InterMat Staff

Predicting the Arujau vs. Forrest Wrestle-Off: A Historical Analysis On July 14, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota, world champion Vito Arujau faces high school phenom Jax Forrest in a special wrestle-off for the 61 kg U.S. World Team spot, delayed from June 14 due to Arujau’s injury. To predict the outcome, we analyze six historical special wrestle-offs involving delays, examining who delayed, the results, and their implications for this high-stakes matchup. Historical Precedents 2000: Gutches vs. Burton Les Gutches, the 2000 U.S. Nationals champion at 85 kg, delayed his Olympic Team Trials wrestle-off against Charles Burton due to injury. In Fargo, Burton won 2-1 (4-1, 3-4, 5-0). Burton’s first-match gut wrench and final-match three takedowns exploited Gutches’ rustiness, securing the Olympic berth. The injury-related delay hindered Gutches’ sharpness, favoring the healthier Burton. 2002: Zadick vs. Bono Bill Zadick, the 2002 U.S. Nationals champion at 66 kg, postponed his World Team Trials wrestle-off against Chris Bono due to injury. In Fargo, Bono won 2-1 (2-3, 3-1, 3-2 in overtime). Bono’s consistency in close bouts leveraged his Trials momentum. Zadick’s injury-related delay disrupted his rhythm, allowing Bono to claim the World Team spot. 2003: Cormier vs. Morrison Daniel Cormier delayed his 2003 World Team Trials wrestle-off at 96 kg against Dean Morrison due to the tragic loss of his infant daughter, not injury. In Fargo, Cormier won 2-1 (0-3, pin at 2:58, overtime takedown). His resilience and prior 3-0 win over Morrison at Nationals overcame the delay, making him one of two delaying wrestlers to prevail. 2006: Gallick vs. Zadick Nate Gallick, the 2006 U.S. Nationals champion at 60 kg, delayed his World Team Trials wrestle-off against Mike Zadick due to a foot injury. In Colorado Springs, Zadick swept 2-0 (0-1, 1-0, 4-2; 1-0, 0-1, 3-0). In match one, Zadick’s late double-leg takedown for three points clinched the win. In match two, Zadick’s chest wrap for exposure after a ball draw secured victory. Gallick’s injury-related delay and rustiness handed Zadick, a 2006 World silver medalist, the World Team spot. 2015: Marable vs. Green Nick Marable, the 2015 U.S. Open champion at 70 kg, made a request to delay his World Team Trials wrestle-off due to a reported head injury while he was at the World Team Trials and just about to weigh in! The appeal for delay was initially denied and then after an arbitrator got involved it was granted. The two were set to wrestle in Fargo in 2015. James Green swept the Fargo series 2-0 (4-0, 2-1). Green’s pushout, passivity point, and double-leg takedown in match one, plus a counter-takedown from a quad pod in match two, outshone Marable’s rustiness, earning him the World Team spot and a 2015 World bronze. 2019: Dake vs. Dieringer Kyle Dake, the 2018 World Champion at 79 kg, delayed his Final X wrestle-off against Alex Dieringer due to injury, rescheduling to August 17 in Round Rock, Texas. Dake swept 2-0 (3-2, 4-1), overcoming an early passivity point with step-outs and tactical acumen. His experience made him the only wrestler to win a special wrestle-off after an injury-related delay. Arujau vs. Forrest: The Matchup Vito Arujau, a 2023 World Champion and 2024 bronze medalist, brings incredible speed and a win in the 2024 World Team Trials Challenge tournament of which Forrest was in the field. His injury-related delay, however, mirrors the struggles of Gutches, Zadick, Gallick, and Marable. Jax Forrest, a high school senior and 2025 U.S. Open champion, dominated with a 19-8 technical fall over Seth Gross. His aggressive style aligns with the momentum of Burton, Bono, Zadick, and Green. Why Delays Often Fail Injury-related delays often lead to losses due to disrupted training and rustiness, as seen with Gutches’ shutout, Zadick’s close defeat, Gallick’s late-match collapses, and Marable’s tactical errors. Cormier’s 2003 non-injury win and Dake’s 2019 injury-related success, driven by elite experience, are exceptions. Dake’s ability to overcome injury suggests a rare path for success. The Prediction Four of six special wrestle-offs favored the non-delaying wrestler, with injury-related delays (2000, 2002, 2006, 2015) consistently leading to losses due to lost momentum. Cormier’s 2003 non-injury win and Dake’s 2019 injury-related victory show that exceptional resilience or experience can prevail, but injury delays tilt heavily against the delaying wrestler. Arujau’s pedigree gives him a chance to emulate Dake, but Forrest’s health, youth, and aggressive style mirror the profiles of Burton, Bono, Zadick, and Green. History predicts a Forrest victory, likely 2-1 in a tactical series, unless Arujau’s recovery and technical mastery prove decisive.

The 2025 U23 World Team is set! On Wednesday afternoon, USA Wrestling announced the rosters for each of the three styles and they are star-studded to say the least. The U23 team is different from others as the national tournament doesn’t necessarily determine the representatives at each weight. If a wrestler makes the Senior National Team and qualifies via the age requirement, then they have the right of first refusal for the spot. The men’s freestyle team, for example, has six wrestlers that participated in the main event at Final X. The U23 World Championships will take place October 20-26th in Novi Sad, Serbia. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg - Luke Lilledahl 61 kg - Jax Forrest 65 kg - Marcus Blaze 70 kg - PJ Duke 74 kg - Mitchell Mesenbrink 79 kg - Levi Haines 86 kg - Rocco Welsh 92 kg - Josh Barr 97 kg - Garavous Kouekabakilaho 125 kg - Daniel Herrera Women’s Freestyle 50 kg - Audrey Jimenez 53 kg - Brianna Gonzalez 55 kg - Cristelle Rodriguez 57 kg - Cecilia Williams 59 kg - Alexis Janiak 62 kg - Adaugo Nwachukwu 65 kg - Isabella Mir 68 kg - Kennedy Blades 72 kg - Jasmine Robinson 76 kg - Kylie Welker Greco-Roman 55 kg - Jayden Raney 60 kg - Max Black 63 kg - Kaden Ercanbrack 67 kg - Otto Black 72 kg - Aliasandr Kikiniou 77 kg - Aydin Rix McElhinney 82 kg - Beka Melelashvili 87 kg - Payton Jacobson 97 kg - Max Ramberg 130 kg - Aden Attao

Real American Freestyle (RAF) announced a huge signing today as they made an announcement on social media that UFC star Bo Nickal had signed with the organization. Earlier today, Nickal was on Ariel Helwani’s show and stated that he would be fighting on RAF’s inaugural card on August 30th. As of now, an opponent has not been named. In the interview, he did mention potential matches with 2025 World Team representative Trent Hidlay or 2024 national champion Parker Keckeisen. Nickal has a professional MMA record of 7-1 and is 4-1 in UFC events not including two wins on Dana White’s Contender Series. In his most recent outing, Nickal suffered a loss via TKO to Dutch fighter Reinier de Ridder. Before getting into the cage, Nickal put together a remarkable career at Penn State. He was a four-time national finalist and three-time NCAA champion. Nickal also captured three Big Ten titles. As a senior, Nickal was named the Hodge Trophy recipient after going 30-0 with 18 falls. Nickal finished his collegiate career on a 68-match winning streak. Penn State won national titles in each of Nickal’s four years as a starter. In 2018, he clinched the team title with his fall over Ohio State’s national champion Myles Martin. On the freestyle scene, Nickal captured a U23 world championship in 2019. Nickal also made the finals of the 2020(1) Olympic Team Trials but fell to fellow Penn State grad, David Taylor, the eventual gold medalist. We’ll keep you posted once an opponent for Nickal has been named or any other RAF updates. With Nickal’s addition, the RAF roster now looks like this: Ben Askren Beau Bartlett Kennedy Blades Aaron Brooks Darrion Caldwell David Carr Kyle Dake Austin Gomez James Green Seth Gross Wyatt Hendrickson Zeltzin Hernandez Sarah Hildebrandt Trent Hidlay Parker Keckeisen Will Lewan Bo Nickal Austin O'Connor Lance Palmer Matt Ramos Alejandra Rivera Nathan Tomasello Zahid Valencia Evan Wick Real Woods Hayden Zillmer The matches announced thus far for RAF’s first event on August 30th are: Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell (145 lbs) Austin Gomez vs. Lance Palmer (155 lbs) Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez Guerra (120 lbs) Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera Arriaga (150 lbs) James Green vs. Austin O'Connor (155 lbs) Aaron Brooks vs. Hayden Zillmer (UNL)

