InterMat Staff

Rumson-Fair Haven

Last night, the brackets were set for the 2025 National Duals Invitational. The tournament will be held November 15th-16th in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and serves as a marquee event during the first month of the collegiate season. A total of $1 million worth of prize money will be distributed to the participating teams. Since the brackets have been set, it’s an appropriate time to look at some of the potential individual bouts we could see during the first-round matchups. These are just a few of the matches that jumped out to me at first glance. As the event gets closer, we’ll break down the tournament in more detail. Iowa vs. Missouri 174 lbs: #2 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) vs. #7 Cam Steed (Missouri) 184 lbs: #3 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) vs. #9 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) 197 lbs: #13 Evan Bates (Missouri) vs. #16 Massoma Endene (Iowa) This dual has a handful of great potential matchups. Angelo Ferrari versus Aeoden Sinclair is one of my favorites for the entire first round. I’m sure we’ll talk about all the young talent this year at 184 lbs. These are two of the best freshmen at the weight. The 174 lb contest will feature a battle between two All-Americans, Patrick Kennedy and Cam Steed. Steed moves up after AA’ing at 165 lbs. This might help figure out where he fits in the pecking order at 174. The same can be said for 197 lbs. Iowa only had one dual at the National Dual Invitational. This will be the first substantial test for Massoma Endene against DI competition. Illinois vs. Little Rock 165 lbs: #5 Matt Bianchi (Little Rock) vs. #8 Braeden Scoles (Illinois) The stars don’t align quite as well between these two teams; however, the 165 lb contest is excellent and should be the main event in this dual. Matt Bianchi got on the NCAA podium last year at 157 lbs. Braeden Scoles was a Round of 12 finisher as a freshman in 2025. These two are both from Wisconsin and I was able to go back to 2019 and find a freestyle state final where Bianchi beat Scoles by a point in the finals. NC State vs. Northern Iowa 149 lbs: #14 Caleb Rathjen (Northern Iowa) vs. #15 Koy Buesgens (NC State) 174 lbs: #4 Matthew Singleton (NC State) vs. #10 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa) 285 lbs: #3 Isaac Trumble (NC State) vs. #11 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa) We saw these two teams clash at the Collegiate Duals in 2022 and it was a memorable dual. In the marquee match, Parker Keckeisen cradled and pinned Trent Hidlay. This dual will feature a rematch of the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, where Matthew Singleton got by Jared Simma, 4-2. Singleton ended up on the podium and Simma went 1-2. The heavyweight match features a pair of athletic former 197 lbers, who have grown into heavyweights. This could be the kind of matchup we’ll see deep in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Cornell vs. Oklahoma State 149 lbs: #11 Jaxon Joy (Cornell) vs. Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State) 165 lbs: #31 Lou Cerchio (Cornell) vs. Ladarion Lockett (Oklahoma State) 174 lbs: #3 Simon Ruiz (Cornell) vs. #16 Alex Facundo (Oklahoma State) Remember, Cornell will be without a handful of projected starters for the first half of the year, so there are a couple of good matchups that won’t happen because of this. Even so, we’ve got three good ones to keep an eye on. Jaxon Joy had a remarkable grayshirt season in 2024-25. He’ll jump into the Big Red lineup and likely be a force. Casey Swiderski wasn’t the starter we considered for the preseason rankings. He’s a former All-American and will be highly ranked once the next set is released. 165 lbs has a good matchup between a grayshirted freshman, Lou Cerchio, and a true freshman, Ladarion Lockett. After a great summer on the freestyle circuit, Simon Ruiz could be ready to take the step to title contender status. He’ll have to go through Alex Facundo, who is trying to start over at Oklahoma State and re-establish himself. Ohio State vs. Wyoming 184 lbs: #6 Dylan Fishback (Ohio State) vs. #11 Eddie Neitenbach (Wyoming) 197 lbs: #3 Joey Novak (Wyoming) vs. #11 Seth Shumate (Ohio State) 285 lbs: #6 Nick Feldman (Ohio State) vs. #27 Christian Carroll (Wyoming) Despite the discrepancy between the rankings for these two teams, there are a handful of matches that are intriguing as Wyoming takes on Ohio State. The 184 lb clash features two Ohio natives who should be in the hunt for All-American honors. At 197 lbs is Wyoming’s lone returning All-American, Joey Novak. He’ll square off with a Round of 12 finisher from 2025, Seth Shumate. Heavyweight could be a lot of fun with All-American Nick Feldman, who hopes to be injury-free and return to national championship contention. His opponent is Iowa State transfer Christian Carroll, who hopes to find a home at 285 lbs, after trying to make 197 for the Cyclones. Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech 125 lbs: #4 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. #8 Jore Volk (Minnesota) 141 lbs: #8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) vs. #20 Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) 157 lbs: #14 Ethen Miller (Virginia Tech) vs. #18 Charlie Millard (Minnesota) 165 lbs: #10 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota) vs. #24 Mac Church (Virginia Tech) 174 lbs: #18 Sergio DeSiante (Virginia Tech) vs. #19 Clayton Whiting (Minnesota) 197 lbs: #17 Gavin Nelson (Minnesota) vs. #19 Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech) 285 lbs: #14 Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) vs. #25 Bennett Tabor/Koy Hopke (Minnesota) Wow! There are lots of intriguing matches in this one! The lone contest between returning AA’s comes at 125 lbs. Although Eddie Ventresca and Jore Volk are both veterans of the 125 lb weight class, they’ve yet to meet at the collegiate level. Two other matches I’d like to highlight now are the 157 lb bout and heavyweight. Charlie Millard had an excellent redshirt campaign, and this early-season event could serve as his coming-out party. At heavyweight, Koy Hopke was a Cadet world champion and a highly sought-after recruit. He did not compete at all during his redshirt season. I don’t know what to expect from him, but a bout with Jimmy Mullen will go a long way in determining where he stands at this weight. Michigan vs. Arizona State 141 lbs: #7 (133 lbs) Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) vs. #31 Pierson Manville (Arizona State) 149 lbs: #3 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) vs. #29 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) 285 lbs: #4 Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) vs. #18 David Szuba (Arizona State) The first two matches we’ve highlighted feature established stars from Michigan taking on youngsters from Arizona State with an excellent pedigree. Dylan Ragusin and Lachlan McNeil may be too much, too soon for Pierson Manville and Kaleb Larkin, but you never know! The pre-collegiate achievements for Manville and Larkin lend themselves to wrestlers who jump in and have immediate success in college. Once again, we close out with a good match at heavyweight. David Szuba quietly had an excellent redshirt year for Rider in 2024-25, but has now transferred out west. I wouldn’t be shocked if he puts himself into the AA discussion. Facing All-American Taye Ghadiali will certainly be a strong litmus test for Szuba. Ghadiali is already an All-American and now has been training in a Michigan (CKWC) room full of talented post-grads at heavyweight. Nebraska vs. Lehigh 133 lbs: #3 Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) vs. #6 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) 285 lbs: #2 AJ Ferrari (Nebraska) vs. #8 Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) It looks like we won’t get a #2 vs #3 matchup at 141 lbs as U20 world champion Luke Stanich is not expected to compete. Even so, this will be one of the most competitive duals of the first round. All-Americans clash at 133 lbs as Ryan Crookham and Jacob Van Dee meet. While Crookham looks like the presumptive favorite, Van Dee is a big match competitor. At heavyweight, AJ Ferrari will take on 2024 Round of 12 finisher and EIWA champion Nathan Taylor. Taylor is an old-school, big-bodied heavyweight that might give Ferrari some problems as he moves up from 197 lbs.

