InterMat Staff

Sherando

Chantilly

Wyoming Seminary

Mountain View

Old Mill

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot was decided relatively early in the game and without much competition. The second spot kind of spoke for itself as well. 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 2024, 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 junior returning at the same weight. However, after coming off a "free year" in 2021, that throws a loop into everything. At this time, we don't know whether everyone will actually use that extra year of eligibility. Compared to years past, this category doesn't factor in, as much, unless it's very evident that a team has a glaring logjam at a particular weight or weight range. Fear not….we should be through this soon! - 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 California Baptist or Campbell sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both California Baptist and Campbell may have benefitted from this criteria in 2024. So, with that out of the way, enjoy InterMat's 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings. For part one, which includes teams 13-25: Click Here 12. NC State Recruits: #30 Latrell Schafer: Veterans, GA (165), #77 Jaydon Robinson: Homewood-Flossmoor, IL (157), #92 Draegen Orine: Seckman, MO (133), #93 Louie Gill: Reynolds, PA (125), #118 Gavin Linsman: Liberty, MO (141/149), NR Luca Felix: University, West Virginia (174), NR Eric Grant: Iona Prep, NY (157), NR Tre Wilfong: Charlotte Christian, NC (174/184) 2023 Ranking: #18 2022 Ranking: #3 2021 Ranking: #5 This is a bit of a chance from some of the gigantic recruiting classes that NC State has hauled in in the past. Even without the huge numbers, there’s a lot to like. After the 2024-25 season, NC State will be hit hard by graduation/eligibility. Projected starters at four of the first five weights are seniors, so getting plenty of reinforcements in that area is well-timed. That being said, I’m not sure if they “need” any of them to wrestle immediately as true freshmen. This group follows a blueprint that has generally held steady for NC State recruiting over the years. They tend to get studs from Georgia (Latrell Schafer), Pennsylvania (Louie Gill), a sibling of a current wrestler (Draegen Orine, Jaydon Robinson), New York (Eric Grant), and a potential overlooked in-state kid (Tre Wilfong). Schafer, the head of the class, is a two-time Super 32 placer and a 2023 NHSCA Junior National champion. Though he moved up from 145 to 175 from his junior to senior year - Schafer still put together his second undefeated season in Georgia. Also with NHSCA success is Jaydon Robinson who was second at Senior Nationals after taking fourth at the Ironman. 11. Michigan Recruits: #10 Brock Mantanona: Palm Desert, CA (157), #41 Cam Catrabone: Williamsville North, NY (165), #65 Justin Gates: Davison, MI (149), #67 Chris Kiser: Ponca City, OK (125), #113 Teddy Flores: Maine South, IL (125/133), NR Zar Walker: Mishawaka, IN (133) 2023 Ranking: #2 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR Coming off a #2 recruiting class in 2023, Michigan turns in another strong performance with the Class of 2024. For the second year in a row, a Mantanona is headlining the Wolverine’s class. Last year it was Beau, this year it’s younger brother Brock. Brock is a two-time Fargo 16U freestyle finalist (one-time champ) and was a member of the 2023 U17 World Team in freestyle and came back from Istanbul with a bronze medal. Mantanona finished his high school career with a second California state title. He recently beat future teammate Dylan Gilcher on his way to third place at the U20 World Team Trials. Another familiar name to long-time Wolverine fans is Cam Catrabone. His father, Jeff, was a three-time All-American for Michigan. The younger Catrabone was a two-time New York state champion and a three-time Super 32 medalist. Michigan was also able to ink the highest-ranked in-state senior for the year in Justin Gates - a three-time state champion. With Michael DeAugustino out of eligibility at 125 lbs, either Chris Kiser or Teddy Flores may get pushed into the Wolverine lineup in year one. Kiser was a Junior Freestyle champion last summer in Fargo (at 113 lbs) and Flores is a late riser who capped his high school career with an Illinois 3A state title. Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class has targeted the first five weights, which is much needed. The Wolverines could have senior starters at two of those weights and the uncertainty at 125 lbs. 10. Virginia Tech Recruits: #22 Gage Wright: Parkersburg South, WV (174), #57 Dillon Campbell: Legacy Christian, OH (133), #58 Matt Henrich: Southern Regional, NJ (157), #83 Parker Ferrell: Christiansburg, VA, #176 Frank DiBella: St. Joe’s, NJ (165), #179 Gunner Garelli: Lyons Township, IL (165), NR Durben Carpenter: Chattahoochee, GA (125/133), NR Caden Smith: Robinson, VA (125) 2023 Ranking: #9 2022 Ranking: #7 2021 Ranking: #22 Virginia Tech continues to turn in great efforts on the recruiting trail and has signed a top-ten class for the third consecutive year. A couple of well-placed transfers will make it so that Tony Robie’s team can redshirt this entire class, if needed. Initially, Gage Wright was not the highest-ranked recruit in this class; however, he had an excellent senior season and rose to #22 overall. Wright sandwiched a third-place finish at the Beast of the East between titles at the Ironman and Powerade. He finished his senior year ranked number two in the nation at his weight class. Like clockwork, the Hokies have Big Board’ers from Ohio and New Jersey. Dillon Campbell became Ohio's 33rd four-time state champion and placed three times in Fargo in Junior freestyle, while Matt Henrich was his high school’s first state champion in almost 15 years (in 2003), then did it again as a senior. Neighboring Christiansburg has been very good to Virginia Tech in the past and has another top-100 prospect in Parker Ferrell. In 2022, Ferrell won the Super 32 and was fifth in Fargo’s Junior freestyle. The Hokies do have a lot of talent at heavyweight so Ferrell has time to develop, but also may need time to get in the lineup. 9. Iowa State Recruits: #15 Sawyer Bartelt: South Dade, FL (197), #35 Daniel Herrera: Palm Desert, CA (285), #68 Adrian Meza: Valiant Prep, AZ (133), #90 Kane Naaktgeboren: Linn-Mar, IA (157), #101 Canon Acklin: Collinsville, OK (125), #106 Tucker Stangel: Osage, IA (157), NR Gabe Carver: Urbandale, IA (165), NR Osmany Diversent: La Habana, Cuba (125/133) 2023 Ranking: #10 2022 Ranking: #2 2021 Ranking: #16 This makes it four straight years with a top-16 recruiting classes for Kevin Dresser’s crew. The Cyclones obviously wanted to upgrade their big men and did so with their top two recruits. Each is one of the best options available at 197 lbs and heavyweight. Sawyer Bartelt was a four-time, undefeated Florida state champion who placed five times in Fargo and was top-four in both styles in UWW U17’s. He was the second-ranked 197 lber in the entire class. Daniel Herrera won a pair of California state titles, committed to the Cyclones, moved to Iowa and won a third championship. Prior to his senior year, Herrera was a finalist at the Super 32. In addition to Herrera, Kane Naaktgeboren and Tucker Stangel also won Iowa titles in 2024, while Gabe Carver was a runner-up. Arizona used to be a semi-regular spot for Iowa State to mine for recruits. That pipeline looks to be re-established with the signing of 2021 16U freestyle national champion Adrian Meza. Plus, there’s more potentially on the way. Meza is from a Valiant Prep program that is loaded with talent. The x factor in this class is Osmany Diversent who is the third Cuban to make his way to Ames. For some teams, his lack of folkstyle experience could be a risk; however, Dresser’s team has put the previous two on the NCAA podium, so they have a positive track record. In 2021, Diversent won gold at the Pan-American U20 Championships defeating Penn national qualifier Ryan Miller in the finals. 8. North Carolina Recruits: #36 Luke Simcox: Central Mountain, PA (149), #45 Nick O’Neill: Malvern Prep, NJ (141), #52 Laird Root: Poway, CA (157), #74 Jake Dailey: Wyoming Seminary, PA (184), #76 Collin Carrigan: Glenbard West, IL (165), #85 Cam Stinson: Mallard Creek, NC (125/133), #155 Elias Navida: Poway, CA (133), #159 Robert Platt: Poway, CA (197/285), #172 Mikey Calcagno: IC Catholic, IL (197), NR Aiden Schlett: St. Joes, NJ (197) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: #16 2021 Ranking: #21 What a recruiting class! And it was one that continued to develop in the final weeks leading up to the recruiting rankings. North Carolina brought in nine of the top-200 recruits in the nation and six of them had committed elsewhere, at one point in time. When it was all said and done, Rob Koll’s first class at UNC is massive and should provide help throughout the lineup. In 2024, this incoming group of Tar Heels was responsible for two National Prep finals appearances (Nick O’Neill and Jake Dailey), a Pennsylvania AAA title (Luke Simcox), three California state finals appearances (Elias Navida, Laird Root, and Robert Platt), and a pair of Illinois state titles (Collin Carrigan and Mikey Calcagno). And if that’s not enough, the UNC staff signed one of the most decorated wrestlers in North Carolina history, Cam Stinson. Stinson was just the third North Carolina high schooler to finish as an undefeated four-time state champion. A handful of offseason transfers have helped bolster the Tar Heel lineup so most, if not all, of this group could redshirt in 2024-25. Barring injuries, there may be one or two weights for a freshman to work their way into the lineup in year one. 7. Missouri Recruits: #3 Aeoden Sinclair: Milton, WI (184), #51 Jake Crapps: Cass, GA (133), #59 Gage Walker: Bixby, OK (133), #63 Jace Roller: Bixby, OK (149), #79 Jake Stoffel: Appleton North, WI (174), #125 Mack Mauger: Blackfoot, ID (125), NR Logan Cole: Billings, MT (174), NR Kolten Oborny: College Park, TX (157), NR Owen Uppinghouse: Quincy, IL (165) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: #2 2021 Ranking: NR Similar to Cornell, who was mentioned yesterday, Missouri tends to have a huge recruiting class followed by a smaller one. That pattern has continued after not being ranked in 2021 and 2023, but signing the #2 overall class in 2022 and #7 this year. The class is led by one of the highest-ranked signees ever for the Tigers, Aeoden Sinclair. The 2023 U17 World Team member was a two-time Super 32 finalist (one-time champ) and a Fargo 16U freestyle champion. He also defeated fellow Askren Wrestling Academy teammate Connor Mirasola at Who’s #1. Like current Tiger star Keegan O’Toole, Sinclair also wrestled under former Mizzou legend Ben Askren. The Tigers got a second Wisconsin Big Board’er this year with UWW U17 All-American Jake Stoffel. He and Sinclair could end up back-to-back in a future Missouri lineup. You have to like Mizzou getting a pair of top-100 high school teammates out of Oklahoma in Gage Walker and Jace Roller. The pair combined to win seven Oklahoma state titles at Bixby High School. Lightweight prospect Mack Mauger had one of the most decorated Fargo careers in recent memory. He placed six times with five titles - three of which came at the Junior age group. Keep an eye out for the unranked recruits in this class. Missouri does as good of a job as anyone at developing those prospects into productive collegiate wrestlers. 