InterMat Staff

Earlier this week, we published an article on the new DI head coaches assuming it was a safe time to release such a feature. Well, you know what they say about assuming! There will be another new head coach for the 2024-25 season as Long Island’s longtime head coach Joe Patrovich stepped down yesterday. The LIU program was revived in 2014 and Patrovich has led the Sharks ever since then. Long Island was initially known as LIU Post and merged with LIU Brooklyn to form the school as we know it today. It was also a DII school that had undergone a transition into DI. Just this past year, Long Island produced its first NCAA DI qualifier - Anthony D’Alesio, who was seventh in the EIWA. In Kansas City, D’Alesio notched the first DI win at the national tournament. D’Alesio returns and starts the season ranked #32 in the nation at 184 lbs. As a team in 2023-24, Long Island amassed an 8-8 record and started the season off with a pair of wins over Buffalo and Sacred Heart at WrangleMania. They ended the year 15th out of 17 teams in the EIWA. Last week, Long Island assistant coach Jesse Dellavecchia stepped down to accept a coaching position with Hofstra. The timing for this move is very curious with just over a month before the start of the 2024-25 season. Sources close to the LIU program attribute this move to indifference from the administration towards the wrestling team. We will continue to monitor the coaching situation for the Sharks.

Oklahoma State has already assembled a massive recruiting Class of 2025 - one that has grown by three flipped commitments since David Taylor took the reins of the program in May of this year. Now, it’s time to start focusing on the current crop of high school juniors and the Class of 2026. This morning the Cowboys got their first commitment from the Class of 2026 with #44 Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan, CA). Zinkin is a two-time state finalist in single-class California. He was a runner-up at 106 lbs as a freshman and a state champion earlier this year at 113 lbs. Also during the high school regular season, Zinkin won a cowboy hat at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in 2023 and was third in 2024. Over the summer, Zinkin went 7-0 at the 16U National Duals in freestyle. Zinkin could be a 133 lber at the next level. As of now, Oklahoma State doesn’t have a long-term starter in place at 133 lbs; however, redshirt freshman Cael Hughes could make his case soon. This could be the third straight class with an elite California prospect for Taylor’s team. They signed #2 Coby Merrill in the Class of 2024 and have a verbal from #27 Ronnie Ramirez (Walnut, CA) in the Class of 2025. Zinkin made his decision to commit to the Cowboys after taking visits to Michigan, NC State, and Virginia Tech in each of the last three weekends. He visited Oklahoma State a week before going to Michigan. With campus visit season in full effect, we’ve seen the verbals from the Class of 2026 start to roll in. With Zinkin’s we now have 17 total commitments - 16 at the DI level. Eight top-100 recruits have now committed and five of them are currently in the top-50. Here are the Class of 2026 recruits who have committed to wrestle at the next level.

Buchanan

And we’re back for another edition of the weekly mailbag as we close out the month of September and begin the unofficial start of the wrestling season with Flo’s annual Who’s Number One event this weekend. Nary a weekend will go without an event for roughly the next seven months. Throw in the baseball playoffs, WNBA playoffs (Go Liberty), and all the football, and divorce season is in full effect. But before you lawyer up, take a seat and enjoy whatever we are talking about today. Any worry, considering the Matthew Sluka story, about NIL deals gone wrong leading to wrestlers holding out in the future? Rhino Not really. At least not yet. For those unaware, UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has left school over not being paid a sum of money that was promised by an assistant coach. And there’s your problem. You had a handshake deal from a glorified used car salesman. What did you expect would happen? It’s just another glitch in the NIL system that unfortunately doesn’t get corrected until it rears its ugly head. So can it happen in wrestling? I suppose it can but not exactly in this same scenario. Sluka is a fifth-year senior with the benefit of an available redshirt that he can still apply after four games into any season. In wrestling, only true freshmen can do that. So I doubt anyone would give up a year of eligibility and leave a team in the middle of a season because a random assistant said he would get X amount of money without any paperwork or knowledge of it from the head coach or institution. I’m sure other scenarios will happen as far as false promises are concerned, but in wrestling everyone will just enter the portal every year like free agents until someone wins four titles for four different schools. Or as we call it, Nick Suriano’s dream. Jags, what college freshmen do you have your eye on to carry the Jersey Tough torch this year? Salty Walkon That’s a very good question and one I should have an answer to. And I do. Simon Ruiz - The two-time state champ from Delbarton never finished lower than third at the NJ States and looks to make some noise at Cornell after coming off a gap year. Mikey Dellagatta - Basically the same thing as Ruiz but with one state title and a lowest finish of fourth at NJ States. The St. Joe's product is also coming off a gap year. Needless to say, Cornell has a thing for North Jersey private schools. Lorenzo Norman - The former Blair wrestler had an uneven redshirt year coupled with a few good wins at the CKLV. But make no mistake, The kid’s got the goods. I look forward to seeing a lot more of him now that Stanford is in the ACC. Jimmy Mullen - The Virginia Tech big man is fully committed to wrestling right now and probably permanently after Rutgers beat the Hokies last week on the gridiron. Heavyweights beware. Thoughts on licensing Jagger Night to WWE for SummerSlam in NJ? What are bids starting at? Tsabolov Brands Eh, Jagger Night would’ve been cooler as an ECW thing. Mid 90’s`, jean shorts, Pantera, indoor smoking. Now that is a Jagger Night! But I assure you the bidding is open for anyone who wants to pony up. By the way, any fee also comes with a mandatory donation of the same price, plus a twenty-dollar service charge. Talk to you all next week when we have a little more clarity on who really is number one. Because two is not a winner and three nobody remembers.