Last night, the Ohio State Buckeyes got on the board in the Class of 2027 recruiting race. Local product, Michael Boyle (Bishop Watterson, OH), chose to stay in Columbus and wrestle for the hometown team. Boyle is the #47 overall recruit in the Class of 2027 and is currently ranked second in the nation at 215 lbs. In two years of high school competition, Boyle is a perfect two-for-two in claiming Ohio DII State titles. His first came as a freshman at 165 lbs. Boyle then jumped up three weight classes and hauled in a second at 215. Over the summer, Boyle had his national breakout, advancing to the finals of the Junior freestyle competition in Fargo. He was also fifth in Greco-Roman. Last year, Boyle’s lone All-American honor from Fargo came with a fifth-place finish in 16U Greco. Before committing to Ohio State, Boyle took visits to Purdue and Virginia Tech. Since he’s a 215 lber heading into his junior year of high school, there’s a good chance that Boyle grows into a heavyweight - in high school or at the next level. Should that happen, Boyle would fill a huge need for Ohio State. They do not have the successor to All-American heavyweight Nick Feldman (redshirt junior) on the roster. Keeping Boyle at home is a great start for an Ohio State program that has inked top-five recruiting classes in three of the last four years. For all of the commitments from the Class of 2027: Click Here

Bishop Watterson

Malvern Prep

The pairings for the upcoming National Duals Invitational were drawn this evening. Iowa was awarded the top seed, followed by Nebraska, Ohio State, and Oklahoma State. The remainder of the field was randomly drawn into the bracket. This is what the bracket will look like. We'll have more on the first-round matchups tomorrow.

