Class of 2023 SoCon Recruiting Deep Dive

Two weeks ago marked the release of our recruiting class rankings and last week 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 last week, 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. Before getting to the SoCon, here are links to the conferences already covered: ACC Big 12 EIWA MAC Pac-12 SoCon on the Big Board Appalachian State: #133 Jeremiah Price (Surry Central, NC), #199 Brysen Terrell (Bradley Central, TN) Bellarmine: #173 AJ Rallo (Whitfield, MO) Campbell: #112 Chris Earnest (Wadsworth, OH), #149 Wynton Denkins (Perrysburg, OH) Chattanooga: #100 Isaiah Powe (Gardendale, AL) The Class of 2023 has six Big Board’ers headed to the SoCon. That is less than in 2022 when double that amount signed with SoCon schools. Some of that deficit could be attributed to the fact that MatScouts Big Board went to 250 in 2022 and only 200 this year. Two wrestlers from 2022 ranked within that range. You could make an argument that four or five 2023 recruits could have fit into that span. With some of the schools in the SoCon on the incline and starting to hit their stride from a recruiting standpoint, I’d imagine this number grows slightly in the future. Under-the-Radar Signees Appalachian State: Aldo Hernandez (Uwharrie Charter, NC) Bellarmine: Anthony Strieb (Antioch, IL) Campbell: Bentley Ellison (Cleveland, TN) Chattanooga: Ethan Vergara (Mater Lakes, FL) Davidson: Wyatt Ferguson (Oak Hills, OH) Gardner-Webb: Charlie Sly (Stuart Cramer, NC) Presbyterian: Connor Garren (Olentangy Orange, OH) The Citadel: Gylon Sims (Joliet Catholic, IL) VMI: Patrick Jordon (New Kent, VA) SoCon Recruiting Rankings 1. Campbell Recruits: Wynton Denkins (Perrysburg, OH), Chris Earnest (Wadsworth, OH), Bentley Ellison (Cleveland, TN), Oliver Fairchild (Easton, PA), Logan Heckert (Sycamore, TN), Mike Kinzel (Bowling Green, OH), Noah Lawrence (Great Bridge, VA), Landon Reaux (Southside, LA), Cooper Shore (Miami East, OH), Hudson Waldrop (McAdory, AL) The Camels lead the way for the SoCon with a pair of top-150 recruits at the top of their Class of 2023. Those two, Wynton Denkins and Chris Earnest both finished in the top-three in Ohio’s largest classification. Denkins was also eighth at the Super 32 and Earnest was a placer at the Walsh Ironman. Bentley Ellison and Logan Heckert each made the podium after the 2023 high school campaign at NHSCA Seniors. This class really provides an infusion of talent into the lightweights for Campbell. Scotti Sentes’ team has juniors and seniors as projected starters at the first three weights, so youth is needed at those slots. Overall, this is a group that should help Campbell get back to the top of the SoCon, after a year dominated by rival, Appalachian State. 2. Chattanooga Recruits: Kendrick Curtis (Fairview, TN), Wyatt Gibbs (Brentwood, TN), Ethan Lipsey (Bradley Central, TN), Chaz McDonald (Jefferson, GA), Collin Mullins (North Paulding, GA), Yuta Otera (Landstown, VA), Isaiah Powe (Gardendale, AL), Ty Tice (Eastside, SC), Ethan Vergara (Mater Lakes, FL) The conference’s top-ranked recruit and another strong get from the Class of 2022 make this a class that could legitimately challenge for the top spot in the conference. Three-time Alabama state champion, Isaiah Powe, was the only SoCon recruit that finished the year ranked in the top-100 nationally (at #100). Powe was a two-time NHSCA placewinner and won the tournament as a senior. The Mocs will also get the services of Ethan Vergara who grayshirted after graduating in 2022. Vergara is an excellent heavyweight prospect who AA’ed in Fargo’s Junior freestyle tournament twice (3rd/7th). Chattanooga also has four others that earned All-American honors at NHSCA Senior Nationals (Ethan Lipsey, Chaz McDonald, Collin Mullins, and Yuta Otero). Over the past couple of years, Appalachian State and Campbell have seemed to separate themselves from the rest of the SoCon. With this class and maybe another, Chattanooga could re-establish its place atop the league. 