6. Minnesota Recruits: #9 Koy Hopke: Amery, WI (285), #29 Charlie Millard: Homestead, WI (165), #132 Wyatt Duchateau: Arrowhead, WI (149), #133 Jack Nelson: Mound Westonka, MN (133), #134 Dawson Johnson: Cumberland, WI (149), #224 Jed Wester: St. Michael-Albertville, MN (174), #243 Silas Dailey: Plymouth, WI (184), #246 Blake Beissel: Hastings, MN (125) 2023 Ranking: #14 2022 Ranking: HM 2021 Ranking: #7 Very impressive class from the Minnesota staff as they kept some solid prospects home and then headed to Trevor Brandvold’s home state to get even more talent. Is Koy Hopke the next in line when it comes to great Minnesota heavyweights? He has all of the pre-college makings of one. Hopke made the U17 World team in both styles in 2022, winning a gold medal in freestyle and placing eighth in Greco. A year later, Hopke grabbed a stop sign from Fargo with a Junior freestyle title. Two-time Junior freestyle All-American Charlie Millard, NHSCA Senior National champion Dawson Johnson, 16U Fargo All-American Silas Dailey, and three-time state champion Wyatt Duchateau all come over from Wisconsin. The in-state contingent is responsible for a total of seven state titles between Jack Nelson (3), Jed Wester (2), and Blake Beissel (2). The upcoming edition of the Gophers doesn’t have any glaring holes and adding this talented crop will only help push Minnesota back towards NCAA team trophy contention. 5. Ohio State Recruits: #4 Ben Davino: St. Charles East, IL (133), #17 Ethan Birden: Dublin Coffman, OH (165), #43 Carter Neves: Blair Academy, NJ (285), #120 Landon Desselle: Summit, TN (149), #177 Cayaen Smith: Pleasant Grove, UT (197), NR Daxton Chase: Pleasant, OH (149/157), NR Dakota King: Barnesville, OH (141), NR Jaxson Rosselli: Olentangy Liberty, OH (125/133) 2023 Ranking: #5 2022 Ranking: #1 2021 Ranking: #9 In the first half of the rankings, we mentioned some teams that tend to have enormous recruiting classes. Ohio State typically is on the opposite side of the spectrum, with smaller classes, and fewer top-100 recruits; however, the ones they get are among the best in their respective grades. That has proven to be true again as Tom Ryan’s team has signed two of the top-20 wrestlers in the nation along with another in the top-50. Ben Davino is the biggest name in the class and put together a remarkable high school career. A 2023 U17 World Team member, Davino won a pair of Walsh Ironman titles, the Super 32, 16U freestyle in Fargo and two Who’s #1 matches. Recently, Davino made the finals of the U20 World Team Trials. Although Davino could probably have immediate success in the Buckeye lineup, it appears as if they have the luxury of redshirting him in 2024-25. The second top-20 recruit is Ethan Birden, a two-time Ohio state champion who made the Ironman podium on three occasions including a finals appearance in 2022. The Buckeye also added one of the top big men in the class with Carter Neves. Neves had a senior year at Blair Academy that featured titles at the Ironman, the Best of the East, and National Preps. The only problem is how Neves fits into the lineup. After a redshirt season, he would still overlap returning All-American Nick Feldman by two years. Two-time Beast placer Landon Desselle and Cayaen Smith add much-needed depth to the Buckeye lineup. 4. Rutgers Recruits: #26 Conner Harer: Montgomery, PA (165), #32 Nate Blanchette: Central Catholic, MA (184), #34 Ayden Smith: Notre Dame-Green Pond, PA (125), #40 Andrew Barbosa: Palm Desert, CA (157), #53 Mason Gibson: Bishop McCort, PA (125/133), #117 Alex Nini: Christian Brothers, NJ (141), #183 Ryan Ford: Bergen Catholic, NJ (157), #206 Kurt Wehner: Donovan Catholic, NJ (125), NR Donovan DiStefano: Wall Township, NJ (149), NR Brandon Toranzo: Nutley, NJ (285), NR Nick Villani: Bernards, NJ (141/149) 2023 Ranking: HM 2022 Ranking: #12 2021 Ranking: #17 You have to go all the way back to the beginning of the Scott Goodale-era to find a recruiting class like this one. That 2008 class (#2) was important for setting a foundation and letting the rest of the country know Rutgers was on the rise. This one could push the school to a point where they’re consistently in the top-ten (or higher?). The 2024 group was solid on its own; however, late flips from Ayden Smith and Mason Gibson pushed it into the top-five. Smith and Conner Harer are both multi-time Pennsylvania state champions. Harer had three and Smith two. Gibson also comes across the border from PA. He was famously a Super 32 champion as an eighth-grader and made the finals two additional times throughout his high school career. We could see Smith and Gibson back-to-back starting off the Rutgers lineup in the future. The Rutgers staff ventured into some relatively uncharted territory, for them, with the signing of three-time New England champion Nate Blanchette. Blanchette steadily rose on the Big Board during his senior year from 78 to 42 before settling in at 32. The other top-50 recruit of the bunch is California runner-up Andrew Barbosa. Rutgers always recruits New Jersey well and this year was no exception as they signed state finalists Alex Nini and Kurt Wehner - along with four-time medalist Ryan Ford. For more on the Rutgers recruiting class, check out our interview with assistant coach Steve Mytych. 3. Oklahoma Recruits: #16 Beric Jordan: Stillwater, OK (125/133), #19 Alex Braun: Woodbury, MN (149), #55 Anders Thompson: Flathead, MT (197), #94 Landyn Sommer: Stillwater, OK (165), #104 Clayton Giddens-Buttram: Bixby, OK (165), #152 Ricky Thomas: Edmond North, OK (285), #153 Hunter Hollingsworth: Edmond North, OK (141), #185 Owen Eck: Andale, KS (149), #210 Cash Donnell: Piedmont, OK (125), #222 Jude Randall: Edmond North, OK (174), #225 Koufax Christensen: Waukee North, IA (125/133), NR Jacob Henry: Vandergrift, TX (285), NR Jake Moon: Rockwall, TX (149/157), NR Andrew Mullin: Bixby, OK (197) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: HM 2021 Ranking: #11 The first full recruiting class for Oklahoma head coach Roger Kish was a successful one. It’s also a bit of an understatement. The Sooners led everyone in the nation by signing 11 Big Board'er’s, which was the highest total in the country (by two). Oklahoma has talented new faces likely at all ten weight classes. Not only does Oklahoma have the quantity portion - but they also have two of the top-20 wrestlers in the nation in Beric Jordan and Alex Braun. Jordan was a three-time Ironman finalist and one-time champ. Last summer, he made the Fargo Junior freestyle finals at 120 lbs. Braun is a four-time Fargo placer who was third at the Super 32. Both were selected to compete at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic and notched victories. The Sooner staff did an excellent job of getting talent from within their borders. And from power programs. Stillwater, Bixby, and Edmond North to name a few. Prior to Kish’s arrival, Oklahoma hadn’t always recruited in-state well. Not only did they hit the in-state programs, but the Sooners also signed Big Board wrestlers from Minnesota and Iowa. Overall, this is a great start for the Kish-era. Oklahoma has potential early impact wrestlers in Jordan and Braun, but also lots of signees that can be developed and reshape the future of OU wrestling. For more on the Oklahoma recruiting class, check out our interview with assistant coach Cam Sykora. 2. Stanford Recruits: #11 Aden Valencia: Morgan Hill, CA (149), #18 Colin Guffey: Granite Hills, CA (174), #33 Jack Consiglio: Malvern Prep, PA (141), #38 Grigor Cholakyan: St. John Bosco, CA (157), #42 Jason Mara: Meridian, ID (157), #62 EJ Parco: Los Gatos, CA (157), #105 Cole Han-Lindemyer: Farmington, MN (184), NR Lars Michaelson: Bremerton, WA (197) 2023 Ranking: #8 2022 Ranking: #5 2021 Ranking: NR Three straight years with a top-eight recruiting class for the Cardinal! Those previous classes combined with this one have a pretty imposing potential lineup in place for second-year head coach Chris Ayres. Stanford was the only team this year that nabbed seven of the top 150 wrestlers - and five of the top-50 is an excellent total. The class is headlined by Aden Valencia who has proven himself time and again on the freestyle circuit. Earlier this month, Valencia was a runner-up at the U20 Trials. He might be a difficult one to keep out of the lineup immediately. In years past, Stanford has recruited on a national level almost moreso than in-state. This year was different as they inked California state champions Colin Guffey and Grigor Cholakyan, along with third-place finisher EJ Parco. Coming all the way from Pennsylvania is Ironman runner-up and three-time National Prep champion Jack Consiglio. Consiglio was also selected to compete in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. The only nitpick with this class is that they have a lot of signees around the 149/157 range. But the truth is if a couple of them turn into stars that will be forgotten. Stanford finished 16th in the nation in 2024. With three years of excellent recruiting classes, they could have an even greater national impact in 2025 and beyond. 1. Penn State Recruits: #1 Luke Lilledahl: Wyoming Seminary, PA/MO (125/133), #5 Connor Mirasola: West Bend West, WI (197), #6 Zack Ryder: Minisink Valley, NY (174/184), #8 Joseph Sealey: Wyoming Seminary, PA/NC (165), #14 Cole Mirasola: West Bend West, WI (285), #91 Brock Weiss: Jersey Shore, PA (157), NR Ty Watson: Penns Valley, PA (149/157) 2023 Ranking: #3 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: #1 For the most anti-climatic ranking of the bunch, Penn State comes in at number one after signing four top-ten recruits and five of the top-15. Three of the wrestlers from this class earned a spot on the U20 World Team in freestyle (Luke Lilledahl, Zack Ryder, and Connor Mirasola). Another two finished third at the Trials (Joseph Sealey and Cole Mirasola). Lilledahl and Sealey already have world-level credentials under their belts with U17 world championships in 2022. Lilledahl has since captured a silver medal at the U20 world level. For almost a decade, 125 has been a weight that Penn State has had difficulty filling with a star that can match the rest of its lineup. Lilledahl has the potential to step in right away and become a contender at the weight. Connor Mirasola has established himself as the top 197 lb prospect in the class through his U20 Trials performance and a pair of Junior freestyle national titles in Fargo. He also made the U17 Trials finals on two occasions. His twin brother, Cole, is a two-time Junior freestyle All-American after making the finals last year. Ryder is a two-time U17 world bronze medalist and was third at the Ironman as a sophomore. Sealey has been selected to wrestle in Who’s #1 in each of the last two preseasons and is a three-time National Prep champion. Not to be overlooked is Brock Weiss who is also a top-100 recruit and a PA state finalist. Obviously, with a stacked lineup and a class of this caliber, there is sure to be some overlap. At the same time, we probably won’t remember that issue while reviewing this class in 2029.