The RAF 02 card got some more Penn State flavor this evening as another matchup was announced involving a former Nittany Lion star. 2016 NCAA champion, Nico Megaludis, will take on Ukraine’s Andriy Yatsenko in the bantamweight class (135 lbs). Megaludis was a four-time NCAA All-American for Penn State, finishing second as a freshman and sophomore, before taking third as a junior, and then going out on top of the 125 lb weight class as a senior. Though Megaludis was a three-time national finalist, he never captured a Big Ten title. He was a runner-up in each of his final two seasons. He finished with a 119-19 career record for the Nittany Lions. Penn State won NCAA titles in all four years where Megaludis was the starter. After college, Megaludis made two US Open finals - and won the 2022 tournament. Earlier this year, he won three matches at the 2025 Open; however, he suffered a loss to the current RAF bantamweight champion, Nathan Tomasello. Megaludis also participated in the 2024 Olympic Trials. His opponent, Yatsenko, is a 2017 world bronze medalist at 57 kg. Yatsenko was one of the best Cadet wrestlers of his era. He earned three medals at the Cadet World Championships - two of the golden variety. Also at the age group level, Yatsenko was a U23 European champion in 2019. At the 2017 World Championships, Yatsenko fell in the opening round to Thomas Gilman, 5-2. He then battled back through repechage to earn his world medal. Within the last two years, Yatsenko was a silver medalist at the 2023 Rankings Series event in Egypt and won the 2024 Dan Kolov/Nikola Petrov Tournament. With the addition of this match, the October 25th event at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center now looks like this: Bantamweight (135 lbs) - Nico Megaludis vs. Andriy Yatsenko Welterweight (165 lbs) - James Green vs. Tajmuraz Salkazanov Welterweight (165 lbs) - David Carr vs. Amr Reda Cruiserweight (190 lbs) - Kyle Dake (champ) vs. Boris Makoev Women’s Flyweight (120 lbs) - Helen Maroulis vs. Samantha Stewart Open - Keelon Jimison vs. Cayden Henschel Heavyweight (Unlimited) - Patrick Downey III vs. Jake Varner Bantamweight (135 lbs) - Nathan Tomasello (champ) vs. Roman Bravo-Young Heavyweight (Unlimited) - Mason Parris vs. Aleksandr Romanov