Last week, InterMat’s Class of 2025 Recruiting Rankings were released and they featured the top-25 recruiting classes in the nation. Trying to cut down to the top 25 is an arduous task and one that involves splitting hairs and being very picky. Just because a team may not have made the top 25 doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a good recruiting class. That’s why we end up mentioning five additional classes that didn’t make the top-25, yet will likely be very productive for their school. Even after this list, there are still some really good classes out there, and ones that will be extremely helpful, though they didn’t feature a handful of ranked wrestlers. Bucknell Top Recruits: #124 Lucas Lawler (Bishop McDevitt, PA), #129 Ryan Lawler (Bishop McDevitt, Pennsylvania), #163 Shane McFillin (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), #172 Blue Stiffler (Mill Creek, GA), #217 Bryce Manera (Southern Regional, NJ), NR Will Greenberg (Hawken, OH) Bucknell continues to get it done. They now have three straight years with a mention in the recruiting rankings. It has translated onto the mat, as well. Each of the previous two ranked classes has yielded at least one true freshman national qualifier (all at 165 or above). The Lawlers were both PA state finalists in 2025 and Shane McFillin was third at the AAA level. A potential dark horse here is Blue Stiffler who was a 16U Fargo freestyle champion and a double All-American at the UWW U17 Trials. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (25), 2023 (19), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) Lehigh Top Recruits: #44 Chase Van Hoven (Brooke Point, VA), #110 Vaughn Spencer (Pine-Richland, PA), #118 Rowan Holmes (Somerset, PA), #220 Brady Collins (Clearfield, PA), NR Anthony Evanitsky (Wyoming Seminary, PA), NR Chase Quenault (Delbarton, NJ) It’s back-to-back honorable mentions for Lehigh. There’s a lot of excitement around this program with three returning All-Americans and a high-profile assistant coaching hire. Plus, a huge recruiting class is on the horizon in 2026. This one isn’t quite as loaded as next year’s appears to be, but it’s very solid. With Vaughn Spencer and Rowan Holmes, the Mountain Hawks get help in the upperweights, a place where they could use more depth immediately and in the future. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (HM), 2023 (21), 2022 (17), 2021 (NR) Little Rock Top Recruits: #123 Jackson Tucker (Hillsboro, MO), #149 Landon Jobber-Spence (Staunton River, VA), #162 Jadyn Johnson (Melissa, TX), #189 Billy Greenwood (Poudre, CO), #215 Taye Wilson (Pratt, KS), #221 Isael Perez (Hope, RI) Years of huge recruiting classes have allowed Little Rock to dial it back a bit with this class - in terms of the actual number of wrestlers in the class. The quality is still there with six Big Boarders. That’s typically a number that gets a slot in the top 25; however, this year they just missed. The Trojans continue to expand their recruiting footprint each year. Most of the recruits come from Little Rock’s usual stomping grounds, but this year they’ve added ones from Colorado, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (19), 2021 (HM) Princeton Top Recruits: #64 Vincenzo Lavalle (Hanover Park, NJ), #66 Matthew Martino (Eagle, ID), #159 Blaise Mele (Princeton, NJ), #176 Gavin Hawk (Phillipsburg, NJ), NR Conor Delaney (Rumson Fair Haven, NJ), NR Conor McCloskey (Buford, GA) This will be the first mention in the recruiting rankings for Princeton with Joe Dubuque at the helm. A pair of top 75 recruits is always a good sign. The Tigers finished with four Big Boarders; however, their other two top recruits have been ranked at one point or another in their careers. This class focused heavily on the upperweights. If one of them (Lavalle, Delaney, McCloskey) can contribute and win early on, then Princeton will be a very tough dual team. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (NR), 2023 (12), 2022 (20), 2021 (NR) West Virginia Top Recruits: #74 Brock Kehler (University, WV), #76 Cole Evans (Perrysburg, OH), #102 Leo Contino (Buchanan, CA), #141 Casen Roark (Father Ryan, TN), #161 Luke Satriano (Valley Central, NY), #169 Gunnar Andrick (Point Pleasant, WV), NR Carmine Lenzi (Berks Catholic, PA), NR Jason Torres (Malvern Prep, PA), NR Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville, PA) It appears as if Tim Flynn and company have really found their groove on the recruiting trail at West Virginia. The Mountaineers 2024 class was their first ranking in about a decade, now they have back-to-back classes with mentions. This is a massive class that features help at most weight classes. Though top recruit Brock Kehler is a heavyweight prospect, the WVU staff really focused on the light and middleweights. West Virginia could be pretty senior-laden in 2025-26, but a class like this will ensure there’s no huge drop-off after March. Recent Recruiting History: 2024 (17), 2023 (NR), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR)

The University of Northern Colorado announced this afternoon that they’ve hired Oklahoma assistant coach Teyon Ware to be their next head coach. Ware had spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater. Before his return to Oklahoma, Ware was an assistant on the Wyoming staff for eight years. Ware got his collegiate coaching career started with a three-year stint at Binghamton. Before Binghamton, Ware was on staff at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. While at Oklahoma, Ware helped oversee a squad that sent 18 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships during his three years. The Sooners had one All-American during that span (Stephen Buchanan). Ware also played a role in helping the Sooners ink the #3 overall recruiting class in 2024. Buchanan was also an All-American for Ware at Wyoming. During his time in Laramie, six Wyoming wrestlers earned a spot on the NCAA podium. As an athlete, Ware was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion for the Sooners. He won his first title as a true freshman in 2003 (when it was a rare feat) and again in 2005. He was a three-time Big 12 champion and three-time national finalist. He also made an impact on the international scene with a berth on the 2011 World Team in freestyle and two Pan-American medals. Ware inherits a Northern Colorado squad that finished fifth in the Big 12 and produced a pair of All-Americans (a first in their DI era). Unfortunately, during the coaching transition, both All-Americans (Stevo Poulin and Vinny Zerban) transferred to Iowa State. The Bears still have 2025 Big 12 champion Dominick Serrano returning. Ware’s addition makes him the eighth head coach in the history of Northern Colorado wrestling. The position was open after Troy Nickerson accepted the heading coaching position at Army West Point.

