U17 World Champion Mocco to Iowa

One of the top uncommitted juniors in the nation is no longer uncommitted! The #8 overall wrestler in the Class of 2026, Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons, FL), has committed to wrestle for the University of Iowa. 

This isn’t the first time that a highly sought-after future heavyweight named Mocco will suit up for the Hawkeyes. Michael’s father, Steve, graduated from high school (2001) a few years before widespread recruiting rankings were “a thing” however, he was considered one of the most prized recruits ever. Mocco went on to make a pair of NCAA finals and won a title for Iowa in 2003 before transferring to Oklahoma State. 

The younger Mocco has written his own story which is laden with notable accomplishments along the way. Michael is a three-time Florida state champion. Last summer, Mocco won a gold medal at the U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan. Mocco crushed the field with four straight tech falls and didn’t surrender a point in the last three bouts. In the gold medal match, Mocco only needed :17 seconds to dispose of Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbek. 

This high school season saw Mocco make the Super 32 finals for a second straight year and earn his first title at the Walsh Ironman. He was fourth in 2023. Also in 2023, Mocco was a double national champion winning both the freestyle and Greco-Roman championships at Fargo’s 16U division. 

Mocco will join the top recruit in the Class of 2026, Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort, PA), in what is shaping up to be an incredible recruiting class for Iowa. He projects at 285 lbs for the Hawkeyes. That weight is up in the air as freshman All-American Ben Kueter is set to undergo hip surgery. Kueter has also played football for Iowa, but will be out for the 2025 season due to that injury. We’ll have to see if he turns his attention to football in the future. Either way, Mocco’s addition will spice up a upperweight room that is set to add the top 190 lber in the nation in Harvey Ludington. 

Should Bassett and Mocco sign, it would be the second consecutive season in which the Hawkeyes brought in a pair of top-ten recruits. 

During the fall, Mocco visited Iowa along with NC State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Penn State.