There’s been a lot of recruiting news since our article last week. On Saturday afternoon, #2 Bo Bassett and #1 Melvin Miller shocked the wrestling community as they announced their commitment to Virginia Tech. Last night, the #4 wrestler in the Class of 2027, Landon Sidun, posted his commitment to top-ranked Penn State. Aside from those three, there were a lot of big-name wrestlers taking visits over the weekend. I’d expect this to die down a bit with Who’s #1 coming up this weekend and the Super 32 the following weekend. 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 The Weekend of September 20 Last Week's Article American NR Kaz Morosetti (North Kingstown, RI) - Class of 2026 The Eagles had a heavyweight prospect on campus in Kaz Morosetti. Morosetti is a two-time Rhode Island state champion, a third-place finisher in New England, and a three-time NHSCA age-group placewinner. Morosetti has already visited Rhode Island’s DI program, Brown. Buffalo #129 Maverick Beckwith (Norwich, NY) #237 Isaiah Taylor (AIM Academy, PA) NR Nathan Klingensmith (Norwin, PA) NR Declan McKee (Tioga Central, NY) The Buffalo staff has been on a tear recruiting under Donnie Vinson. This weekend, they turned their attention to the Class of 2027. In-state recruits and prospects from Pennsylvania have been their priority and that holds true with this group - one that includes two Big Boarders. Beckwith was a 16U freestyle All-American this summer in Fargo, while Taylor was an NHSCA Junior National champion earlier this year. McKee was a New York state champion in 2025 and Klingensmith is an under-the-radar recruit from a solid PA program. Taylor has already taken a visit to NC State. This is the first visit we’ve seen from the other three. Campbell #184 David Perez (Ponaganset, RI) - Class of 2026 NR Colby Vital (Ponaganset, RI) - Class of 2026 First-year head coach TJ Dudley is taking advantage of his time spent as an assistant coach at Brown University and hosted a pair of recruits from Rhode Island. David Perez was initially committed to Brown, but now has reopened the recruiting process. He was an NHSCA Freshman National finalist in 2023. Colby Vital was a fourth-place finisher in New England this year. Hofstra NR Wyatt Boice (Minisink Valley, NY) NR Anthony Verdi (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ) - Class of 2026 Hofstra hit both the junior and senior classes with their visitors over the weekend. Wyatt Boice is a junior who finished third in the New York DI classification at 160 lbs last year. Anthony Verdi has already placed twice at the New Jersey state tournament. Little Rock #77 Cayden Rios (Allen, TX) Cayden Rios has been busy thus far in the fall, but he didn’t have to travel that far over the weekend, as he took in the Little Rock campus. Rios has finished third at the NHSCA grade-level tournament in each of his first two years of high school. Before visiting Little Rock, Rios had also visited Northwestern and Virginia. Maryland #37 Mikey Batista (Blair Academy, NJ) #184 Bobby Duffy (Christian Brothers, NJ) - Class of 2026 NR Izaac Gaines (Geneseo, IL) NR Josh Piparo (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ) Maryland had a quartet of prospects in town. Three of the four are from New Jersey - the Terp staff is definitely trying to take advantage of their proximity to that power state. The highest ranked wrestler in the bunch is National Prep runner-up, Mikey Batista. The only senior in the bunch is New Jersey fifth-place finisher Bobby Duffy. The other Jersey kid is state qualifier Josh Piparo. Coming in from outside of the Mid-Atlantic is Izaac Gaines, who was a match away from placing at the Illinois 2A state tournament, but was a freestyle state champion. Batista has already taken visits to Columbia, Princeton, and Northwestern. Editor’s Note: As we finished this article, Batista has committed to Maryland Duffy visited Buffalo last fall. These are the first visits we’ve heard of associated with Gaines or Piparo. Michigan #7 Mario Carini (Poway, CA) #11 Clinton Shepherd (Crown Point, IN) #19 Gabe Logan (Delbarton, NJ) Michigan has been relatively quiet thus far on the official visit circuit; however, they had some huge names in town over the weekend. The Wolverines have had lots of recent success recruiting in California. They’ve reached out again with sophomore state champion Mario Carini. Then you have Junior freestyle runner-up Clinton Shepherd. Finally, Gabe Logan, a top-four finisher in New Jersey as a freshman. Logan is the son of Michigan two-time All-American, Damion Logan. Carini has already taken visits to Cornell, Stanford, and Virginia Tech. Shepherd has visited Ohio State and Nebraska. Logan has been to Arizona State, Penn, and Virginia Tech. Minnesota #141 Camden Rugg (Union Grove, WI) #149 Jake Kos (Simley, MN) NR Max Gonzalez (East Troy, WI) Two big weeks in a row for the Gopher staff. They hosted a pair of Big Boarders and three juniors overall. Camden Rugg was a Junior freestyle AA in Fargo this year. Jake Kos was a 16U Greco AA in 2024, the same year Max Gonzalez got on the podium in 16U freestyle. Simley is a program that Minnesota will always come back to and they’ve had good success, of late, recruiting in Wisconsin. Rugg is the only one we’ve seen on the recruiting trail before this weekend. He also took a trip to Northern Iowa. NC State #34 Maximus Fortier (Fairmont, WV) #74 Jon Smith (Oxford, PA) #146 Joel Welch (St. Francis DeSales, OH) They keep going! There are no off weeks in the recruiting game in Raleigh! The NC State staff had three more Big Boarders in town, two from the top 100. Maximus Fortier is a UWW U17 Trials All-American and a champion at NHSCA Sophomore and Freshman. Jon Smith finished fourth at both the PA state tournament and at NHSCA Sophomores. Joel Welsh was an Ohio DII state finalist at 165 lbs as a sophomore. Fortier has taken visits to the Naval Academy and West Virginia. Smith has visited Buffalo and the Naval Academy. This is the first visit we have on file for Welch. Nebraska #5 Israel Borge (Westlake, MO) #6 Grey Burnett (Perrysburg, OH) #12 Paul Kenny (Christian Brothers Academy, NJ) #27 Nick Singer (Faith Christian Academy, PA) #30 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central, IL) #38 Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco, IA) #39 Gage Lohr (Watertown, SD) #42 Mac Crosson (Indianola, IN) The award for the biggest recruiting weekend of this cycle goes to Nebraska. Eight top 50 recruits in town! This group included a pair of U17 world medalists (Burnett, Kenny) and a Junior freestyle national champion from this summer (Singer). Borge’s only other visit thus far has been to Iowa. Burnett has taken a visit to Ohio State. Kenny has visited Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Before traveling to Nebraska, Singer has visited Lehigh, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech. Jimmy Mastny has taken trips to NC State and Stanford. Youngblut has visited Cornell and Iowa’s three DI schools. This is the second visit for Lohr, who was at Minnesota last week. Crosson has been at Iowa, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, and South Dakota State. Northern Iowa #21 Rocco Cassioppi (Honanegah, IL) #48 Bruno Cassioppi (Honanegah, IL) The Cassioppi twins were back in the state where their older siblings wrestled. This week, they visited Northern Iowa. Both Cassioppi’s have combined to earn All-American honors nine times in Fargo. Before checking out Northern Iowa, the tandem has visited Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Ohio State #47 Michael Boyle (Bishop Watterson, OH) The Buckeyes hosted a great in-state big man as Michael Boyle was in town. Boyle has won two Ohio DII state titles, in as many tries. Boyle’s first championship came at 165 lbs and his most recent was at 215. Over the summer, Boyle made the Fargo Junior freestyle finals and was fifth in Greco. Purdue and Virginia Tech have already had Boyle in town for visits. Penn #92 Cael Mielnik (Blair Academy, NJ) #104 PJ Terranova (Delbarton, NJ) #133 Ray Fitzgerald (Malvern Prep, PA) NR Nicholas McGarrity (Peters Township, PA) Penn seems to focus on powerhouse private schools and that was consistent with three of their four visitors over the weekend. Cael Mielnik has been sidelined for a while, but has the potential to be a top big man prospect. PJ Terranova is a New Jersey state medalist and a former 16U freestyle finalist. Ray Fitzergald has gotten on the podium at both the Beast and NHSCA Freshman Nationals. Nicholas McGarrity is a two-time Pennsylvania AAA state placer at 107 lbs. This is the first visit we have noted for Mielnik and Terranova. Fitzgerald has visited Navy and Brown. McGarrity has also visited Navy. Purdue #46 Braylon Reynolds (Brownsburg, IN) #53 Grayson Fuchs (Detroit Central Catholic, MI) #89 Evan Stanley (Lowell, IN) #104 Peyton Hornsby (Center Grove, IN) Keeping the best in-state was the name of the game for Purdue this weekend. Three of their four Big Boarders hail from Indiana. Braylon Reynolds and Evan Stanley both finished second and third, respectively, in the 138 lb Indiana state bracket won by current Boilermaker freshman Isaiah Schaefer. Peyton Hornsby was a finalist at the next weight up. From Michigan is Grayson Fuchs. Fuchs was a 16U freestyle All-American in 2024. Before traveling to Purdue, Reynolds visited Indiana. Fuchs has visited Iowa State and Princeton. Stanley has been busy with visits to Brown, Indiana, and Princeton under his belt. Hornsby also visited Indiana. Stanford #31 Lukas Zalota (Malvern Prep, PA) #40 Justin Farnsworth (Malvern Prep, PA) #71 Brayden Koester (Bettendorf, IA) NR Gregory Torosian (Birmingham, CA) Let’s see if Stanford can top their previous recruiting weekend. Last week, Chris Ayres’ team received two verbals from the Class of 2027 soon after the weekend ended. This time, they had a pair of top 50 recruits from Malvern Prep, along with an in-state recruit and one from Iowa. The most credentialed of the bunch is Justin Farnsworth, who has made the Fargo freestyle finals in both age groups. Farnsworth has already taken visits to Bucknell, Cornell, and Rutgers. Farnsworth’s teammate, Zalota, has been one of the more active wrestlers on the fall visit circuit. Before going out west, he’s visited Army West Point, Indiana, NC State, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech. This is the first visit we’ve seen associated with Iowa 3A state third-place finisher Brayden Koester. Gregory Torosian has already visited Army, Brown, and Harvard. Utah Valley NR Brooks Blasko (Norwin, PA) NR Owen Proper (Marana, AZ) - Class of 2026 Utah Valley continues to stay busy on the recruiting front. They’ve done well, of late, with recruits from PA and they had another one in town, in Brooks Blasko. Blasko is still looking to make an impact on the national level. Arizona’s Owen Proper has finished second and third (x2) at the Arizona State tournament. Virginia Tech #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) Saturday’s commitment of #1 Melvin Miller and #2 (2026) Bo Bassett stole the recruiting headlines over the weekend. That had to leave a good impression with Max Konopka, who was down in Blacksburg. Konopka has won NHSCA Freshman and Sophomore Nationals and was third at the UWW U17 Trials this spring. Before coming to Virginia Tech, Konopka also toured Cornell, NC State, and Oklahoma.

