Where Should Your Coach Be On September 1?

Where Should Your Coach Be On September 1?

Now that college coaches can make in-home visits to juniors on September 1, where should your favorite coach be this Saturday?

Aug 30, 2018 by Wrestling Nomad
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The recent change in NCAA recruiting rules shifts a very important date from July 1 to September 1. Now, instead of coaches being able to make in-home visits starting on 7/1 of a prospect's senior year, they can now begin visiting on 9/1 of their junior year. It also represents the first day athletes can make official visits to campus, so some schools may be hosting instead of being hosted.

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The recent change in NCAA recruiting rules shifts a very important date from July 1 to September 1. Now, instead of coaches being able to make in-home visits starting on 7/1 of a prospect's senior year, they can now begin visiting on 9/1 of their junior year. It also represents the first day athletes can make official visits to campus, so some schools may be hosting instead of being hosted.

That change comes at the same time that a very deep and strong junior class is taking shape. The 2020 Big Board will soon be updated in the next few weeks, but as it currently stands, only three of the top 38 juniors have given a verbal commitment. With so many pieces of the puzzle yet to fall into place, and that crucial September 1 date coming this Saturday, let's take a stab at which schools will be at which prospect's house in a couple days.

Scroll to the bottom to hear myself and Willie discuss this on episode 23 of Who's #1: The Show.

Penn State - Trevor Mastrogiovanni (141/149)

A good part of Penn State's success can be attributed to bringing in guys who seem to be willing to take a little less in scholarship money so that there is more on the table for other blue chippers later on. Whether Mastrogiovanni would be willing to do that remains to be seen, but he projects right into weights the Nittany Lions have a need for in a few years. And he has a younger brother named Travis who could grow into the 57/65/74 range over the next several years.

Iowa - Cullan Schriever (125)

While Robbie Howard was the cover pic for the Iowa targets article, going to Schriever's house first doesn't necessarily mean losing out on Howard. Winning in-state recruiting battles is very important, and the great people of the Hawkeye State are hoping the Fargo and Super 32 champ dons the black and gold. The timeline also fits in perfectly if Spencer Lee never redshirts, allowing Schriever to redshirt the 2020-21 season and then take over as Iowa's 125. However, if the Brands Brothers went to Cranford, NJ first, I wouldn't be shocked.

Oklahoma State - AJ Ferrari (197)

Why isn't this Dustin Plott, you ask? Because the Cowboys haven't lost out on an in-state recruit to Oklahoma in years. Additionally, 197 is a more pressing area of need for OSU, and there is a younger Ferrari named Anthony who will probably be a lightweight or light middleweight. The whole family moving East also indicates that AJ, who has long been linked to Stillwater, may be more open to leaving the midwest than previously thought, so it might take a little more effort than before to get Ferrari back near his Texas roots.

Ohio State - AJ Ferrari (197)

The coaching staffs at Oklahoma State and Ohio State can play rock, paper, scissors to see who goes in the door first. Both schools are still trying to get Kerkvliet (as are Penn State and Nebraska), and the Buckeyes getting Ferrari keeps Gavin Hoffman down at 184. Now there would only be a couple year overlap of Ferrari and Hoffman, but the newest addition to the Blair program could very well go right away — just like Myles Martin, Luke Pletcher, and Kyle Snyder did.

Michigan - Robert Howard (133)

I kept going back and forth between Howard and Mastrogiovanni for the Wolverines, in part because of the possibility of getting both Mastrogiovanni brothers. But for this article's sake, the seeming lack of obvious options for Penn State forced my hand a little. If Howard is a 133 as we suspect, then he fits right in with Kurt McHenry (125) and Joey Silva (141) sandwiched around him. Now, if I'm Sean Bormet, I try to get all three of the Jersey boys, putting Trevor at 149 after Kanen Storr graduates and then Travis slotting into 165 after Logan Massa. Also keep in mind that Howard spent time training with Cory Cooperman, who is currently the NYRTC coach attached to Cornell.

Oklahoma - Dustin Plott (174/184)

It's honestly just fascinating that Plott could end up in Norman. It's hard to put the fate of a state on one kid's shoulders, and he might just prefer OU to OSU without it affecting any other in-state kid's decision. But it would certainly be remarkable if the best Oklahoma recruit since Daton Fix ended up a Sooner. With Anthony Montalvo and Travis Wittlake already in Stillwater, the Sooners need Plott far more than the Cowboys need him.

North Carolina - Julian Tagg (133)

A no-brainer for the Tar Heels. His brother Gabe is already committed, and with Joey Melendez going 125 that allows Tagg to start at 133. Getting both Taggs opens up Ohio a little bit, an area that ACC rival Virginia Tech has been plucking from for a decade now. Plus, that coaching staff weren't bad 133s themselves in college. Stay tuned for a deep dive on the Tar Heels' depth chart and recruiting targets next week.

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West Virginia - Braxton Amos (197/285)

When Tim Flynn was named head coach at WVU, my first thought was, "He needs to keep Braxton Amos in-state." A good bit of recruiting hypotheticals and targeting has to do with winning your own state. That might not seem important given the historical high school talent level in West Virginia, but if you can't keep the best kids home, how are you supposed to attract the best out-of-state kids? Lastly, it seems Amos relished making Parkersburg South a national power last season, and that they did it with homegrown kids.

Virginia Tech - Sammy Hillegas (149)

To my surprise, the Hokies have as many from the Keystone State on their roster as they do from Ohio. But they're bringing in a couple Ohio studs in 2019 and could stand to strengthen their ties to Pennsylvania. They have a need for a 149, and Hillegas fits the bill. They're also in the market for Braxton Amos.