George Mason announced a huge hiring today as they have brought out two-time NCAA champion Dean Heil as the team's head assistant coach. Heil got his coaching career off to a start in 2019-20 as a volunteer assistant on the Campbell staff, while his younger brother, Josh, was competing for the Camels. Once Cary Kolat left to take the head coaching position at the Naval Academy, Heil followed to train out of the Navy-Marine Corps RTC. Heil originally came to Campbell as the team’s Director of Operations in 2018. Despite finishing his collegiate career in 2018, Heil has been very active on the Senior level and last competed next to the campus of George Mason University at the 2024 Last Chance Qualifier for the Olympic Team Trials. Heil earned a spot in the World Team Trials in 2021 and was seventh at the US Open in 2022. He qualified for the WTT's on four occasions, along with the 2016 Olympic Trials. Heil wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma State University where he was a three-time All-American and two-time champion. As a freshman, Heil took fourth in the 141 lb bracket at the 2015 national tournament. A year later, he grabbed his first national championship by defeating Bryce Meredith, then repeated in 2017 being George DiCamillo. He would miss out on the podium as a senior losing to freshman Yianni Diakomihalis in the NCAA quarterfinals. George Mason is coming off a third place finish in the MAC (112.5 points) and sent three wrestlers to Kansas City for the NCAA Championships. All three are slated to return in 2024-25. The Patriots are led by Frank Beasley who is entering his eighth season at the helm for GMU.

The second half of the national recruiting rankings will be released later today. You can bet that Oklahoma will be prominently featured in those rankings after leading the nation by signing 11 of the top-250 prospects. Assistant coach Cam Sykora has joined us to talk about assembling this class - how this time of year is much less stressful than a year ago at this time, the Oklahoma brand name in the recruiting process, setting a foundation with this recruiting class and much more. For the full interview:

Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot was decided relatively early in the game and without much competition. The second spot kind of spoke for itself as well. 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 2024, 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 junior returning at the same weight. However, after coming off a "free year" in 2021, that throws a loop into everything. At this time, we don't know whether everyone will actually use that extra year of eligibility. Compared to years past, this category doesn't factor in, as much, unless it's very evident that a team has a glaring logjam at a particular weight or weight range. Fear not….we should be through this soon! - 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 California Baptist or Campbell sign the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both California Baptist and Campbell may have benefitted from this criteria in 2024. So, with that out of the way, enjoy InterMat's 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings. 25. Bucknell Recruits: #50 Dillon Bechtold: Owen Roberts, PA (197), #203 Tyler Bienus: Mount Olive, NJ (184), #219 Creed Thomas: Jefferson, GA (184), #231 Kaden Schaefer: Fleming Island, FL (149), NR Ty Kapusta: Franklin Regional, PA (125), NR Chris Nucifora: Bergen Catholic, NJ (125) 2023 Ranking: #19 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR For the second consecutive year, the Bison have cracked the top-25. The 2023 class provided a pair of starters that qualified for nationals in year one. I’m sure Bucknell head coach Dan Wirnsberger would like that sort of production from the 2024 group. Two-time Pennsylvania state finalist and one-time champion, Dillon Bechtold, leads the way. Bechtold is the first top-50 recruit to sign with the Bison in Wirnsberger’s tenure in Lewisburg. In addition to his PA state title, Bechtold was seventh in both styles last summer in Fargo and placed at the Super 32. Joining Bechtold providing reinforcements to the upperweights are big board’ers Tyler Bienus and Creed Thomas. Bienus was third in New Jersey this year and Thomas has earned All-American honors at the NHSCA grade-level tournament. The hard-to-address 125 lb weight class was bolstered with the addition of Ty Kapusta and Chris Nucifora. Kapusta was a Pennsylvania runner-up in 2024 - his third time making the state podium. Bucknell returns a team that features four national qualifiers so a talented class like this will continue to push the Bison in the right direction. 24. California Baptist Recruits: #46 Paul Kelly: Poway, CA (149), #156 Sonny Kling: Palm Desert, CA (197), #163 Caeden Olin: Millard South, NE (285), #232 Jeremy Ginter: Whitmer, OH (149), NR David Alonso: Palm Desert, CA (165), Damian Alvarez: Selma, CA (125/133), NR Devan Carter: Graham-Kapowsin, WA (165), NR Remy Murillo: Canyon Springs, California (133/141) 2023 Ranking: HM 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR Last year, California Baptist was noted in our honorable mention section - now they’ve moved into the top-25 in our recruiting rankings for the first time since becoming a DI program. In-state recruiting will always be key for Derek Moore’s team and they were able to ink three wrestlers that finished in the top-three at the one-class California state tournament. Sonny Kling is the champ of the bunch; however, Paul Kelly is the highest-ranked of the crew. Kelly, a 2024 state runner-up, was fourth last summer in both styles in Fargo and then at the Super 32. Not only has California Baptist been able to nab some of the top in-state talent, but they’ve also ventured outside of the state borders and inked top-250 wrestlers from Nebraska and Ohio. The exposure from wrestling in the Big 12 should only enhance that ability to extend their recruiting reach going forward. Caeden Olin was a two-time state champion for one of Nebraska’s power programs, while Jeremy Ginter was a third-place finisher in Ohio’s largest classification. Depending on the strategy of the CBU staff, this class could have netted the Lancers multiple starters in one year. 23. Arizona State Recruits: #23 Kyler Larkin: Valiant Prep, AZ (141/149), #31 Pierson Manville: State College, PA (149), NR Caleb Camp: Buena Vista, CO (133/141), NR Nick Hutchins: Arizona College Prep, AZ (285), NR Javani Majoor: Falcon, AZ (157/165) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: #10 2021 Ranking: #2 If you pay attention to recruiting for long enough, you’ll notice different recruiting strategies at different schools. Even when Arizona State has gotten into the top-ten with their classes, they’ve tended to go with quality over quantity. This year is a prime example signing the #23 and #31 ranked wrestlers, but no other Big Boarder’s. The Sun Devils ranking is largely reliant on the two; however, even if they signed more top-250 kids, Kyler Larkin and Pierson Manville would be expected to make the biggest impact. Both of ASU’s marquee signees come from notable wrestling families. Kyler Larkin’s father, Eric, was a Hodge Trophy winner for the Sun Devils in 2003 and has begun to churn out top collegiate prospects at Valiant Prep. His older brother, Kaleb, is ready to be unleashed as a redshirt freshman for Arizona State. Kyler has won national freestyle titles at both age groups in Fargo and was a U17 world team member in 2022. Pierson Manville is the youngest of a highest decorated trio of brothers and has experienced success at every level thus far. Manville has placed third in both styles in Fargo, at the Junior level, in 2022 and 2023. At the 16U age division, Manville was a finalist in both styles. Last fall, in folkstyle, Manville earned a win at Who’s #1 and at the Walsh Ironman. In some instances, we may dock a team if they have a potential logjam with their signees. That certainly could happen with the Larkin brothers and Manville; however, Eric Larkin moved up in weight three times in college, so his sons likely will at least once. For the rest of the signing class, look at heavyweight prospect Nick Hutchins. He’s an Arizona state champion who might be the successor to 285 lb stalwart Cohlton Schultz. 22. Campbell Recruits: #89 Kendrick Hodge: Somerset, FL (165), #137 Phil Lamka: Fenton, MI (174), #143 Eugene Harney: Sycamore, OH (165), #145 Brent Slade: Southeast Polk, IA (184), #238 Lane Kiser: Trinity, Kentucky (197), #241 Colby Crouch: Triad, IL (133), NR Matthew Beem: Glenwood, IA (133/141), NR Jonathan Chang: Clarksburg, MD (141/149), NR Reese Courtney: Center Grove, IN (141), NR Brock Hacker: Johns Creek, GA (197), NR Seth Larson: Flowery Branch, GA (184), NR Parker Lyden: Forest Lake, MN (149), NR Ryan Phillips: Winter Springs, FL (141), NR Aaron Ries: Wadsworth, OH (285), NR Landon Sargent: Cape Fear, NC (285), NR Mikey Trujillo: Wyoming Seminary, PA/NM (141), NR Sawyer Van Rider: New Smyrna Beach, FL (184), NR Kaleb Wright: Gloucester City, NJ (165/174) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: HM Campbell has been known for bringing in large recruiting classes and they have another this year. Six of them fall within the top-250 prospects in the nation - led by #89 Kendrick Hodge. Florida has been good to the Campbell program and Hodge is one of two signees from the Sunshine State headed to Buies Creek in the fall. Hodge has excelled at the NHSCA grade-level tournaments. He has made the finals in each of the last two years and won as a senior. Though Campbell has had success recruiting in the south (and continues to do so) they have brought in talent from all over the midwest. Just about every power state in that region is represented in this class. Others to watch in this class include Eugene Harney, an Ohio DI state champion and an Ironman placer. Brent Slade was a UWW U17 All-American in both styles in 2023 and Lane Kiser was an NHSCA Junior National All-American (4th). While this group has reinforcements for almost every weight class, it could most benefit the upperweights as 197 lber Levi Hopkins and heavyweight Taye Ghadiali are out of eligibility after the 2024-25 season. 21. Air Force Recruits: #20 Karson Tompkins: Midlothian, TX (197), #88 Layton Schneider: Edmond North, Oklahoma (165), #99 Logan Fowler: Murfreesboro, TN (149), #146 Gianni Maldonado: Lake Gibson, Florida (165), #209 Gunner Cramblett: Graham, OH (174), #213 Talon McCollom: Edmond North, Oklahoma (184), #228 Anders Kittleson: Osage, IA (149), #244 Charlie LaRocca: Center Grove, IN (125), NR Jack Estevez: Poway, CA (149), NR Lincoln Gregersen: Ralston Valley, CO (133/141), Roman Lermer: Tampa Prep, FL (125), NR Cristian Rivera: Sunnyside, AZ (149), NR Tanner Spalding: Woodward Academy, GA (133), NR Jesse Vanorden: Wantagh, NY (149/157), NR Jake Wood: Perrysburg, OH (174) 2023 Ranking: #23 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: HM At one time, Air Force making the recruiting rankings was a nice, new addition. We’re now at the point where it’s come to be expected after consecutive years in the top-25 and an honorable mention in 2021. The cornerstone of this group is 197 lb prospect Karson Tompkins. He is the first top-20 recruit to commit to Air Force since the Class of 2023 and is ranked higher than two-time AA Wyatt Hendrickson. Tompkins was a Junior placer in both styles in Fargo, fourth at the Super 32, and got a win at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Last year’s recruiting class was very heavy on upperweights and Air Force got one of the best in the nation with Tompkins. After his, this group focused heavily on the middleweights. Of Air Force’s eight Big Boarder’s, five fall within the projected range of 149-174. This group also features a pair of Big Boarder’s from Edmond North High School in Oklahoma, a team that finished the season ranked fourth in the nation. You have to like the idea of getting recruits from a proven high school program and one they could hit up in the future as well. One of them, Layton Schneider, was a fifth-place finisher at the Ironman and a two-time Fargo Junior freestyle All-American. 20. Lock Haven Recruits: #27 Tucker Hogan: Daniel Boone, PA (197), #112 Cole Bartram: Northern York, PA (184), #130 Dean Houser: Daniel Boone, PA (125/133), #149 Nick Kunstek: Pottsville, PA (157), #200 Ousmane Duncanson: Tioga, NY (165/174), NR Clayton Carr: Wyalusing, PA (133), NR Wyatt Dillon: Northern York, PA (149/157), NR Darren Florance: Harpursville, NY (125), NR Rocco Fratelli: Northern York, PA (141), NR Lucas Fye: Bald Eagle Area, PA (125), NR Hunter Gould: Conneaut Lake, PA (133), NR Wyatt Lazzar: Commodore Perry, PA (157), NR Alex Reed: Shikellamy, PA (125), NR Brandon Stiehler: Pocono Mountain West, PA (285), NR Griffin Walizer: Central Mountain, PA (141/149), NR Hudson Ward: Canton, PA (165) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR This is the first time in this version of InterMat that Lock Haven has cracked the top-25 in recruiting rankings. Typically, Bald Eagle head coach Scott Moore and staff find some overlooked gems and coach them up to be productive collegiate wrestlers. That could be the case again here, but they also have some highly-ranked prospects in the mix, too. Lock Haven needs help at the upperweights and those have been addressed by the signings of Tucker Hogan and Cole Bartram - who are also the highest-ranked of the bunch. The pair go hand-in-hand, as they’ve met in the AAA state finals in each of the last two years, with Hogan getting his hand raised both times. It appears that one of the two could see action right away at 197 lbs. The Lock Haven staff has been proactive in their approach at the opposite end of the lineup, as well. In case Anthony Noto moves up or in preparation for life after Noto, there are some quality 125 lb prospects. Dean Houser was a three-time AAA state placer and Lucas Fye got on the podium twice at the AA level. Coming in from New York is three-time champion Darren Florance. A late addition to the Lock Haven class was two-time Fargo All-American Nick Kunstek. He was fourth in a deep PIAA AAA weight class and has been very active nationally for his entire high school career. This group, combined with existing talent on the Lock Haven roster, should be able to push the tiny PA power back into the national rankings. 