A Look at Air Force's Recruiting Class of 2024

Recruiting junkies can attest to the fact that recruiting at service academies has taken off within the last five years or so. Army West Point has made the top-25 in each of the last three editions of InterMat’s recruiting rankings. Navy made the cut in 2021 and 2022. The Air Force Academy was deemed to be #23 in InterMat’s rankings this year after receiving an honorable mention in 2021. The early indications from the Class of 2024 are that all three will fight for a spot in the 2024 rankings; however, we’re focusing on Air Force today, as their 2024 class is shaping up to be excellent. As of mid-August, Sam Barber’s team has verbal commitments from nine wrestlers in the Class of 2024, three of which are rankings on MatScouts Senior Big Board. Last week, the Falcons received a verbal from #77 Layton Schneider (Edmond North, OK), who comes in as their second-highest-ranked recruit thus far. Recently, Schneider finished seventh in Junior freestyle in Fargo. It marked the second time that Schneider has placed in Junior freestyle (he was sixth in 2022). The other top-100 recruits that have verbally committed to Air Force are #73 Karson Tompkins (Midlothian, TX) and #97 Gunner Cramblett (St. Paris Graham, OH). Additionally, Talon McCollom (Edmond North, OK) is currently ranked 15th at 170 lbs. Tompkins placed in both styles in Fargo and McCollom did so at the U16 level in 2021. When evaluating recruiting classes, especially early in the game, something I like to look at is the number of recruits. Especially, when we’re checking in on schools that aren’t your traditional national title contenders (Penn State/Iowa/Ohio State etc.). In those instances, the number of recruits is almost more important and telling than getting verbals from highly ranked recruits. The reasoning behind this is that seeing the general interest in a program that hasn’t won NCAA titles is still a very encouraging sign. Obviously, multiple recruits having committed to a particular program shows there is some belief in the vision that its respective coaching staff is pitching. And that belief isn’t just limited to one wrestler. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if there are no recruits committing early, are recruits and their families not sold on the direction of a program? Bringing that explanation back to Air Force wrestling, the Falcons have plenty of interest from the Class of 2024 and that has manifested itself into nine early verbal commitments (as of now). We had the opportunity to speak with Air Force assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, Chris Heilman, about their Class of 2024. Of course, Heilman can’t talk directly about the individual recruits, but he’s given us a general overview of this class of rising high school seniors. “Those that have committed to our program are ambitious guys. They want to do things that are uncommon for college-aged kids, and they want to make an impact after graduation. They aren’t afraid of hard work and understand that in order to become the best versions of themselves, they need a challenge. The Academy certainly provides that.” Air Force is coming off a year where they sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, a number they haven’t hit since 1991. The Falcons also posted an NCAA team finish (18th place tie) that was the best in program history; one that tied perennial power Oklahoma State. A huge chunk of Air Force’s 28.5 team points were via their big man, Wyatt Hendrickson, who finished third at 285 lbs. Hendrickson became Air Force’s first All-American since fellow-heavyweight Kevin Hoy made the 2003 national finals. Along the way, Hendrickson also picked up NCAA awards for most falls (16), the Most Dominant Wrestler (for the second straight year), and the Gorriaran Award (most falls in least time at NCAA’s). Hendrickson’s success and dominance have brought the Air Force program into the national spotlight. That exposure has had to help from a recruiting standpoint. When asked about the correlation between Hendrickson’s accolades and more interest on the recruiting trail, here’s what Heilman said: “Wyatt has certainly elevated the exposure of our program to the masses. He’s an All-American and he wrestles an offensive style. He loves to go for the pin. People love to see that and it makes the sport exciting! But more so, he’s a down-to-Earth humble guy. He’s a great leader for our program and does well in his academics. He has high goals for himself in wrestling and all other areas of his life. I think recruits see that in interviews and on visits….that you can be an All-American-type wrestler and do well in school and become an outstanding leader.” In time, we’ll see whether or not any wrestlers from the Class of 2024 can come close to Hendrickson’s achievements with Air Force. What we know now is that the Air Force coaching staff will have plenty of talented wrestlers to work within the coming years. It should be noted that Hendrickson’s final Big Board ranking from the Class of 2019 was #40, so it’s not too far off from some of the recruits in 2024. While he was talented and highly-regarded, Hendrickson still needed to develop once on campus. Here are the student-athletes from the Class of 2024 that have committed to Air Force and some of their accomplishments. #73 Karson Tompkins (Midlothian, TX) - 2x Texas 5A State Champ, 2023 Junior National Freestyle 4th, 2023 Junior National Greco-Roman 5th, 2023 UWW U17 Freestyle 3rd, 2022 16U National Greco-Roman 5th #77 Layton Schneider (Edmond North, OK) - 2023 Oklahoma 6A State Champ, 2023 Junior National Freestyle 7th, 2022 Junior National Freestyle 6th, 2021 16U National Greco-Roman 6th #97 Gunner Cramblett (St. Paris Graham, OH) - 2023 Ohio DII State Champ, 2022 Walsh Ironman 6th, 2022 NHSCA Sophomore National 4th Logan Fowler (Cleveland, TN) - 2x Tennessee AA State Champ, 2023 NHSCA Junior National Champ Lincoln Gregersen (Ralston Valley, CO) - 2022 Colorado 5A State Finalist Charlie LaRocca (Center Grove, IN) - 2023 Indiana State Champ Gianni Maldonado (Lake Gibson, FL) - 2023 Florida 2A State Champ, 2022 16U National Greco-Roman 4th Talon McCollom (Edmond North, OK) - 2023 Oklahoma 6A State Champ, 2022 NHSCA Sophomore National 5th, 2021 16U National Freestyle 5th, 2021 16U National Greco-Roman 5th Carter Nogle (Mt. St. Joseph, MD) - 2x National Prep All-American (5th, 2nd), 2023 Junior National Greco-Roman 4th, 2022 Junior National Greco-Roman 2nd, 2022 UWW U17 Greco-Roman 3rd, 2021 16U Greco-Roman 4th Jesse Vanorden (Wantagh, NY) - 2023 New York DI State 3rd

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A Look at Air Force's Recruiting Class of 2024

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