Adams (Calhoun, NY), Kwasi Bonsu (Baldwin, NY), Peter Chacon (Montour, PA), Logan Fite (Central Academy, NC), Henry Forte (Delbarton, NJ), David Hussey (Middletown South, NJ), Sean O’Donnell (Malvern Prep, PA), Logan Richey (Quaker Valley, PA), Aiden Wallace (Bergen Catholic, NJ) Due to financial constraints set by the athletic department, it’s difficult for Duke to compete with the rest of the ACC in recruiting. Even so, the Blue Devils get better with a pair of state placers from New Jersey (Hussey and Wallace), New York (Adams and Bonsu), a Pennsylvania placer (Richey) and a National Prep All-American (O’Donnell). It wouldn’t be a surprise to see two or three of these incoming freshmen consistently work their way into the Blue Devil starting lineup in 2023-24. Past National Recruiting Rankings NC State: 2022 (3rd), 2021 (5th) North Carolina: 2022 (16th), 2021 (21st) Pittsburgh: 2022 (15th) Virginia: 2022 (9th) Virginia Tech: 2022 (7th), 2021 (22nd)

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