Preseason rankings are finally here! We’re just over a month from the start of the 2024-25 season and are able to use rankings for all other preseason content. With 33 wrestlers across ten weights, plus two sets of team rankings, there can be plenty to digest and overlook in a new set of rankings. Below are some notes related to the rankings, either reminding you or informing you of potential redshirts for key wrestlers not in the rankings. In some cases, a team may have multiple rankable wrestlers and we’ve highlighted those as battles to watch in the preseason. 125 lbs Pay attention to early-season results from Brendan McCrone and Vinny Kilkeary. We’ve stuck with McCrone who is the incumbent and a national qualifier. Rider national qualifier Tyler Klinsky is planning on taking a redshirt - look for Will Betancourt to replace him at this weight. It’s not “new” news, but 2024 All-American Luke Stanich (Lehigh) is planning to redshirt and potentially move up a weight (or two). 133 lbs This might be the deepest weight class in terms of wrestlers that were considered for the top 33. Since four of the top-ten and seven of the top-25 were not at this weight at nationals, a lot of quality guys got bumped down. Four past national qualifiers aren’t in the top-33. It might be surprising to see Lucas Byrd up that high, but he is three-for-four in his career against Dylan Ragusin and has a great record against the rest of the field. One of those moves that hasn’t gotten publicized much has been Oklahoma’s Cleveland Belton, a 2024 NCAA Round of 12 finisher at 141 lbs, moving down to 133. For Penn State, we’ve gone with Braeden Davis over Aaron Nagao. American will have a pair of national qualifiers at this weight with Jack Maida and Max Leete. Expect Maida to get the call and a potential redshirt for Leete. 141 lbs With Sam Latona moving up for Virginia Tech, Tom Crook should get the opportunity to redshirt. The team attempted to do it last season. Lots of moving parts for Oklahoma State between 133 and 149, so this could change in our next update. Kellyn March, who was very good for NDSU in 2022-23, is back and down a weight class. Eli Griffin, a 2024 national qualifier for California Baptist, is up at this weight. For now, we have him outside of the top-33. 149 lbs Don’t forget about veterans Ty Whalen and Colin Realbuto who did not compete attached for their respective schools in 2023-24. Ryan Burgos only wrestled in one event last year before getting injured. He’s back and is a bright spot for Edinboro. Down at #33 you have Maxwell Petersen of NDSU. He should get a tough challenge from Gavin Drexler at this weight. Two-time national qualifier for SIUE, Caleb Tyus, is expected to redshirt. Kelly Dunnigan had a very solid year for Penn in 2023-24 and will push Cross Wasilewski for the starting role. 157 There’s a very notable name omitted from the top of the 157 lb rankings. Daniel Cardenas would have been #3 here. We’ve excluded him. Cardenas has a redshirt available. At the beginning of the season, look for the youngsters (redshirt freshman Zach Hanson and freshman Grigor Cholakyan, Jason Mara, and EJ Parco) to all see time at the weight. Apparently, no decisions have been made final about Cardenas’, so he could be used if needed. We’re going with Tyler Kasak for Penn State. They might also have the option of Alex Facundo here. If so, Kasak has a redshirt year available. Also, we have Caleb Fish at this weight for Oklahoma State, but he has a redshirt available and we’ve ranked Teague Travis. The same goes for Iowa State and Cody Chittum/Paniro Johnson. We’re hearing that Cobe Siebrecht will get the nod for SDSU at this weight as the returning starter, Cael Swensen, is banged up. We have Noah Castillo up at 157 lbs for Chattanooga. Look for Iowa transfer, Bretli Reyna, to be the guy at 149 lbs for the Mocs. 165 After the top-two, I would guess we see a lot of movement in the early going. There is a big drop-off from All-Americans to the next tier of talent at this weight. Returning qualifier Dom Baker has been excluded as he’s a redshirt possibility. Nothing is final, as of today. One of the notable positional battles to watch is at Indiana with returning national qualifiers Tyler Lillard and Derek Gilcher. Gilcher was injured last year, but looked good at U23’s. Don’t forget about Columbia’s national qualifier Cesar Alvan, who was not enrolled last year as he attempted to make the Olympic Team for Brazil. Ohio State. They have lots of options between here and 197 lbs. We’ll start with their returning starter, Bryce Hepner. Sammy Sasso has been mentioned as a potential option at his weight. After what Sasso has gone through over the last year, it would be incredible to see him on the mat again. Also, Carson Kharchla could be inserted here or at 174 lbs. Arizona State freshman Nicco Ruiz is the one we’ve listed at 165 lbs. He’ll also have to deal with the Sun Devils returning starter Chance McLane. And look at that, we’ve got Tate Picklo, who wrestled at 195 lbs as a senior in high school down at 165 lbs. Should he be able to handle the weight, he certainly could go much higher. 174 After the World Team Trials, there could be some questions about who’s number one at this weight. We try to ignore freestyle results and will take O’Toole over Haines who had moved up two weights. There are plenty of options for Iowa here. We’ve ranked the returning starter Patrick Kennedy, but redshirt freshman Gabe Arnold is waiting in the wings and All-American Nelson Brands plans to compete here, as well. Rocco Welsh has a redshirt available and it could be used if Carson Kharchla were at this weight. Since Welsh has accepted an invitation to the All-Star Classic at this weight, he’s the guy we’re ranking. Another move that hasn’t been publicized much is Binghamton’s Brevin Cassella coming up from 165 lbs. We might be too conservative, but there’s a dangerous pair of redshirt freshmen at 17/18 with Simon Ruiz and Lorenzo Norman. Ruiz defeated Lennox Wolak last year and Norman shocked Shane Griffith in Vegas. 184 This is another #1 ranking that could spark some conversation. Carter Starocci hasn’t lost a real folkstyle match since 2021 - we’re going with him. Like 133, 184 is another weight that benefits from an influx of elite wrestlers moving in. Starocci and Ruth from 174 (along with potentially Brands) and Jaxon Smith from 197. 2024 EIWA champion Aaron Ayzerov is not enrolling for Columbia and taking a gap year. Nick Fine is expected to replace him in the Lions lineup. James Conway (F&M) and Zayne Lehman (Ohio) are both expected to redshirt this year. 197 He’s back! The polarizing AJ Ferrari has enrolled at CSU Bakersfield and will make this weight class much more interesting. Without a returning finalist, we’re going with him despite the layoff from college wrestling. Virginia Tech will have an interesting battle between Andy Smith and redshirt freshman Sonny Sasso. Sasso was sixth at CKLV, but Smith made the NCAA bloodround. Iowa transfer, Bradley Hill, is expected to wrestle at 197 lbs for Oklahoma. Like his teammate, Ayzerov, Jack Wehmeyer will take a gap year too. Initially, we had Penn’s Martin Cosgrove in the rankings, but we’ve learned he’s injured and unavailable. 285 One of the best battles between teammates this preseason could come at this weight class in Raleigh, between U23 world champion, Isaac Trumble, and 2x ACC champion Owen Trephan. We’ll start with Trumble in the rankings. Ben Kueter will have a full offseason to focus on wrestling. Expect him to move up from that #11 slot. Luke Luffman and Braxton Amos are both back after injuries. Amos moves up to heavyweight for the first time collegiately. If healthy, he could rise from his #21 spot. Rider’s David Szuba is slated for a redshirt.

The data has been processed, the charts have been reviewed, and the evaluations are complete. The 2024 breakdown of the Top Fantasy Wrestlers of the 2024 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 285 Top-20 Notes: Your #1 Overall Fantasy Wrestler for the 2024 season resides in the heaviest of weights. Taye Ghadiali put together the best Fantasy Wrestling performance in five seasons, amassing 136 Fpts in “only” 32 countable matches. How great of a season was it? That's for the next article. For the second year in a row, Wyatt Hendrickson finds himself as the #2 Fantasy Wrestler at heavyweight, but unlike the 2023 season he came up juuuust short of breaking the 100 Fpt mark. He had reached the century mark in 2023 and in 2022, but in 2024 he was one match short. Well, more specifically one takedown short. He won 9-3 against Taye Ghadiali and won 9-4 against Devon Dawson (NDSU). One takedown more in either of these matches, he’s at 100 Fpts even. Two wrestlers next meet in the 80’s, one an All-American and the other falling just short. Zach Elam finished 3rd by putting together a strong head start at the beginning of the season. Seven of his first 12 matches were won by pin (only two took over one minute), and three by techs. The second half of his regular season was filed with decisions and one loss, which was to #4 Yonger Bastida, who was five Fpts behind Elam. The next four spots, #5 through #8, are all within a match outcome in finding themselves in a different order. Nathan Taylor makes his way back into the Top-20 (Top-10, actually) after being absent from the 2023 season ranks. He was #9 in 2022 and ended up at #5 in 2024. Right behind Taylor is Nick Feldman who was out with injury for his True Freshman season. Feldman put in an impressive campaign, but with three of his four losses being by bonus (two majors and one injury for a total of -14). Wrestling in the most matches of any competitor in the 285 Top-20, Michigan State’s Josh Terrill competed in 38 regular season bouts. In his first 27 matches, he lost six times. In his last 11 matches, he lost seven of them (-27 Fpts). Despite the record, he finishes at #11. Jamir Ferere is the highest ranked non-starter to make the lost, outlasting redshirt true freshman Jim Mullen by one Fpt. One other non-starter, Austin Kohlhofer, also makes the Top-20 at #18. Rounding out the heavyweight Top-20 is your reigning national champion Greg Kerkvliet. Only wrestling in 12 matches, it's the second lowest by any 2024 NCAA Champion (outdone by 174 Carter Starocci’s 11 matches). Only three of his 12 matches were by decision, which accounts for his weight class best PPM of 4.3 Who Missed The Cut: There were two All-Americans who did not end up making the Top-20, with Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT) being close with just 45 Fpts and Cohlton Schultz (ASU) being a bit farther away with 27 Fpts (in only eight regular season matches). NC State’s Owen Trephan and Rider’s David Szuba both tied Kerkvliet with 51 Fpts, but fell just outside the Top-20 as the first men out due to PPM (Trephan with 4.6 and Szuba with 1.9.) Other notables to not make the top-20 include Lewis Fernandes (COR) with 47 Fpts, Hogan Swenski (OHST) with 41 Fpts, Hunter Catka (VT) with 38 Fpts, Trevor Tinker (CP) and Bradley Hill (IOWA) each with 35 Fpts.