Blair Academy

St. John Bosco

Here are the wrestlers who have earned NCAA All-American honors, at some point in their careers, and are active in 2025-26. They are sorted by expected weight class for the upcoming season. There are a few teams with multiple AA’s at the same weight class. They have been included. The number in parentheses at the weight, is the number of AA’s in that respective class. Which weight classes will be the toughest? 125 lbs (7) Luke Lilledahl: Penn State (3) Stevo Poulin: Iowa State (8) Vince Robinson: NC State (1) Sheldon Seymour: Lehigh (6) Troy Spratley: Oklahoma State (2) Eddie Ventresca: Virginia Tech (5,7) Jore Volk: Minnesota (7) 133 lbs (10) Drake Ayala: Iowa (2,2) Lucas Byrd: Illinois (1,7,7) Chris Cannon: Minnesota (7,7) Ryan Crookham: Lehigh (3) Richie Figueroa: Oklahoma State (1) Evan Frost: Iowa State (6) Zan Fugitt: Wisconsin (4) Tyler Knox: Stanford (8) Dylan Shawver: Rutgers (7) Jacob Van Dee: Nebraska (7) 141 lbs (12) Nasir Bailey: Iowa (4) CJ Composto: Penn (4,8) Braeden Davis: Penn State (5) Anthony Echemendia: Iowa State (5) Brock Hardy: Nebraska (2,3,6) Ryan Jack: NC State (7) Jesse Mendez: Ohio State (1,1,6) Aaron Nagao: Penn State (5) Dylan Ragusin: Michigan (5) Zeth Romney: Cal Poly (3) Luke Stanich: Lehigh (5) Vance Vombaur: Minnesota (8,8) 149 lbs (5) Jacob Frost: Iowa State (7) Caleb Henson: Virginia Tech (2,1,5) Lachlan McNeil: Michigan (5,6,4) Ethan Stiles: Ohio State (6) Shayne Van Ness: Penn State (3,3) 157 lbs (8) Daniel Cardenas: Stanford (4) Gavin Drexler: North Dakota State (8) Tyler Kasak: Penn State (3,3) Meyer Shapiro: Cornell (5,3) Casey Swiderski: Oklahoma State (7) Antrell Taylor: Nebraska (1,8) Ty Watters: West Virginia (4) Vinny Zerban: Iowa State (6) 165 lbs (6) Joey Blaze: Purdue (2) Matt Bianchi: Little Rock (7) Michael Caliendo: Iowa (2,4,7) Peyten Kellar: Oklahoma (5) Hunter Garvin: Stanford (6,6) Mitchell Mesenbrink: Penn State (1,2) 174 lbs (8) Levi Haines: Penn State (3,1,2) Patrick Kennedy: Iowa (4) Carson Kharchla: Ohio State (7) Christopher Minto: Nebraska (4) Simon Ruiz: Cornell (5) Matthew Singleton: NC State (7) Cam Steed: Missouri (7) Danny Wask: Navy (8) 184 lbs (4) Silas Allred: Nebraska (7) Max McEnelly: Minnesota (3) Jaxon Smith: Maryland (6) Rocco Welsh: Penn State (2) 197 lbs (7) Josh Barr: Penn State (2) Bennett Berge: South Dakota State (4) Rocky Elam: Iowa State (6,3,4,5) Stephen Little: Little Rock (6,7) Camden McDanel: Nebraska (8) Joey Novak: Wyoming (5) Mac Stout: Pittsburgh (7) 285 lbs (6) Yonger Bastida: Iowa State (5) Nick Feldman: Ohio State (5) AJ Ferrari: Nebraska (3,1) Taye Ghadiali: Michigan (8) Ben Kueter: Iowa (8) Isaac Trumble: NC State (4)