Gainesville

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot seemed to be locked up early; however, a furious push from the second-place team ensued. Third was pretty easy to determine, but after that, there were a lot of teams that could make a case for the remainder of the top ten. Then, as you made your way down to the 25 spot, there were a handful of teams that could’ve made a case for their inclusion. Some of it came down to how you value quantity over quality. As you peruse the rankings, you’ll see plenty of classes that had both. Recruiting rankings mark the end of the respective class and put a bow on the hard work of coaching staffs around the nation. The question you ask is, how are these rankings tabulated? First, we have used the big board rankings courtesy of our sister-site MatScouts. Willie Saylor has taken the arduous task of projecting the top-250 wrestlers in the Class of 2025, making calculating these rankings slightly easier. Some of the factors that are taken into account when putting these rankings together include: - Numbers: Where were the signees ranked? How many top-ten, top-50, top-100, top-250, etc., does a school have? - Fit: After years of following these programs and their coaching staffs, does a particular recruit fit the "type" of kid that has success at their respective team. Or maybe a style of wrestling. - Filling a need: In years past, I have weighed this very heavily. Signing two highly ranked 184 lb prospects doesn't appear to fit a need when you have a stud sophomore returning at the same weight. - Impact on a program: This is subjective, but tends to favor teams that aren't consistent NCAA trophy contenders. If Iowa or Penn State sign the #80 overall recruit and he turns out to AA twice, taking seventh and eighth for them, it has a particular impact. But if Brown or Wyoming sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both Brown and Wyoming may have benefitted from this criteria in 2025. So, with that out of the way, enjoy InterMat's 2025 Team Recruiting Rankings. 25. Iowa State Top Recruits: #14 Christian Castillo (Ames, IA), #107 Carter Pearson (Southeast Polk, IA), #139 TJ Koester (Bettendorf, IA), NR Jacob Helgeson (Johnston, IA) Not every class has to have 10 incoming freshmen and eight Big Boarders. It’s difficult to pull off and maybe even more so with roster limits looming. All of that to say, Iowa State doesn’t have a huge class, but that’s not a bad thing. The Cyclones have had some very strong classes of late. That combined with some key transfers doesn’t leave them with many holes. Actually, they’ll have some interesting roster decisions. With the Class of 2025, Iowa State did sign U17 world silver medalist and two-time Super 32 champion Christian Castillo. Castillo, an Arizona native, already spent his senior year of high school in Ames and has likely been working closely with the RTC. He’s a great prospect at 125 lbs. Aside from Castillo, Kevin Dresser’s team was able to get some quality prospects from in-state with Big Boarders Carter Pearson, TJ Koester, and Jacob Helgeson. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (9), 2023 (10), 2022 (2), 2021 (16) 24. Brown Top Recruits: #82 Max Norman (Baylor School, TN), #210 Kaleb Jackson (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #224 Preston Marchesseault (Ponaganset, RI), #238 Khimari Manns (St. Edward, OH), NR Riley McPherson (Brecksville, OH) You have to love the way that Jordan Leen and his staff have been hustling on the recruiting trail since his hire before the 2022-23 season. At that time, Brown had fallen behind some of their Ivy League rivals in the recruiting game; however, now they are in the mix for plenty of Big Board talent. They’ve done so well that there have been a couple of instances where they got in early on a prospect, only to have him picked up by another school later in the game, after he has a breakout. That happened a couple of times this year. Even so, Brown has a good crew coming to Providence. Whether it was planned or not, the Brown staff has brought in kids from traditional power programs, ones that they’ll be able to hit again and again over the years. The local New England scene is slowly getting more competitive nationally and Brown seemed ready to take advantage of that. Brown’s 2024-25 squad featured four senior starters so this group should be counted on to start early. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (NR), 2021 (HM) 23. Penn Top Recruits: #90 Max Stein (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #131 Liam Carlin (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, NY), #155 Deven Casey (IC Prep, IL), #164 Elliott Humphries (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA), #170 Wyatt Stout (Southern Regional, NJ), #228 Greyson Meak (Cold Spring Harbor, NY), #234 Donny Almeyda (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), NR Brian Heard (Abingdon Heights, PA) Of late, Penn has routinely brought in huge recruiting classes. This is more of the same. They’ve also been a regular in the recruiting rankings. Despite some coaching changes in the last couple of years, recruiting has maintained and continued. Years of strong recruiting means that this class won’t be pressed into duty immediately; however, since they can’t use redshirts, if one of these recruits can come in and push a starter it makes for a more competitive room. Penn continues to dip into New Jersey for talent, while getting some homegrown talent, and reaching into New York, as well. This is a blueprint that the Penn staff continues to follow. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (HM), 2023 (20), 2022 (18), 2021 (23) 22. Purdue Top Recruits: #70 Noah Weaver (Rossville, IN), #142 Adrian Pellot (Merrillville, IN), #160 Isaiah Schaefer (Mater Dei, IN), #178 Vinny Paino (Emerson-Park Ridge, NJ), #193 Brody Saccoccia (Steubenville, OH), #201 Aidan Costello (Hobart, IN) Looking at this class combined with the early Class of 2026, it looks like Purdue will continue to be a mainstay in the recruiting rankings. It makes sense as the Boilermakers are coming off a season in which they put multiple wrestlers on the NCAA podium for the first time since 2006. The Purdue staff did a great job at making sure their home state’s best wrestlers were kept within its borders. Three of the in-state recruits (Weaver, Pellot, Schaefer) were 2025 state champions. They also did well at filling potential holes in the future. Paino, Costello, and Weaver all are projected at weights where the returning starter is a senior, so they should be ready to go after a redshirt. You have to like a school that has seen its recent success translate onto the recruiting trail and can take care of business recruiting at home (along with picking up some others from Big Ten country). Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (13), 2022 (NR), 2021 (20) 21. Navy Top Recruits: #42 Caedyn Ricciardi (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ), #148 Tyler Hood (St. Christopher’s, VA), #167 Evan Boblits (St. Mary’s Ryken, MD), #202 Nikos Filipos (Wyoming Seminary, PA), NR Coltyn Reedy (Sheridan, OH), NR Gavin Cole (Council Rock South, PA) The Navy recruiting classes tend to be large and this one is no different. It is headed up by one of the more overlooked stars in the top-50 two-time New Jersey champion and three-time finalist Caedyn Ricciardi. Ricciardi is also a three-time Beast of the East finalist and one-time champ. As can often be the case, the Navy staff looked to the National Prep ranks to find a handful of recruits - Tyler Hood, Evan Boblits, and Nikos Filipos. All three were National Prep AA’s in 2025 and Hood was a finalist, while Boblits was third, both at the 150 lb weight class. Navy is back in the mix after missing out on the rankings in each of the last two seasons. I’d expect them to be in the rankings next year, as well. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (21), 2021 (18) 20. South Dakota State Top Recruits: #77 Jacob Herm (Neenah, WI), #89 Micah Hach (Watertown, SD), #177 Liam Neitzel (Hudson, WI), #190 Zach Ballante (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #192 Carson Dupill (Greeneville, TN), #200 Bas Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock, IA), #212 Jarrett Wadsen (St. Michael-Albertville, MN), #214 Keenan Sheridan (O’Gorman, SD), #242 Conlan Carlson (Willmar, MN) Oftentimes, in recruiting, the number of swings at the pinata is an important factor. There are bound to be some wrestlers who don’t live up to their pre-collegiate credentials, but if you get a large number of quality recruits some will work out. South Dakota State has the numbers with a ridiculous nine(!) Big Boarders. They were able to keep their home state’s best prospect within their borders with the signing of Micah Hach. Hach was an NHSCA Junior champion and a Fargo Junior finalist in Greco; however, they will have to share him with the football team. Two of the three highest-ranked recruits for Damion Hahn’s team come from Wisconsin, a state they’ve added to their normal recruiting rotation. The highest-ranked of the bunch is Jacob Herm, who has shined in Greco, but was fifth at the Super 32 last fall. The Jackrabbits have recruited well of late, so they don’t go into 2025-26 with any major holes in the lineup. A large group like this should let them redshirt everyone and continue to build depth and create quality DI wrestlers that might have initially been overlooked. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (HM), 2022 (HM), 2021 (12) 19. Wyoming Top Recruits: #38 Lane Foard (Benedictine, VA), #86 Gunner Henry (Brownsburg, IN), #100 Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe, PA), #199 Isaiah Harrison (Mountain View, CO), #229 Brad Farrer (Pleasant Grove, UT) Make it four straight years with Wyoming getting at least a mention in our recruiting rankings. The Cowboys chug along with three top 100 recruits and five Big Boarders. National Prep champion Lane Foard and NHSCA Sophomore champion Gunner Henry will make the Cowboy upperweights even more formidable than they are presently. Two-time Pennsylvania state finalist Luke Willochell is the younger brother of Wyoming national qualifier, Gabe. With recruits from Virginia, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, Wyoming continues to widen its recruiting bases. They’ve also found a way to stay true to their normal recruiting turf (Colorado/Utah). The additions of Foard/Henry in particular fall into a familiar pattern for Wyoming. They had homegrown All-Americans from the recruiting classes of 2022 and 2023, who were both ranked between #55 and #65 in their recruiting classes. Slightly overlooked, but also experienced on a national level. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (HM), 2023 (16), 2022 (13), 2021 (NR) 18. Army West Point Top Recruits: #49 Joseph Antonio (St. John Bosco, CA), #136 Charles Weidman (Xavier, CT), #182 Cadell Lee (Brooke Point, VA), #191 Ben Smith (NY Military Academy, NY), NR Johnny Green (Aurora, OH), NR Hayden Hochstrasser (Southern Regional, NJ), NR Evan Roudebush (Bloomington South, IN), NR Josh Vasquez (Aurora Christian, IL), NR Primo Catalano (Chaminade, CA) New head coach Troy Nickerson has a lot to work with between the existing talent in the room and the wrestlers on their way to West Point from the Class of 2025 (and beyond). Past Army recruiting classes have been filled with Big Boarders, but not many in the top half of the top 100. That is remedied with the pickup of two-time California state finalist Joseph Antonio. Antonio was a Super 32 finalist prior to his junior year in high school. On the other hand, Army does very well at developing non-blue chip recruits, so their past history gives them a slight bump when it comes to the recruits they’ve locked down outside of the top 50. It’s a testament to the West Point staff that Army has been a regular in the recruiting rankings, moreso than some from the traditional power conferences. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (17), 2022 (23), 2021 (24) 17. Northern Iowa Top Recruits: #43 Logan Paradice (Colquitt County, GA), #61 Kyler Knaack (Don Bosco, IA), #130 Max Brady (Mariner, FL), #150 Jace Hedeman (Union, IA) Northern Iowa hasn’t been a regular in the recruiting rankings. More often than not, the Panthers find overlooked gems and develop them into strong collegiate wrestlers. Now, Doug Schwab’s staff has a pair of top-100 recruits and four Big Boarders to work with. Top recruit, Logan Paradice, was a two-time top-four finisher at the Super 32 and was a three-time Georgia state champion. Kyler Knaack was the highest-ranked senior in the state of Iowa and a huge pickup for the Panthers. Knaack was a double 16U Fargo champion and a runner-up last year at the UWW U17 Trials. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (25), 2021 (NR) 16. Virginia Top Recruits: #29 Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman, MD), #67 Jayce Paridon (Lake Highland Prep, FL), #154 Ethan Timar (St. Edward, OH), #194 Aiden King (Bishop Hartley, OH), #204 Macon Ayers (Staunton River, VA), #207 Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg, IL), #227 Adam Butler (St. Edward, OH) The UVA staff got in on Emmitt Sherlock early and he ended up becoming the talk of the 2024 UWW U17 Trials with titles in both styles. Sherlock went on to the U17 World Championships, competed in both styles, and advanced to the bronze medal match in freestyle. Virginia’s other top 100 recruit, Jayce Paridon, was a late flip from Army West Point. With a loaded Lake Highland Prep schedule, Paridon hit all of the big tournaments and won National Preps, the Powerade, and NHSCA Senior Nationals. This group also features a duo from St. Edward, Ohio - Ethan Timar and Adam Butler. St. Ed’s has been one of the most consistent producers of talent at the high school level and a place where UVA has a long tradition of finding talent. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (9), 2021 (NR) 15. Indiana Top Recruits: #35 Carson Thomas (LaSalle, OH), #79 Jackson Blum (Lowell, MI), #113 Hunter Sturgill (Baylor School, TN), #119 Gavin Jendreas (Crown Point, IN), #121 Matt Kowalski (Springboro, OH), NR Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East, IL) Indiana is becoming a regular in the recruiting rankings thanks to coach Angel Escobedo and his staff. They have back-to-back top 15 classes, which is also coming on the heels of the first All-American of Escobedo’s tenure. The highest-ranked wrestler in this class is Carson Thomas who skipped his final season of collegiate wrestling to train at the OTC. In between his junior and senior seasons, Thomas was third at the UWW U17 Trials and Fargo Junior freestyle before winning the Super 32. He’s an excellent pickup for the Hoosiers. Looking at Indiana’s class, they’ve been able to nab top prospects from a handful of their neighboring Big Ten states. That is in addition to inking Indiana state finalist and Fargo All-American Gavin Jendreas. If Indiana can continue to stack recruiting classes like these on top of each other they’ll continue to move up in a loaded conference. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (14), 2023 (HM), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 14. Stanford Top Recruits: #13 Angelo Posada (Poway, CA), #95 Brokton Borelli (Los Banos, CA), #109 Edwin Sierra (Poway, CA), #114 Dylan Pile (Los Gatos, CA), #196 Adam Mattin (Delta, OH) After three incredible classes for Stanford, there aren’t too many holes in the potential Cardinal lineup for 2025-26. Hence a smaller recruiting class in 2025. The class is small on numbers, but big on talent. Angelo Posada is someone who has continued to grow and get better as he’s moved up in weight. Since last summer he won Fargo Junior freestyle, the Super 32, and the Doc B. He also was selected for Who’s #1 and won at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Also, staying at home are, Brokton Borelli, Edwin Sierra, and Dylan Pile. Each finished in the top-three in California last year. The future (and the present) is very exciting for Stanford wrestling. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (2), 2023 (8), 2022 (5), 2021 (NR) 13. Oregon State Top Recruits: #71 Manny Saldate (SLAM Academy, NV), #83 Anthony Mutarelli (Council Rock South, PA), #88 Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley, CA), #117 Koy Davidson (Fort Dodge, IA), #135 Beau Priest (Bakersfield, CA), #153 Adrien Reyes (Clovis, CA), #195 Jeff Lopez (Clovis West, CA) Since Chris Pendleton took over in the spring of 2020, recruiting in California has been a priority for Oregon State. That is very evident with the Class of 2025. Khale McDonnell, Beau Priest, Adrien Reyes, and Jeff Lopez all finished in the top four, at one time or another, at the state tournament. McDonnell and Lopez have been finalists. Not only has Oregon State dominated recruiting in California, but they’ve also done well with the West Coast, in general. The top recruit, Manny Saldate, is from Nevada and seemingly goes to and places at every national tournament. Oregon State was patient and waited till late in the game (for today’s standards) to receive a commitment from Pennsylvania AAA state champion Anthony Mutarelli. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (15), 2022 (22), 2021 (NR) 12. Pittsburgh Top Recruits: #41 Vince Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #65 Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson, PA), #87 Carson Walsh (Pope John XXIII, NJ), #93 Evan Petrovich (Connellsville, PA), #181 Nico Fanella (Indiana, PA) This is easily the best recruiting class of the Kevin Gavin-era and probably the best for Pitt since 2016. The class got a late boost as #41 Vince Bouzakis flipped from Ohio State. Bouzakis had a massive junior season, one that saw him win a Junior freestyle title in Fargo, followed by a third place finish at the Super 32 and championships at the Ironman and Powerade. He didn’t compete very often as a senior, so he could end up outwrestling his current ranking. The Pitt staff did what they needed to do in retaining Big Boarders from Western Pennsylvania in Bode Marlow, Evan Petrovich, and Nico Fanella. Marlow was a state runner-up in one of the tougher brackets in the country. You also have to like the signing of New Jersey state finalist Carson Walsh. The Pitt staff seems to be dipping into Jersey pretty often, of late. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (24), 2022 (15), 2021 (HM) 11. North Carolina Top Recruits: #56 Matt Botello (Wyoming Seminary, MA), #60 Jacob Levy (Lake Highland Prep, GA), #80 Mitchell Younger (Bishop Watterson, OH), #94 Nate Askew (Baylor School, GA), #138 Devon Miller (Edmond North, OK), #147 Luke Sipes (Altoona, PA), NR Liam Hickey (Cardinal Gibbons, NC). The second recruiting class under the watchful eye of Rob Koll was almost as good as the first. Four top 100 prospects. Six Big Boarders in total. I usually try to look for consistent recruiting trends with schools - maybe a certain area of the country. North Carolina kind of has guys coming in from everywhere. They did hit the National Prep level pretty hard and ended up signing two 2025 champions, Matt Botello and Jacob Levy. The UNC staff had their eyes open in 2024 with a couple of late flips. This year they had two flips from Big Boarders with Devon Miller and Luke Sipes. With a massive class in 2024 and this group, combined with transfers, the projected lineup for this year and going forward will include almost all recruits from the Koll-era. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (8), 2023 (NR), 2022 (16), 2021 (21) 10. Rutgers Top Recruits: #25 Tahir Parkins (Nazareth, PA), #40 Devon Magro (Bishop McCort, PA), #69 Jordan Chapman (Cranford, NJ), #98 Billy Townson (Poway, CA), NR Easton Doster (New Haven, IN) It’ll be back-to-back top ten ranked recruiting classes for Rutgers. Likely for the first time in program history. Once again, the Rutgers staff ventured into Pennsylvania and emerged with a pair of state champions and two of the best seniors in the state. Rutgers also has recently branched out to California and Indiana, those states have produced recruits in 2025, as well. Rutgers’ bread-and-butter thus far has been their in-state wrestlers. Keeping Jordan Chapman at home was a strong signing. Chapman has placed at all of the big national events and typically puts up a lot of points along the way. Strong recruiting and portal additions will allow the Rutgers staff to redshirt this entire class, if they see fit. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (4), 2023 (NR), 2022 (12), 2021 (17) 9. Michigan Top Recruits: #20 Nick Sahakian (St. John Bosco, CA), #32 Eren Sement (Council Rock North, PA), #58 Gauge Botero (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #78 De’Alcapon Veazy (Ponderosa, CO), #108 Cooper Hilton (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #187 Charles Walker (Joliet Central, IL) It’s hard to believe that Michigan missed out on our recruiting rankings at the beginning of this cycle; however, they are in the top 11 for the third straight season. This year saw Sean Bormet’s team venture into Pennsylvania more than in past year - which is never a bad idea. The Wolverines got a late flip from #32 Eren Sement, who might have been one of the biggest risers in the nation during the 2024-25 season. He went from #107 to #32 over the course of his senior year. The top recruit for the Wolverines is Nick Sahakian, who might be the best pure heavyweight prospect in this class. Sahakian also was a flip toward Michigan. He was a U17 World Team member in Greco-Roman and a three-time UWW U17 Trials placer in both styles. Late addition, Charles Walker, is an intriguing prospect who did not place in Illinois at 215 lbs as a junior, but won a loaded 285 lb bracket. Three strong recruiting classes in a row will help Michigan restock and could have them relying on the transfer portal less in the future. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (11), 2023 (2), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 8. Iowa Top Recruits: #7 Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy, NJ), #10 Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial, NJ), #52 Claudio Torres (Lake Highland Prep, FL), #146 Ty Miller (St. Edward, OH) A couple of high-profile late flips helped the Hawks get into the top five. Harvey Ludington initially committed to Arizona State and Claudio Torres had signed with Virginia Tech. Both are now headed to Iowa City. The New Jersey duo of Leo DeLuca and Ludington represent a pair of top ten recruits. Iowa now has signed multiple top-ten recruits in back-to-back years. Before 2024, the last time they had two top ten wrestlers in the same class was 2017. That’s a great sign as they are looking to unseat Penn State. Not only did Tom Brands’ squad get some high-caliber prospects, but they also come at weights of need. The wrestlers in DeLuca, Ludington, and Torres’ projected weights are heading into their senior seasons. Had they not signed these three, there were no obvious replacements on the roster. Iowa is also currently thin at the upperweight and Ohio’s Miller twins can help out there. Ty is headed straight to Iowa, while Jarrell will go to Iowa Central first. Much has been made about Iowa’s foray into the transfer portal for veterans. Getting a class like this with multiple potential superstars could prevent them from having to do that in the future. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (13), 2023 (6), 2022 (11), 2021 (4) 7. Nebraska Top Recruits: #19 Tyler Eise (Ponderosa, CO), #34 Nikade Zinkin (Clovis, CA), #36 Jake Hockaday (Brownsburg, IN), #37 Cade Ziola (Skutt Catholic, NE), #84 Abdi Unle (Omaha Bryan, NE) One of the most consistent recruiting forces in the nation is Nebraska. Their 19th place ranking in 2024 was their lowest in almost a decade. In 2025, they are in a spot they’re more accustomed to in eighth place. There’s a lot to like about this group for Nebraska. Two of their signees have competed in FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 dual event (Ziola/Eise). Three have finished in the top three at the Super 32. You also have to like the Huskers keeping a pair of top 100 recruits at home. Their home state doesn’t produce Big Boarders at the same rate as other states, so it’s important to grab them when available. The Nebraska staff also addressed some potential needs at 141 and 149 with Hockaday and Zinkin, as the starters at both weights will be seniors in 2025-26. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (19), 2023 (7), 2022 (8), 2021 (13) 6. NC State Top Recruits: #8 Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy, CA), #21 Will Denny (Marist, IL), #28 Brogan Tucker (Graham, OH), #85 Casen Howle (Greenwood, SC), #145 Jason Kwaak (Brentwood, NY), NR Xavier Wilson (Eastern Guilford, NC) NC State has become a mainstay in recruiting rankings and has another high-quality class in 2025. Even with NC State’s success on the recruiting trail. They’ve only inked one top ten prospect since their top-ranked Class of 2016. Now, Daniel Zepeda is another. He’s a three-time California state champion and has the ability to become a cornerstone of the Wolfpack program. The next recruits in line, in terms of recruiting rankings, were two of the prospects that seemed to generate less hype than others ranked in the same range - Will Denny and Brogan Tucker. Combined with Zepeda, they could form a formidable 1-2-3 punch in the middle of NC State for years to come. You also have to like getting a local-ish product in the upperweights with Casen Howle, an NHSCA Senior National champion with a long list of national level accolades, despite hailing from South Carolina. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (12), 2023 (18), 2022 (3), 2021 (5) 5. Missouri Top Recruits: #11 Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel, IL), #23 Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), #46 Sampson Stillwell (St. Michael, MO), #48 Dom Bambinelli (Mill Creek, GA), #91 Peyton Westpfahl (Liberty, MO), #99 Danny Heiser (Evansville, WI), #111 David Gleason (Staley, MO), NR Gerald Harris (Cascia Hall, OK), NR Hank Benter (Hickman, MO) Up until this year, Missouri’s recent recruiting history had them with a huge class one year, then a smaller class the next. Now, they’ve got back-to-back with highly ranked recruiting classes - seventh last year and now sixth in 2025. As you might expect, the Mizzou staff took care of business at home with two top-100 signees from the Show Me State and three Big Boarder’s total. Seth Mendoza leads the way and he has remained one of the top wrestlers in the Class of 2025 since setting foot on a high school mat. He’s competed everywhere and typically placed very high. Over the last year, he was a finalist in Fargo (Junior freestyle), the Super 32, and the Ironman. Getting Kollin Rath was huge for the Tiger staff on the mat and on the recruiting trail. Rath finished his high school career as the second ranked 157 lber in the country. In the long term, this move has significant recruiting implications. Missouri hadn’t landed a wrestler of Rath’s caliber from Pennsylvania in quite some time (Troy Dolan - 2007?). Getting a foothold into the Pennsylvania landscape is always a good thing. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (7), 2023 (NR), 2022 (4), 2021 (NR) 4. Virginia Tech Top Recruits: #12 Ryan Burton (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #15 Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon, PA), #27 Colin Gaj (Quakertown, PA), #51 Noah Nininger (Staunton River, VA), #55 Drew Gorman (Buford, GA), #92 Ben Weader (Chantilly, VA) Even a late flip isn’t enough to knock the Hokies from their perch at #4. The coaching staff hit some of the favorite and most fruitful recruiting locations (New Jersey/Pennsylvania/Georgia), while also keeping two of their home states best seniors within their borders. Years of great recruiting and transfer portal management have given the Virginia Tech staff the opportunity to redshirt this entire class, if need be. The top two recruits for Virginia Tech (Burton/Seidel) both captured Junior freestyle national titles last summer in Fargo. Four future Hokies (Burton/Seidel/Gaj/Gorman) were invited to participate in in FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 Dual. Nininger and Weader both finished top six at the U20 Open in Vegas. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (10), 2023 (9), 2022 (7), 2021 (22) 3. Cornell Top Recruits: #4 Anthony Knox (St. John Vianney, NJ), #9 Jude Correa (Wyoming Seminary, NH), #16 Alessio Perentin (Delbarton, NJ), #30 Rocco Dellagatta (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #33 Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA), #45 Eljiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA), #53 Elijah Diakomihalis (Hilton, NY), #68 Adrian DeJesus (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #236 Jake Conroy (Ringgold, PA) Eight big boarders - two of which are in the top ten, is a nice haul for a Cornell team that is traditionally a recruiting power. The highest rated of the bunch come at the bookends for Mike Grey’s team. Four-time New Jersey state champion and U20 team member Anthony Knox could start right away at 125 lbs and stay there for a few years. On the other end of the lineup, three-time National Prep champion and Who’s #1 winner Jude Correa awaits. Correa will attempt to become the first Cornell heavyweight to make the NCAA podium. In addition to Correa, Cornell also has Rocco Dellagatta and Jake Conroy as big boarders that could end up wrestling heavyweight. Elijah Diakomihalis is another in the line of Diakomihalis boys to wrestle for the Big Red - he should contribute at 184/197. Cornell has had success with wrestlers from Grey’s alma mater, Delbarton, and another one in Alessio Perentin, a three-time state champion, should help in the upper middlweights. This class, along with existing talent in the room, should help boost Cornell back into NCAA team trophy contention. The Class of 2025 gives Cornell three top-four recruiting classes in the last five years. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (18), 2023 (4), 2022 (NR), 2021 (3) 2. Oklahoma State Top Recruits: #3 Ladarion Lockett (Stillwater, OK), #5 Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville, MN), #6 Sergio Vega (Sunnyside, AZ), #24 Cody Routledge (Edmond North, OK), #26 Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut, CA), #50 Austin Johnson (Muncy, PA), #62 Ishmael Guerrero (Bixby, OK), #63 Cruz Goff (Blackwell, OK), #72 Beau Hickman (Tuttle, OK), #205 Ethan Teague (Tuttle, OK) In many years, this type of talent would be enough to take home the recruiting crown. If you want to call Oklahoma State #1, I’m not mad at that! For the power programs, star power is key and Oklahoma State has plenty of that potential with three top ten prospects and five of the top 30. The first full recruiting class under David Taylor featured the Cowboys keeping one of the nation’s most highly-sought after prospects, one from their backyard, home in Ladarion Lockett. They were also able to flip the next three-highest recruits - Landon Robideau (Minnesota), Sergio Vega (Iowa State), and Kody Routledge (Nebraska). Based on talent and the way the lineup could shake out, we might see Lockett in year one. Over the summer, he’ll chase his second consecutive U20 world medal. Many expect Oklahoma State to threaten Penn State in the next couple of years, having a group this star-laden will help set the foundation for the team title to come back to Stillwater. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (16), 2023 (1), 2022 (6), 2021 (6) 1. Penn State Top Recruits: #1 PJ Duke (Minisink Valley, NY), #2 Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg, OH), #18 Will Henckel (Blair Academy, CT), #22 Asher Cunningham (State College, PA), #39 Nathan Desmond (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #54 Dalton Perry (Central Mountain, PA) The rich get richer with back-to-back #1 recruiting classes. Something that hasn’t been done in the era of recruiting rankings (2005-25). Penn State’s top three recruits all earned a spot on the U20 world team and two (Duke/Blaze) already have medals from the 2024 tournament. Even though there isn’t a huge “need” compared to other programs for wrestlers at weights like Duke and Henckel, they have the ability to come in, take over and immediately contend. Blaze comes at a weight range (133/141) that is more of an immediate need. He could start in year one. Penn State’s track record and hit rate with mega recruits supersedes and thoughts of redundancy with this group. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (1), 2023 (3), 2022 (NR), 2021 (1)