As we turn our attention to the upcoming collegiate season, one of the biggest storylines of the offseason has been coaching changes. That’s nothing new. New head coaches are always a good talking point for the preseason. This season is much different as we saw one of the most historic programs in the sport had a new face in the coach's corner. In addition, we have another coach who is returning for a second tenure at his “new” home, two new coaches leading their respective alma mater, and a long-time “hot” head coaching candidate finally getting his big break. So, get familiar with the new DI head coaches for the 2024-25 season: John Stutzman (Bloomsburg) He’s back! John Stutzman is back at Bloomsburg where he made a name for himself getting the most out of largely overlooked talent at the small PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) school. Stutzman spent just over a decade leading Buffalo, but was unable to replicate the success he found at Bloomsburg. During his first tenure at Bloomsburg, the Huskies amassed a 97-56-1 dual record, three All-Americans and eight conference (EWL) champions. Can Stutzman do it again? He’ll certainly have his work cut out for him in the near future. Stutzman inherited a program that did not produce a national qualifier in 2024 and has not had more than one in a season since 2020. Three times in the last four years the Huskies have finished 13th in a 13-team MAC. While the initial season or two may be rough sledding for Stutzman, interest in the program has already taken off at the high school level. Bloomsburg already has a commitment from the Class of 2025 and 2026. Stutzman has hired Mitch Moore as an assistant coach. While Moore is inexperienced on the collegiate coaching front, he’s young enough to get on the mat regularly and has connections all around the country due to his collegiate career (Virginia Tech/Oklahoma/Rutgers). Donnie Vinson (Buffalo) With Stutzman out at Buffalo, the Bulls administration moved quickly to find a young, quality replacement in Donnie Vinson. Vinson came to Buffalo after a three-year stint at Cornell. During each of the last two seasons, the Big Red came away with an NCAA team trophy. Vinson was also a part of an NC State team that earned an NCAA trophy after a fourth-place finish in 2018. He got his start in the coaching world as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater Binghamton. You can see a pattern. Vinson is a New York native, went to school at Binghamton, coached there, and had two stints on the Cornell staff. He’s extremely plugged into the New York wrestling scene. Buffalo has largely relied on in-state talent in the past, so having someone with Vinson’s background is a great fit. This will be a recurring theme for a few of these coaching positions. The first year or two at Buffalo could be tough for Vinson and crew. A large portion of the existing team was in the portal before he was hired. To his credit, there were a few wrestlers who even committed to transfer to other schools, who changed their minds after his hire. Vinson has hired Andrew Dunn and Hunter Richard to be a part of his first staff at Buffalo. Dunn was a national champion at DII Kutztown and served as the Director of Operations for the Tar Heel Wrestling Club last season, while Richard, a Cornell alum, coached at Appalachian State. Ben Bennett (Central Michigan) A few days after his team won the 2024 MAC Championships, legendary head coach Tom Borrelli announced that he was stepping down from his position as head coach at Central Michigan following the NCAA Tournament. After a lengthy coaching search, his top assistant Ben Bennett was promoted to become the team’s next head coach. Central Michigan has been a program whose staff members have wrestled under Borrelli and understand the way he likes to be run. I don’t anticipate that changing in the near future with Bennett at the helm, but we’ll see how that develops. Bennett was one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever come through Borrelli’s program. He was Central Michigan’s first, and to date only, four-time All-American. His 121 wins are the seventh-most in program history. After his graduation in 2013, Bennett joined the Chippewa staff and has remained there ever since. In that time, CMU has won a pair of MAC titles, captured 14 individual titles, and four All-American honors. At this time, there have been no new additions to the Central Michigan staff. Colin Heffernan and Matt Stencel were both on the CMU staff last season and will return for 2024-25. While Central Michigan should probably start the season as favorites in the highly competitive MAC, they only have a pair of returning national qualifiers; however, the bulk of their projected starting lineup is comprised of veterans. Donny Pritzalff (Columbia) For about a decade, Donny Pritzlaff’s name came up frequently as a potential head coaching candidate at a variety of openings. The day finally came in mid-June as Columbia hired Pritzlaff as their new head coach. Pritzlaff had spent the last decade on Scott Goodale’s staff at Rutgers - helping build the Scarlet Knights into a program that routinely churns out All-Americans. In 2019, the Scarlet Knights were ninth in the nation after crowning a pair of national champions (the first in school history). Before coming to Rutgers, Pritzlaff assisted at Michigan and Hofstra and had two stints at his alma mater, Wisconsin. At Michigan, Pritzlaff was aboard for Kellen Russell’s two national titles and four Big Ten championships. While at Wisconsin, he was instrumental in signing an excellent 2008 class that included Andrew Howe and Tyler Graff. Pritzlaff was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion for Wisconsin from 1998-2001. He was the team’s third four-time All-American and a few years later, Pritzlaff claimed a bronze medal at the World Championships. Pritzlaff takes over a Columbia program that was hit hard by Ivy League eligibility rules. All-American Lennox Wolak, along with national qualifiers Nick Babin, Angelo Rini, and Josh Ogunsanya, all were forced to transfer to continue competing. Even so, four national qualifiers return - including 2024 EIWA champion Aaron Ayzerov. The first staff for Pritzalff has a very familiar Rutgers and New Jersey feel to it with Sebastian Rivera and Jeff Buxton aboard. Both, along with Pritzlaff, should be able to rely on their names, reputations, and connections within the Jersey wrestling community to bring in quality recruits to Columbia. Jamie Franco (Hofstra) The second alum on this list who has been tabbed to lead his alma mater is Hofstra’s Jamie Franco. Franco returns to Hofstra after spending a year on the Columbia staff under former head coach Zach Tanelli. During his year at Columbia, the Lions finished in a fourth-place tie in the EIWA and crowned a pair of conference champions for the first time since 1935. They also pushed through an All-American for the first time in just over a decade, all of this after suffering through an injury-filled regular season. Before moving to Columbia, Franco spent seven years on Dennis Papadatos’ staff at Hofstra. The last two years of his tenure saw Franco earn the title of Associate Head Coach. During his competitive career at Hofstra, Franco was a three-time national qualifier and a CAA champion. Hofstra does not have any returning national qualifiers on the roster for the 2024-25 season; however, eight of ten starters from the 2024 EIWA Championships return. In addition, Kyle Mosher has come aboard as a graduate transfer from Columbia. He should slot in nicely for the Pride at 165. Franco recently rounded out his coaching staff by hiring Jesse Dellavecchia who was previously on the Long Island staff. Dellavecchia is still relatively young but was highly thought of in the coaching ranks. He’ll join Codi Russell and Charles Small, who were on Papadatos’ staff in 2023-24. David Taylor (Oklahoma State) The bombshell coaching moves of the offseason were the retirement of legendary Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, followed by the hiring of fellow Olympic champion David Taylor. Taylor has never officially coached at the collegiate level, but founded and ran an excellent youth club (M2) in Pennsylvania, near State College. At the time, Taylor was fresh off of a loss in the Olympic Trials finals. Even without the ideal collegiate coaching experience, the potential for Taylor in Stillwater is through the roof. A blue-blood, power program, with plenty of financial backing, led by one of the most recognizable figures in the sport. It’s everything you would need to potentially knock his alma mater (Penn State) off their perch atop the collegiate wrestling world. Taylor is one of the most decorated athletes in USA Wrestling history. He’s found success at every level possible, being named the top recruit in his high school class, winning a pair of Hodge Trophy’s and leading Penn State to four national titles, before winning three world titles and Olympic gold. Taylor also recently demonstrated he wasn’t quite ready for retirement by winning the 92 kg title at the World Team Trials. He’ll presumably represent the United States at that weight in the upcoming World Championships. For his first year in Stillwater, Taylor has assembled an excellent staff that includes Jimmy Kennedy - his brother-in-law who was on Penn State’s staff, along with world champion Thomas Gilman. Tyler Caldwell has been retained from the previous staff. Former teammate Bryan Pearsall was hired away from the Penn staff to be Oklahoma State’s Recruiting Coordinator. Before Taylor’s hire, Oklahoma State added two-time All-American Dean Hamiti via the transfer portal and after he was hired two additional multi-time AA’s Cam Amine and Wyatt Hendrickson followed. The trio will join an already solid Cowboy lineup to form a unit that should challenge for an NCAA team trophy in year one. Additionally, the new staff has been able to flip commitments from three top-100 recruits in the Class of 2025. That sets Oklahoma State up for a monster signing class in 2025. There’s no disputing the fact that college wrestling got a lot more interesting with Taylor’s hire over the offseason. Adam Hall (Utah Valley) The first coaching move of the offseason didn’t really start in the offseason. Right before the 2023 preseason, Utah Valley head coach Greg Williams announced that the 2023-24 season would be his last. The Utah Valley athletic department didn’t wait until the season was over to search for and announce Williams’ successor - they secured Adam Hall’s services before the postseason began. Hall had been a mainstay on Pat Popolizio’s NC State staff, as he was hired in 2015 and made the team’s associate head coach in 2019. While at NC State, Hall was a part of a program that captured five straight ACC Tournament titles. The Wolfpack never finished the NCAA Tournament lower than 17th place with Hall on staff and four times they were in the top-10 - highlighted by an NCAA team trophy-worthy fourth-place showing in 2018. Before joining the NC State staff, Hall spent four years as an assistant at Columbia. During his competitive career, Hall was a two-time All-American and Pac-10 champion for Boise State. Hall also was fifth at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials. The Wolverines could be an interesting team in 2024-25. There’s a lot of experience at the front of their lineup (125-141). Haiden Drury is a past national qualifier and expected to wrestle 141 lbs, but Kase Mauser has been on the cusp and Yusief Lillie is experienced. UVU’s most intriguing piece is Penn State transfer Terrell Barraclough. He’s penciled in at 165 lbs and has shined when called upon, but was never able to crack the Penn State lineup in the postseason. Joining Hall on the UVU staff for the 2024-25 season is his old college teammate Andrew Hochstrasser - a 2011 NCAA finalist, fellow NC State coach Timmy McCall, and former Missouri national runner-up Joey Lavallee. The new staff has already drummed up a lot of interest on the recruiting trail (a strong suit of Hall), so it will be interesting to see how the program evolves under new leadership. Williams was the only head coach for Utah Valley during their DI era.