A week ago, we wrote about Penn State getting their first commitment from the Class of 2027, as they received a verbal from #13 Gavin Mangano (Shoreham-Wading River, NY). The Nittany Lion staff didn’t have to wait long for their second as #4 Landon Sidun (Norwin, PA) committed, too. Sidun is currently ranked first in the nation by MatScouts at 120 lbs. As a freshman, Sidun won a Pennsylvania AAA state title at 114 lbs. He was unable to compete in the 2025 postseason due to an injury. Even so, Sidun had a very highly productive sophomore year. Early in the season, he earned titles at the Beast of the East, the Powerade, and the Doc Buchanan Invitational. Sidun has also placed in the top four in freestyle at the UWW U17 Trials on two occasions. He also was a Fargo 16U freestyle national champion in 2023. This weekend, Sidun will be in action at FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 dual meet. He’ll take on the winner between #2 Rocklin Zinklin (CA) and #3 Dom Munaretto (IL). The following weekend, Sidun will be in action at the Super 32. He’s seeking his first Super 32 belt after taking third in 2023. Sidun chose Penn State after visiting Ohio State and Pittsburgh. He visited Penn State last weekend (9/27). Though the Nittany Lions are pretty loaded at most weights, Sidun should slide in well with Penn State’s current roster. Current 125 lb starter Luke Lilledahl would be a senior during Sidun’s first year on campus. That would allow Sidun to redshirt; however, Lilledahl might move up at some point. In that case, Sidun could come in right away and start. Penn State now has two of the top 13 wrestlers committed in the Class of 2027. Action is really picking up on the Class of 2027 recruiting front. Here are the current juniors who have committed.