3. Appalachian State Recruits: James Bankston (Hillsdale, NC), Tomas Brooker (Hickory Ridge, NC), Jayden Dobeck (Pinecrest, NC), Logan Eller (Trion, GA), Aldo Hernandez (Uwharrie Charter, NC), Gunnar Pool (Centerville, OH), Jeremiah Price (Surry Central, NC), Bryson Terrell (Bradley Central, TN) The Appalachian State Class of 2023 features two Big Board’ers in Jeremiah Price and Bryson Terrell. Both are good recruiting wins, as Price was initially committed to NC State and Terrell comes from enemy SoCon territory. Price has proven his mettle on the national stage with a fifth-place showing at the Walsh Ironman and eighth place in Fargo’s Junior freestyle tournament. Tomas Brooker, Logan Eller, and Aldo Hernandez all finished in the top-eight at NHSCA Seniors. Mountaineers head coach JohnMark Bentley and staff do as good of a job as anyone in the nation at developing unheralded recruits into quality collegiate wrestlers. This class gives the ASU staff a lot to work with going forward. That will be important as Appalachian has been hit hard with graduation in 2023. 4. Davidson Recruits: Robert Canterino (Christian Brothers, NJ), Brock Carey (Fred T Foard, NC), Bryce Clement (American School, Japan), Wyatt Ferguson (Oak Hills, OH), Johnny Hagar (Delbarton, NJ), Brady Joling (Chartiers Valley, PA), Enis Lijkovic (Barron Collier, FL), Ian McGehee (Memphis University, TN), Tyler McKnight (Cass, GA), Savoy New (Cardinal Gibbons, NC), Dylan Smith (Fred T. Foard, NC), DJ Spring (Maiden, NC) The first full recruiting class for second-year head coach Nate Carr Jr. has to be the best in Davidson history. The Wildcat staff took care of business at home and signed three North Carolina state champions, but they also expanded their reach into some power states. State placers from New Jersey (Robert Canterino), Ohio (Wyatt Ferguson), and Pennsylvania (Brady Joling) will get some proven winners into the program. Georgia state champ Tyler McKnight had a great NHSCA tournament and was third as a Senior. Davidson last sent a wrestler to the NCAA Tournament in 2015. With the strides the team took in 2022-23 and a really solid recruiting class, that streak could come to an end soon. 5. VMI Recruits: Phoenix Alyea (Skyline, VA), Tyler Berish (Beth-Center, PA), Luke Bryant (Riverheads, VA), Sam Dickey (Sherwood, MD), Eric Doran (Great Bridge, VA), Riley Finck (St. Christopher’s, VA), Jason Flener (North Allegheny, PA), Patrick Jordon (New Kent, VA), Christian Moffett (Woodgrove, VA), Caleb Richardson (East Hamilton, TN), Wayne Rold (Camden Catholic, NJ), Hunter Salomon (Skyline, VA), Toby Schoffstall (Liberty Christian, VA), River Smith (Glenvar, VA), Jackson Stroud (Brentsville, VA), Caleb Swanson (Northside, VA), Mohammed Zangneh (Glen Allen, VA) What a massive recruiting class for VMI! The Keydet staff did an excellent job at inking some of Virginia’s best wrestlers and keeping them at home. The top recruit is Patrick Jordon who won the Beast of the East and Trojan Wars tournaments as a senior, in addition to his third Virginia 3A state title. He would later take seventh at Senior Nationals. Another highly credentialed member of the class is Toby Schoffstall who won Senior Nationals at 195 lbs and made the 16U Greco-Roman finals in Fargo in 2021. Additionally, VMI will get the services of three others that were Virginia champions in 2023, along with New Jersey placer Wayne Rold and two Pennsylvania state qualifiers. For a school that generally doesn’t redshirt very often, I’d imagine that a large chunk of this class finds its way into the VMI lineup, on a regular basis, in 2023-24. The VMI staff really hustled to get a class of this size and caliber locked in and it really should benefit the program positively going forward. 6. Gardner-Webb Recruits: Brixon Burgess (North Iredell, NC), TK Davis (Rockmart, GA), Joey Giordano (Long Branch, NJ), Eddie Flores (North Iredell, NC), Tyler Hicks (Beavercreek, OH), Hunter Jones (Hickory Ridge, NC), Jackson Lusk (SPIRE Institute, OH), Drew Pepin (Northwest Guilford, NC), Ty Porter (Salem, VA), Charlie Sly (Stuart Cramer, NC), Josh Ward (Page, TN) As NHSCA Senior Nationals concluded, Gardner-Webb’s Class of 2023 really came into focus. The future Runnin’ Bulldogs put a pair of wrestlers into the NHSCA Senior finals with TK Davis winning the 120 lb weight class and Drew Pepin making the 152 lb championship match. Both were also fifth at the Junior edition of the tournament. Eddie Flores also was an NHSCA All-American. For the most part, the Gardner-Webb class is from the south, which is often the case. One of the outliers is a good one as they’ve signed Joey Giordano, a New Jersey state fourth-place finisher and a three-time state qualifier. Gardner-Webb generally has a veteran class returning, so there isn’t a desperate need for this class to hit the mat immediately, they should have the opportunity to develop in the GWU room.

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Class of 2023 SoCon Recruiting Deep Dive

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