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  • Photo: Photo/John Sachs

    Photo: Photo/John Sachs

    2020 InterMat Recruiting Class Rankings & Analysis

    The point cannot be mentioned enough, but in an individualized team sport such as wrestling, talent matters. While there are clearly factors such as attrition, development, and culture that play integral roles in the success of teams and individuals at the college level -- there is a strong tie between ability level and success.

    When looking at the All-American finishes from the last four NCAAs (top eight seeds were used this year due to the tournament being canceled), here is a look at the ratio of All-Americans based on the prospect rankings:

    Top-10 recruits: (2017) 19/80 (2018) 23/80 (2019) 25/80 (2020) 18/80
    Top-20 recruits: (2017) 33/80 (2018) 32/80 (2019) 35/80 (2020) 34/80
    Top-30 recruits: (2107) 40/80 (2018) 38/80 (2019) 45/80 (2020) 45/80
    Top-100 recruits: (2017) 60/80 (2018) 63/80 (2019) 67/80 (2020) 68/80

    The rosters of the two dominant teams in the 2019-20 season, Iowa and Penn State, personify the "talent matters" premise.

    Recruiting class rankings for Iowa's 10 NCAA qualifiers:

    125: Spencer Lee -- No. 1 Class of 2017
    133: Austin DeSanto -- No. 14 Class of 2017 (was transfer from Drexel)
    141: Max Murin -- No. 30 Class of 2017
    149: Patricio Lugo -- No. 75 Class of 2015 (was transfer from Edinboro)
    157: Kaleb Young -- No. 26 Class of 2016
    165: Alex Marinelli -- No. 3 Class of 2016
    174: Michael Kemerer -- No. 11 Class of 2015
    184: Abe Assad -- No. 26 Class of 2019
    197: Jacob Warner -- No. 7 Class of 2017
    285: Anthony Cassioppi -- No. 18 Class of 2018

    Recruiting class rankings for Penn State's seven NCAA qualifiers:

    133: Roman Bravo-Young -- No. 15 Class of 2018
    141: Nick Lee -- No. 5 Class of 2017
    149: Jarod Verkleeren -- No. 16 Class of 2017
    165: Vincenzo Joseph -- No. 7 Class of 2015
    174: Mark Hall -- No. 1 Class of 2016
    184: Aaron Brooks -- No. 14 Class of 2018
    197: Shakur Rasheed -- No. 56 Class of 2014

    Below are the top-25 recruiting classes for 2020.

    Dustin Plott is one of six InterMat top-100 recruits in Oklahoma State's recruiting class (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)

    1. Oklahoma State

    Top-100 recruits: No. 2 A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas), No. 3 Dustin Plott (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 16 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 36 Jakason Burks (Omaha Burke, Neb.), No. 55 Luke Surber (Tuttle, Okla.), No. 58 Konner Doucet (Comache, Okla.)

    Weight class ranked: Daniel Jezik (Coal City, Ill.)

    Additional notable: Elise Brown Ton (Allen, Texas)

    Commentary: The years in which Oklahoma State has finished outside the top seven at the NCAAs can be counted on one hand, the most recent of those were in 2009 (16th) and 2018 (13th). The InterMat tournament rankings had the Cowboys slotted to finish eighth. This recruiting class is designed to ensure the Cowboys return to finishing within the top four at the NCAAs sooner rather than later. Ferrari, Plott and Mastrogiovanni all had super-elite talent and production during their scholastic careers; Burks, Surber, and Doucet also have strong in-season resumes with national productivity of their own.

    2. Missouri

    Top-100 recruits: No. 5 Keegan O'Toole (Arrowhead, Wis.), No. 13 Rocky Elam (Staley, Mo.), No. 19 Josh Edmond (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.)

    Weight class ranked: Steven Kolcheff (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.)

    Additional notable: Trey Crawford (Holt, Mo.), Colton Hawks (Holt, Mo.)

    Impact transfer: Matthew Schmitt (West Viginia)

    Commentary: The canceled 2020 NCAAs might have marked an end to the Tigers' run of five consecutive top-10 NCAA finishes. The three top-end wrestlers that Brian Smith and staff brought into Columbia are designed to ensure that "Tiger Style" returns to its position as a top-10 program sooner rather than later; O'Toole and Elam ended the season ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes, while Edmond was ranked No. 2. Two-time NCAA qualifier Schmitt has two remaining years of eligibility, and immediately upgrades the lineup at 133/141.