19. Nebraska Recruits: #13 LJ Araujo: Bismarck, ND (165/174), #61 Omar Ayoub: Dublin Coffman, OH (149), #108 Marco Christensen: Minnetonka, MN (184), NR Colin McAlister: Mill Valley, KS (174) 2023 Ranking: #7 2022 Ranking: #8 2021 Ranking: #13 A staple in the recruiting rankings, Nebraska is actually lower than you’ve come to expect, but that’s a product of a very small class - after years of strong recruiting. Technically, Kael Lauridsen and Camden McDanel are both part of the Class of 2024 after grayshirting last year. They were already factored into the 2023 rankings. The highest-ranked of this bunch is LJ Araujo who rose in the final Big Board update and might still be unknown to some fans. In the past, Araujo’s best results came in Greco - two Junior Fargo placements (2,6); however, he dispelled the notion of being a Greco specialist by winning the Super 32 in the Fall of 2023. Two-time Ohio state champion Omar Ayoub has an incredible track record placing at most of your big national tournaments. Twice at the Ironman, twice in Junior freestyle in Fargo, twice at the Super 32, and once in UWW U17 freestyle. He joins his older brother, Ismael, who is already a member of the Husker team. Minnesota’s Marco Christensen was also a double All-American in Fargo last year. Looking at this group, the most attention was given to the 165-184 range, which is a smart decision based on the age of Nebraska’s starters and the depth behind them. 18. Cornell Recruits: #24 Jaxon Joy: Wadsworth, OH (149), #56 Lou Cerchio: Delbarton, NJ (174), #70 Cash Henderson: Woods Cross, UT (285), #109 Cy Kruse: Totino-Grace, MN (285), #129 Gabriel Bouyssou: Scituate, RI (157), NR Carter Chamberlain: Clearfield, PA (184/197), NR Luca Stefanelli: Delbarton, NJ (141/149), NR Ryder Yoshitake: San Marino, CA (149) 2023 Ranking: #4 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: #3 Cornell tends to have huge recruiting classes in one year and then smaller ones the following year. They rarely have a medium-sized (or ranked) one like this class. In fact, the Cornell staff already has the pieces in place for another huge, highly-ranked group in 2025. But that’s for another time. Three-time Ohio state champion Jaxon Joy leads the 2024 class. Joy probably has the best opportunity to come in and make an immediate impact. Cornell has returning EIWA champion Ethan Fernandez at 149 lbs; however, Joy might be able to make a push. Joy placed twice in Junior freestyle and at the Ironman, plus he was third at the Super 32 last fall. It appears there was a concerted effort to add depth and bodies to the 285 lb weight class. Going back to the beginning of the Koll-era, that’s the only weight in which the Big Red have failed to produce an All-American, plus they’ve lost Lewis Fernandes to graduation. Cash Henderson is a top-100 recruit who projects at 285 lbs. He was a 16U freestyle national champion and was fourth in both Junior freestyle and UWW U17. Cornell also has some veterans in the 165-184 range, so it’s good to get #56 Lou Cerchio in the fold. The 2023 New Jersey state champion was a 16U freestyle national champion back in 2021. He and Luca Stefanelli hail from Delbarton, alma mater to head coach Mike Grey, and a frequent stop for Cornell on the recruiting trail. 17. West Virginia Recruits: #25 Rune Lawrence: Frazier, PA (285), #28 Hoke Hogan: Commerce, GA (184), #54 Shawn Taylor: West Allegheny, PA (174), #129 Mason Kernan: Bethel Park, PA (141), NR Bryce Arbogast: Benedictine Prep, VA (133), NR Anthony Clem: Wantagh, NY (133), NR Joey Clem: Wantagh, NY (125/133), NR TJ Langley: Western Reserve, OH (157), NR Tyler Wood: St. Mary’s Ryken, MD (125/133) 2023 Ranking: NR 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR 2024 saw West Virginia place in the top-18 at the NCAA Championships for the first time in almost two decades and there’s potential for more after adding this impressive group of incoming freshmen. WVU makes the recruiting rankings for the first time in the last four years after inking a group that includes three of the top-54 recruits in the nation. The WVU staff has specifically targeted the upperweights with their most highly regarded recruits. Leading the way is Rune Lawrence, a three-time Super 32 placewinner - each time coming at fourth place or higher. Oh yeah, he’s also a four-time Pennsylvania AAA champion, an incredibly difficult feat for a freshman starting his high school career at 172 lbs. Also in the upperweights is Hoke Hogan, a two-time winner at the Georgia State tournament and NHSCA’s grade-level tournaments. Hogan was also a Junior freestyle All-American last summer in Fargo. You have to like what the West Virginia coaching staff has done from a regional recruiting standpoint. They’ve signed some of the best from western Pennsylvania and also prospects from neighboring Ohio and Maryland. While the big-name recruits in this class are upperweights, there are a lot of prospects at the hard-to-fill 125 lb weight class, along with 133. It appears that West Virginia should have some upperclassmen at those weights, so they should have time to develop. Overall, it’s great to see West Virginia amongst the recruiting heavyweights and could it be the start of many more rankings? 16. Oklahoma State Recruits: #2 Cody Merrill: Gilroy, CA (285), #21 JJ McComas: Stillwater, OK (133/141), #188 Kolter Burton: American Falls, ID (141), NR Rin Sakamoto: Jiyugaoka Gakuen, Japan (133) 2023 Ranking: #1 2022 Ranking: #6 2021 Ranking: #6 This is the recruiting class that was assembled by the previous Oklahoma State regime and Tyler Caldwell, the only holdover after David Taylor was hired. At this time, it appears all are still intending on wrestling for the Cowboys. As you look at recruiting classes years after the fact, there aren’t “that” many recruits that end up earning All-American honors and even fewer winning national championships. So, when you have a recruiting class that features a #2 overall recruit and a #21, it’s probably more likely to produce high achievements than a larger class with less credentialed prospects. Cody Merrill was arguably the top wrestler in the entire class. In each of the last two summers, Merrill dominated his way to Junior freestyle titles in Fargo. In 2021, he was a runner-up in 16U freestyle and a champion in Greco-Roman. Merrill also made a U17 World Team in Greco-Roman and he came away with a bronze medal. Maybe the only concern with Merrill is whether he’ll be able to grow into the 285 lb weight class. Last summer, JJ McComas had a huge breakout with a runner-up finish in Junior freestyle in Fargo and then he kept that momentum going with a Super 32 finals appearance. The other ranked wrestler in the class is Kolter Burton who was a five-time All-American in Fargo. Perhaps the most interesting member of the class is Japan’s Rin Sakamoto. Last year, Sakamoto was a U20 world team member in Japan. Obviously, there will be a transition period to folkstyle, but we have seen some recent examples of this gamble working out. 15. Illinois Recruits: #37 Colin Kelly: Mt. Carmel, IL (174), #39 Ryan Bennett: St. Edward, OH (149), #205 Anthony Ruzic: Auburn, IL (125), #218 Jayden Colon: St. Charles East, IL (141/149), NR Marko Ivanisevic: Hinsdale Central, IL (285), NR Jackson Herman: Cinco Ranch, TX (133/141) 2023 Ranking: #11 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR A late flip by two-time Illinois state champion Colin Kelly helped push this class from the border of the top-25 to a second consecutive top-15 group for Illini head coach Mike Poeta. Kelly was an Ironman runner-up and previously had committed to Wisconsin. Right behind Kelly in the national rankings is two-time Ohio state champion Ryan Bennett. Bennett hails from the fabled St. Edward High School in Ohio which has been closely linked to Illinois for decades. In order for Bennett to claim his second state title he had to take out a top-100 prospect in Omar Ayoub. Despite being ranked lower than others in the recruiting class, Anthony Ruzic and Jayden Colon are both three-time Illinois state champions. Now Poeta has two full recruiting cycles under his belt and top-15 classes in both years. Illinois looks to be a major player now and going forward in the recruiting game. 14. Indiana Recruits: #71 Tyler Guerra: St. Charles East, IL (149), #96 Nick Pavlechko: State College, PA (285), #127 Caleb Marzolino: Abingdon Heights, PA (197), #138 Matt Hart: Western Reserve, OH (149), #148 Chris Crawford: Wyoming Seminary, PA (165), #150 Ryan Garvick: Central Dauphin, PA (165), #191 Lucas Peters: Kaukauna, WI (133), NR Chase Leech: Garrett, IN (174) 2023 Ranking: HM 2022 Ranking: NR 2021 Ranking: NR Two years in a row with a mention in the recruiting rankings - is it the start of something big in Bloomington? This wasn’t the best year for in-state talent in Indiana, so the Hoosier staff plucked talented recruits from power states within the Big Ten footprint. Indiana hasn’t had a national qualifier from Pennsylvania in over two decades. That could certainly change with this recruiting class - one that features three PA natives and another that went to high school in the state. Indiana has boosted its upperweights with a pair of state finalists from the Keystone State, Nick Pavlechkov and Caleb Marzolino. Pavlechkov placed in the top-three at the AAA state tournament on three occasions, while Marzolino was a 16U freestyle All-American in Fargo (Pavlechkov placed in Fargo in JR FR too). One of the late pickups, Tyler Guerra, was a Super 32 and Ironman placewinner who was second in Illinois AAA as a junior and third his sophomore year. An injury at the 2024 state tournament prevented him from that elusive title. The next tier of recruits for the Hoosiers includes an Ironman placer (Matt Hart), a UWW U17 freestyle AA (Chris Crawford), a three-time Pennsylvania state finalist (Ryan Garvick), and a three-time Wisconsin state finalist (Lucas Peters). Also, #59 from 2023, Sam Goin, is technically included in this class; however, for the purposes of our rankings he was counted last year - then he took a grayshirt. The 2024 NCAA Tournament saw Indiana with six representatives, which is the most for the school in almost 15 years. With back-to-back recruiting efforts like 23/24, it’s not hard to imagine them topping that number in the near future. 13. Iowa Recruits: #7 Angelo Ferrari: Melissa, TX (174/184), #64 Miguel Estrada: Frontier, CA (157), #66 Kael Voinovich: Iowa City, IA (165), #189 Keyan Hernandez: Billings West, MT (125), NR Dru Ayala: Fort Dodge, IA (125), NR Brady Benham: Sperry, OK (165), NR Otto Black: Mead, CO (141), NR Jake Howell: Cherry Creek, CO (197/285), NR Joey Kennedy: Kasson-Mantorville, MN (157) 2023 Ranking: #6 2022 Ranking: #11 2021 Ranking: #4 This is a lower-ranked recruiting class by Iowa’s standard, but one that still could be very useful. The headliner is Angelo Ferrari, a three-time Ironman champion, who was a winner at each of the last two Who’s #1 duals. Ferrari has the goods and should be in the national title hunt for the entirety of his collegiate career. On talent alone, Ferrari could have been in the hunt for the #1 overall ranking. The elephant in the room is the way his older brother's careers have played out thus far. Ordinarily, this may not be a concern; however, they are a very tight-knit family. The bottom line is, if Iowa gets four years of competition out of Ferrari, he likely outwrestles his ranking (and therefore the team’s would look better, as well). We mentioned family earlier, there are plenty of family ties between the Hawkeye Class of 2024 and the current roster. Kael Voinovich, Dru Ayala, and Joey Kennedy all have older brothers on the Iowa squad. They should help the transition from high school to college for the trio. Coming in from California is Miguel Estrada. Estrada’s ranking dropped after a tough state tournament, where he was prevented from winning his fourth state title. But, winning three California titles is an accomplishment in and of itself. Estrada was selected for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic and notched a win over Indiana recruit Ryan Garvick. Voinovich already followed his older brother to Iowa and notched a fourth-place finish at the Super 32 and an Iowa 3A state title. Recently, unranked Otto Black earned a spot on the U20 World Team in Greco-Roman. In 2021, he fell in the bronze medal match at the U17 World Championships.

