#1 Overall Junior Bo Bassett Commits to Iowa

The most high-profile and public recruiting battle in the history of our sport came to an end this evening as the top prospect in the high school Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, announced his collegiate intentions. Bassett gave a verbal commitment to the University of Iowa live on FloWrestling after his Bishop McCort team earned a win in the PIAA AA Dual Tournament. 

About eight months ago, Bassett started with a graphic that included pictures of over 80 teams to signify all of the programs he was considering in the recruiting process. For the majority of that time, Bassett updated the graphic on a weekly basis eliminating seven, then three, then one school at a time, until he was down to seven. 

The final seven were Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Yesterday, Bassett went on FloWrestling’s FRL to talk about the process and mentioned that his final four were Iowa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. 

Earlier in the process, Bassett said he intended on committing later in the year; however, he had a change of heart and announced he was ready to announce his decision over the weekend. 

Bassett is expected to be a program-changing recruit who not only competes for a national title from day one, but also brings in other top recruits. One of Bassett’s current high school teammates, Owen McMullen, has already committed to the Hawkeyes. Bassett’s commitment means that Iowa will be in the driver's seat for both of his younger brothers. Melvin Miller is considered the top overall prospect in the Class of 2027 and Keegan Bassett is an excellent high school freshman. 

One of the benefits of Bassett announcing his commitment to Iowa earlier than he anticipated is the chance for other top recruits in the Class of 2026 to potentially follow suit. Other top-ten uncommitted juniors that have visited Iowa include the Raney twins, #6 Jordyn and #7 Jayden, along with #8 Michael Mocco. 

On the mat, Bassett won a Pennsylvania AA state championship at 139 lbs in 2024. It was his first opportunity to compete for a state title because of a PIAA-imposed two-year postseason ban for Bishop McCort. 

On the national scene, Bassett has won the Super 32, the Walsh Ironman, and the Powerade on three occasions. Next year, he could join David Taylor and Zahid Valencia as the only four-time Ironman champion. He has also been selected to appear in FloWrestling’s “Who’s #1” three times and has won on two of those occasions. 

Bassett has also had success outside of the United States. He was a representative on both the U17 freestyle and Greco-Roman world teams in 2021 and won gold in freestyle. Last summer, Bassett was a member of the U20 freestyle world team and came home from Pontevedra, Spain with a bronze medal at 65 kg. 

Bassett’s prowess on the mat along with his social media personality have led to reported NIL offers that dwarf any figures currently brought in by collegiate wrestling. We’re looking to confirm the exact amount of Bassett’s offer; however, rumors of it are in the multi-million dollar range. 

Bassett is the first #1 overall recruit to choose the Hawkeyes since fellow Pennsylvania native Spencer Lee did so in 2017. Coincidentally, Bassett’s first national interview was with FloWrestling in 2016 during Lee’s commitment ceremony to Iowa.

First ever Flo Wrestling Interview! This was the night Spencer Lee committed. Since then I been looking forward to someday doing a college announcement #MachineGunMindset #GloryToGod @FloWrestling @the_rudis @CPyles8 @_wrestlersgrind @MrPatMineo pic.twitter.com/x3IT41MPEw

— Bo Bassett WC (@BoBassett06) February 3, 2025