    3. Penn State

    Top-100 recruits: No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 14 Robert Howard (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 28 Austin Boone (Lowell, Mich.), No. 80 Matthew Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind./NLWC)

    Additional notable: Aurelius Dunbar (Mercersburg Academy, Pa.)

    Commentary: This type of recruiting class is one of the obvious reasons why Penn State has been the national power for the last ten years, and is well-positioned to extend that into the next decade. Bartlett and Howard were both the No. 1 overall recruit at various points in time during the Class of 2020 evaluation cycle. Unless Howard is an immediate solution at 125 pounds in terms of size, both him and Bartlett should get the luxury of a redshirt year to develop behind clear national title contenders. Boone was a relatively late commitment, though he comes from a perennially strong high school program, one that produced Gabe and Max Dean; while Matthew Lee is the youngest brother of Nick (and Joe) Lee, and has already been acclimating in Happy Valley for one year.

    4. Cornell

    Top-100 recruits: No. 10 Joshua Saunders (Christian Brothers College, Mo./USOTC), No. 17 Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.), No. 44 Ethan Hatcher (Brecksville, Ohio), No. 81 Cole Handlovic (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)

    Weight class ranked: Gage McClenahan (Bald Eagle Area, Pa.)

    Additional notable: Chayse LaJoie (Gaylord, Mich.), Najee Lockett (Shaker Hts, Ohio)

    Commentary: The Big Red were sitting on a stretch of 12 straight top-10 finishes at the NCAAs before this year's cancellation. Though ranked to finish outside that position in the team standings, it was due to three returning All-American wrestlers with eligibility remaining choosing to take Olympic redshirts. Strong recruiting will be the backbone of next year's roster (No. 12 in 2016, No,. 2 in 2017, and No. 3 in 2019). In terms of this class, Saunders and Diakomihalis are the most obvious stars; Saunders has competed in multiple age-group freestyle world championships, while Greg Diakomihalis has not lost a scholastic match since eighth grade and is the younger brother of a two-time NCAA champion.

    5. North Carolina

    Top-100 recruits: No. 8 Lachlan McNeil (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 24 Julian Tagg (Brecksville, Ohio/USOTC), No. 40 Sonny Santiago (St. John Bosco, Calif.), No. 49 Gavin Kane (Cambridge, Ga.), No. 57 Clay Lautt (St. Thomas Aquinas, Kansas)

    Additional notable: Curtis Ruff (Seminole, Fla.)

    Commentary: This is a third top-10 recruiting class in four years (No. 10 in 2017, No. 9 in 2018). This past season, the Tar Heels were a top-10 dual meet team in a highly competitive ACC. The talent in this class provides further foundation to stabilize as a top-10 (+/-) dual meet program and emerge into that in tournament strength. McNeil had arguably the greatest leap of any Class of 2020 wrestler in the last calendar year, and should only continue to grow with Austin O'Connor as a drill partner. The other four top-100 recruits provide this class very broad coverage throughout the lineup with legitimate talent.

    6. Iowa

    Top-100 recruits: No. 4 Patrick Kennedy (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.), No. 25 Jesse Ybarra (Sunnyside, Ariz.), No. 45 Bretli Reyna (South Dade, Fla.), No. 53 Cullan Schriever (Mason City, Iowa), No. 92 Gabe Christenson (Southeast Polk, Iowa)

    Commentary: Iowa currently has a roster that is as loaded as any in the country, probably the most loaded headed into the 2020-21 season. The Hawkeyes add to that in this class with the superlative Kennedy, who fits in as a candidate at 174 pounds after a redshirt year behind Kemerer; Ybarra and Schriever adding to an already strong Hawkeye stable; while Reyna comes from the same high school as Pat Lugo, and Christenson is a talented in-state upper-weight.

    7. Nebraska

    Top-100 recruits: No. 15 Dominick Serrano (Windsor, Colo.), No. 43 Silas Allred (Shenandoah, Ind.), No. 61 Jeremiah Reno (Liberty, Mo.), No. 82 Nathan Haas (St. John Bosco, Calif.)