Recruiting rankings are ready to drop and we figured we'd talk to some coaches involved in some of the most prominent recruiting class for 2024. That brings us to Rutgers - a team that has signed 8 of the top 250 prospects in the nation, including four of the top 50. Assistant coach Steve Mytych stops by to talk about assembling this group and how far in advance they knew it would be special. Mytych gives an inside look at how the Rutgers staff will put together a class, expanding Rutgers' recruiting footprint, and the benefits of signing wrestlers from consistent power programs. Before we go, Mytych does a fun word-association game with wrestlers from the Class of 2024. For the full interview:

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. Today, we’re checking out Lock Haven University. The Bald Eagles are led by head coach Scott Moore who is entering his 12th season at the helm. Lock Haven is looking to return to the top of the MAC Conference after finishing fourth in 2024. Three individual conference champions weren’t enough to put them within 30 points of champion Central Michigan. Lock Haven had previously won the previous two MAC Tournaments. The leader of the Bald Eagles is their 125 lber Anthony Noto, who made the NCAA podium for a second straight year. Lock Haven also had All-Americans in back-to-back years under Moore in 2018 and 2019. For the 2024-25 season, if they get a few breaks and fewer injuries, the starting ten for Lock Haven could be very tough and worthy of a dual ranking. With a potential high NCAA finish from Noto and perhaps a few others pushing for the podium, Lock Haven could break into the top-20 again. They last hit that mark in 2019 when they finished 18th in the country, behind two All-Americans. Hallmarks of Lock Haven teams under Moore have been physicality and toughness. He typically gets the most out of overlooked recruits. There are some elements to this in 2024-25; however, Lock Haven will be included in our recruiting rankings for the Class of 2024 (due later this week), so there are some talented youngsters in the pipeline (some of which could make an impact in 2024-25). This Lock Haven team will include five wrestlers with prior NCAA experience, a few others who have been on the cusp of qualification, and some hungry freshmen. 2x NCAA All-American Anthony Noto; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 125 lbs - Anthony Noto/Dean Houser/Lucas Fye The centerpiece and mainstay of the Lock Haven lineup has been Anthony Noto - now a two-time NCAA All-American. Though he started the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the 12th seed, Noto advanced to the national semifinals and settled in with a third-place finish. To lock up All-American honors, Noto knocked off the returning national runner-up, Matt Ramos, in sudden victory in the quarters. Through three years at Lock Haven, Noto has amassed an 85-10 career record. He has won MAC titles in each of the last three seasons - making him Lock Haven’s first three-time conference champion since 1995-97. Noto did spend time holding the #1 ranking at this crazy weight class on two occasions this season. Over the past two years, Noto has taken an unusual loss or two during the regular season; however, he comes to wrestle in the postseason. We’ll talk more about Noto in a moment, but there are a couple of true freshmen who could see time at 125 lbs this year. Dean Houser was a three-time Pennsylvania AAA state medalist (2,5,6) and ranked #130 overall in the Class of 2024. Lucas Fye finished fifth in Pennsylvania’s AA tournament on two occasions for the local Bald Eagle Area. 133 lbs - Gable Strickland/Anthony Noto Last weekend, we saw Noto compete at 61 kg at the U23 National Championships where he compiled a 6-2 record and finished in seventh place. There’s a chance we see him move up for the 2024-25 season, but at this time, the plan is to go 125. Having Noto back at 125 lbs gives Lock Haven its best lineup as it gives Gable Strickland a spot in the lineup. Strickland is a two-time MAC champion who went 1-2 at the big show last year. In the first consolation round, Strickland pulled a slight upset with a sudden victory win over #11 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly). Strickland has been one of the most durable competitors in the nation over the past two years. In 2023-24, Strickland saw action in 46 matches, winning 33. Strickland competed immediately for Lock Haven during the 2021-22 season so he does have a redshirt at his disposal. Should Noto move up, Strickland could use one this year. 141 lbs - Wyatt Henson/Conner Heckman Like Noto, someone that we recently saw in action and posting plenty of wins was Wyatt Henson who was the U23 runner-up at 65 kg. Henson started his collegiate career at Iowa but transferred to Oklahoma after a redshirt season. He earned a trip to nationals with Oklahoma, but then transferred to Lock Haven before the 2023-24 season. There were some questions surrounding Henson’s eligibility, so he couldn’t compete attached for the Bald Eagles until January. While hitting the open circuit, Henson claimed four tournament titles and won 28 of his first 29 matches. In the process, Henson lit up the scoreboard earning bonus points in just under 70% of his bouts. All of Henson’s conference duals and MAC Tournament matches ended with bonus points. Henson did have a rough showing in Kansas City, losing both of his NCAA Tournament matches despite entering the tournament with the #12 seed. Another option for Lock Haven at 141 is redshirt freshman Conner Heckman. Heckman was in the starting lineup for WrangleMania, but was injured in his second dual and didn’t wrestle for over two months. Overall, he finished the year with a 10-6 record, though he didn’t have any signature wins. Returning 149 lb starter Nick Stonecheck; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 149 lbs - Nick Stonecheck/Lucas Kapusta Over the past two years, Nick Stonecheck has been a solid contributor for Lock Haven and in each year he’s spent some time in the national rankings. 2024-25 should be the year he takes the next step and firmly cements himself as a national qualifier. During the 2023-24 regular season, Stonecheck picked up a win over the eventual conference champion and NCAA All-American Quinn Kinner (Rider). But in the postseason, he went 1-2 and wasn’t able to place at one of the MAC’s deepest weights. Stonecheck has been able to put together a 42-23 record in his last two seasons. For this upcoming year, he’ll need to continue some of the long winning streaks he’s been able to string together, yet cut down on the losing skids that have seemed to follow. Right on Stonecheck’s heels is redshirt freshman Lucas Kapusta. Kapusta is coming off a 19-8 redshirt campaign that saw him compete primarily in open tournaments. During his only dual appearance of the year, Kapusta downed Navy’s Kaemen Smith, 10-3. He also picked up a win over Buffalo’s national qualifier Nick Stampoulos, who we’ll mention shortly. 157 lbs - Nick Stampoulos/Connor Eck Like most of the lineup, Lock Haven has another 2023-24 starter returning in Conner Eck. Eck spent the first month and a half of the season competing in open tournaments, but broke into the Lock Haven lineup at the Collegiate Duals. He started the 2024 calendar year strongly, but ended in a slump that saw him lose his final four duals and then Eck went 0-2 at the MAC Championships. After three years with Lock Haven, Eck has a 48-42 record. Lock Haven has typically been active in the transfer portal and this offseason was no exception. With the Buffalo coaching change, Nick Stampoulos put his name in the portal and decided to stay in the MAC and wrestle for the Bald Eagles. Stampoulos started the 2023-24 season at 149 lbs, but wisely moved up to 157 and went on a late-season run at the new weight. His second match at 157 lbs was a 7-3 victory over Eck. Despite coming into the MAC Tournament unseeded, Stampoulos managed to take out a pair of top-five seeds to make the semifinals. An 11-1 major decision in the consolations, over former qualifier Marcus Robinson, ensured Stampoulos would finish in the top-four and qualify for nationals. At his first NCAA Tournament, Stampoulos went 0-2 - losing to a wrestler he beat at the MAC Championships, Colton Washleski. 165 lbs - Avery Bassett/Caden Dobbins Like 157 lbs, we have an incumbent that could get pushed by a transfer. Avery Bassett has started for three years in the MAC and accumulated a 53-20 record, spending his freshman year at George Mason and moving to Lock Haven before the 2022-23 season. Despite a 19-5 record and a third-place finish in 2023, Bassett was unable to secure a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Bassett spent time in the national rankings but dropped out after some early losses. Bassett was injured during the Little Rock dual in mid-January and was lost for the year. To that point, his most significant win of the season was a fall over Bubba Wilson (Nebraska), a returning national qualifier, at the Navy Classic. Provided he’s healthy, Bassett seems like a logical breakout candidate for 2024-25 and a threat to make his first national tournament. Helping out at 165 lbs will be Bloomsburg transfer Caden Dobbins. Dobbins was likely the Huskies top grappler in 2023-24 with a 19-13 record and a fourth-place finish at the MAC Tournament. During his conference tournament run, Dobbins was able to record wins over the second and fifth seeds. Now in a room with a deeper talent pool, Dobbins may develop at a quicker pace and be ready to unseat Bassett as the projected starter. Both wrestlers do have a redshirt year available, so if a starter emerges early on, we could see Coach Moore going the redshirt route with the other. 2023 NCAA Qualifier Tyler Stoltzfus; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 174 lbs - Tyler Stoltzfus/Ousmane Duncanson Before this year’s recruiting class, one of the most highly-ranked signees for Coach Moore’s team was Tyler Stoltzfus, who was ranked #55 in the Class of 2020. Stoltzfus went 21-14 as a freshman, then 31-14 the following year to qualify for the 2023 NCAA Championships. Stoltzfus’ 2023-24 campaign never really got off the ground, as he missed the first month-plus of the season and went 1-2 at his debut - the Collegiate Duals. Stoltzfus never could build any momentum and ended up finishing in sixth place in a MAC weight class that was only allocated two spots at nationals. If back to his 2022-23 form, Stoltzfus could help make this a rock-solid Lock Haven lineup. Don’t be surprised to see true freshman Ousmane Duncanson get some reps in dual competitions during the first semester. Duncanson is a New York state champion who was ranked #200 overall in the Class of 2024. In each of the last two years, Duncanson has reached the fifth-place bout at the NHSCA grade-level tournament. 184 lbs - Colin Fegley/James Lledo A couple of veterans will fight it out to see who gets the starting spot at 184 lbs. The returning starter is sixth-year senior Colin Fegley. Fegley has won 16 matches or more in each of the last two seasons and has been Lock Haven’s entry in the postseason for the last four. Fegley has finished in fourth place at the last two MAC Tournaments. During the 2023-24 regular season, Fegley notched a win over the Naval Academy’s David Key, who went on to earn All-American honors later in the year. Another new addition to the Lock Haven lineup is Pittsburgh transfer James Lledo. Lledo saw significant action during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 season’s though he was never the Panthers long-term starter. One of his best performances came at the 2021 Clarion Open, where Lledo won four of his five bouts, defeating Key and Fegley, along with Maryland’s Kyle Cochran. Lledo did not get any mat time in 2023-24, so it’s difficult to judge exactly where he’s at right now, though a wrestle-off between the pair is likely tight. #27 overall recruit Tucker Hogan at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic; Photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com 197 lbs - Tucker Hogan/Cole Bartram Coach Moore really wanted to add some talent to the upperweights and that’s what they have at 197 lbs with a pair of true freshmen that could find their way into the lineup immediately in year one. Tucker Hogan is a massive recruit for the Bald Eagles, coming in at #27 overall in the Class of 2024. Hogan won a pair of AAA Pennsylvania state titles and did so by defeating……Cole Bartram both times. Hogan was also a two-time Fargo All-American, both in freestyle, and once per age division, to go along with a fifth-place finish at the Super 32. After winning his second state title, Hogan was selected to represent Team Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Bartram is a three-time Pennsylvania state placewinner and was third in the country at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in 2022. He has been listed as a 184/197 lb recruit, so his 2024-25 weight could be decided once he hits the Lock Haven campus in the fall. Ideally, you’d like to have Hogan take the 197 lb by storm and redshirt Bartram for his first year, then have a potent 1-2 punch at the back of the LHU lineup. 285 lbs - Ethan Miller It appeared as if veteran Isaac Reid would be the starter for the 2023-24 season; however, he was unavailable and Ethan Miller was thrust into the Lock Haven lineup and fought to a 6-22 record. Miller ended up going 0-2 at his first MAC Tournament. Aside from your top, blue-chip athletes, heavyweights tend to take longer to develop and physically mature to handle the rigors of DI wrestling. That could be the case here for Miller. With another year in the Lock Haven room and some young talented training partners, maybe we will see a big step forward in 2024-25. Previous “Never Too Early Lineup Look:” Oregon State

