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We’re coming of a light weekend as the Elite 8 Duals were a week ago and many of the top wrestlers in the country were in Atlanta rather than taking recruiting visits. Business picked back up this past weekend as there were a lot of wrestlers on the move, looking for their future homes. One of the things that makes following recruiting fun is the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding parts of the process. For every Bo Bassett who routinely keeps the public informed on recruiting decisions, there are plenty of others who don’t discuss it as much. Therefore, it can be difficult to follow which recruit is interested in which school and vice versa. I suppose it’s fun, but you’re left wanting more! In order to try and help our fanbase feel more knowledgeable about the process, we’ll have a weekly column that recaps the recruiting weekend. Who has visited where? Maybe some background information on the recruits or the process from the school. The weekend of August 23rd The weekend of August 30th The weekend of September 6 The Weekend of September 13 Last week’s article Air Force #56 JT Smith (Creighton Prep, NE) #110 Evan Perez (Windsor, CO) - Class of 2026 NR Samuel Comes (Lakeway Christian Academy, TN) - Class of 2026 NR Robert Kendall (Windsor, CO) - Class of 2026 The Air Force Academy already got one verbal commitment from this class. Samuel Comes gave a verbal commitment shortly after his visit. He was one of three uncommitted Class of 2026 recruits in the group. Big Boarder Evan Perez and Robert Kendall were the others. Perez is a two-time Colorado state champion and Kendall has one title under his belt. The junior class was represented by JT Smith, a double All-American at the UWW U17 Trials. Smith has already visited West Point in August. Perez saw Northern Colorado and Utah Valley in 2024. This is his first visit this fall. Kendall was at Northern Colorado last weekend and DII power Nebraska-Kearney last month. Arizona State #24 Caleb Noble (Warren, IL) #72 Nico DeSalvo (Southeast Polk, IA) The Sun Devils had a pair of high-quality lightweights in town with Caleb Noble and Nico DeSalvo. Noble was a Super 32 and Ironman champion in 2024 at 106 lbs. DeSalvo is a two-time Iowa state champion. Noble has already taken visits to NC State and Illinois. DeSalvo was at Illinois, as well. He initially committed to Minnesota, but recently reopened his recruitment and narrowed his choices down to the Illini, Arizona State, Oklahoma, and Iowa State. California Baptist #59 Kalob Ybarra (Pomona, CA) - Class of 2026 #119 Cason Craft (Coweta, OK) NR Sergio Gomez (St. John Bosco, CA) NR Judah Heeg (Lemont, IL) - Class of 2026 Yesterday, California Baptist got on the board with their first recruit from the Class of 2027 - Legend Ellis. His high school teammate, Cason Craft, was in town over the weekend. Craft is already a six-time Fargo All-American. Also coming in from the Class of 2027 was California state medalist Sergio Gomez. The Lancers also hosted one of the top available recruits in the Class of 2026, Kalob Ybarra. Ybarra is a two-time Doc B placer and a top-eight finisher in Greco in Fargo (at the Junior level) and at the UWW U17 Trials. Ybarra visited Wyoming earlier this month. Also from the current senior class is Illinois state champion Judah Heeg. Heeg took a visit to SIU Edwardsville two weeks ago. Cal Poly NR Tigran Greyan (St. John Bosco, CA) NR Zaydrien Hernandez (St. John Bosco, CA) NR Bailey Holman (Poway, CA) NR Matt Orbeta (Poway, CA) The Mustangs had two sets of high school teammates in for visits, so maybe they get a pair of two-for-one deals. We’ve mentioned Bailey Holman and Matt Orbeta a couple of times already in these updates. The Poway duo has traveled to Army West Point, Brown, and Air Force this fall. A couple of news are Tigran Greyan and Zaydrien Hernandez. Both finished sixth at the CIF state tournament as sophomores. Clarion NR Owen Dennis (Harrison, OH) NR Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area, PA) NR Tanner Kane (Conestoga Valley, PA) NR Owen Maxwell (Fairfax, VA) NR Cash Waymire (Brentwood Academy, TN) - Class of 2026 NR Caden Yanarella (Conestoga Valley, PA) Clarion had another big group in this weekend and appeared to be mainly focused on the junior class. Tanner Guenot might be the most credentialed of the bunch. He’s already a two-time Pennsylvania state medalist. Conestoga Valley teammates Tanner Kane and Caden Yanarella are both PA qualifiers. Owen Dennis was an eighth-place finisher out of Ohio and, another Owen, Maxwell is a state qualifier in Virginia’s largest classification. The only senior of the bunch, Cash Waymire, won his first Tennessee state title in 2025. Columbia NR Ryan Gavrish (St. John Vianney, NJ) NR Carmine Sipper (Caldwell, NJ) - Class of 2026 As you might expect, the Columbia staff has gone back to Jersey to find some of their latest recruits. Carmine Sipper is a lightweight prospect who finished third in the state in 2025. Ryan Gavrish was seventh last year as a sophomore. We’ve already wrote about Gavrish taking trips to Lock Haven and Princeton. This is the first visit we’ve seen for Sipper. After this visit, Gavrish committed to Columbia. Cornell #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) #40 Justin Farnsworth (Malvern Prep, PA) #69 Killian Coluccio (Lacey Township, NJ) #88 Dom Morrison (Hatboro-Horsham, PA) Cornell is typically one of the best recruiting teams in the nation. The Big Red staff has yet to get on the board yet with the Class of 2027, but between this group and others that preceded it, they have lots of potential suitors. The two highest ranked wrestlers in this group, Max Konopka and Justin Farnsworth, are both UWW U17 All-Americans. Killian Coluccio and Dom Morrison are both lightweights who were state finalists in power states. Coluccio is a New Jersey runner-up and Morrison is a Pennsylvania AAA champion. Konopka has already taken visits to NC State and Oklahoma. Farnsworth has visited Bucknell and Rutgers. This is the first visit we have listed for Coluccio and Morrison. Iowa #3 Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ) #5 Israel Borge (Westlake, UT) #16 Jesse Grajeda (St. John Bosco, CA) #18 Shamus Regan (Wyoming Seminary, PA) #38 Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco, IA) #42 Mac Crosson (Indianola, IA) #45 Maximus Dhabolt (Ankeny Centennial, IA) #108 Will Fullhart (Decorah, IA) NR Cale Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial, IA) - Class of 2026 This was the first big recruiting weekend of the fall season for Iowa. They had an incredible group in town. Seven of the top 50 juniors in the country. Iowa has done well recruiting in New Jersey and California in recent years. They have big time recruits from both states in this group. There’s also plenty of in-state flavor with Youngblut, Crosson, Dhabolt, Fullhart, and Vandermark from the senior class. Before coming to Iowa, Sonny Amato visited Iowa State and Oklahoma. Jesse Grajeda has already taken visits to NC State and Arizona State. Shamus Regan’s only other visit thus far is to Utah Valley. Dawson Youngblut has taken the Iowa DI tour - already visiting Iowa State and Northern Iowa, along with Cornell. Mac Crosson has been on the road hitting Oklahoma, South Dakota State, and Northern Iowa. Maximus Dhabolt has already seen Iowa State and Oklahoma. This is the first visit we have on file for Will Fullhart - an Iowa legacy. Cale Vandermark has visited the other two DI schools in state. Lehigh #2 Joe Bachmann (Faith Christian Academy, PA) #22 Gabe Ballard (Northampton, PA) #27 Nick Singer (Faith Christian Academy, PA) Lehigh got great news earlier today as AAA state finalist Gabe Ballard decided to stay home in the Lehigh Valley. Ballard visited Penn and Princeton before committing to Lehigh. The Lehigh staff also hosted Faith Christian Academy teammates Joe Bachmann and Nick Singer. You’d