    Impact transfer: Liam Cronin (Indiana University)

    Commentary: A program whose hallmark has been consistent production and success epitomized that in 2019-20. The Cornhuskers were ranked No. 4 in both the dual meet and tournament rankings at the end of the season, while finishing second in the standings at the Big Ten Tournament and winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Cronin provides a potential one-year solution at 125 pounds, while Reno could be the long-term answer after a redshirt year in which he should add strength to his excellent ability level. Serrano is a high-end potential replacement to Chad Red at 141 pounds after a redshirt, while Haas and Allred are excellent upper-weight options.

    8. North Carolina State

    Top-100 recruits: No. 39 Ed Scott (DuBois, Pa.), No. 46 Isaac Trumble (Millard South, Neb.), No. 47 Ryan Jack (Danbury, Ct.), No. 94 A.J. Kovacs (Iona Prep, N.Y.)

    Weight class ranked: Anthony Noto (Honeoye Falls/Lima, N.Y.), Dylan Reinert (Gettysburg, Pa.)

    Additional notable: Joe Roberts (Montini Catholic, Ill.)

    Commentary: The talent development and procurement train continued with the results of the 2019-20 season in which the Wolfpack went undefeated in dual meet competition, and were champions of the ACC Championships. It further continues with the haul that Pat Popolizio and staff have brought in with this class. Two of the four top-100 recruits come from areas where NC State has mined success in the past -- Jack is the younger brother of multiple-time All-American Kevin Jack, while Kovacs is also a Connecticut resident though he attended high school in Long Island. The anchors of this class are middle-weight talent Scott and projected heavyweight Trumble, whose improvement in the last calendar year is second to none (some similarities to Gwiazdowski in that you're talking about a rangy athlete who will be competing at heavyweight after being lighter for much of his high school career).

    9. Virginia Tech

    Top-100 recruits: No. 27 Hunter Catka (Sun Valley, Pa.), No. 31 Sam Hillegas (North Hills, Pa.), No. 56 Eddie Ventresca (Pope John XXIII, N.J.), No. 93 Clayton Ulrey (Lower Dauphin, Pa.)

    Additional notable: Sam Fisher (Fauquier, Va.), Nathan Warden (Christiansburg, Va.)

    Commentary: Tony Robie and his Hokies staff continues to recruit at a level that will enable Virginia Tech to contend for top-10 type finishes at the NCAAs, and to compete for titles in the ever-improving ACC environment. Catka has the potential to be a high-end heavyweight, Ventresca and Hillegas should help in the lighter weights, while Ulrey is a talented middle-weight. Fisher and Warden are solid in-state talents that should bolster the overall competitiveness of the Virginia Tech practice room.

    10. Northern Iowa

    Top-100 recruits: No. 23 Cael Happel (Lisbon, Iowa), No. 35 Nevan Snodgrass (Kettering Fairmont, Ohio)

    Weight class ranked: Ethan Basile (Tampa Jesuit, Fla.)

    Additional notable: Adam Allard (West Sioux, Iowa), Julian Farber (Veterans, Ga.)

    Impact transfer: Brody Teske (Penn State)

    Commentary: For Doug Schwab and staff, this is a fifth recruiting class in six years that is ranked within the top 25, a run that started with the No. 4 Class of 2015. That is important for the Panthers if they are to compete directly with Iowa State and Oklahoma State for supremacy within the Big 12. Now the challenge is to build upon the accomplishments of Taylor Lujan, Bryce Steiert, Max Thomsen, Jacob Holschlag, and Jay Schwarm from that 2015 group. This class is one with clear potential, as Happel and Snodgrass both placed third in robust Junior freestyle weight classes last summer; while Teske returns home with three years of eligibility, even though things did not work out for the four-time high school state champ as a 133 pounds at Penn State. Basile and Farber continue Northern Iowa's connection with the Southeastern United States.

    11. Lehigh

    Top-100 recruits: No. 26 Thayne Lawrence (Frazier, Pa.), No. 37 Manzona Bryant (Hudson WRA, Ohio), No. 67 Drew Munch (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

    Weight class ranked: Sheldon Seymour (Athens, Pa.)

    Additional notable: Chris Barnabae (Mt. St. Joseph, Md.), J.T. Davis (Smyrna, Del.), Connor Herceg (Nazareth, Pa.)

    Commentary: Lehigh was ranked inside the top 10 in both the tournament strength and dual team rankings from InterMat at season's end. Bringing in a recruiting class such as this with capable high-end talent will enable the trend to continue for the Mountain Hawks. Seymour and Munch are projected to help out the lower-weights, while Bryant and Lawrence fit as middle-weights.