Bishop McDevitt

Chestnut Ridge

Fort Dodge

Last night, first-year Utah Valley head coach Adam Hall received his most significant commitment during his short tenure as Wolverine head coach. Penn State graduate Terrell Barraclough has decided to come back to his home state and use his final year of eligibility at UVU. Barraclough was never the postseason starter for Penn State, but has shown that he has the potential to make a deep NCAA Tournament run if given the opportunity. With returning wrestlers like NCAA champion Levi Haines, runner-up Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Alex Facundo returning from 157-174 lbs - it doesn’t appear that there would have been a spot for him in the Nittany Lion lineup. During the 2023-24 season, Barraclough amassed a 12-2 record and saw action in three dual meets. His only losses on the came to the eventual second and third-place finishers at 165 lbs (teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink and Shane Griffith - Michigan). Early in the season, Barraclough scored a win via fall over returning NCAA Round of 12 finisher Caleb Fish (Michigan State). During his final appearance of the year, Barraclough bumped up to 174 lbs for the Rutgers dual and defeated former All-American Jackson Turley. In 2022-23, Barraclough went 7-3 at 157 lbs and tallied wins over four All-Americans. Utah Valley will have only one NCAA qualifier returning (Haiden Drury/133 lbs - 2022), so the addition of someone with Barraclough’s potential is a great start for Hall. Back in Utah, Barraclough won four state titles for Layton High School - becoming the first wrestler in school history to accomplish the feat. He was also a champion at the Reno Tournament of Champions and a runner-up at NHSCA Senior Nationals. Before his commitment to the Wolverines, Barraclough was one of the most impactful names left in the transfer portal.

Men’s Freestyle 61 kg Bronze Medal Match: Nahshon Garrett over Nika Zakashvili (Georgia) 13-3 Semifinals: Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan) over Nahshon Garrett Fall 4:58 Quarterfinals: Nahshon Garrett over Abdelhak Kherbache (Algeria) FFT 70 kg Bronze Medal Match: Akaki Kemertelidze (Georgia) over Evan Henderson 14-4 Quarterfinals: Arman Andreasyan (Armenia) over Evan Henderson 9-2 86 kg Gold Medal Match: Hassan Yazdani (Iran) over Trent Hidlay 12-2 Semifinals: Trent Hidlay over Evsem Shvelidze (Georgia) 13-3 Quarterfinals: Trent Hidlay over Bobur Islomov (Uzbekistan) 11-0 125 kg Gold Medal Match: Mason Parris over Yusup Batirmurzaev (Kazakhstan) Fall :34 Semifinals: Mason Parris over Jonovan Smith (Puerto Rico) 10-0 Quarterfinals: Mason Parris over Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) 9-2 Women’s Freestyle 50 kg Round of 16: Nadezhda Sokolova (Russia) over Audrey Jimenez (USA) 10-0 55 kg Bronze Medal Match: Amanda Martinez over Mariana Dragutan (Moldova) 11-2 Semifinals: Jowita Wrzesien (Poland) over Amanda Martinez Fall 2:09 Round Robin 3: Amanda Martinez over Marina Sedneva (Kazakhstan) 12-2 Round Robin 2: Amanda Martinez over Roza Szenttamasi (Hungary) Fall 1:32 62 kg Quarterfinals: Orkhon Purevdorj (Mongolia) over Kayla Miracle 14-10 Greco-Roman 60 kg Quarterfinals: Abdelkarim Fergat (Algeria) over Dalton Roberts 6-3 72 kg Quarterfinals: Shmagi Bolkvadze (Georgia) over Alex Sancho 3-2 77 kg Quarterfinals: Burhan Akbudak (Turkey) over Jesse Porter 9-0 82 kg Bronze Medal Match: Karlo Kodric (Croatia) over Spencer Woods Fall 1:32 Semifinals: Gela Bolkvadze (Georgia) over Spencer Woods 9-0 Quarterfinals: Spencer Woods over Ashkan Saadati Fard (Iran) 10-3 87 kg Round of 16: Ali Cengiz (Turkey) over Payton Jacobson 4-1 97 kg Bronze Medal Match: Giorgi Melia (Georgia) over Joe Rau 11-4 Repechage: Joe Rau over Tamas Levai (Hungary) FFT Quarterfinals: Mohammadhadi Saravi (Iran) over Joe Rau 10-1 130 kg Round of 16: Abdellatif Mohamed (Egypt) over Adam Coon 3-1

June 7 ONE 167 (Prime Video) Blake Cooper (Warner Pacific) vs. Kade Ruotolo June 7 Ring of Combat 84 (torotv.net) Cole Cameron (Elizabethtown) vs. Eliab Evangelista David Rice (NYU) vs. Nick Navarro Andrew Stock (Johnson & Wales) vs. Alberto Borgwardt June 7 DCS 92 “Summer Kickoff 2024” (TrillerTV) Taylor Escamilla (Omaha) vs. Zach Hughes Carter Cox (Cumberland) vs. Francisco Juan June 7 LFA 185 (UFC Fight Pass) Richie Lewis (Rutgers) vs. Kagan Gennrich (Wisconsin) Jordan Burkholder (Miskingum) vs. Miguel Sanson June 8 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Punahele Soriano (Wartburg) vs. Miguel Baeza Cody Stamann (Grand Valley State) vs. Taylor Lapilus Julian Marquez (Missouri Valley) vs. Zachary Reese John Castaneda (Minnesota State Mankato) vs. Daniel Marco June 9 RIZIN 47 (RIZIN.tv) Juan Archuleta (Purdue) vs. Kleber Koike Erbst June 9 Fury FC 91 (UFC Fight Pass) Freddie Rodriguez (SIU-E) vs. Paris Moran* Austin O’Connor (North Carolina) Camden Fontenot Don Doyle (Texas Wesleyan) vs. Sam Kilmer June 13 PFL 4 2024 (ESPN+) Tyrell Fortune (Grand Canyon) vs. Marcelo Golm Timothy Johnson (Minnesota State Moorhead) vs. Danilo Marques June 15 UFC Fight Night (ESPN+) Alex Perez (West Hills) vs. Tatsuro Taira June 21 PFL 5 2024 (ESPN+) Josh Silveira (Arizona State) vs. Rob Wilkinson Alex Polizzi (Northwestern) vs. Antonio Carlos Junior Andrew Sanchez (McKendree) vs. Karl Albrektsson June 22 UFC on ABC 6 (ABC/ESPN+) Khamzat Chimaev (Swedish national champion) vs. Robert Whittaker (Australian national champion) Kelvin Gastelum (North Idaho) vs. Daniel Rodriguez June 22 Bellator Champions Series 3 (MAX) Tyler Mathison (St. Cloud State) vs. Khasan Magomedsharipov June 28 PFL 6 2024 (ESPN+) Logan Storley (Minnesota) vs. Laureano Staropoli Brennan Ward (Johnson & Wales) vs. Magomed Umalatov Bubba Jenkins (Penn State/Arizona State) vs. Gabriel Braga Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) vs. Isaiah Hokit (Drexel/Fresno State) Tyler Diamond (NDSU) vs. Jose Perez June 29 UFC 303 (ESPN PPV) Michael Chandler (Missouri) vs. Conor McGregor

