Recruiting Update (9/8/2025)

Recruiting in the Class of 2027 is starting to heat up. Coming into this weekend, we only had information about three current high school juniors who have committed to wrestle at DI institutions. By Monday morning, that number had doubled.

Two of the three happen to be top 100 overall recruits. #51 Caige Horak (Massillon Perry, OH), #66 Roman Stewart (Liberty, MO), and UR Ben Ziola (Skutt Catholic, NE) all made their collegiate intentions known over the weekend.

Last weekend, Horak visited the University of Pittsburgh and less than a week later, he committed to Keith Gavin’s squad. Horak finished third in Ohio’s DI classification in 2025 at 175 lbs. Last year, Horak was third at NHSCA Freshman Nationals and eighth in Fargo’s 16U Greco tournament. Over the summer, Horak wrestled at 190 lbs at the Junior Duals and went 6-3 in Greco and 2-5 in freestyle. By the time Horak arrives in Pittsburgh, he could wrestle at the 197 lbs weight class, which should be wide open after All-American Mac Stout’s graduation.

Roman Stewart was in Ames over the weekend and must have been impressed by the festivities surrounding the Cy-Hawk football game, as he committed to Iowa State on Sunday. Stewart is a two-time Missouri state placewinner, who took third as a freshman and won a Class 4 state title at 144 lbs in 2025. He recently wrestled in Fargo’s junior freestyle division and picked up five wins, but did not medal. Heading into Fargo, Stewart was ranked #19 in the nation at 150 lbs, per MatScouts. Looking at the 149/157 lb range for the Cyclones, there is some youth in that range, but no clear-cut long-term solutions in place.

Ben Ziola is a two-time Nebraska Class B state champion. His most recent title came at 126 lbs; however, he wrestled at 150 lbs in Fargo. I’d expect Ziola to continue growing, as his older brother, Cade, graduated in 2025 and won a Fargo title at 215 pounds. He’s a true freshman at Nebraska. Knowing that, it’s a nice recruiting win for Rob Koll’s staff getting the younger Ziola out of state. We’ll monitor the younger Ziola’s progress. I would guess that national-level success will eventually occur as he settles into a weight range.

For all of the recruits in the Class of 2027 who have already committed: Click Here