    12. Michigan

    Top-100 recruits: No. 20 Gaige Garcia (Southern Columbia, Pa.), No. 30 Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.)

    Weight class ranked: Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Joseph Walker (Mishawaka, Ind.)

    Additional notable: Jaden Bullock (Oscar Smith, Va.), Brendin Yatooma (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.)

    Commentary: Last year's Wolverines recruiting class was ranked No. 11 overall with two basically top-20 recruits and not too much depth behind it, though it ended up being that Cole Mattin had a positive true freshman season despite missing out on NCAA tournament qualification. Yet again two excellent talents anchor; Ragusin as a clear lower-weight (125/133) and Garcia as a clear upper-weight (197/285), though Garcia is likely going to be shared with the football program in Ann Arbor. Garcia has multiple state records in the Keystone State as a running back, though he projects more to fullback in college. In terms of the complimentary pieces, Mayora joins classmate Ragusin and fellow Montini alum Lewan on the roster; Bullock and Walker possess upside in the middle-to-upper weights; while Yatooma was a football/wrestling athlete at national power Detroit Catholic Central.

    13. Rutgers

    Top-100 recruits: No. 21 John Poznanaski (Colonia, N.J.), No. 63 Connor O'Neil (DePaul Catholic, N.J.), No. 68 Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio)

    Additional notable: Andrew Clark (Collingswood, N.J.)

    Impact transfer: Boone McDermott (Iowa Central)

    Commentary: Though the on-mat momentum of the pair of national champions from 2019 did not continue in the 2020 season, the Scarlet Knights' fan base is emerging to be among the most passionate and strong within the sport; that manifested itself in a most excellently attended Big Ten Championships hosted by Rutgers in early March. Enthusiasm and passion have demonstrated itself as Scott Goodale and staff bring in yet another strong class, which is anchored by in-state wrestlers Poznanski and O'Neil. JUCO national champion McDermott has the potential to be an impact heavyweight for the next three years, Shawver should help in the lighter-weights, while Clark is a third New Jersey state champion in this class.

    14. West Virginia

    Top-100 recruits: No. 29 Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W.Va.), No. 60 Brayden Roberts (Parkersburg South, W.Va.), No. 76 Carter Dowling (St. Joseph's Catholic, Pa.), No. 86 Anthony D'Alesio (Canfield, Ohio)

    Additional notable: Joey Blumer (Kiski Area, Pa.), Colton Drousias (Chicago Mt. Carmel, Ill.)

    Commentary: This is Tim Flynn's second recruiting class of his own as head wrestling coach at West Virginia after leaving Edinboro to take the job in April of 2018. This is by far the best Mountaineers class since the 2015 group that was ranked No. 3 overall; however, that one was marred by attrition and underachievement, part of why there was a coaching transition in Morgantown. This class happens to be very heavy on middle-weight types, with four that competed at either 152 pounds or 160 pounds as high school seniors, and all within a three-hour drive from West Virginia University. Getting high-end in-state wrestlers such as Hall and Roberts to combine with Noah Adams is a crucial statement for the program.

    15. Michigan State

    Top-100 recruits: No. 7 Chase Saldate (Gilroy, Calif.), No. 73 Tristan Lujan (Selma, Calif.)

    Weight class ranked: Caleb Fish (Eaton Rapids, Mich.)

    Additional notable: Andrew Chambal (Davison, Mich.), Skyler Crespo (Mendon, Mich.), Eddie Homrock (Brighton, Mich.)

    Commentary: The building blocks for Roger Chandler as head wrestling coach at Michigan State have been rather slow, but they are present. The 2016 recruiting class was ranked No. 25, the next two classes were not ranked, with last year's as honorable mention. From the 2019-20 season, a dual meet victory over Wisconsin and finishing 10th at the conference tournament were the probable highlights. Getting two-time state champion Lujan and national No. 1 Saldate from California can only help build on that momentum. MSU also brings in three in-state wrestlers that have won multiple state titles, which ultimately will help build that lineup depth and roster quality needed to compete in the Big Ten.

    16. Wisconsin

    Top-100 recruit: No. 1 Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.)

    Weight class ranked: Graham Calhoun (Plymouth, Ind.)

    Additional notable: Aidan Medora (Brookfield Academy, Wis.), Joseph Zargo (Bergen Catholic, N.J.)