The top prospect in the high school Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, has vowed to keep fans abreast of his recruiting with daily Wednesday updates. Well, today is Wednesday and true to his word, Bassett has posted an updated graphic which has eliminated three more schools from consideration. Earlier this year, Bassett posted a graphic that contained the logos of approximately 80 schools, most of the DI variety, but some DII’s as well, to signify that he’s totally open in the recruiting process. After more than a month of removing schools from the list, he’s down to 17. One school was removed from this week's graphic: Pittsburgh The following schools remain on Bassett’s graphic and therefore in contention for his services: Air Force, Arizona State, Cornell, Iowa, Iowa State, Lehigh, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pitt-Johnstown, Princeton, Rutgers, Virginia Tech. One school was removed from last week's graphic: Stanford One school was removed from the 9/11 graphic: NC State These three schools were removed from the 9/4 graphic: American, North Carolina, Wisconsin These three schools were removed from the 8/28 graphic: Clarion, Little Rock, Minnesota The following schools were removed from the 8/21 graphic: Penn, Oklahoma, Oregon State The following schools were removed from the 8/14 graphic: Bucknell, Virginia, Wyoming The following schools were removed from the 8/7 graphic: Brown, Northern Colorado, Purdue The following schools were removed from the 7/31 graphic: California Baptist, Michigan State, Navy The following schools were removed from the 7/24 graphic: Army West Point, Campbell, Edinboro, Harvard, Illinois, North Dakota State, South Dakota State The following schools were removed from the 7/17 graphic: Cal Poly, Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Millersville, The Citadel, and West Virginia The following schools were removed from the 7/10 graphic: CSU Bakersfield, George Mason, Hofstra, Northwestern, Rider, UW Parkside, West Liberty The following schools were removed from the 7/3 graphic: Appalachian State, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Drexel, Kent State, Ohio, and St. Cloud State The following schools were removed from the 6/26 graphic: Binghamton, Bloomsburg, Duke, Gardner-Webb, Northern Illinois, Sacred Heart, SIU Edwardsville Bassett's first on-campus visit took place on September 20th-22nd at the University of Michigan and he was joined by his high school teammate #2 Jax Forrest. In today's update, Bassett noted that he will take time off to train for the Super 32 before his next official visit which is at Iowa on October 25th-27th. Bassett recently competed at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. He advanced to the semifinals and ended up coming away with a bronze medal. Next on the docket a Who's #1 rematch on Sunday with Daniel Zepeda. The event will take place close to home, at Pitt-Johnstown.

Missouri head coach Brian Smith sits down with James Hackney to give a quick recap on the Tigers injury and illness-plagued 2023-24 campaign. Coach Smith is looking for his team to respond and bounce back better in 2024-25. He gives us an update on how some of the key contributors have improved over the summer and a look at some new faces in the lineup, along with how the new freshmen have progressed. Coach Smith also talks about some key dates on the Mizzou schedule which was released earlier this week. The schedule includes the TigerStyle Invite, the Collegiate Duals and a homecoming, of sorts, for Keegan O'Toole. For the full interview:

Buchanan

Towanda

Council Rock South

The verbals continue to roll in for the Class of 2026. We have another prominent commitment from the current high school junior class as #94 Alex Taylor (Mount Vernon, OH) has pledged to Arizona State. Taylor finished fifth in the Ohio DI State Tournament this year at 215 lbs. As a freshman, Taylor was third in the state at the same weight class. Taylor earned his top-100 ranking with plenty of credentials at national tournaments. After his freshman year, Taylor was fourth in the country at NHSCA Freshman Nationals. That summer, he was third in Fargo in 16U Greco-Roman and a runner-up in freestyle. This year, Taylor was a double champion, winning both styles at the 16U age group. Currently, Taylor comes in at #19 in the nation at 215 lbs. Over the weekend, Taylor was among a talented contingent who visited Oregon State. Earlier today, we noted how one of those fellow recruits (Travis Grace) committed to the Beavers. Before going to OSU, Taylor spent the previous week visiting Arizona State. Arizona State will be in need of help at heavyweight as four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz will be out of eligibility after the 2025 national tournament. The Sun Devils already have a commitment from a heavyweight prospect from the Class of 2025, Melvin Whitehead (Liberty, NV); however, Taylor carries a higher national ranking. For more recruiting information, check out InterMat’s College Commitment page.