Norwin

The news in the offseason never seemed to stop and much of it centered around the transfer portal. While there are gripes about it (and many are understandable), it does add an element of intrigue around each collegiate season. Plenty of familiar faces have traded singlets over the past few months. The transfer portal isn’t just limited to a few select teams. The five teams atop InterMat’s preseason tournament rankings all had at least one major addition via the portal. Other teams hope to crash that party, potentially led by additions of their own. This year’s crop of transfers was about as good as any ever. There were two national champions who switched teams. How about a four-time All-American transfer? Or some young stars with multiple years of eligibility remaining. Yes, yes, and yes. All of the above were in and out of the portal this offseason. And since everyone loves a good set of rankings. We’ve ranked the wrestlers that have swapped teams via the portal leading into the 2025-26 season. The criteria for these rankings were potential impact on the upcoming season and beyond. Wrestlers who have more than one year of eligibility jumped over some more accomplished wrestlers with only one year remaining. 1. AJ Ferrari: Nebraska (from CSU Bakersfield) Even up a weight class, Ferrari will be a national title contender at 285 lbs. The 2021 NCAA champion, returned to college wrestling with Bakersfield and finished third in the nation at 197 lbs. The returning NCAA runner-up Cornhuskers could roll out a lineup that includes seven returning All-Americans and two past NCAA champions. There’s also a chance that Ferrari could have another year of eligibility after the 2025-26 campaign. 2. Rocco Welsh: Penn State (from Oklahoma State) Going from Zack Ryder to Rocco Welsh, Penn State has a wrestler who has made the NCAA finals once (in his only previous appearance at nationals). He still has three years of eligibility remaining. 3. Zack Ryder: Oklahoma State (from Penn State) The reason Ryder moved above many wrestlers with NCAA credentials is that he has four years of eligibility remaining. The U20 world silver medalist, Ryder, plus David Taylor/Zahid Valencia/Dustin Plott, and more, is a scary proposition. 4. Rocky Elam: Iowa State (from Missouri) It’s not every day that you can add a four-time All-American to your roster. Actually, after this year, I’m not sure it will be possible at all! Rocky Elam gives Iowa State an instant title contender at 197 lbs and will form a formidable 1-2 punch with Yonger Bastida at the end of the ISU lineup. 5. Richie Figueroa: Oklahoma State (from Arizona State) Two former NCAA champions on the move! Richie Figueroa has one year of eligibility remaining and seemed poised to wrestle 133 lbs for the Cowboys. Could the change in weight, new scenery, and training partners like Roman Bravo-Young and Daton Fix help Figueroa finish on top of the podium? 6. Ethan Stiles: Ohio State (from Oregon State) Stiles was someone who really burst onto the scene for Oregon State in the second half of the season and ended up on the NCAA podium. He has three years of eligibility remaining, which helps his value here. Stiles can be even more dangerous than before after working alongside a two-time NCAA champion in Jesse Mendez. 7. Nasir Bailey: Iowa (from Little Rock) Entering the 2024-25 season, Nasir Bailey was seen as one of the favorites at 133, as he was fourth in the country the previous year. That didn’t end up happening, but Bailey is expected to be up a weight class for Iowa and will have the opportunity to establish himself as a title contender. 8. Jore Volk: Minnesota (from Wyoming) The former Big 12 champion and All-American is returning to wrestle in his home state. With a potential high NCAA finish at 125 lbs, Volk could help lead Minnesota into NCAA team trophy territory. His addition spices up the Big Ten as this weight, the conference only had one returning AA at 125 lbs, prior to Volk’s arrival. 9. Lachlan McNeil: Michigan (from North Carolina) The move to Michigan makes sense on a couple of different levels for the three-time All-American McNeil. Lots of talent in the Wolverine room. He’s much closer to his hometown, Toronto. Michigan’s Cliff Keen Wrestling Club has a reputation for adding competitors who aren’t representing the USA internationally. McNeil has wrestled the preseason #1, Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech), very tough. Can Michigan push him over the top? 10. Casey Swiderski: Oklahoma State (from Iowa State) A loaded Oklahoma State squad adds a past All-American in Casey Swiderski. As of now, he looks like the projected starter for the Cowboys at 149 lbs. Swiderski missed the entire 2024-25 campaign after finishing seventh at 149 lbs in 2024. 11. Stevo Poulin: Iowa State (from Northern Colorado) 12. Vinny Zerban: Iowa State (from Northern Colorado) Stevo Poulin and Vinny Zerban were not initially in the transfer portal; however, they jumped in after UNC head coach Troy Nickerson took the Army job. Each of these wrestlers were All-Americans in 2025. Each has a conference title from the Big 12. The pair, along with other transfers, could help push Iowa State into the top three - after missing out on the top 20 entirely last year. 13. Dylan Fishback: Ohio State (from NC State) In two years at NC State, Dylan Fishback finished as an ACC runner-up twice and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 both years. Could going back closer to home help Fishback get over the hump? He’ll have to fight a lot of young talent for spaces on the podium in 2026. 14. Alex Facundo: Oklahoma State (from Penn State) Also joining Oklahoma State is Alex Facundo. He likely had some sort of a relationship with David Taylor, while he was at Penn State, and Taylor the NLWC. Facundo only really has had one year of collegiate action. In that season, he was seeded 13th at NCAA’s. He’s higher than some more accomplished wrestlers on this list because of his new home and two years of eligibility. 15. Rafael Hipolito: Oklahoma (from Virginia Tech) Rafael Hipolito stormed on the scene for Virginia Tech and captured an ACC title at 157 lbs and the fourth seed at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Unfortunately, Hipolito only went 1-2 and was eliminated much earlier than he anticipated. He’ll join an Oklahoma program that went through a huge facelift over the summer and will feature plenty of redshirt freshmen and transfers in their 2025-26 lineup. 16. Dean Peterson: Iowa (from Rutgers) It’s not very often that Iowa missed out on the NCAA podium at 125 lbs, but that’s what happened in 2025. The Iowa staff went to the portal to ensure that doesn’t happen again and landed Dean Peterson. Peterson is a two-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher who hopes that the Brands brothers and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club will help him break through in 2026. 17. Peyten Kellar: Oklahoma (from Ohio) Another new face in the Sooner wrestling room is 2024 All-American Peyten Kellar. Kellar was fifth at the 157 lb weight class in 2024 and started the following year with a 10-2 record. He missed the remainder of the season due to eligibility concerns. Kellar is expected to move up to 165 lbs for Oklahoma. 18. Lenny Pinto: Rutgers (from Nebraska) Lenny Pinto has been a Big Ten finalist, seeded in the top eight twice, but is still looking for his first All-American honor. For the past two years, Pinto’s seasons have ended in the NCAA Bloodround. He’s hoping that a reunion with former Nebraska teammate, turned Rutgers assistant, Mikey Labriola will provide the winning recipe for success. 19. Chance Lamer: Nebraska (from Cal Poly) The graduation of 2025 NCAA champion, Ridge Lovett, left Nebraska with a hole at 149 lbs. Luckily, they added Chance Lamer, a two-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher. Lamer spent most of last season ranked in the top 15, but ended up going 1-2 at nationals. He’ll have a great training situation with NCAA finalists Brock Hardy and Antrell Taylor surrounding him - plus Lovett from the RTC and assistant coach James Green. 20. Jordan Williams: Iowa (from Little Rock) A year ago, we wrote about Jordan Williams leaving Oklahoma State for Little Rock. At Little Rock, Williams won a Pac-12 title, went 26-6, and came up a match shy of the NCAA podium. With his move to Iowa, Williams will likely move up to 157 lbs. 21. Christian Carroll: Wyoming (from Iowa State) Will a Wyoming room that has produced a handful of high-quality upperweights be the perfect spot for Christian Carroll? He’s expected to compete at heavyweight for the Cowboys and has a returning All-American, Joey Novak, to work with. 22. Isaac Dean: Iowa State (from Rider) 2024-25 was a breakout season for Isaac Dean. Previously, he had not made an NCAA Tournament. He announced his presence with a fifth place finish in Vegas and winning a MAC title and earned a seventh seed at NCAA’s. 23. Chris Cannon: Minnesota (from Northwestern) Strictly based on past credentials, Chris Cannon should be much higher on this list. He isn’t because he’s been hampered by injuries for the last two years. During that time, Cannon has wrestled a combined 15 matches. Last year, he did compete at the Big Ten Championships, but wasn’t able to qualify for NCAA’s. Should Cannon get healthy and return to the form that made him a two-time All-American, he’d be a huge boost for the Gophers. 24. Cody Chittum: Chattanooga (from Iowa State) Here’s another case of a wrestler transferring back to his home state in search of success. Cody Chittum was a two-time national qualifier for Iowa State and made the Big 12 finals once. He’s looking to break into the top ten (and beyond), as he’s been around #15 in the nation for most of his collegiate career. Chittum will lead a group that could be very good at Chattanooga, perhaps the SoCon favorites, in 2025-26. 25. David Evans: Utah Valley (from Penn State) The formula for an All-American in year one at Utah Valley for Adam Hall was to find a graduate student who had been stuck behind some studs in a loaded Penn State room and give him a chance. It worked with Terrell Barraclough, who was third in the Big 12 and fifth in the nation. Could it work in 2025-26 with David Evans? Back in 2023-24, Evans defeated All-American CJ Composto (Penn) and gave teammate, Tyler Kasak, a couple of good matches.