    Impact transfer: Chris Weiler (Lehigh)

    Commentary: The 2019 class that was basically Chris Bono's first class as head coach was ranked No. 4 overall. While this class is ranked lower, getting the services of No. 1 overall recruit Braxton Amos is a clear tone setter that things are continuing to be on the up in Madison; Amos projects to be a high-end NCAA heavyweight. Weiler comes in from Lehigh after qualifying for the NCAAs as the No. 13 seed, and will be the starter in his senior season at 184 pounds for the Badgers.

    17. Ohio State

    Weight class ranked: Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, Ohio)

    Delayed enrollee: Anthony Echemandia (Sunnyside, Ariz./USOTC)

    Impact transfer: Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley)

    Commentary: The previous two classes for the Buckeyes were absolutely loaded with projected talent; in fact the 2019 group was ranked No. 1 overall (it should be noted that Kerkvliet has since left Columbus, and is on the Penn State roster). This class is different in structure, though Echemandia comes in with super blue-chip potential; he defected from Cuba and won a Junior National freestyle champion in 2018 after winning a state title for Sunnyside in Arizona, but will not matriculate to college until this fall. Orndorff is the most notable of a couple incoming transfers for Ohio State, as he was seeded No. 8 at 285 pounds for the NCAAs this year and has two years of eligibility remaining.

    18. Princeton

    Top-100 recruits: No. 32 Luke Stout (Mt. Lebanon, Pa.), No. 62 Anthony Clark (Delbarton, N.J.)

    Weight class ranked: Nick Masters (Woodward Academy, Ga.)

    Additional notable: Nick Kayal (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Jonathon Miers (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

    Commentary: Four of the last five recruiting classes for head coach Chris Ayres have been extremely positive for a Princeton program that ended the Cornell monopoly on the Ivy League title this past season. It's a pair of top-100 recruits as anchors this season; in 2018 there were four top-100 recruits including Patrick Glory and Quincy Monday; 2017 featured a pair of top-30 recruits in Travis Stefanik and Patrick Brucki; while three top-100 wrestlers committed in 2016. Clark comes from the same high school program as Patrick Glory, while Stout is the younger brother of multi-time NCAA qualifier Kellan Stout from Pitt.

    19. Minnesota

    Top-100 recruits: No. 18 Anthony Nagao (Esperanza, Calif.), No. 54 Isaiah Salazar (Windsor, Colo.), No. 84 Andrew Sparks (Calvary Chapel, Calif.)

    Commentary: As things stand, the Golden Gophers are squarely in the mid-tier of Big Ten wrestling, with a clear gap between them and the Iowa/Penn State/Ohio State tier; which if one looked at where collegiate wrestling was 15 years ago would come as a shock (you had the Iowa/Oklahoma State/Minnesota trio at the top of the whole sport). Getting back very close to the top is going to be hard in an increasingly competitive landscape, though it's possible if they hit on the vast majority of recruits they bring in and can get that development piece right. The three key wrestlers in this class, all out of state, each have potential to be legitimate at the college level; which would serve Minnesota very well.

    20. Purdue

    Top-100 recruits: No. 12 Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), No. 38 Jacob Rundell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.)

    Additional notable: Dorian Keys (Brownsburg, Ind.), Trey Kruse (Stillwater, Minn.)

    Commentary: The Boilermakers have seen incremental progress over the six seasons that Tony Ersland has served as head wrestling coach. After finishes of 40th or lower in the first three years at the NCAAs, Purdue finished inside the top 30 in 2018 and 2019 with a tournament strength ranking at the end of 2019-20 right around 20th. The fifth-place finish at this year's Big Ten tournament was a high-water mark for Purdue in that event for a relatively long time. Getting a pair of top-40 wrestlers to commit to Lafayette, especially one from Western Pennsylvania, is a clear feather in the cap for Ersland and staff.

    21. Campbell

    Top-100 recruits: No. 59 Justin Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.), No. 89 Chris Rivera (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)

    Weight class ranked: Chad Nix (Jensen Beach, Fla.)