Earlier this week, Purdue announced that Leroy Vega had been promoted to head assistant coach. Vega sits down with Kevin Claunch to talk about how he came to the program, supposedly just "twice a week" with the RTC and now he's the head assistant five years later. He also talks about the evolution of Purdue wrestling since he's been in West Lafayette and the recruiting and camp season. Looking back, Vega shares some excellent JRob stories, talks about how a subpar performance at the NCAA Tournament his senior year helped change his life, and the intensity of the 28-day camps. They close with Vega disclosing who is Purdue's best handball player and the guy that "thinks" he's the best. For the full interview:

Baylor School

As we hit the outer edges of Spring and edge into Summer, I admit I’ve checked out a bit when it comes to the wrestling world. Which probably isn't a good thing when I’m supposed to be writing about the sport on a weekly basis. Quite frankly, I don’t know how the pros can keep coming up with content to produce on a daily basis. But that’s why they win awards and I’m up early on a Friday trying to think of something you might enjoy reading while on the edge of your toilet bowl. Much like the movie Edge of Tomorrow, I‘m just trying to reset the day after every Mets loss until they can string a few wins together and we can move on. This bullpen has me living on the edge, that’s for sure. I’ve just about run out of ways to work the word “edge” into this article so perhaps it’s time to move on to the questions and bang out the edgiest column in this sport of ours. How do I deal with the boredom until wrestling starts again? Rage Against the Pusheen Do what I did and start watching the WNBA. Some of the games are just wild. And no, I don’t give a you-know-what about Caitlin Clark. I’m all New York Liberty. My Libs are on a five-game heater and have the real greatest college player ever in Breanna Stewart. I will break the Jagger jinx of all my sports teams being terrible or I will take this team down with me. But there is still some wrestling out there so don’t go all Budd Dwyer just yet. Last week, we had the U20 and U23 trials and we’re only about a month away from Fargo. Usually, we are gearing up for Final X right now so it does seem to be a bit more of a lull with the Olympic Teams already set. There’s also a good handful of international events coming up and I’m sure we will have some alliterative Summer tournaments here and there if you’re really jonesing for some action. Right now your best bet is to hole up in the air conditioner and catch up on some TV as some good shows are actually coming back in the next few weeks. HotD comes back on HBO next week if you’re still into the whole Game of Thrones thing. The Bear comes back soon if comedies that aren’t actually comedies are your thing. If comedies that ARE actually comedies are your thing, I suggest knocking out the first two seasons of Shoresy on Hulu. Season three starts in two weeks which gives you plenty of time to watch all twelve episodes at least twice. It’s edgy Canadian humor at its best. Also, you live in San Francisco. Just go sit on the dock of the bay until the Olympics start. Watch the tide roll away. There’s also Trent Hidlay against Yazdani in a few hours, so that’s pretty cool. Jags, who will be the next head coach hired? Not assistants, not volunteers. Who will take these NY-centric jobs? I feel like an HC opportunity should garner more interest than it feels like there’s been. We need your insight. Who would AD Jagger hire? Kevin Claunch Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better. I admit it would behoove these schools to maybe hire a head man considering the next recruiting cycle is about to start. If I’m Hofstra, I’m thinking outside the box and kicking the tires on Vito Arujau’s dad. Take a chance. If I’m Columbia, I’m promoting from within and going with Joe Nord. Or both schools can choose from some of the other thousand candidates out there. What would you do if you saw CLAW coming through your neighborhood? Richard Mann Let me tell you something, brother. You know you’re interested to see what CLAW is all about. And I’m interested in wiping the floor with celebrity GM Billy Baldwin as the leader of my own team. But perhaps my profile isn’t famous enough to run a team. Perhaps the brother of Biodome star Stephen Baldwin is blackballing me from the league. Whatever the conspiracy is, this league needs Jagger. You know it and I know it. What's the best snack for summer? What will be the breakout song of the Summer? Burger King of Kings Ice cream, of course. As a Burger King guy, you should be partial to the Hershey Sundae Pie if that still exists. Summer song you say? I have been out of the loop on new music for over a decade now so you're asking the wrong guy. Do you know that I’ve never heard a Drake song? I mean, I’m sure I have, but I just don’t know that it’s him. Back in my prime, the Summer song usually came from the Summer hit movie and I feel we’ve lost that dynamic somewhere along the way. That’s sad. If I had my druthers, and I still don’t know what that means, the Summer song would be Far Behind by Candlebox. Thirty years running now and those opening chords still take me back to 1994. A glorious time. A simpler and more innocent time. Except for that whole OJ thing. Well, I’ve just about hit the edge of my deadline and it’s time to go to my other job. Have a good weekend, all. And thanks for reading!

Springboro

Bishop Hartley

Tampa Jesuit

In the month since David Taylor was named head coach at Oklahoma State University, we’ve seen the Cowboys get multiple commitments from All-American transfers. First, Wyatt Hendrickson and then Cam Amine. Now we’ve seen the first high school wrestlers to commit to OSU under Taylor’s direction. This evening, Willie Saylor reported that Oklahoma 6A state champion Kody Routledge (Edmond North, Oklahoma) has flipped his commitment from Nebraska to stay in-state and attend Oklahoma State. In MatScouts recent update for the 2025 Big Board, Routledge moved up from #30 to #16 overall among rising high school seniors. Before winning his first state title, Routledge made the finals of the Super 32 and Walsh Ironman in late 2023. Also in 2023, Routledge was fifth in Junior freestyle in Fargo and third in U17 freestyle at the UWW Trials in Vegas. The previous year he was a 16U freestyle national champion in Fargo. Over the weekend, Routledge participated in the U20 World Team Trials. He went 2-2 and took fourth place at 74 kg. During his high school career, Routledge was a state finalist as a sophomore and fourth in his freshman year. Routledge projects at 157 or 165 lbs at the next level. The Cowboys don’t have any young blue-chippers at either weight; however, they do have 2025 #2 Ladarion Lockett (Stillwater, OK) and #107 Beau Hickman (Tuttle, OK) committed for 2025 in this weight range. A potential Routledge/Lockett one-two punch could be a very imposing middle of the lineup in the future. Oklahoma State now has six commitments from Big Boarder’s from the Class of 2025 and seven total. Here are the other six that Routledge will join.

With the Olympic Team set and all of the quotas determined, one of the only things left in the run up to the 2024 Olympic Games is the Ranking Series event. Budapest, Hungary was the host for the Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial Ranking Series event which will be used to determine seeds in Paris. At the Olympic level, not everyone necessarily cares about the seeds, which you can tell by the fact that not all countries or individuals have decided to participate. Some like the event as a tune-up or trial run for the real competition. On Thursday, the only US Olympian in action was men’s freestyle heavyweight Mason Parris at 125 kgs. The 2023 World bronze medalist proved he is ready for Paris by winning the gold medal against some quality competition. In the quarterfinals, Parris squared off with Givi Matcharashvili (Georgia) who has bounced between 97 and 125 kg over the last few years. Earlier this year, Matcharashvili won a European title at the lower weight. Additionally, he’s claimed World bronze medals at 97 kg in each of the last two years and has qualified for the Olympic Games at that weight. Parris controlled the action and cruised to a 9-2 victory. In the semifinals, Parris crushed Puerto Rico’s Jonovan Smith 10-0 in under a minute. That set up a finals matchup against Yusup Batirmurzaev of Kazakhstan. Batirmurzaev is the same opponent who Parris defeated in the opening round at the 2023 World Championships. The Kazakh big man made the finals after pinning 3x world champion and 10x World/Olympic medalist Geno Petriashvili (Georgia). As is typically the case, Parris got to his offense first and was in on a single leg. Batirmurzaev attempted to counter and expose the American, but ended up putting himself on his back and never was able to escape and gave up a fall in only :34 seconds. Parris wasn’t the only American in action on Thursday. Nahshon Garrett (61 kg) and Evan Henderson (70 kg) also took the mat. Garrett posted a 13-3 tech over Nika Zakashvili (Georgia) to earn a bronze medal. Henderson went 0-2 on the day and was fifth.