Mount Vernon

The Oregon State staff got their first verbal commitment from the Class of 2026 today as California state placewinner Travis Grace (Gilroy, CA) committed to wrestle for the Beavers. Grace is a three-time Fargo All-American placing sixth in 16U freestyle at 132 lbs in 2021. A year later, he made the 16U freestyle finals at 160 lbs. This year, Grace returned to the podium with a sixth-place finish in Junior freestyle. During the regular season, Grace has qualified for the California State tournament on two occasions. He was eighth at 157 lbs after winning the Central Coast Sectional. Grace wrestles at Gilroy High School which is a program led by US Olympian and UFC legend Daniel Cormier. Cormier and Oregon State head coach Chris Pendleton share the same alma mater (Oklahoma State) so it’s no surprise that the Beavers were in the running for Grace’s services. Look for Grace at the upcoming Super 32. He’ll be one of the key players in the 165 lb weight class. Currently, Grace is ranked #13 nationally at the weight and #65 in the Class of 2026. If you read our latest Weekend Campus Visit Round-Up, you would have known that Grace was in Corvallis for a visit. Grace was joined by California lightweight prospects #46 Nathan Carrillo (St. John Bosco, CA) and #122 Blake Woodward (Buchanan, CA) - along with Ohio heavyweight #94 Alex Taylor (Mount Vernon, OH). Last weekend, Grace was among a large group of recruits at the University of Indiana. For all of the latest commitments, check out InterMat’s College Commitment page. Action is picking up in the Class of 2026, as we now have 14 total commitments from the junior class.

Gilroy

Shawnee

Hickory Ridge

Connellsville

Granada via Chabot College

The story of the 2024 offseason was the transfer portal. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, we had big-name wrestlers throwing their names in and changing colors. This process continued all summer and into August when Iowa acquired the second (Jacori Teemer) and third (Stephen Buchanan) of their multi-time All-American transfers. Iowa wasn’t the only one. Oklahoma State also picked up three multi-time All-Americans through the portal. A handful of teams significantly improved themselves through the portal. Minnesota and Virginia Tech are others. While Penn State is still considered a solid national title favorite, Iowa has thrown themselves back into the race and Oklahoma State will make their case, as well. Breaking it down beyond teams, here are the top-26 individuals who have a new home for the 2024-25 season. We can’t call these “Transfer Portal” rankings as loopholes allowed some of the wrestlers on this list to move on without officially entering the portal. Semantics aside, here’s your top-26: 26. 197 lbs: Bradley Hill (Oklahoma: From Iowa) The collateral damage as a result of adding Stephen Buchanan was losing Hill, a 2024 national qualifier as a freshman. I take a “wait-and-see” approach to heavyweights who drop down to 197 lbs. If he can handle the speed and athleticism of 197 lbs, Hill could be much higher on this list as he has three years of eligibility remaining. 25. 133 lbs: Ethan Oakley (North Carolina: From Appalachian State) The two-time NCAA qualifier and 2024 SoCon champion gets to stay in his home state for his final two years of eligibility. Oakley has improved dramatically during every year of his career - I’d expect a similar growth during his first year in the Tar Heel wrestling room. 24. 184 lbs: Evan Bockman (Iowa State: From Utah Valley) The veteran presence could help solidify what could be a very tough and balanced Cyclone lineup in 2024-25. Bockman started his career at 174 lbs, but moved into the 197 lb class. He was relatively short compared to other 197’s, so 184 might be the perfect weight for him. 23.. 149 lbs: Sammy Alvarez (Rider: From Oklahoma State) It’s shocking that a wrestler of Alvarez’s caliber has yet to wrestle a match at the NCAA Tournament. Alvarez was the 10th seed as a freshman at the canceled 2020 tournament. Back in his home state and in a conference that will be more manageable than the Big 12 or ACC, Alvarez could finish his career with a bang for the Broncs. 22. 149 lbs: Jordan Williams (Little Rock: From Oklahoma State) Even after leaving the Oklahoma State program after a legal issue, Jordan Williams quickly found a new home with Little Rock. Williams still possesses incredible talent that pushed him to three freestyle national titles in Fargo (2 Cadet/1 Junior). He went 2-2 at his first NCAA Tournament in 2024 and has three years of eligibility. 21. 174 lbs: Clayton Whiting (Minnesota: From Missouri) Maybe the most overlooked, but important pickups of the offseason. The majority of the wrestlers above him are only one-year rentals. Whiting has three years of eligibility and was an on-again, off-again starter for Missouri - going 12-3 in 2023-24. 20. 174 lbs: Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina: From Columbia) The 2022 EIWA runner-up, Ogunsanaya, has twice been seeded in the top-16 at nationals. Last year, he only saw action in one event before getting sidelined for the year via injury. Up and weight class and healthy, Ogunsanya should make an impact in his final year. 19. 133 lbs: Cleveland Belton (Oklahoma: From Oregon State) The 2023 Pac-12 champion, Cleveland Belton, turned it up at the NCAA Tournament in 2024 with a run to the bloodround that saw him come up one match shy of All-American status. Belton is expected to drop down a weight to a wide-open 133 lb weight for the Sooners. With Daton Fix finally out of the Big 12 bracket, watch out for Belton to contend for a conference title. 18. 184 lbs: Brock DelSignore (Little Rock: From NC State) A shrewd under-the-radar pickup for the Little Rock staff. Brock DelSignore was stuck behind sophomore Dylan Fishback on the NC State depth chart. In 2023-24, DelSignore compiled an 11-1 record and majored All-American Bennett Berge and Virginia Tech veteran Sam Fisher. 17. 174 lbs: Gaven Sax (Oklahoma: From North Dakota State) Last year was truly a breakout campaign for Gaven Sax. Sax had never made the national tournament before 2023-24; however, he announced himself in a major way advancing to the Big 12 finals and ending the year a match away from the podium. Now he’ll be reunited with some of his former NDSU coaches in Norman. 16. 157 lbs: Chase Saldate (Michigan: From Michigan State) A highly-ranked recruit out of California, Chase Saldate posted solid results at Michigan State, but was never able to get over the hump and onto the NCAA podium. Now in the deep Michigan room, Saldate is looking to finish his career on a high note. 15. 157 lbs: Tommy Askey (Minnesota: From Appalachian State) Although he already qualified for nationals in 2023 and was a two-time Socon champion, Tommy Askey really introduced himself to a nationwide audience at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Askey knocked off Brayton Lee and Cody Chittum on his way to the NCAA bloodround. I’m curious to see how he fares facing that type of competition regularly in the Big Ten. 14. 