Revisiting 2019's Team Recruiting Rankings

Yesterday, InterMat released one of the most popular features on the site. The yearly re-ranking of a recruiting class - five years later (2019). In a normal situation, that would account for most wrestlers in that particular year’s career. 

Today, we’re looking at it from a team standpoint. Instead of re-ranking the classes by team - which could fall closely in line with the individual rankings, we’re reviewing how the top 20 team’s classes panned out - or didn’t. 

An all-time recruiting class like Penn State’s 2014 group (Nolf, Nickel, Nevills, Rasheed, Cassar) can kind of cloud your expectations of what a good recruiting class should look like. Even for a power program, getting two All-Americans and another multi-time national qualifier or two is a very good haul. Repeat that every year and you’re cooking!

As you can see below, even with a handful of top-100 or even top-50 recruits - success on the mat, at the next level isn’t guaranteed. 

Below are the 2019 team recruiting rankings from MatScouts’ Willie Saylor, along with the key recruits for each team and some analysis of how each class actually did at the next level. 

1. Ohio State

Top Recruits: #1 Greg Kerkvliet (MN), #4 Carson Kharchla (OH), #5 Jordan Decatur (OH), #32 Dylan D’Emilio (OH). #50 Isaac Wilcox (UT), HM Jacob Decatur (OH)

It’s odd looking back on this recruiting class for Ohio State. Even for a national contender like Ohio State, getting multiple All-Americans in the same year is no small feat.

To see the full article purchase an InterMat Premium membership for $10 per month or $50 per year. This gives you access to the top coverage of wrestling throughout the season.
Click here to purchase your Premium membership today!