Class of 2027 Recruiting Update (11/5/2025)

With all of the attention going to the action getting underway on the collegiate front, recruiting might have taken a temporary back seat for us. The key word is temporary, because there’s a lot that shouldn’t go overlooked. Particularly with the high school junior class. Top recruits from the Class of 2027 are announcing commitments by the day. They’re flying off the shelves!

In the past couple of days, seven Big Boarder’s from the Class of 2027 have announced their collegiate intentions. We didn’t write about them immediately, but we think they should be mentioned.

Below are some of the notable recent commitments from the Class of 2027. We’ve provided some background about their high school and national accomplishments, as well as insight into their recruiting process and where they might fit in college.

Penn

#147 PJ Terranova (Delbarton, NJ)

Penn traditionally recruits well in New Jersey and has secured another good one with a verbal commitment from Delbarton’s PJ Terranova. Terranova was fifth at the NJ state tournament in 2025 at 106 lbs. In 2024, Terranova was a Fargo 16U freestyle national runner-up. During the high school season, he was seventh at the Powerade. Should Terranova be able to hold 125 lbs for his collegiate career, he’ll be even more valuable than his current ranking indicates.

Before committing to Penn, Terranova also took a visit to Stanford.

Pittsburgh

#20 Brock Rothermel (Line Mountain, PA)

The Panthers got a huge win on the recruiting trail as Brock Rothermel decided to stay home. Rothermel is a two-time PIAA AA state placewinner - taking third as a freshman and fifth at 121 lbs as a sophomore. Fargo is where Rothermel has really stood out. He was a Junior freestyle runner-up at 120 lbs in 2024 and third at the same weight class this summer. Rothermel recently finished seventh at the Super 32.

Pitt was the first school that Rothermel visited, but he went on the road to a few others before choosing the Panthers. He also participated in campus visits at Maryland, Bucknell, Virginia Tech, and Rutgers.

He’ll be a huge asset at the front of Pittsburgh’s lineup at either 125 or 133 lbs.

Rothermel is now the fourth recruit from the Class of 2027 to give a verbal commitment to Keith Gavin’s team. Three are currently ranked in the top 80 in the junior class.

Purdue

#53 Grayson Fuchs (Detroit Catholic Central, MI)

Purdue has recruited well in Michigan in recent years, so the coaching staff looked to the north and picked up two-time state champion Grayson Fuchs. Fuchs broke on the national scene last summer with a sixth-place finish in Fargo in 16U freestyle. Last month, Fuchs finished eighth at 144 lbs at the Super 32.

Before committing to Purdue, Fuchs also took visits to Iowa State, Indiana, and Princeton.

Fuchs likely fits in the middle of Purdue’s lineup (157/165 lbs). At this point, they don’t have an established long-term prospect in place, so his talents are needed in that area. His commitment gives the Boilermakers two from the top 70 juniors.

Virginia Tech

#34 Maximus Fortier (University, WV)

The momentum continues to roll in favor of the Hokies. Virginia Tech already has a commitment from the #1 overall junior (Melvin Miller), and now they have one from the #34 overall prospect, Maximus Fortier. Fortier has won the NHSCA grade level tournament after each of his first two years of high school. This spring, he was fourth at the UWW U17 Trials in freestyle. Fortier has won a pair of West Virginia state titles, one at the AA/A level and the other at the AAA classification.

Virginia Tech was the most recent visit for Fortier. He’s stayed busy with trips to the Naval Academy, West Virginia, NC State, and Maryland.

With NCAA finalist and West Virginia native Jared Haught on staff, Virginia Tech is typically going to be in the mix for West Virginia’s top high schoolers. This is important as the talent in that state continues to grow.

Wisconsin

#21 Rocco Cassioppi (Hononegah, IL)

#48 Bruno Cassioppi (Hononegah, IL)

#63 Brody Sendele (Hononegah, IL)

The Badgers got a three-for-one deal! Three top-100 high school teammates will be heading to Madison. It’s not a surprise that the Cassioppi twins have given verbal commitments to Chris Bono’s team, considering their older brother, Tony, is on the UW staff. The Cassioppi twins have combined to place nine times in Fargo, thus far in their high school careers. This summer, Bruno was fifth in Junior freestyle at 157 lbs. Not to be outdone, Rocco was recently third at 150 lbs at the Super 32.

Their current and future teammate, Brody Sendele, was third in 16U freestyle in 2024 in Fargo. Sendele was an Illinois 3A state finalist as a sophomore.

The Cassioppi twins both took visits to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Northern Iowa, and Minnesota, before committing to Wisconsin.

Sendele also visited Purdue before his commitment.