Top Uncommitted Juniors School Lists
Top Uncommitted Juniors School Lists
Check out the school lists for 13 of the top uncommitted wrestlers in the class of 2021.
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There may be a ban of on-campus recruiting until July 31, but that doesn't mean the recruiting process has stopped completely. Over the past two months, some of the top uncommitted wrestlers in the class of 2021 have shared with myself and the Wrestling Nomad the schools they are considering to continue their academic and athletic careers. Not only will you find school lists for 13 wrestlers on the Junior Big Board, but you will also find in-depth roster breakdowns for each school they are looking at.
#2 Shayne Van Ness
While the whole world seems to have come to a standstill, college coaches across the country are trying to keep up their recruiting, and highly prized recruit Shayne Van Ness is a top priority for a few coaches.
Van Ness finished his junior season at Blair Academy as the top-ranked 132-pounder in the nation, a spot he'd held since right at the beginning of the year when he defeated Dom Serrano and Jesse Mendez at Who's #1.
Van Ness is now a two-time National Prep champ, and I reached out to his father Rodney to discuss Shayne's recruiting process and see what his potential suitors look like.
Shayne Van Ness School List
- Princeton
- Michigan
- Cornell
- Penn State
- Rutgers
- Ohio State
We have Van Ness as the #2 recruit on the class of 2021 Big Board, and I imagine most coaches would agree that he is right at the top of this junior class. As such the family is not in a terribly big hurry to make a decision, but they would probably be further along in the process were it not for the current pandemic.
He plans on visiting each of the six schools, though one will have to be an unofficial visit. He first visited Princeton, where his teammate Peyton Craft is also committed from the current crop of juniors. Current 141 Marshall Keller would be a senior by the time Van Ness got there, though they are also bringing in Anthony Clark and Jonathan Miers around those weights. However, it doesn't seem like there are any real hurdles to fitting Van Ness into the lineup if he goes to Princeton.
The next school they visited was Rutgers, the alma mater of his father Rodney, who is tied for third all-time on the Scarlet Knights' career wins list. Looking at the lower end of their middleweights, JoJo Aragana was a freshman this year at 141, Gerard Angelo was a freshman 149, and Rob Kanniard redshirted at 157. Ryan Vulakh was also on the roster but did not wrestle any matches and they're bringing in again Al De Santis and Andrew Clark, but again there's a pretty clear opening for Van Ness to come in and start right away. Joey Olivieri, whose only loss this season came in the Beast of the East finals, was the 132lb New Jersey state champ and is committed to Rutgers from this junior class.
The final school they've visited is Cornell, where former Blair wrestlers Andrew Merola and Julian Ramirez both attend. Cornell could similarly have a great fit lineup wise if Van Ness is willing to greyshirt, as they could see a run of Josh Saunders-Van Ness-Cole Handlovic between 141 and 157, with Gage McClenahan in that mix as well. The wildcard there is junior Ryan Sokol, depending on how big he gets. He was a 145 this year, so he may project closer to 157 or 165, but he will have to fit in with all these guys as well.
I should mention that although we currently have him projected as a 149, there's no guarantee that's his college weight. Rodney mentioned he experienced a big growth spurt between his junior and senior years of high school, ending up as a 167 in college. But right now he believes 149 is perhaps most likely for Shayne, though he knows it can possibly be 141 or 157 and isn't ruling those out.
The three schools he has not yet visited but probably would have already had it not been for the coronavirus shutdown are all in the Big Ten: Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. The Buckeyes were not listed on his Instagram post but are very much being considered among his list of possible schools.
There's a probable logjam in Columbus if Van Ness ends up there, which is not something Shayne or his family is concerned about but it will be something the Buckeye coaches have to address. Sammy Sasso would be a senior if Shayne redshirts, though there is, of course, the possibility Sammy will grow into 157, and tOSU is not afraid to roll guys out as true freshmen. Then there is of course Anthony Echemendia, who is probably their best option at 141 but has four years of eligibility ahead of him.
