How to rank recruiting classes.

[juniorvarsity]

If I recall correctly, they use lineup fit as a criteria for their rankings. Or maybe it is meeting lineup needs. I can see why this should be excluded. Only evaluate the talent/potential. 

Conversely, everyone agrees that Melvin Miller(#1) is an immediate point scorer. Do we really feel that way about Landon Sidun(#2). I don't. At Clarion Open, he gave McCrone a tough match and lost and then lost to Grey Burnett on backside. We see some of the top guys on the big board never AA all the time. Not saying he won't AA, but it's not clear at all. Melvin Miller can AA right now. 

[Le duke]

If I recall correctly, they use lineup fit as a criteria for their rankings. Or maybe it is meeting lineup needs. I can see why this should be excluded. Only evaluate the talent/potential. 
Conversely, everyone agrees that Melvin Miller(#1) is an immediate point scorer. Do we really feel that way about Landon Sidun(#2). I don't. At Clarion Open, he gave McCrone a tough match and lost and then lost to Grey Burnett on backside. We see some of the top guys on the big board never AA all the time. Not saying he won't AA, but it's not clear at all. Melvin Miller can AA right now. 

If Melvin Miller went to Penn State he’d be their 3rd or 4th string guy at several weights.

That doesn’t make him any less talented or less valuable as a *potential* point scorer.

Similarly, Jayden James is obviously a potential AA-caliber guy right now. He will likely RS (+GS?) but even then, finding his way into the lineup, despite being better than Miller, will be difficult.


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[happyvalet]

18 minutes ago, Le duke said:

If Melvin Miller went to Penn State he’d be their 3rd or 4th string guy at several weights.

That doesn’t make him any less talented or less valuable as a *potential* point scorer.

Similarly, Jayden James is obviously a potential AA-caliber guy right now. He will likely RS (+GS?) but even then, finding his way into the lineup, despite being better than Miller, will be difficult.

 

Absolutely not. His true freshman year Kasak and Mesenbrink will be gone. It would likely be Melvin 157, PJ 165, Jayden 174. If he outgrows 157 by then then maybe he's second string if he can't beat out one of those two. Also it's way too early to say Jayden is objectively better than Melvin based on an OT match 

[Alces Alces Gigas]

If I find a million bucks or a billionaire finds a million bucks its still a million bucks.

[juniorvarsity]

2 hours ago, Le duke said:

 

If Melvin Miller went to Penn State he’d be their 3rd or 4th string guy at several weights.

That doesn’t make him any less talented or less valuable as a *potential* point scorer.

Similarly, Jayden James is obviously a potential AA-caliber guy right now. He will likely RS (+GS?) but even then, finding his way into the lineup, despite being better than Miller, will be difficult.


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I agree that it should be point scorer potential criteria. Reread my comment. I said how I can see why they should remove lineup need/fit from the criteria.

My argument is that Miller is not an unknown. But he's not 3rd or 4th string. There is PJ Duke, but there's nobody else. 2028 is when he gets to college. 

[Pinnacle]

On 12/17/2025 at 8:25 PM, Truzzcat said:

The main talking point was if you should rank them based on the recruits themselves or overall impact they have on the team. 

 

On 12/18/2025 at 7:11 PM, Pinnacle said:

And Olympic redshirts...

Then full stop. 

Look at PSU 157. Based on Kasak and Sealey are you discounting PJ Duke? That would be silly.

Both Kasak and Duke are likely to wrestle 4 NCAA Tournaments in a PSU singlet.

 

6 hours ago, Jon_Kozak said:

I'm not sure what you mean here. JD had Penn State ranked #1 in the 2025 recruiting class rankings that included Marcus Blaze, PJ Duke, Will Henckel, Asher Cunningham, Nate Desmond, and Dalton Perry. He also had Penn State ranked #1 in 2024 with Luke Lilledahl, Zack Ryder, Joe Sealey, Connor Mirasola, and Cole Mirasola.

 

I really wasn't talking to any specific class ranking, just using one example of where having depth already on a team should not diminish the value of any incoming recruit. Especially so when the coach has proven he can work guys into the line up.