125 lbs: Cooper Flynn (Minnesota: From Virginia Tech) Minnesota loses the services of two-time All-American Patrick McKee, but is able to replace him with a wrestler that was ranked as highly as second in the nation, at one point, last season. Flynn was slated to take an Olympic redshirt last year, but was pulled after an injury to the Hokies starter. He finished his first postseason with an ACC finals berth and a 1-2 showing at nationals. 13. 197 lbs: Christian Carroll (Iowa State: From Oklahoma State) This is probably the wrestler that could rise the most in these rankings. Christian Carroll has been a beast on the freestyle circuit - amassing a Junior freestyle national title and two berths on the U20 world team (one in Greco). Carroll’s exploits made him the #2 overall recruit in the Class of 2023. The only issue has been his weight class? Is he a 197 or a heavyweight (or a tweener)? Carroll gave heavyweight a shot last year, but is aiming to wrestle 197 lbs for the Cyclones. 12. 165 lbs: Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley: From Penn State) Expectations are high for a wrestler who is going into his sixth year, yet has never been a postseason starter. Of course, those five years for Terrell Barraclough were at Penn State and he was stuck behind some excellent teammates. During his 12-2 2023-24 campaign, Barraclough pinned past Round of 12 finisher Caleb Fish and bumped up to 174 to down All-American Jackson Turley. 11. 133 lbs: Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech: From Lehigh) A year ago, Ryan Crookham versus Connor McGonagle was one of the most anticipated positional battles in the country. Crookham ended up as Lehigh’s starter and finished third in the nation. McGonagle was selected for the NWCA All-Star Classic, competed and won against new Virginia Tech teammate Sam Latona. 10. 197 lbs: Zach Glazier (South Dakota State: From Iowa) In his first year as the full-time starter for Iowa, Zach Glazier was incredible - losing only one match prior to the postseason. He would make the Big Ten finals, but was only 1-2 at his first NCAA Tournament. With the arrival of Stephen Buchanan, Glazier transferred to SDSU, who had a hole at the weight after the graduation of two-time All-American Tanner Sloan. 9. 165 lbs: Cam Amine (Oklahoma State: From Michigan) It will be difficult to get used to seeing an Amine in a singlet that isn’t maize and blue-colored! Cam Amine has moved on to use his final year of eligibility at the new-look Oklahoma State program. Amine fought through an injury-plagued 2023-24 season to miss the NCAA podium for the first time in his career. If healthy, Amine could be closer to the top in a bracket that has cleared out significantly since March. 8. 174 lbs: Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech: From Columbia) What a year for Lennox Wolak in 2023-24! Coming into the season, he had only qualified for nationals once. His postseason would include an EIWA championship and an appearance in the NCAA semifinals. Wolak’s podium finish was the first for a Columbia wrestler since 2013. The graduate transfer has been reconnected with his Columbia head coach, Zach Tanelli, who is also in Blacksburg. 7. 174 lbs: Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State: From Wisconsin) Dean Hamiti was another wrestler who missed the NCAA podium for the first time in his career in 2024. Hamiti has been a top contender since his arrival in Madison as a true freshman. The change of scenery and some work with the legendary David Taylor should only help enhance Hamiti’s status as a national title threat in 2024-25. 6. 197 lbs: Jacob Cardenas (Michigan: From Cornell) Like Lennox Wolak, we knew at the beginning of the 2023-24 season that Jacob Cardenas would have to move on from Cornell in order to compete this year - due to Ivy League eligibility rules. Cardenas has turned up at Michigan and will be a central figure in the national title hunt. Cardenas was fourth in the nation for his second All-American honor and is the second-highest returning placer at the weight. 5. 149 lbs: Kyle Parco (Iowa: From Arizona State) It isn’t every day that you get to add a four-time All-American to the mix. Pretty soon, that will never be able to happen again! Kyle Parco has been seeded in the top three in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments and will be a national title threat in 2025. Parco was responsible for then top-ranked Ridge Lovett’s first loss of the 2023-24 season and beat him again at Nationals. That should be a run rivalry to watch in the upcoming season. 4. 197 lbs: Stephen Buchanan (Iowa: From Oklahoma) The highest returning wrestler at the 197 lb weight class is Stephen Buchanan - now of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Buchanan is seeking to earn All-American honors for a third team (something he and Parco can do). Buchanan was unbeaten for the bulk of the 2023-24 regular season, but was knocked off in his final dual of the year and then lost in the Big 12 semifinals. He would turn it on at nationals and take third. 3. 285 lbs: Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State: From Air Force) In the number three slot, we have a wrestler who didn’t win his conference in 2024 and may not again in the upcoming season. Why’s that? Because of the bonus-point potential that Wyatt Hendrickson provides. The two-time All-American and 2023 U23 World Champion is a bonus-point machine in a weight class where they don’t occur that often. Hendrickson has had bonus points in over 79% of his bouts for each of the last three years. That will make a huge difference at the end of a tense dual meet or at a tournament. Nobody knows that better than his new head coach, David Taylor. 2. 197 lbs: AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield: From Oklahoma State/Hawkeye WC) On talent alone, AJ Ferrari should be number one on this list. I actually don’t know how he should be classified - is he a transfer or not? Ferrari last was in college in the spring 2022 semester at Oklahoma State. In any case, he’s with a new school in 2024-25 CSU Bakersfield. The question here isn’t related to talent, it’s the other stuff. With a 2021 national title at 197 lbs, as a true freshman, the talent is there. In Ferrari’s case, it might be a bit rusty with minimal live matches over the past two years. The “other stuff” is whether Ferrari will be able to make it through the 2024-25 season. He’s had issues that have followed him, some minor and some not minor, along the way. If Ferrari is on the mat in March, he’ll be one of the favorites. 1. 157 lbs: Jacori Teemer (Iowa: From Arizona State) Later this week, preseason rankings will be released. Spoiler alert. New Hawkeye Jacori Teemer will be the top-ranked 157 lber. Teemer has been extremely consistent at the collegiate level - particularly in his last two years for Arizona State. Throwing out an injury default, Teemer only suffered two losses prior to the national finals in 2024. At the NCAA Tournament, Teemer majored Pac-12 foe Daniel Cardenas, who appeared to be gaining on him in their previous meetings. Comparing him to the wrestler ranked below him, Teemer looks like a safer bet to make the national finals - at least in late-September.