think Lehigh might have an inside track on Singer, as his older brother, Jason, is a senior who has already committed. Nick is a hot commodity as he’s already visited Ohio State and Virginia Tech. Bachmann is one of the most sought after wrestlers in this junior class and would be a great addition to an already stacked group of lightweights in Bethlehem. The two-time U17 world medalist has already taken a handful of visits. Cornell, Iowa State, Missouri, Rutgers, and Ohio State have already hosted Bachmann. Little Rock #84 Brandon Bickerton (Medina Highland, OH) #85 Austin Bickerton (Medina Highland, OH) NR Luke Ricketts (Union County, KY) - Class of 2026 Earlier this week, Little Rock got their first commitment from the Class of 2027 with a verbal from Ohio’s Zachary Aquila. Could Ohio’s Bickerton twins be next? Austin and Brandon Bickerton have both placed at Fargo and the UWW U17 Trials. This is the first visit we’ve been notified about for the Bickerton’s. One of the fastest risers after Fargo is Kentucky’s Luke Ricketts. Ricketts was not listed on the latest Senior Big Board, but made the Fargo Junior finals in both styles and won in freestyle. Could the Little Rock staff strike gold twice with an overlooked upperweight from Kentucky? Ricketts has also taken visits to NC State and Purdue. Lock Haven NR Logan Katz (Battlefield, VA) - Class of 2026 NR Jacob McVige (Honeoye Falls-Lima, NY) - Class of 2026 NR Rhett Washleski (Hunterdon Central, NJ) - Class of 2026 Lock Haven is looking to still add to their Class of 2026 evidenced by the three seniors in town over the weekend. Logan Katz is a two-time Virginia state runner-up. Jacob McVige is from the same high school that produced Bald Eagles two-time All-American Anthony Noto. Rhett Washleski was seventh at New Jersey’s state tournament in 2025. Minnesota #39 Gage Lohr (Watertown, SD) #75 Drake Vombaur (Severance, CO) NR Sutton Kenning (St. Cloud Tech, MN) - Class of 2026 We haven’t heard much from Minnesota yet, but they had a pair of top 100 juniors in town, along with an under-the-radar recruit from 2026. You have to like the Gophers chances with Drake Vombaur, the younger brother of two-time All-American, Vince. Gage Lohr might get overlooked because he’s from South Dakota; but he shouldn’t after finishing top four in 16U freestyle in Fargo for a second time. Sutton Kenning is a Minnesota state finalist, who battled with recent Gopher commit, John Murphy, in the state finals. Morgan State #29 Jay’Den Williams (Roseville, MI) - Class of 2026 Aside from Bo Bassett, Jay’Den Williams is the highest ranked uncommitted wrestler from the Class of 2026. Williams was at Morgan State over the week. It goes without saying that adding Williams would be a major win for Kenny Monday’s young program. Williams was a double Fargo Junior AA in 2025 with a sixth place finish in freestyle and a finals appearance in Greco. Earlier this fall, Williams visited Virginia Tech. Last year, he took a trip to Michigan. Navy NR Mick Moylan (Poway, CA) NR Amari Vann (Delsea, NJ) We’ve got a couple of juniors looking at the Naval Academy in Mick Moylan and Amari Vann. Moylan just broke into the national rankings after Fargo. He’s currently 12th in the nation at 215 lbs. In Fargo, Moylan finished eighth in Junior Greco. Amari Vann is a New Jersey state qualifier who won NHSCA Freshman Nationals in 2024. NC State #31 Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, PA) #41 Dale Corbin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) #80 Luke Knox (Perkiomen Valley, PA) #138 Anthony Ryan (Longwood, NY) NR James Capasso (Ballston Spa, NY) Like clockwork, NC State had another group of top prospects in Raleigh this week. They might lead the nation in the number of juniors (17 by our count) who have taken official visits thus far. They typically have excellent recruiting classes, so the strategy of casting a wide net works for them. Pennsylvania and New York are two strong points for NC State recruiting