    Additional notable: B.J. Bailey (Thornton Fractional North, Ill.), Chase Warden (Dripping Springs, Texas)

    Commentary: Cary Kolat built something very positive in his time as head coach at Campbell, as the Camels have won SoCon titles in three of the last four years; while their six NCAA qualifiers this past season tied a school record. Though Kolat moves on to Navy, lead assistant Scotti Sentes was promoted to head coach; while Darryl Thomas will bring his recruiting wizardry from the disbanded Old Dominion program to help Sentes and the Camels. This class is anchored by three wrestlers from Sentes' home state of Florida, including the Rivera twins from national power Lake Highland Prep; while Nix has excellent potential as a 197/285. Warden has potential in the middle-weights, as does Bailey who came along with Thomas when Old Dominion's program sadly went belly-up.

    22. Navy

    Top-100 recruits: No. 22 Andrew Cerniglia (Notre Dame-Green Pond, Pa.)
    Weight class ranked: Grady Griess (Northwest, Neb.)

    Additional notable: Gavin Bell (Beavercreek, Ohio), Matthew Rogers (Wantagh, N.Y.), A.J. Tamburrino (Hatboro Horsham, Pa.)

    Commentary: Navy underwent a head coaching transition after the just completed season, as former Campbell head coach Cary Kolat takes the helm in Annapolis. In six seasons under Joel Sharratt, the Midshipmen only had one All-American, and only finished inside the top 25 at the NCAAs one time. This was the second top-25 recruiting class produced by Sharratt, his first class in 2015 was ranked 21st, which means that Kolat will come in with some young building blocks. Anchoring this class -- no pun intended -- is two-time Pennsylvania state champion Cerniglia. Griess could also be an asset as a heavyweight, while Super 32 placer Bell moved up three weight classes for his senior season and was undefeated at 182 pounds before his scholastic state tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus.

    23. Arizona State

    Top-100 recruit: No. 9 Jesse Vasquez (Excelsior Charter, Calif.)

    Impact transfer: Michael McGee (Old Dominion)

    Commentary: The last chunk of years, the Sun Devils have operated on a every other year basis in terms of big class, not so big class. The 2015 (anchored by Zahid Valencia and Anthony Valencia) was ranked No. 1 overall, 2017 was a top-10 class, while last year's haul was ranked No. 2 overall. Headlining the group this year is four-time California state champion Vasquez, who should be a high-end middle-weight. McGee qualified for the NCAAs as a true freshman (1-2) and sophomore (3-2/round of 12) before redshirting this past year at Old Dominion; he has two years of eligibility remaining after transferring when the Monarchs' program was discontinued.

    24. Iowa State

    Top-100 recruit: No. 52 Kysen Terukina (Kamehameha-Kapalama, Hawaii), No. 70 Zach Redding (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), No. 78 Cameron Robinson (Council Rock South, Pa.)

    Weight class ranked: Cody Fisher (Woodward-Granger, Iowa)

    Commentary: On-the-mat performance in Year 3 under Kevin Dresser was similar to that of Year 2, which was clear improvement from Year 1. The Cyclones have yet to make that aspirational leap into the top 10/upper echelon, which is an increasingly high standard, but stabilization and competence have been achieved. Bringing in three top-100 recruits is very positive from the standpoint of building the roster, but the lack of a true high-end talent shifts the ranking downward. Terukina and Redding fit in as lower-weights, Robinson is a middle-weight, while Fisher is likely a 197/285.

    25. Edinboro

    Top-100 recruit: No. 97 Gabe Willochell (Greater Latrobe, Pa.)

    Weight class ranked: Ryan Burgos (Hilton, N.Y.), Jacob Lagoa (Ashtabula Lakeside, Ohio), Max Millin (Massillon Perry)

    Additional notable: Ethan Ducca (Ashtabula St. John, Ohio)

    Commentary: Much has been said about the state and vitality of Edinboro wrestling since Tim Flynn left as head coach after the 2017-18 season. A transition at the head wrestling coach position and exit via transfer of multiple NCAA qualifiers have created some struggles for the Fighting Scots program. Matt Hill took over as head coach at his alma mater, and just finished his second season. Said season saw incremental improvement, the dual meet record went from 2-9 to 10-10 and the NCAA qualifiers went up from one to two. Getting commitments from a group of talented wrestlers within the footprint of Edinboro University is key to the stability and success of the program. Willochell and Burgos fit in the lower-weights, Lagoa and Ducca are middle-to-upper weights, while Millin is a heavyweight after being a multi-sport athlete in high school.

    Honorable mention (alphabetical): Columbia, Lock Haven, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Pitt

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