There are also the guys who will have to work in around those two: Quinn Kinner, Dylan D'Emilio, Bryce Hepner, and JD Stickley. Again while the Van Ness family doesn't want Shayne to make his decision purely around the guys in the lineup, there will need to be some reshuffling. Rodney did make it clear though that they are certainly flexible in trying to maximize the impact of his future teammates with the timing of when a potential redshirt may occur.
Van Ness had three battles with Beau Bartlett last season as a sophomore, and the two could potentially wind up as teammates together at Penn State, similar to the Bo Nickal/Mark Hall rivalry in high school. If Shayne grows into a 149 as expected, he'd probably overlap with incoming 2020 recruit Austin Boone, who finished #2 at 145 this year. As it stands now if they don't get Van Ness, it will probably look like Bartlett-Boone-Matt Lee from 141-157, but one will be the odd man out if they can spread out across three weights.
Michigan has been on several top prospects' final school lists since Sean Bormet took the head job, but they've missed out on more than they've landed. If they can land Van Ness though that might mark a big change, particularly after getting Stevan Micic and Myles Amine qualified for the Olympics and adding Alex Dieringer to the Cliff Keen WC. It's also a great lineup fit, with Kanen Storr graduating and Nick Lombard leaving the year after that. If Van Ness can beat out a senior Nick Freeman, or if Joey Silva can stay down and Van Ness can make 141, there seems like plenty of room for the Blair standout. He would be joining current assistant Kellen Russell as former Buccaneers who wrestled in Ann Arbor.
Six great school options, and Van Ness is a very coveted prospect for each of them. The family is letting Shayne make the decision and isn't focused on lineup fit so much as cultural fit within a team at a program where he feels he can succeed. If he is able to make his visits sometime this summer or fall, a decision is likely before the folkstyle season begins.
#5 Cael Valencia
If you follow college recruiting closely, you know that 24 of the top 30 guys on the Junior Big Board have publicly announced their verbal, meaning 80 percent of the best kids in the country seem to have their commitment for the next level.
Of those six who haven't yet, many counted Cael (pronounced "Ky Ell") Valencia as someone they knew where he was going. You might think, well he's Zahid and Anthony's little brother, there's no doubt he's going to Arizona State. The Sun Devils are definitely an option, and a strong one, but after speaking with Cael and his father Ruben, they're still a long way from making a decision.
I hesitate to even call it a school list, because he still has four official visits left and speaks frequently with coaches from all of the remaining teams. Ruben in fact did not even specifically rule out any other schools joining the fray, but from the sounds of things it is unlikely as they'd have some serious catching up to do as the following programs have put a lot of work into trying to land Valencia.
Cael Valencia's College Options
- Arizona State
- Iowa
- Michigan
- North Carolina
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
- Penn State
- Stanford
I listed them alphabetically because there is no clear leader at this time and again, they haven't told any of these coaches definitively that they are out of the running. However, it was Stanford who was the first to reach out last June 15, and that's where he has taken his only official visit to at this point. Ruben mentioned each of the coaches there has made an effort to develop a relationship with Cael and they are very well aware of the strong academic options Stanford could provide.
We also received Trey Kibe's school list yesterday, and Stanford is an option for him as well. Although we have both of them projected as 174s in college, it's not necessarily an either/or situation. We've had conversations about Kibe getting as big as 197, and Valencia could wind up anywhere from a 165 to 184 depending on how much growing he has left to do.
Kibe was briefly committed to Penn State before re-opening his recruiting process. The Nittany Lions have a ton of talent already in those areas, the 165-197 range, and that's before factoring in Alex Facundo being committed from this 2021 class. However, I don't think that factors in much to Facundo's decision and I know it doesn't play into Valencia's. But there's no doubt PSU would have to get creative to maximize starting years out of Joe Lee, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, Michael Beard, Facundo, and Valencia.
Some wrestlers only have their eyes on the Big Ten, and while the strength of that conference no doubt appeals to the Valencias, they're not dead set on attending there. However, several Big Ten powers have aggressively pursued Cael, including Michigan. Freestyle aspirations are certainly in Cael's future, and the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club should have excellent partners for him in Logan Massa, Myles Amine, and now Alex Dieringer. He'd also be a good fit lineup-wise, especially if Cam Amine can make 157 and Jaden Bullock can go either 165 or 174.