and they returned to those fertile grounds for this group. Lukas Zalota has been busy taking his share of visits. He’s already gone to: Army, Virginia Tech, Indiana, and Rutgers. Dale Corbin has also been to Virginia Tech, along with Wisconsin. This is the second visit we have on file for Knox. He’s also gone to Bucknell. The same for Anthony Ryan - he’s visited Army West Point. This is the first visit we’ve heard of a visit regarding James Capasso. North Dakota State #50 Gavin Landers (Denver, IA) #140 Drake Morrison (Malad, ID) NR Liam Collins (Prior Lake, MN) North Dakota State had a good group in over the weekend with two top 150 prospects. Gavin Landers is a two-time Iowa state champion and three-time Fargo All-American. Drake Morrison was a top-six finisher at the UWW U17 Trials in freestyle this year. Liam Collins was a Minnesota AAA champion as a freshman. In 2023, Collins was an All-American in both styles at UWW’s. This is the first visit we’ve seen for Morrison and Collins. Landers has already visited Nebraska and Northern Iowa. Northern Colorado NR Caeleb Hutchinson (Manhattan, KS) - Class of 2026 The new Northern Colorado staff continues to work on the Class of 2026. Over the weekend, they brought in two-time Kansas state champion Caeleb Hutchinson. Two weeks ago, Hutchinson took a visit to Northern Illinois. Northwestern #37 Mikey Batista (Blair Academy, NJ) #77 Cayden Rios (Allen, TX) #91 Colin Rutlin (Christian Brothers, MO) NR Blake Jacobson (Washington, WV) We haven’t had the opportunity to talk much about Northwestern thus far, so it’s good to see a talented group visiting Evanston. The highest ranked of their three top 100 recruits is Mikey Batista, who was third at the UWW U17 Trials this spring in freestyle. Cayden Rios has finished third at the NHSCA age group tournament in each of his first two years of high school. Colin Rutlin was a double 16U finalist this summer in Fargo - winning in freestyle. Blake Jacobson is West Virginia runner-up who is taking a post-grad year and was a match away from AA’ing in Fargo. Batista has already visited Columbia and Princeton. Rios took a trip to Virginia. Rutlin has been busy with trips to Little Rock, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Jacobson visited George Mason and Clarion last year and Virginia and Virginia Tech this fall. Ohio NR Blake Bartos (Medina Buckeye, OH) - Class of 2026 NR Gradey Harding (Galion, OH) - Class of 2026 NR Dayne Serio (West Aurora, IL) - Class of 2026 Ohio hosted a pair of in-state prospects and another from Illinois - all in this year’s senior class. Since the visit, Blake Bartos has committed to Wyoming. Gradey Harding is a two-time Ohio DII state runner-up and a three-time state medalist. Dayne Serio was sixth at Illinois’ 3A division in 2025 and is the younger brother of Bobcats current freshman, Dom Serio. Penn State #4 Landon Sidun (Norwin, PA) #13 Gavin Mangano (Shoreham-Wading River, NY) - Committed #118 James Whitbred (State College, PA) We haven’t heard much from the defending champions on the recruiting front, but they were already able to land one of their recruits from last weekend. New York state champion Gavin Mangano already gave Cael Sanderson’s staff a verbal commitment and is their first from the Class of 2027. Landon Sidun is an excellent lightweight prospect from Western PA. Sidun has finished top-four at the UWW U17 Trials on two occasions and was a 16U freestyle champion in Fargo in 2023. We’ve already seen Sidun visit his hometown team, the Pitt Panthers, along with Ohio State Making the short trip to campus was local prospect James Whitbred. Whitbred was sixth in PA’s AAA state tournament in 2025 and placed in both styles in Fargo at the 16U division in 2024. This is the first trip we’ve seen associated with Whitbred. Princeton #52 Luke Hayden (Hickman, MO) #65 Vince Anello (Blair Academy, NJ) #86 Will Soto (Newburgh Free Academy, NY) NR Chase Dubuque (Delran, NJ) - Class of 2026 Princeton continues