The drama and bad headlines keep rolling in for PSU. On this week's show we dive into the Carter Starocci allegations, Beau Bartlett speaking out, Aaron Brooks failed drug test and how PSU is handling things to this point. We also discuss Gabe Arnold being dismissed from Iowa and Sammy Sasso being the newest addition to the Lehigh coaching staff. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:38 - Weigh in 5:13 - Penn State's silence throughout the chaos 17:05 - Aaron Brooks fails drug test 35:40 - Carter Starocci allegations + Beau Bartlett speaks out 59:09 - Is PSU dominance at stake? 1:02:17 - Gabe Arnold dismissed from Iowa 1:10:00 - Sammy Sasso joins Lehigh staff

One of the best wrestlers to come from the fabled Lehigh Valley over the last decade is headed back home as Lehigh University announced that Sammy Sasso has been hired as an assistant coach. Sasso compiled a 106-18 career record competing at Ohio State from 2018-2025. While in Columbus, Sasso earned NCAA All-American honors three times - including a pair of NCAA finals berths. He appeared in four Big Ten finals bouts and won two. As a redshirt freshman, Sasso was seeded third at the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was canceled. During the four times he qualified for nationals, Sasso was never seeded lower than fourth. Sasso’s career took a detour in the summer of 2023 when he was shot during a carjacking. He spent nearly a month in the hospital and missed the entire 2023-24 campaign. Sasso miraculously returned to the Buckeye squad in 2024-25 and was victorious in his first match in 450+ days - 12-6 against Chattanooga’s Jackson Hurst. During the 24-25 campaign, Sasso competed in the 157 and 165 lb weight class but ended up retiring before the postseason with a 12-7 record. Before coming to Ohio State, Sasso was tabbed the #4 overall recruit in the Class of 2018 after winning two Pennsylvania AAA state titles and never finishing lower than third for Nazareth High School. Along the way, he won titles at the Ironman, Beast of the East, and Super 32. Sasso will get to work with a talented group of Lehigh middleweights that include NCAA qualifiers Kelvin Griffin, Logan Rozynski, and Max Brignola. Also in that group is incoming freshman Chase Van Hoven, who was the #44 overall recruit in the Class of 2025.

June 15th was New Year’s Day for those college coaches recruiting the Class of 2027 and the student-athletes waiting to plan out their futures. The 15th was the first day that collegiate coaches could officially contact rising juniors and there has been plenty of activity on the recruiting front. Since the 15th, some of the nation’s top prospects have released lists of their top schools. Rather than trying to dig through social media or click through a bunch of state sites, we have compiled this list of these top recruits and their potential future homes. Remember recruiting is a fluid process, so another school, currently unlisted, could jump into the picture for a recruit. Conversely, the recruits could trim their list at any time. This is a feature that will be revisited as needed throughout the recruitment process. #1 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, PA) - Arizona State, Michigan, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh #3 Sonny Amato (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ) - Arizona State, Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech #5 Israel Borge (Westlake, UT) - Arizona State, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraksa,Oklahoma State, Penn State #9 Mario Carini (Poway, CA) - Cornell, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Princeton, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech #14 Max Konopka (Simsbury, CT) - Cornell, Lehigh, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #15 Hayden Schwab (Don Bosco, IA) - Cornell, Iowa, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Virginia Tech #30 Jimmy Mastny (Marian Central, IL) - Air Force, Arizona State, Army, Cornell, George Mason, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Little Rock, Michigan, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn, Purdue, Princeton, SIU Edwardsville, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #38 Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco, IA) - Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, NC State, Nebraska, Northern Iowa #39 Gage Lohr (Watertown, SD) - Cornell, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota State, Wisconsin, Wyoming #41 Dale Corbin (Wyoming Seminary, PA) - Army West Point, Cornell, Lehigh, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Utah Valley, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #52 Luke Hayden (Hickman, MO) - Air Force, Cornell, Missouri, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Oregon State, Princeton, Purdue, South Dakota State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin #54 Steel Meyers (Allen, TX) - Air Force, Brown, California Baptist, Cornell, Harvard, Little Rock, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wyoming #107 Caleb Tyler (Delone Catholic, PA) - Clarion, Duke, Franklin & Marshall, Virginia, Wisconsin

With the school year over, the end of year awards and accolades start getting passed out for a season well-done. As for us in Fantasy D1 Wrestling, the data has been processed, the charts have been reviewed, and the evaluations are complete. The breakdown of the Top Fantasy Wrestlers of the 2025 season is here to help you start your 2025 season research. Just like in the past few years, some names are going to be expected, while a lot more may not be. That's the beauty of Fantasy Wrestling, where any wrestler can be the star of the weekend and win the dual for you. To compile these lists, we used standard WrestleStat Fantasy College Wrestling Data & Scoring. Just a reminder of how points were tallied in WrestleStat leagues: 1) The scoring used was standard team scoring across all competitions (+3 for a win by decision, -4 for a loss by major, etc) 2) Scoring only counted against D1 competition 3) Wins via forfeits (FFT) would count as +6 towards a wrestler's point total 4) Wins or losses by medical forfeit (MFF) did not count as + or - towards a wrestler's point total 5) Points were only accumulated during the regular season 149 Top-20 Notes: As the saying goes, if you score more points than your opponent, most of the time you're going to win the game. Well, the same goes for pins in Fantasy Wrestling. The 2025 pin leader Kelvin Griffin also was the #1 Fantasy Wrestler at 149 this year, powered behind 17 countable pins (despite seven D1 losses totaling -30 Fpts!). In the 2024 season, Griffin finished #3 behind Caleb Henson and Ridge Lovett. You would think being the pin leader for the season across all weights would put a pretty decent gap with between the next closest wrestler, but not in this case. #2 through #5 were within 12 Fpts, with Shayne Van Ness being the closest by six Fpts. Van Ness only had one loss in the regular season and only three decisions in his 17 wins. That loss, a loss by major to Ridge Lovett, had he won would have been #1 at 149. Speaking of Ridge Lovett, the 149 national champion finds himself at #9 this season, after being #2 in 2024. Besides having fewer matches in 2025, he had one more loss and a PPM down by 0.6 which can account for the “fall” in the standings. That said, national finalist Caleb Henson, had less matches in 2025 than his 2024 campaign (where he was #1 at 149) but a higher PPM by 0.5. Lachlan McNeil wrestled up a weight this past season, and landed at #8 just like he did in 2024 at 141 (and #6 in 2023 at 141). Through the past three seasons, McNeil has been pretty consistent with matches wrestled (22 in 2025, 23 in 2024, and 25 in 2023) and points (63Fpts, 58 Fpts, and 61 Fpts respectively). The saying is, there are no guarantees or locks, but Kyle Parco being a Top-10 Fantasy Wrestler is just about a stone-cold-lock if there ever was one. All five seasons at 149, from 2021 to 2025, the lowest Parco has ever been was #9 at 149 in 2024. Unfortunately an injury at NCAAs derailed his probable fifth AA trophy. Replacing Parco in Iowa City will (possibly) be Jordan Williams, who transferred in after a #12 fantasy season at Little Rock. Taking 4th place at the 2025 Nationals as a 13th seed was certainly a surprise, but Dylan D’Emilio was pretty consistent. Even though he did not have a very high-ranking win during the regular season (#11 Kannon Webster (ILL) was his best and ranked one ahead of D’Emilio at the time), he only lost three times to guys ranked in the Top 8. Five All Americans made the Top-20 Who Missed The Cut: Four All Americans at 149 were seeded ninth or above. Three of them fell just short of making the Fantasy Top-20. #22 seed Gavin Drexler (NDSU) was the #21st best Fantasy Wrestler this year, falling just three points shy with 45 Fpts. Sammy Alvarez (RID) was right behind him with 42 Fpts. The last AA that missed the cut was Ethan Stiles (ORST) at #25 with 38 Fpts. Other notables include Jaden Abas (STAN) & Dylan Layton (CSU) tied at #23 with 39 Fpts, Malyke Hines (LEH) at #29 with 36 Fpts, Kannon Webster (ILL) at #30 with 34 Fpts, Sam Cartella (NW) at #34 with 32 Fpt, Paul Kelly (CBU) at #37 with 28 Fpts, and Gabe Willochell (WYO) at #40 with 27 Fpts.

On Friday, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Aaron Brooks released a statement on social media that might contain a reference to a suspension due to a failed drug test. At this time, a suspension and a failed drug test have not been made public by any of wrestling's governing bodies. Brooks starts the statement noting that he's dealt with a variety of injuries - he hasn't competed at all in 2025. We'll have more information as it becomes public regarding Brooks and this situation.

