How Do the Top 15 Freshmen Fit into their Lineups?

Looking ahead to the upcoming collegiate season, it is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated in recent memory. One of the reasons for this excitement is a great class of talented freshmen who have recently hit college campuses (or, in one case, did so in January).

With the NCAA’s five-for-five ruling, there will be no redshirting, so it adds an extra element to the lineup, recruiting, and coaching strategy. In years past, a top team could stash a recruit for a year if they had a high-performing veteran in his spot and kick the can down the road for a season. Now, that isn’t the case. We might end up seeing freshmen unseat returners more so than ever in this new system.

Keeping all of that in mind, we’re going to look at the top 15 recruits from MatScouts Class of 2026 Big Board and their prospects for starting and maintaining their position for the 2026-27 campaign. There are plenty of different scenarios that these freshmen walk into, so in many cases, it isn’t a simple yes or no question.

1. Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) - This is a weird situation that we’ve never dealt with before in wrestling.

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