to work hard on the Class of 2027 with three top 100 recruits in town. They also had a familiar face in senior Chase Dubuque. Dubuque is the son of Tigers head coach, Joe Dubuque, and is a 2024 Junior freestyle All-American. Luke Hayden is an NHSCA Sophomore National third place finisher who has already visited Missouri and Northern Iowa. Will Soto is a 16U freestyle finalist and has taken trips to Brown and Penn. Vince Anello was fifth in Junior freestyle in Fargo this summer and is a two-time top four finisher at the Beast of the East. This is the first visit we’ve seen from Anello. SIU Edwardsville #218 Maximus Hay (Brown Deer, WI) - Class of 2026 SIU Edwardsville has been hot on the recruiting trail with two verbal commitments within the last week. Maybe another from Maximus Hay is looming? Hay is a two-time UWW U17 freestyle All-American, placing seventh in each of the last two years. Before visiting SIUE, Hay has also toured Wisconsin and Appalachian State. Stanford #7 Mario Carini (Poway, CA) #30 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central, IL) #35 Greyson Music (Bishop McDevitt, PA) #96 Wyatt Hanssen (Wasatch, UT) #117 Kai Vielma (Connellsville, PA) Speaking of teams on a hot streak from a recruiting standpoint! Two of the five wrestlers in Palo Alto over the weekend have already given verbals to Chris Ayres’ team. You can read more about Greyson Music and Kai Vielma here. Also in town for the weekend was Mario Carini, a California state champion and a 2024 Super 32 medalist. Carini has taken trips to Cornell and Virginia Tech already. Big man Jimmy Mastny was third at the Ironman, competing at 190 lbs, as a sophomore. He’s also placed three times in Fargo. Mastny has already visited NC State. Another upperweight prospect on campus this weekend was Wyatt Hanssen. Hanssen was an NHSCA Sophomore National champion this spring, after placing third at the freshman tournament in 2024. He’s already taken trips to Iowa State and Utah Valley. Virginia #245 Zaiyahn Ornelas (Creighton Prep, NE) - Class of 2026 NR Cole Caniglia (Creighton Prep, NE) NR Mario Delvecchio (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ) NR Dom Powell (Upper Dublin, PA) NR Josh Requena (Camarillo, CA) - Class of 2026 Hopefully, UVA’s visitors got to witness one of the coolest field storming scenes you’ll ever see as the Cavalier football team knocked off Florida State. Virginia’s crew was a good mix of juniors and seniors. With the Paulson twins' roots in Council Bluffs and into Nebraska, it’s no surprise to see the Creighton Prep tandem of Ornelas and Caniglia in town. Ornelas took a trip to Northern Illinois a couple of weeks ago. Caniglia was at South Dakota State that same weekend. Virginia Tech #1 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) #2 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort, PA) - Class of 2026 #20 Brock Rothermel (Line Mountain, PA) Perhaps the most high profile visits of the weekend belonged to Virginia Tech. They hosted blue-chip brothers Bo Bassett and Melvin Miller, along with #20 Brock Rothermel. Reports out of Blacksburg are that Bassett and Miller were very impressed with the Hokies. Each dominated en route to a Junior freestyle title this summer in Fargo. Bassett initially committed to Iowa, but since re-opening his recruiting has gone out to Nebraska once on an official visit and another time on an unofficial visit. Miller also traveled to Nebraska. Rothermel has finished in the top three in Junior freestyle in Fargo in each of the last two years. He’s been busy with recruiting visits so far. Before Virginia Tech, he’s visited Bucknell, Maryland, and Pittsburgh. West Virginia #199 Brennan Warwick (Massillon Perry, OH) - Class of 2026 WVU hosted a member of the 2026 Big Board in Brennan Warwick of Ohio. Warwick was a 16U freestyle All-American in Fargo and sixth at NHSCA Junior’s. Warwick traveled to Indiana last year, along with Kent State, Little Rock, and Michigan State this fall.