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot seemed to be locked up early; however, a furious push from the second-place team ensued. Third was pretty easy to determine, but after that, there were a lot of teams that could make a case for the remainder of the top ten. Then, as you made your way down to the 25 spot, there were a handful of teams that could’ve made a case for their inclusion. Some of it came down to how you value quantity over quality. As you peruse the rankings, you’ll see plenty of classes that had both. Recruiting rankings mark the end of the respective class and put a bow on the hard work of coaching staffs around the nation. The question you ask is, how are these rankings tabulated? First, we have used the big board rankings courtesy of our sister-site MatScouts. Willie Saylor has taken the arduous task of projecting the top-250 wrestlers in the Class of 2025, making calculating these rankings slightly easier. Some of the factors that are taken into account when putting these rankings together include: - Numbers: Where were the signees ranked? How many top-ten, top-50, top-100, top-250, etc., does a school have? - Fit: After years of following these programs and their coaching staffs, does a particular recruit fit the "type" of kid that has success at their respective team. Or maybe a style of wrestling. - Filling a need: In years past, I have weighed this very heavily. Signing two highly ranked 184 lb prospects doesn't appear to fit a need when you have a stud sophomore returning at the same weight. - Impact on a program: This is subjective, but tends to favor teams that aren't consistent NCAA trophy contenders. If Iowa or Penn State sign the #80 overall recruit and he turns out to AA twice, taking seventh and eighth for them, it has a particular impact. But if Brown or Wyoming sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both Brown and Wyoming may have benefitted from this criteria in 2025. So, with that out of the way, enjoy the second half of InterMat's 2025 Team Recruiting Rankings. 13-25 was posted yesterday. 12. Pittsburgh Top Recruits: #41 Vince Bouzakis (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #65 Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson, PA), #87 Carson Walsh (Pope John XXIII, NJ), #93 Evan Petrovich (Connellsville, PA), #181 Nico Fanella (Indiana, PA) This is easily the best recruiting class of the Kevin Gavin-era and probably the best for Pitt since 2016. The class got a late boost as #41 Vince Bouzakis flipped from Ohio State. Bouzakis had a massive junior season, one that saw him win a Junior freestyle title in Fargo, followed by a third place finish at the Super 32 and championships at the Ironman and Powerade. He didn’t compete very often as a senior, so he could end up outwrestling his current ranking. The Pitt staff did what they needed to do in retaining Big Boarders from Western Pennsylvania in Bode Marlow, Evan Petrovich, and Nico Fanella. Marlow was a state runner-up in one of the tougher brackets in the country. You also have to like the signing of New Jersey state finalist Carson Walsh. The Pitt staff seems to be dipping into Jersey pretty often, of late. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (24), 2022 (15), 2021 (HM) 11. North Carolina Top Recruits: #56 Matt Botello (Wyoming Seminary, MA), #60 Jacob Levy (Lake Highland Prep, GA), #80 Mitchell Younger (Bishop Watterson, OH), #94 Nate Askew (Baylor School, GA), #138 Devon Miller (Edmond North, OK), #147 Luke Sipes (Altoona, PA), NR Liam Hickey (Cardinal Gibbons, NC). The second recruiting class under the watchful eye of Rob Koll was almost as good as the first. Four top 100 prospects. Six Big Boarders in total. I usually try to look for consistent recruiting trends with schools - maybe a certain area of the country. North Carolina kind of has guys coming in from everywhere. They did hit the National Prep level pretty hard and ended up signing two 2025 champions, Matt Botello and Jacob Levy. The UNC staff had their eyes open in 2024 with a couple of late flips. This year they had two flips from Big Boarders with Devon Miller and Luke Sipes. With a massive class in 2024 and this group, combined with transfers, the projected lineup for this year and going forward will include almost all recruits from the Koll-era. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (8), 2023 (NR), 2022 (16), 2021 (21) 10. Rutgers Top Recruits: #25 Tahir Parkins (Nazareth, PA), #40 Devon Magro (Bishop McCort, PA), #69 Jordan Chapman (Cranford, NJ), #98 Billy Townson (Poway, CA), NR Easton Doster (New Haven, IN) It’ll be back-to-back top ten ranked recruiting classes for Rutgers. Likely for the first time in program history. Once again, the Rutgers staff ventured into Pennsylvania and emerged with a pair of state champions and two of the best seniors in the state. Rutgers also has recently branched out to California and Indiana, those states have produced recruits in 2025, as well. Rutgers’ bread-and-butter thus far has been their in-state wrestlers. Keeping Jordan Chapman at home was a strong signing. Chapman has placed at all of the big national events and typically puts up a lot of points along the way. Strong recruiting and portal additions will allow the Rutgers staff to redshirt this entire class, if they see fit. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (4), 2023 (NR), 2022 (12), 2021 (17) 9. Michigan Top Recruits: #20 Nick Sahakian (St. John Bosco, CA), #32 Eren Sement (Council Rock North, PA), #58 Gauge Botero (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #78 De’Alcapon Veazy (Ponderosa, CO), #108 Cooper Hilton (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #187 Charles Walker (Joliet Central, IL) It’s hard to believe that Michigan missed out on our recruiting rankings at the beginning of this cycle; however, they are in the top 11 for the third straight season. This year saw Sean Bormet’s team venture into Pennsylvania more than in past year - which is never a bad idea. The Wolverines got a late flip from #32 Eren Sement, who might have been one of the biggest risers in the nation during the 2024-25 season. He went from #107 to #32 over the course of his senior year. The top recruit for the Wolverines is Nick Sahakian, who might be the best pure heavyweight prospect in this class. Sahakian also was a flip toward Michigan. He was a U17 World Team member in Greco-Roman and a three-time UWW U17 Trials placer in both styles. Late addition, Charles Walker, is an intriguing prospect who did not place in Illinois at 215 lbs as a junior, but won a loaded 285 lb bracket. Three strong recruiting classes in a row will help Michigan restock and could have them relying on the transfer portal less in the future. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (11), 2023 (2), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 8. Iowa Top Recruits: #7 Leo DeLuca (Blair Academy, NJ), #10 Harvey Ludington (Brick Memorial, NJ), #52 Claudio Torres (Lake Highland Prep, FL), #146 Ty Miller (St. Edward, OH) A couple of high-profile late flips helped the Hawks get into the top five. Harvey Ludington initially committed to Arizona State and Claudio Torres had signed with Virginia Tech. Both are now headed to Iowa City. The New Jersey duo of Leo DeLuca and Ludington represent a pair of top ten recruits. Iowa now has signed multiple top-ten recruits in back-to-back years. Before 2024, the last time they had two top ten wrestlers in the same class was 2017. That’s a great sign as they are looking to unseat Penn State. Not only did Tom Brands’ squad get some high-caliber prospects, but they also come at weights of need. The wrestlers in DeLuca, Ludington, and Torres’ projected weights are heading into their senior seasons. Had they not signed these three, there were no obvious replacements on the roster. Iowa is also currently thin at the upperweight and Ohio’s Miller twins can help out there. Ty is headed straight to Iowa, while Jarrell will go to Iowa Central first. Much has been made about Iowa’s foray into the transfer portal for veterans. Getting a class like this with multiple potential superstars could prevent them from having to do that in the future. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (13), 2023 (6), 2022 (11), 2021 (4) 7. Nebraska Top Recruits: #19 Tyler Eise (Ponderosa, CO), #34 Nikade Zinkin (Clovis, CA), #36 Jake Hockaday (Brownsburg, IN), #37 Cade Ziola (Skutt Catholic, NE), #84 Abdi Unle (Omaha Bryan, NE) One of the most consistent recruiting forces in the nation is Nebraska. Their 19th place ranking in 2024 was their lowest in almost a decade. In 2025, they are in a spot they’re more accustomed to in eighth place. There’s a lot to like about this group for Nebraska. Two of their signees have competed in FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 dual event (Ziola/Eise). Three have finished in the top three at the Super 32. You also have to like the Huskers keeping a pair of top 100 recruits at home. Their home state doesn’t produce Big Boarders at the same rate as other states, so it’s important to grab them when available. The Nebraska staff also addressed some potential needs at 141 and 149 with Hockaday and Zinkin, as the starters at both weights will be seniors in 2025-26. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (19), 2023 (7), 2022 (8), 2021 (13) 6. NC State Top Recruits: #8 Daniel Zepeda (Gilroy, CA), #21 Will Denny (Marist, IL), #28 Brogan Tucker (Graham, OH), #85 Casen Howle (Greenwood, SC), #145 Jason Kwaak (Brentwood, NY), NR Xavier Wilson (Eastern Guilford, NC) NC State has become a mainstay in recruiting rankings and has another high-quality class in 2025. Even with NC State’s success on the recruiting trail. They’ve only inked one top ten prospect since their top-ranked Class of 2016. Now, Daniel Zepeda is another. He’s a three-time California state champion and has the ability to become a cornerstone of the Wolfpack program. The next recruits in line, in terms of recruiting rankings, were two of the prospects that seemed to generate less hype than others ranked in the same range - Will Denny and Brogan Tucker. Combined with Zepeda, they could form a formidable 1-2-3 punch in the middle of NC State for years to come. You also have to like getting a local-ish product in the upperweights with Casen Howle, an NHSCA Senior National champion with a long list of national level accolades, despite hailing from South Carolina. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (12), 2023 (18), 2022 (3), 2021 (5) 5. Missouri Top Recruits: #11 Seth Mendoza (Mt. Carmel, IL), #23 Kollin Rath (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), #46 Sampson Stillwell (St. Michael, MO), #48 Dom Bambinelli (Mill Creek, GA), #91 Peyton Westpfahl (Liberty, MO), #99 Danny Heiser (Evansville, WI), #111 David Gleason (Staley, MO), NR Gerald Harris (Cascia Hall, OK), NR Hank Benter (Hickman, MO) Up until this year, Missouri’s recent recruiting history had them with a huge class one year, then a smaller class the next. Now, they’ve got back-to-back with highly ranked recruiting classes - seventh last year and now sixth in 2025. As you might expect, the Mizzou staff took care of business at home with two top-100 signees from the Show Me State and three Big Boarder’s total. Seth Mendoza leads the way and he has remained one of the top wrestlers in the Class of 2025 since setting foot on a high school mat. He’s competed everywhere and typically placed very high. Over the last year, he was a finalist in Fargo (Junior freestyle), the Super 32, and the Ironman. Getting Kollin Rath was huge for the Tiger staff on the mat and on the recruiting trail. Rath finished his high school career as the second ranked 157 lber in the country. In the long term, this move has significant recruiting implications. Missouri hadn’t landed a wrestler of Rath’s caliber from Pennsylvania in quite some time (Troy Dolan - 2007?). Getting a foothold into the Pennsylvania landscape is always a good thing. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (7), 2023 (NR), 2022 (4), 2021 (NR) 4. Virginia Tech Top Recruits: #12 Ryan Burton (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #15 Aaron Seidel (Northern Lebanon, PA), #27 Colin Gaj (Quakertown, PA), #51 Noah Nininger (Staunton River, VA), #55 Drew Gorman (Buford, GA), #92 Ben Weader (Chantilly, VA) Even a late flip isn’t enough to knock the Hokies from their perch at #4. The coaching staff hit some of the favorite and most fruitful recruiting locations (New Jersey/Pennsylvania/Georgia), while also keeping two of their home states best seniors within their borders. Years of great recruiting and transfer portal management have given the Virginia Tech staff the opportunity to redshirt this entire class, if need be. The top two recruits for Virginia Tech (Burton/Seidel) both captured Junior freestyle national titles last summer in Fargo. Four future Hokies (Burton/Seidel/Gaj/Gorman) were invited to participate in in FloWrestling’s Who’s #1 Dual. Nininger and Weader both finished top six at the U20 Open in Vegas. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (10), 2023 (9), 2022 (7), 2021 (22) 3. Cornell Top Recruits: #4 Anthony Knox (St. John Vianney, NJ), #9 Jude Correa (Wyoming Seminary, NH), #16 Alessio Perentin (Delbarton, NJ), #30 Rocco Dellagatta (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #33 Isaiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA), #45 Eljiah Cortez (Gilroy, CA), #53 Elijah Diakomihalis (Hilton, NY), #68 Adrian DeJesus (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #236 Jake Conroy (Ringgold, PA) Eight big boarders - two of which are in the top ten, is a nice haul for a Cornell team that is traditionally a recruiting power. The highest rated of the bunch come at the bookends for Mike Grey’s team. Four-time New Jersey state champion and U20 team member Anthony Knox could start right away at 125 lbs and stay there for a few years. On the other end of the lineup, three-time National Prep champion and Who’s #1 winner Jude Correa awaits. Correa will attempt to become the first Cornell heavyweight to make the NCAA podium. In addition to Correa, Cornell also has Rocco Dellagatta and Jake Conroy as big boarders that could end up wrestling heavyweight. Elijah Diakomihalis is another in the line of Diakomihalis boys to wrestle for the Big Red - he should contribute at 184/197. Cornell has had success with wrestlers from Grey’s alma mater, Delbarton, and another one in Alessio Perentin, a three-time state champion, should help in the upper middlweights. This class, along with existing talent in the room, should help boost Cornell back into NCAA team trophy contention. The Class of 2025 gives Cornell three top-four recruiting classes in the last five years. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (18), 2023 (4), 2022 (NR), 2021 (3) 2. Oklahoma State Top Recruits: #3 Ladarion Lockett (Stillwater, OK), #5 Landon Robideau (St. Michael-Albertville, MN), #6 Sergio Vega (Sunnyside, AZ), #24 Cody Routledge (Edmond North, OK), #26 Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut, CA), #50 Austin Johnson (Muncy, PA), #62 Ishmael Guerrero (Bixby, OK), #63 Cruz Goff (Blackwell, OK), #72 Beau Hickman (Tuttle, OK), #205 Ethan Teague (Tuttle, OK) In many years, this type of talent would be enough to take home the recruiting crown. If you want to call Oklahoma State #1, I’m not mad at that! For the power programs, star power is key and Oklahoma State has plenty of that potential with three top ten prospects and five of the top 30. The first full recruiting class under David Taylor featured the Cowboys keeping one of the nation’s most highly-sought after prospects, one from their backyard, home in Ladarion Lockett. They were also able to flip the next three-highest recruits - Landon Robideau (Minnesota), Sergio Vega (Iowa State), and Kody Routledge (Nebraska). Based on talent and the way the lineup could shake out, we might see Lockett in year one. Over the summer, he’ll chase his second consecutive U20 world medal. Many expect Oklahoma State to threaten Penn State in the next couple of years, having a group this star-laden will help set the foundation for the team title to come back to Stillwater. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (16), 2023 (1), 2022 (6), 2021 (6) 1. Penn State Top Recruits: #1 PJ Duke (Minisink Valley, NY), #2 Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg, OH), #18 Will Henckel (Blair Academy, CT), #22 Asher Cunningham (State College, PA), #39 Nathan Desmond (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #54 Dalton Perry (Central Mountain, PA) The rich get richer with back-to-back #1 recruiting classes. Something that hasn’t been done in the era of recruiting rankings (2005-25). Penn State’s top three recruits all earned a spot on the U20 world team and two (Duke/Blaze) already have medals from the 2024 tournament. Even though there isn’t a huge “need” compared to other programs for wrestlers at weights like Duke and Henckel, they have the ability to come in, take over and immediately contend. Blaze comes at a weight range (133/141) that is more of an immediate need. He could start in year one. Penn State’s track record and hit rate with mega recruits supersedes and thoughts of redundancy with this group. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (1), 2023 (3), 2022 (NR), 2021 (1)