Dreshaun Ross photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Now that we’re squarely in the collegiate preseason and the fall weather is ready to set in (at least in parts of the country) another rite of passage is upon us. Football season? Yes, and it’s semi-relevant here, as many fall recruiting weekends are built around football Saturdays, especially, at your Power Five (now four) schools. Sure, there are plenty of recruiting visits in the spring and summer, but we saw almost all of the top recruits from the Class of 2025 commit to schools by the end of the calendar year in 2023, so the Class of 2026 recruits have begun to visit campus and probably will start to commit soon. One of the things that makes following recruiting fun is the cloak-and-dagger secrecy surrounding parts of the process. For every Bo Bassett who routinely keeps the public informed on recruiting decisions, there are plenty of others who don’t discuss it as much. Therefore, it can be difficult to follow which recruit is interested in which school and vice versa. I suppose it’s fun, but you’re left wanting more! In order to try and help our fanbase feel more knowledgeable about the process, we’ll have a weekly column that recaps the recruiting weekend. Who has visited where? Maybe some background information on the recruits or the process from the school. If we've missed a recruit or you'd like to provide info on future visits play let me know: earl@matscouts.com For past versions of this feature: September 16th September 9th Arizona State Dom Munaretto: St. Charles East, IL - #7 Class of 2026 Adam Waters: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #17 Class of 2026 The Sun Devils had a small, but extremely talented, group in Tempe over the weekend. Two-time U17 World Champion Dom Munaretto was one of two top-20 recruits visiting Zeke Jones’ team. Munaretto could be the next in the recent run of great ASU lightweights with Richie Figueroa, Michael McGee, and Brandon Courtney. Another past U17 world team (Greco) member joined Munaretto as Adam Waters made the journey out west. Waters is a key part of an extremely talented couple of recruiting classes worth of wrestlers at Pennsylvania’s Faith Christian Academy. A commitment from Waters could lead to two or three others from the Pennsylvania power. Munaretto has been on the road in each of the last three weeks - visiting Ohio State and Illinois before going to Arizona State. Waters has already visited Michigan and Missouri. Army West Point Garett Kawczynski: Port Washington, WI - #110 Class of 2026 Shea Richter: Rapid City Stevens, SD - Class of 2026 Evan Sanati: Brentsville, VA - Class of 2026 Army West Point already has a large group committed from the Class of 2025 and is starting to look at the Class of 2026, as well. They had a trio of credentialed athletes from the junior class in West Point for the weekend. Garett Kawczynski and Evan Sanati have both earned All-American honors on multiple occasions in Fargo, while Shea Richter got his first this summer as he was sixth in 16U freestyle at 113 lbs. This is the first known visit for both Kawczynski and Richter, while we reported a few weeks ago that Sanati has visited George Mason. Bellarmine Peyton Cox: Washington, IL - #183 Class of 2025 Evan Gosz: Fremd, IL - Class of 2025 Ty Henderson: Mater Dei, IN - Class of 2025 Josh Hoffer: Washington, IL - Class of 2026 Zach Stewart: Marmion Academy, IL: #79 Class of 2026 Carson Weber: Joliet West, IL: Class of 2025 It was a big weekend for the Knights of Bellarmine as they had a good-sized cluster of recruits in town. The Bellarmine staff is obviously targeting Illinois as an area for future recruits and why not? This recruiting weekend included a pair of wrestlers on the Big Board - one from 2025 and one from 2026. The Illinois contingent features three 2024 state finalists (Peyton Cox, Evan Gosz, and Zach Stewart). Stewart ended up winning a 3A title at 138 lbs as a sophomore. The outlier of the group, Ty Henderson, was a state finalist at 120 lbs in single-class Indiana in 2024. We’ve recorded previous recruiting visits for two of this crew - Gosz was at Michigan State last weekend, while Stewart visited Virginia earlier this month. Clarion Antonio Boni: Central Valley, PA - Class of 2026 Braden Broderick: Dundee, MI - Class of 2026 Chris Dennis: Central Bucks West, PA - Class of 2026 Rocco Redmon: Dundee, MI - Class of 2026 Mason Richards: Spring-Ford, PA - Class of 2026 Braiden Weaver: Altoona, PA - Class of 2026 With five wrestlers from the Class of 2025 already committed to Clarion, the Golden Eagle staff has begun to look at the juniors, as well. Typically, Clarion’s roster is heavily composed of in-state wrestlers with a few out-of-staters mixed in. This group fits that mold with some high-upside prospects from within Pennsylvania’s borders and a pair of teammates from Michigan power, Dundee High School. Looking at the Pennsylvania guys, only Chris Dennis is a multi-time state placer. He was sixth in each of his first two years of high school. Antonio Boni and Braiden Weaver made the podium as freshmen, but missed out in 2024. Mason Richards has qualified twice but is looking to get on the podium for the first time. Of the pair from Michigan, Braden Broderick was a state finalist in 2024. The only recruit from this group that we’ve seen on the recruiting trail, of late, is Antonio Boni who was at Bucknell last weekend. Cornell Charlie DeSena: Lake Highland Prep, FL - Class of 2026 Coby Merrill: JW North, CA - #14 Class of 2026 Zeno Moore: Lake Highland Prep, FL - #64 Class of 2026 Joseph Toscano: Buchanan, CA - #9 Class of 2026 Typically, the Cornell staff goes to all corners of the country to lock in talent and this weekend was no different as they hosted a pair of teammates from Florida and two studs from California. It’s not a surprise to see Lake Highland Prep teammates Charlie DeSena and Zeno Moore up in Ithaca. DeSena’s father, Joe, is a Cornell grad and the founder of Spartan Races and then Spartan Combat, which is the primary sponsor for Cornell’s RTC. The younger DeSena was a National Prep runner-up (to Luke Lilledahl) in 2024 and has placed twice at the NHSCA age-group tournament. Teammate, Zeno Moore, was third at National Preps and fifth at Junior freestyle in Fargo. The California tandem of Coby Merrill and Joseph Toscano are both ranked in the top-15 overall for the Class of 2026. Both have made the state finals in each of their first two years of high school. Merrill is also a four-time Fargo All-American, while Toscano has a pair of Doc B finals appearances under his belt. This is the first known visit for DeSena. Coby Merrill was at Princeton last weekend. You should also remember his brother, Cody, is a true freshman at Oklahoma State. Zeno Moore visited NC State and Oklahoma in August. This is Toscano’s second visit - as he already went to Iowa State last month. Michigan Henry Aslikyan: Birmingham, CA - #13 Class of 2026 Bo Bassett: Bishop McCort, PA - #1 Class of 2026 Jax Forrest: Bishop McCort, PA - #2 Class of 2026 Nick Sahakian: St. John Bosco, CA - #5 Class of 2025 If you’ve been following our weekly updates from the Class of 2026’s top recruit, Bo Bassett, you would have known he was taking his first visit this weekend at the University of Michigan. It probably was easy to surmise that with the U17 world champion and U20 bronze medalist, Bassett on campus, the Michigan staff would also bring some other huge names to Ann Arbor. That proved to be the case as Bassett’s high school teammate Jax Forrest an extremely coveted prospect in his own right, was in town as well. Forrest has not only shined at the high school level, but he has proven he can beat excellent Senior-level competition. This was the first visit for both. In addition to the McCort duo, the Wolverine staff had a pair of top prospects from California in town. With the Mantanona brothers in the maize and blue and Chase Saldate’s transfer, Michigan certainly is developing a Cali flavor. Top-flight 125 lbs can be incredibly difficult to find, so you can bet that California state champion Henry Aslikyan will be in high-demand. Earlier this year, Aslikyan captured a U17 world bronze medal in freestyle. This is also his first visit. In late-May, the top heavyweight in the Class of 2025 Nick Sahakian flipped his commitment from Arizona State to Michigan. Though he’s already committed to the Wolverines, Sahakian was out for a visit, too. Michigan State Musa Tamaradze: West Springfield, MA - Class of 2025 The Michigan State Spartans are still working on their Class of 2025 and had a pair of seniors on campus last week. This weekend they had another with Musa Tamaradze. In 2024, Tamaradze won NHSCA Junior Nationals and was fourth in Fargo in Junior Greco-Roman - a style that is popular in the Spartan room. Tamaradze has already taken visits to Army West Point and Buffalo. Minnesota Joey Enzminger: Bismarck, ND - Class of 2026 Nic Enzminger: Bismarck, ND - Class of 2026 Joel Friederichs: Watertown, MN - Class of 2026 Titan Friederichs: Watertown, MN - #52 Class of 2026 TJ Koester: Bettendorf, IA - #153 Class of 2025 Cooper Rowe: Mound Westonka, MN - #60 Class of 2026 Charles Vanier: Eden Prairie, MN - Class of 2025 Last week, Minnesota made news by announcing Michael Kemerer as a new assistant coach. Kemerer was out in Minneapolis over the weekend to help entertain a large group of recruits for the Gophers. All-in-all, there were a pair of top 60 recruits from the Class of 2026 and a Big Board’er from 2025 along for the visit. From Minnesota were the Friederichs twins, Joel and Titan - along with Cooper Rowe and Charles Vanier. Of the twins, Titan has had more national-level success thus far, with three UWW U17 Trials All-American honors, though Joel got his first in 2024. Rowe cracked the top eight in freestyle at the UWW Trials and in 16U freestyle in Fargo this year. Vanier