Rumson-Fair Haven

Roosevelt

Over the weekend, Melvin Miller, the top recruit in the high school Class of 2027 announced his college decision. Virginia Tech was the choice. He, along with brother Bo Bassett, committed to wrestle for the Hokies. Provided Miller signs with the Hokies, 13 months from now, we have college commitment data from over 20 years worth of #1 overall recruits. The same could be said for high school teammate Jax Forrest, who is expected to sign with Oklahoma State in November. Below are every #1 overall recruit in their class since 2005 and the school that they originally signed with coming out of high school. Arizona State Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, CA) - 2015 Cornell Meyer Shapiro (Wyoming Seminary, PA/MD) - 2023 Iowa Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, PA) - 2017 Lehigh David Craig (Brandon, FL) - 2006 Minnesota Dustin Schlatter (Massillon Perry, OH) - 2005 Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, MN) - 2018 Northwestern Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, IN)) - 2012 Jason Welch (Los Lomas, CA) - 2008 Ohio State Nick Feldman (Malvern Prep, PA) - 2022 Paddy Gallagher (St. Edward, OH) - 2021 Bo Jordan (Graham, OH) - 2013 Greg Kerkvliet (Simley, MN) - 2019 Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, MD) - 2014 Logan Stieber (Monroeville, OH) - 2010 Oklahoma State AJ Ferrari (Allen, TX) - 2020 Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort, PA) - 2026 Penn State PJ Duke (Minisink Valley, NY) - 2025 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, MN) - 2016 Luke Lilledahl (Wyoming Seminary, PA/MO) - 2024 Morgan McIntosh (Calvary Chapel, CA) - 2011 David Taylor (Graham, OH) - 2009 Virginia Tech Cody Gardner (Christiansburg, VA) - 2007 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) - 2027

Bishop McDevitt

Delran

Parkersburg

Graham

Mount Vernon

Skutt Catholic

Bishop McCort

Bishop McCort