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot seemed to be locked up early; however, a furious push from the second-place team ensued. Third was pretty easy to determine, but after that, there were a lot of teams that could make a case for the remainder of the top ten. Then, as you made your way down to the 25 spot, there were a handful of teams that could’ve made a case for their inclusion. Some of it came down to how you value quantity over quality. As you peruse the rankings, you’ll see plenty of classes that had both. Recruiting rankings mark the end of the respective class and put a bow on the hard work of coaching staffs around the nation. The question you ask is, how are these rankings tabulated? First, we have used the big board rankings courtesy of our sister-site MatScouts. Willie Saylor has taken the arduous task of projecting the top-250 wrestlers in the Class of 2025, making calculating these rankings slightly easier. Some of the factors that are taken into account when putting these rankings together include: - Numbers: Where were the signees ranked? How many top-ten, top-50, top-100, top-250, etc., does a school have? - Fit: After years of following these programs and their coaching staffs, does a particular recruit fit the "type" of kid that has success at their respective team. Or maybe a style of wrestling. - Filling a need: In years past, I have weighed this very heavily. Signing two highly ranked 184 lb prospects doesn't appear to fit a need when you have a stud sophomore returning at the same weight. - Impact on a program: This is subjective, but tends to favor teams that aren't consistent NCAA trophy contenders. If Iowa or Penn State sign the #80 overall recruit and he turns out to AA twice, taking seventh and eighth for them, it has a particular impact. But if Brown or Wyoming sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both Brown and Wyoming may have benefitted from this criteria in 2025. So, with that out of the way, enjoy the first half of InterMat's 2025 Team Recruiting Rankings. 13-25. 1-12 will be posted tomorrow. 25. Iowa State Top Recruits: #14 Christian Castillo (Ames, IA), #107 Carter Pearson (Southeast Polk, IA), #139 TJ Koester (Bettendorf, IA), NR Jacob Helgeson (Johnston, IA) Not every class has to have 10 incoming freshmen and eight Big Boarders. It’s difficult to pull off and maybe even more so with roster limits looming. All of that to say, Iowa State doesn’t have a huge class, but that’s not a bad thing. The Cyclones have had some very strong classes of late. That combined with some key transfers doesn’t leave them with many holes. Actually, they’ll have some interesting roster decisions. With the Class of 2025, Iowa State did sign U17 world silver medalist and two-time Super 32 champion Christian Castillo. Castillo, an Arizona native, already spent his senior year of high school in Ames and has likely been working closely with the RTC. He’s a great prospect at 125 lbs. Aside from Castillo, Kevin Dresser’s team was able to get some quality prospects from in-state with Big Boarders Carter Pearson, TJ Koester, and Jacob Helgeson. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (9), 2023 (10), 2022 (2), 2021 (16) 24. Brown Top Recruits: #82 Max Norman (Baylor School, TN), #210 Kaleb Jackson (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #224 Preston Marchesseault (Ponaganset, RI), #238 Khimari Manns (St. Edward, OH), NR Riley McPherson (Brecksville, OH) You have to love the way that Jordan Leen and his staff have been hustling on the recruiting trail since his hire before the 2022-23 season. At that time, Brown had fallen behind some of their Ivy League rivals in the recruiting game; however, now they are in the mix for plenty of Big Board talent. They’ve done so well that there have been a couple of instances where they got in early on a prospect, only to have him picked up by another school later in the game, after he has a breakout. That happened a couple of times this year. Even so, Brown has a good crew coming to Providence. Whether it was planned or not, the Brown staff has brought in kids from traditional power programs, ones that they’ll be able to hit again and again over the years. The local New England scene is slowly getting more competitive nationally and Brown seemed ready to take advantage of that. Brown’s 2024-25 squad featured four senior starters so this group should be counted on to start early. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (NR), 2021 (HM) 23. Penn Top Recruits: #90 Max Stein (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #131 Liam Carlin (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, NY), #155 Deven Casey (IC Prep, IL), #164 Elliott Humphries (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA), #170 Wyatt Stout (Southern Regional, NJ), #228 Greyson Meak (Cold Spring Harbor, NY), #234 Donny Almeyda (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), NR Brian Heard (Abingdon Heights, PA) Of late, Penn has routinely brought in huge recruiting classes. This is more of the same. They’ve also been a regular in the recruiting rankings. Despite some coaching changes in the last couple of years, recruiting has maintained and continued. Years of strong recruiting means that this class won’t be pressed into duty immediately; however, since they can’t use redshirts, if one of these recruits can come in and push a starter it makes for a more competitive room. Penn continues to dip into New Jersey for talent, while getting some homegrown talent, and reaching into New York, as well. This is a blueprint that the Penn staff continues to follow. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (HM), 2023 (20), 2022 (18), 2021 (23) 22. Purdue Top Recruits: #70 Noah Weaver (Rossville, IN), #142 Adrian Pellot (Merrillville, IN), #160 Isaiah Schaefer (Mater Dei, IN), #178 Vinny Paino (Emerson-Park Ridge, NJ), #193 Brody Saccoccia (Steubenville, OH), #201 Aidan Costello (Hobart, IN) Looking at this class combined with the early Class of 2026, it looks like Purdue will continue to be a mainstay in the recruiting rankings. It makes sense as the Boilermakers are coming off a season in which they put multiple wrestlers on the NCAA podium for the first time since 2006. The Purdue staff did a great job at making sure their home state’s best wrestlers were kept within its borders. Three of the in-state recruits (Weaver, Pellot, Schaefer) were 2025 state champions. They also did well at filling potential holes in the future. Paino, Costello, and Weaver all are projected at weights where the returning starter is a senior, so they should be ready to go after a redshirt. You have to like a school that has seen its recent success translate onto the recruiting trail and can take care of business recruiting at home (along with picking up some others from Big Ten country). Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (13), 2022 (NR), 2021 (20) 21. Navy Top Recruits: #42 Caedyn Ricciardi (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ), #148 Tyler Hood (St. Christopher’s, VA), #167 Evan Boblits (St. Mary’s Ryken, MD), #202 Nikos Filipos (Wyoming Seminary, PA), NR Coltyn Reedy (Sheridan, OH), NR Gavin Cole (Council Rock South, PA) The Navy recruiting classes tend to be large and this one is no different. It is headed up by one of the more overlooked stars in the top-50 two-time New Jersey champion and three-time finalist Caedyn Ricciardi. Ricciardi is also a three-time Beast of the East finalist and one-time champ. As can often be the case, the Navy staff looked to the National Prep ranks to find a handful of recruits - Tyler Hood, Evan Boblits, and Nikos Filipos. All three were National Prep AA’s in 2025 and Hood was a finalist, while Boblits was third, both at the 150 lb weight class. Navy is back in the mix after missing out on the rankings in each of the last two seasons. I’d expect them to be in the rankings next year, as well. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (21), 2021 (18) 20. South Dakota State Top Recruits: #77 Jacob Herm (Neenah, WI), #89 Micah Hach (Watertown, SD), #177 Liam Neitzel (Hudson, WI), #190 Zach Ballante (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #192 Carson Dupill (Greeneville, TN), #200 Bas Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock, IA), #212 Jarrett Wadsen (St. Michael-Albertville, MN), #214 Keenan Sheridan (O’Gorman, SD), #242 Conlan Carlson (Willmar, MN) Oftentimes, in recruiting, the number of swings at the pinata is an important factor. There are bound to be some wrestlers who don’t live up to their pre-collegiate credentials, but if you get a large number of quality recruits some will work out. South Dakota State has the numbers with a ridiculous nine(!) Big Boarders. They were able to keep their home state’s best prospect within their borders with the signing of Micah Hach. Hach was an NHSCA Junior champion and a Fargo Junior finalist in Greco; however, they will have to share him with the football team. Two of the three highest-ranked recruits for Damion Hahn’s team come from Wisconsin, a state they’ve added to their normal recruiting rotation. The highest-ranked of the bunch is Jacob Herm, who has shined in Greco, but was fifth at the Super 32 last fall. The Jackrabbits have recruited well of late, so they don’t go into 2025-26 with any major holes in the lineup. A large group like this should let them redshirt everyone and continue to build depth and create quality DI wrestlers that might have initially been overlooked. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (HM), 2022 (HM), 2021 (12) 19. Wyoming Top Recruits: #38 Lane Foard (Benedictine, VA), #86 Gunner Henry (Brownsburg, IN), #100 Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe, PA), #199 Isaiah Harrison (Mountain View, CO), #229 Brad Farrer (Pleasant Grove, UT) Make it four straight years with Wyoming getting at least a mention in our recruiting rankings. The Cowboys chug along with three top 100 recruits and five Big Boarders. National Prep champion Lane Foard and NHSCA Sophomore champion Gunner Henry will make the Cowboy upperweights even more formidable than they are presently. Two-time Pennsylvania state finalist Luke Willochell is the younger brother of Wyoming national qualifier, Gabe. With recruits from Virginia, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, Wyoming continues to widen its recruiting bases. They’ve also found a way to stay true to their normal recruiting turf (Colorado/Utah). The additions of Foard/Henry in particular fall into a familiar pattern for Wyoming. They had homegrown All-Americans from the recruiting classes of 2022 and 2023, who were both ranked between #55 and #65 in their recruiting classes. Slightly overlooked, but also experienced on a national level. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (HM), 2023 (16), 2022 (13), 2021 (NR) 18. Army West Point Top Recruits: #49 Joseph Antonio (St. John Bosco, CA), #136 Charles Weidman (Xavier, CT), #182 Cadell Lee (Brooke Point, VA), #191 Ben Smith (NY Military Academy, NY), NR Johnny Green (Aurora, OH), NR Hayden Hochstrasser (Southern Regional, NJ), NR Evan Roudebush (Bloomington South, IN), NR Josh Vasquez (Aurora Christian, IL), NR Primo Catalano (Chaminade, CA) New head coach Troy Nickerson has a lot to work with between the existing talent in the room and the wrestlers on their way to West Point from the Class of 2025 (and beyond). Past Army recruiting classes have been filled with Big Boarders, but not many in the top half of the top 100. That is remedied with the pickup of two-time California state finalist Joseph Antonio. Antonio was a Super 32 finalist prior to his junior year in high school. On the other hand, Army does very well at developing non-blue chip recruits, so their past history gives them a slight bump when it comes to the recruits they’ve locked down outside of the top 50. It’s a testament to the West Point staff that Army has been a regular in the recruiting rankings, moreso than some from the traditional power conferences. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (17), 2022 (23), 2021 (24) 17. Northern Iowa Top Recruits: #43 Logan Paradice (Colquitt County, GA), #61 Kyler Knaack (Don Bosco, IA), #130 Max Brady (Mariner, FL), #150 Jace Hedeman (Union, IA) Northern Iowa hasn’t been a regular in the recruiting rankings. More often than not, the Panthers find overlooked gems and develop them into strong collegiate wrestlers. Now, Doug Schwab’s staff has a pair of top-100 recruits and four Big Boarders to work with. Top recruit, Logan Paradice, was a two-time top-four finisher at the Super 32 and was a three-time Georgia state champion. Kyler Knaack was the highest-ranked senior in the state of Iowa and a huge pickup for the Panthers. Knaack was a double 16U Fargo champion and a runner-up last year at the UWW U17 Trials. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (25), 2021 (NR) 16. Virginia Top Recruits: #29 Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman, MD), #67 Jayce Paridon (Lake Highland Prep, FL), #154 Ethan Timar (St. Edward, OH), #194 Aiden King (Bishop Hartley, OH), #204 Macon Ayers (Staunton River, VA), #207 Rocco Hayes (Carl Sandburg, IL), #227 Adam Butler (St. Edward, OH) The UVA staff got in on Emmitt Sherlock early and he ended up becoming the talk of the 2024 UWW U17 Trials with titles in both styles. Sherlock went on to the U17 World Championships, competed in both styles, and advanced to the bronze medal match in freestyle. Virginia’s other top 100 recruit, Jayce Paridon, was a late flip from Army West Point. With a loaded Lake Highland Prep schedule, Paridon hit all of the big tournaments and won National Preps, the Powerade, and NHSCA Senior Nationals. This group also features a duo from St. Edward, Ohio - Ethan Timar and Adam Butler. St. Ed’s has been one of the most consistent producers of talent at the high school level and a place where UVA has a long tradition of finding talent. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (NR), 2022 (9), 2021 (NR) 15. Indiana Top Recruits: #35 Carson Thomas (LaSalle, OH), #79 Jackson Blum (Lowell, MI), #113 Hunter Sturgill (Baylor School, TN), #119 Gavin Jendreas (Crown Point, IN), #121 Matt Kowalski (Springboro, OH), NR Anthony Gutierrez (St. Charles East, IL) Indiana is becoming a regular in the recruiting rankings thanks to coach Angel Escobedo and his staff. They have back-to-back top 15 classes, which is also coming on the heels of the first All-American of Escobedo’s tenure. The highest-ranked wrestler in this class is Carson Thomas who skipped his final season of collegiate wrestling to train at the OTC. In between his junior and senior seasons, Thomas was third at the UWW U17 Trials and Fargo Junior freestyle before winning the Super 32. He’s an excellent pickup for the Hoosiers. Looking at Indiana’s class, they’ve been able to nab top prospects from a handful of their neighboring Big Ten states. That is in addition to inking Indiana state finalist and Fargo All-American Gavin Jendreas. If Indiana can continue to stack recruiting classes like these on top of each other they’ll continue to move up in a loaded conference. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (14), 2023 (HM), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 14. Stanford Top Recruits: #13 Angelo Posada (Poway, CA), #95 Brokton Borelli (Los Banos, CA), #109 Edwin Sierra (Poway, CA), #114 Dylan Pile (Los Gatos, CA), #196 Adam Mattin (Delta, OH) After three incredible classes for Stanford, there aren’t too many holes in the potential Cardinal lineup for 2025-26. Hence a smaller recruiting class in 2025. The class is small on numbers, but big on talent. Angelo Posada is someone who has continued to grow and get better as he’s moved up in weight. Since last summer he won Fargo Junior freestyle, the Super 32, and the Doc B. He also was selected for Who’s #1 and won at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Also, staying at home are, Brokton Borelli, Edwin Sierra, and Dylan Pile. Each finished in the top-three in California last year. The future (and the present) is very exciting for Stanford wrestling. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (2), 2023 (8), 2022 (5), 2021 (NR) 13. Oregon State Top Recruits: #71 Manny Saldate (SLAM Academy, NV), #83 Anthony Mutarelli (Council Rock South, PA), #88 Khale McDonnell (Fountain Valley, CA), #117 Koy Davidson (Fort Dodge, IA), #135 Beau Priest (Bakersfield, CA), #153 Adrien Reyes (Clovis, CA), #195 Jeff Lopez (Clovis West, CA) Since Chris Pendleton took over in the spring of 2020, recruiting in California has been a priority for Oregon State. That is very evident with the Class of 2025. Khale McDonnell, Beau Priest, Adrien Reyes, and Jeff Lopez all finished in the top four, at one time or another, at the state tournament. McDonnell and Lopez have been finalists. Not only has Oregon State dominated recruiting in California, but they’ve also done well with the West Coast, in general. The top recruit, Manny Saldate, is from Nevada and seemingly goes to and places at every national tournament. Oregon State was patient and waited till late in the game (for today’s standards) to receive a commitment from Pennsylvania AAA state champion Anthony Mutarelli. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2024 (NR), 2023 (15), 2022 (22), 2021 (NR)