was a Minnesota AAA state runner-up last season. In addition to the Friederichs twins, Minnesota also had the Enzminger’s, Joey and Nic. Over the summer, Nic was a Junior Greco champion in Fargo and was fifth in freestyle. The member of the 2025 Big Board is Iowa native TJ Koester. Koester is a two-time state champion and has never finished lower than third at Iowa’s 3A state tournament. This is the first visit on record for the Enzminger’s. The Friederichs have already gone on visits to Oklahoma and Wyoming. Rowe was also on the same Oklahoma visit. So far, this fall, Koester has already visited Iowa State. We don’t have record of Vanier taking another visit this fall. Nebraska Mason Peterson: Columbus, NE - Class of 2026 Preston Wagner: Fremont, NE - Class of 2026 Nebraska has had some huge recruits in town as of late. This weekend they had a pair of under-the-radar in-state recruits in town for a visit. Mason Petersen broke into the national rankings for the first time in the post-Fargo update and currently sits at #19 at 144 lbs. Preston Wagner is a heavyweight prospect who finished top-four in both styles in Fargo at the 16U age group. Currently, he does not hold a national ranking. This is the first visit for both. North Dakota State Logan Glynn: Millard South, NE - Class of 2025 Speaking of Nebraska recruits, North Dakota State had one in the room with Millard South’s Logan Glynn. Glynn is a Junior Greco-Roman All-American from Fargo after taking sixth at 157 lbs. During his senior season, Glynn will be aiming for his third Nebraska state title. This is the first visit recorded for Glynn. Northern Illinois Dreshaun Ross: Fort Dodge, IA - #3 Class of 2026 A couple of weeks ago, Northern Illinois’ football team made national headlines when their football team upset Notre Dame. Similar shockwaves might reverberate through the wrestling community if Ryan Ludwig’s team can sign #3 overall Dreshaun Ross. The two-time Fargo 16U freestyle national champion has an in with the NIU program. His older brother, Damarion is a true freshman for the Huskies. As you would expect, Ross is highly sought after and has already taken recruiting visits to Iowa State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Northwestern James Bechter: Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA - #50 Class of 2026 After looking at James Bechter’s first two visits, Brown and Virginia, you know that academics are paramount. That pattern continues with the heavyweight prospect making his way to Northwestern. Bechter is a four-time Fargo All-American and a two-time AA at the UWW U17 Trials. Oklahoma Roman Belardo: Jefferson, GA - Class of 2026 Mason Jakob: Dobyns-Bennett, TN - #119 Class of 2026 Jake Knight: Bettendorf, IA - #76 Class of 2026 Reagan Milheim: Warrior Run, PA - #34 Class of 2026 Dallas Russell: Jefferson, GA - #26 Class of 2026 Aaron Stewart: Warren Township, IL - #8 Class of 2026 Saturday night was a historic event for Oklahoma athletics as they hosted their first SEC conference game against an excellent Tennessee squad. Another large group of wrestling recruits were on hand to witness the spectacle. This recruiting weekend included a football star himself in Aaron Stewart, a tough-to-tackle running back, and a two-time double Fargo 16U champion. The next highest-ranked recruit in Norman was Dallas Russell, along with his Jefferson High School teammate, Roman Belardo. Russell was an NHSCA Sophomore National champion this year, while Belardo is a two-time Georgia champion and a placer at the Cheesehead and the Knockout Christmas Classic. Oklahoma received a late transfer from Bettendorf, Iowa’s Bradley Hill. They hosted another Bettendorf native with Fargo Junior freestyle All-American Jake Knight. Pennsylvania state champion Reagan Milheim and two-time NHSCA finalist Mason Jakob rounded out the crew. Stewart adds Oklahoma to his already impressive list of potential suitors. He’s already taken visits to Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State. Belardo has visited Davidson and has a trip to Hofstra scheduled. Jakob has already taken visits to George Mason and West Virginia. This is the second visit for Milheim - he toured Indiana two weeks ago. Oklahoma was the first visit for Knight and Russell. Oregon State Nathan Carrillo: St. John Bosco, CA - #46 Class of 2026 Travis Grace: Gilroy, CA - #65 Class of 2026 Alex Taylor: Mount Vernon, OH - #94 Class of 2026 Blake Woodward: Buchanan, CA - #122 Class of 2026 California recruiting has been a staple of Chris Pendleton’s tenure in Corvallis and that’s not changing anytime soon. Oregon State had an impressive trio of ranked recruits from California over the weekend in Nathan Carrillo, Travis Grace, and Blake Woodward. Lightweights Nathan Carrillo and Blake Woodward were both top-three finishers in California in 2024. Grace has been a younger guy at a bigger weight and was eighth at 157 lbs last year. Both Carrillo and Grace have high Fargo finishes under their belts. In addition to the California crew, Oregon State also hosted Ohio’s Alex Taylor. Taylor is a 2024 double champion from Fargo in the 16U division. Carrillo and Taylor have already visited former Pac-12 rival Arizona State. Grace started his visits last week with a trip to Big Ten country - Indiana. This is the first visit recorded for Woodward. Penn State Tyler Dekraker: Faith Christian Academy, PA - #31 Class of 2026 Michael Mocco: Cardinal Gibbons, FL - #6 Class of 2026 We haven’t heard much on the recruiting front from Penn State, but suffice it to say, the staff is working hard to keep the championship train moving. This weekend provided a slight glimpse into the Nittany Lions potential future with visits from Tyler Dekraker and Michael Mocco. Dekraker was third at the UWW U17 Trials and fifth in Fargo’s Junior freestyle just a few months later. Certainly, a prospect who is headed in the right direction. Mocco recently tore through the U17 World Championships with a freestyle title at 110 kg. His father, Steve, was a Hodge Trophy winner (like PSU head coach Cael Sanderson). The two were on opposite sides of mat in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, but have to have some sort of a relationship. Dekraker has already taken visits to Minnesota and Oklahoma. Mocco’s only visit prior was to Ohio State. Pittsburgh Dylan Pitzer: Mt. Pleasant, PA - Class of 2026 Santino Sloboda: Butler, PA - Class of 2026 Pittsburgh is usually trying to keep the prospects from Western Pennsylvania home and they’re doing it again with visits from Dylan Pitzer and Santino Sloboda. Pitzer is the younger brother of Dayton Pitzer, the Panthers current starter at heavyweight. The younger Pitzer is a two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier and one-time placer. He was fourth in the AA tournament in his first season at 285 lbs in 2024. Sloboda has finished fourth and sixth in his two years competing for Butler High School. This is the fourth visit we’ve seen attributed to Sloboda. Previously he has visited Brown, Bucknell, and West Virginia. Pittsburgh (Pitz-burgh) is the first school to host Pitzer. Virginia Tech Waylon Cressell: Warren Central, IN - #68 Class of 2026 Revin Dickman: Brownsburg, IN - #47 Class of 2026 Rocklin Zinkin: Buchanan, CA - #44 Class of 2026 Quickly after their last recruiting weekend, Virginia Tech got a verbal commitment from #11 Jayden James (Delbarton, NJ). Will history repeat itself this week? The Hokies had a trio of top-100 recruits in town with Rocklin Zinkin, Revin Dickman, and Waylon Cressell. Each is a junior. Cressell and Dickman were both Indiana state champions in 2024. Dickman now has two titles, while Cressell won another in North Dakota. Both improved their stock over the summer with top-five finishes in Fargo. Zinkin is a two-time California finalist who won the state title as a sophomore. Cressell has already taken visits to Cornell, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Wyoming. Zinkin has also been busy with trips to Michigan, NC State, and Oklahoma State. This is the first known visit for Dickman. West Virginia Kage Jones: Camden Catholic, NJ - #21 Class of 2026 Pepper Martin: University, WV - Class of 2025 Sammy Spaulding: Camden Catholic, NJ - #105 Class of 2026 Lonzy Vielman: Connellsville, PA - Class of 2025 Jake Zaltsman: St. John Vianney, NJ - Class of 2025 The West Virginia staff has been working very hard over the last month to make sure they get top prospects on campus. That has paid off with a recent verbal from Ramil Islamov who visited in late-August. This group for the WVU staff included prospects from both the 2025 and 2026 classes. The seniors include homegrown local recruit Pepper Martin, along with Lonzy Vielman and Jake Zaltsman. Martin was a 106 lb state champion in 2024 and could be a career 125 lber. Vielman is a three-time Pennsylvania qualifier who was fifth in 2024. Zaltsman is a 2024 New Jersey seventh-place finisher. The juniors in this crew are both from New Jersey’s Camden Catholic High School. #21 overall Kage Jones broke out with a state finals run in 2024 after missing out on the top-eight as a freshman. Sammy Spaulding was fourth in the state and a Beast of the East finalist. This is the first visit for Jones and Martin. Vielman also visited Brown University in the spring. Zaltsman was at Chattanooga last week and Lock Haven last month. This was the first visit for Spaulding and he is slated to make trips to Princeton, NC State, Penn, and the Naval Academy within the next month. Editor's Note: After publishing last week's article, information regarding Indiana's recent recruiting weekend made it our way. The Hoosier staff hosted #24 ('26) Nick Garcia, #65 ('26) Travis Grace, #116 Jeffrey Huyvaert, Will Deutschlander, Peyton Schoettle, Silas Stits, and Brayden Teunissen. Both Stits and Teunissen are from the Class of 2025.

Lake Highland Prep

Iowa-Grant/Highland

DePaul