Cornell - Josh Saunders (141/149)

Although he's the top-ranked junior, Saunders' father indicated the school list currently stands at 15. However, Cornell is probably the clubhouse leader, and Saunders is preparing for Junior Worlds, so he might not even be available for a visit this Saturday.

Arizona State - Beau Bartlett (133/141)

This young man is hard to get a read on. I went with ASU because he is originally from Arizona; however, the Sun Devils are also in heavy on Hillegas. As for Bartlett, pictures of him training at Cornell recently made their way online, and his father is a Fresno State alum. Grades-wise, he's also in the mix for upper echelon academic schools such as Stanford, Northwestern, and Harvard.

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Northern Colorado - Dominick Serrano (141)

After he won FloNationals, Serrano indicated in his post-match interview that he'd like to stay close to home. Well, that basically only leaves Northern Colorado and Air Force, and there's no indication right now he is pursuing a military career. His high school coach was teammates with Troy Steiner once upon a time though, so Fresno State could be an option. Additionally, Wyoming might qualify as staying close to home.

Princeton - Anthony Clark (125)

Pat Glory is probably not a 125 for life, and perhaps Clark won't be either. But Delbarton loves sending kids to Ivy League schools, and the Tigers already have the Glory connection. It might be difficult trying to get all three of Clark, Glory, and Howard to fit into the lineup, but coach Ayres and his staff should also obviously push for Howard. I would not be surprised if Lehigh also goes hard after Clark.

Pittsburgh - Gerrit Nijenhuis (174)

Right in their backyard, the Panthers should be after one of the best WPIAL recruits from the Class of 2020. There is, of course, Thayne Lawrence, Sammy Hillegas, and Colton Camacho, but Nijenhuis seems most likely of them to end up wrestling for Keith Gavin and his staff. If there is a more logical fit on this list based on location and need, I don't know one.

Wisconsin - Nash Hutmacher (285)

The fact that Mason Parris chose wrestling over football in college gives hope that Hutmacher will do the same, but the South Dakota native is getting even better offers than Parris got. Now, of course, Damion Hahn could get the first visit in, but Hutmacher spent more time training with Bono and Reader coming up before they left for Madison. If he does choose wrestling over football, it probably only comes down to the Badgers and SDSU, but Ohio State might soon be a player for Hutmacher.

Fresno State - Jesse Vasquez (165)

Another tough read. I've heard he has excellent grades and test scores, which could open him to up the elite schools — in particular Stanford if he wants to stay home. Fresno is pushing hard for a lot of guys right now, trying to make some big splashes and push their program forward, and Vasquez represents the best in-state talent among rising juniors.

George Mason - Thayne Lawrence (165)

The Mason Beckman connection. Entering his second year, GMU head coach Frank Beasley added on the former Lehigh All-American, who grew up wrestling in the Quest program. Lawrence and Hillegas represent the two best members of the Western PA club, where Beckman has spent time coaching the past few years. Lawrence avenged several losses to Justin McCoy to win a PA state title this year.

Missouri - Jeremiah Reno (133)

Few coaches do as good a job of keeping kids in-state, and getting them to produce, as Brian Smith. To wit, 65 percent or 13 out of their last 20 All-Americans have been from Missouri. Outside of Saunders, Reno or Rocky Elam is the best junior in the Show Me state, and they likely have a better track on Elam with his brother Zach there now, so it makes more sense to start with Reno.

Arkansas Little Rock - Konner Doucet (197)

While Doucet may not be considered a super high-level blue-chip recruit, he is currently #32 on the Big Board and #7 at his weight class. He started off the season by placing fifth at Super 32, and then won his second straight 3A state title in Oklahoma for Comanche high school. Doucet would go on to make the Akron finals, but bowed out early in Fargo. That may have some of the bigger schools cooling on him, but if you're Neil Erisman, Doucet would be more than a big enough splash for the nascent program.

Rutgers - Hunter Catka (285)

The Scarlet Knights need a heavyweight, badly. They went all in on a number of high-profile bigs, but have yet to be able to land any. Catka's physical gifts are apparent and he's already had success in wrestling mad Pennsylvania. He only lives about 90 minutes from Rutgers campus, so coach Goodale could very easily visit him and see him in the room at RTC practice.

NC State - Frankie Tal-Shahar (149)

It was extremely difficult to pick a prospect for the Wolfpack, who seem to go after all 10 weights every year. It's not so much recruiting over kids as they just try to stockpile talent and trust the culture will sort out the best, which it has done a fair job of in the Pat Pop era. Keeping a high profile kid (Tal-Shahar made the Akron finals) in the Southeast never hurts.

Nebraska - Jakason Burks (125/133)

The Huskers are still trying to get their 2019 recruits sorted out, so their 2020 class is kind of up in the air. But after the way Burks wrestled in Fargo, there might be more suitors from outside the state. If he and Alex Thomsen fit together weight wise it would be an excellent in-state lightweight pickup.

Cal Poly - Dom Mata (165/174)

One of the sneaky good hires by third-year Cal Poly coach Jon Sioredas was Chris Chionuma. Formerly at Army West Point, Chionuma has spearheaded a sneaky good 2019 class for the Mustangs and should continue that push for the 2020 group. Even though Mata is now in New Jersey at Blair, he is originally from Cali powerhouse Poway. Although they've fallen off a bit recently, Cal Poly had at least one AA every year from 2004 to 2012.

Chattanooga - E'lan Heard (165/174)

At the end of episode 23 of Who's #1: The Show (which you can watch below), I mentioned that new Chattanooga coach Kyle Ruschell should go after Micah Ervin or E'lan Heard. A Kentucky native, Ruschell could go after Ervin, from Union County high school, or Heard, right over the KY border in Cincinnati. 

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