Washington

JD-CBA

St. Anthony

Central Bucks West

In early January, we released an article entitled “Recruiting in 2024-25: The Year of the Flip.” At that point in time, 18 of the top 200 wrestlers from the Class of 2025 had flipped their commitment from one school to another. On Sunday night, the #2 overall recruit in the Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, turned the wrestling world upside down (or primarily the social media world) when he decommitted from Iowa. While Bassett hasn’t actually flipped to another school, it will be forthcoming. Once that happens, he’ll be the seventh Big Board wrestler from the Class of 2026 and the second top-three overall recruit to do so. As we’re still a few days away from July and four months away from signing day, there will be at least five wrestlers from the Class of 2026 who have flipped commitments. Based on recent history and the way college athletics is trending, I’d imagine that list will grow exponentially within the next year. Below is our list of wrestlers from the Class of 2026 who have already flipped commitments. For comparison’s sake, underneath that is a list of wrestlers from the top 50 in the Class of 2025 who flipped at one point or another. 2026 #2 Bo Bassett (Iowa to ???) #3 Jayden James (Virginia Tech to Penn State) #11 Antonio Mills (NC State to Missouri) #25 Tyler Dekraker (Ohio State to Minnesota) #37 Jonathan Rocha (Purdue to Virginia Tech) #119 Trey Wagner (Navy to Air Force) #172 Jake Knight (Oklahoma to ???) 2025 #4 Landon Robideau (Minnesota to Oklahoma State) #5 Sergio Vega (Cornell to Oklahoma State) #9 Jude Correa (Michigan to Cornell) #10 Harvey Ludington (Arizona State to Iowa) #20 Nick Sahakian (Arizona State to Michigan) #24 Cody Routledge (Nebraska to Oklahoma State) #32 Eren Sement (Penn to Michigan) #36 Jake Hockaday (Oklahoma to Nebraska) #40 Devon Magro (Brown to Rutgers) #41 Vince Bouzakis (Ohio State to Pittsburgh) #50 Austin Johnson (Oklahoma to Oklahoma State)

Skyline

Alexandria City

Seneca

Stephen Decatur

Swain County