Valencia has had two excellent battles with Ohio State commit Paddy Gallagher, one in the Fargo quarters and again in the finals of Doc B. A Gallagher/Valencia combo would be an excellent 1-2 punch for tOSU, but they've also got four years left of Carson Kharchla and three for Rocky Jordan, so if they can make the money work and Gallagher can hold 157 for a few years, the Buckeyes will be extremely strong in the back half of their lineup.
A team on the rise with a young coaching staff hungry to chase down those Big Ten powers also has their eye on Cael Valencia. North Carolina has made a serious impression on Cael thanks to the tireless efforts of Coleman Scott and Tony Ramos, and they already landed Sonny Santiago from the class of 2020. Santiago and Valencia train together at the Monster Garage, the club run by Ruben, so the Tar Heels would not only keep their California pipeline going but keep the two longtime friends and training partners together.
Speaking of the Monster Garage, it's getting a facelift and will soon be back to full force. Ruben's team is training in there and he is anticipating another run along the lines of what they had a few years ago with Anthony and Zahid, Aaron Pico, and Cade Olivas. So we'll likely see another string of Southern California hammers soon enough.
As has been the case for a couple of years now, Coleman has been going toe-to-toe with his old coach John Smith on the recruiting trail, and that's no different here. Chris Perry and Tyler Caldwell envision Valencia having an even better career than the ones they had. This being Oklahoma State, they'd probably like to keep Cael at 165. They brought in the top recruiting class of 2020, with Luke Surber, Dustin Plott, Daniel Jezik, and AJ Ferrari having to fill out 174-197. The Cowboys already have commitments from juniors Victor Voinovich and Travis Mastrogiovanni, meaning they'd like to keep them at 149 and 157 respectively if Valencia commits. All of this on top of guys like Travis Wittlake and Anthony Montalvo already in Stillwater, and Valencia may be looked at as a luxury by the rest of the country if he decides to don the Orange & Black in college.
Iowa was poised to win a national title this year, but to keep that run going they understand the importance of recruiting. They've also made it clear with the Abe Assad/Cash Wilcke situation that the best man will go regardless of age. That would come into play here if Patrick Kennedy goes 165 and Nelson Brands drops back down to 174. He'd be a senior when Valencia is a redshirt freshman, with Abe Assad also in his senior year 184 if he doesn't redshirt.
Bringing it back around to Arizona State, there will obviously be the pull of his older brothers, as well as the relationship the family has established with Zeke Jones and Lee Pritts. They appear to also have an opening coming at 165, with Jacori Teemer at 157 and Trey Munoz up at 174. So they could make a ton of sense lineup wise right as the team is going through a shift with two coaches leaving and the 2015 recruiting class graduating.
While I spent the vast majority of this article looking at lineup fit and how Cael would fit into the rosters of these schools, it was repeatedly stressed throughout the conversation that they're not too concerned with it. Ruben wants his son to make a choice where he will feel comfortable and confident for wrestling and his life afterward, and if there's a lineup conflict so be it, the coaches will work that out.
Whenever this quarantine ends, I expect Cael Valencia to come out guns blazing. A season in which he won Super 32, Reno, Doc B, and 5 Counties ended with a stunning loss in the state finals. He wants to make sure that's not any coach's last memory of him.
#8 Stevo Poulin
Recently we were able to catch up with the eighth-ranked wrestler on the Junior Big Board, Stevo Poulin, to find out what schools are in the running for the New York hammer.
Stevo Poulin School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- Lehigh
- NC State (visited)
- Ohio State (visited)
- Oklahoma State
- Penn State
As you can see from the list above, Poulin has already been to Raleigh and Columbus for his visits and plans on taking all five official visits he's allotted by NCAA rules before making a decision. As the NCAA currently has an in-person recruiting ban through May 31, don't expect a decision anytime soon. Also, these are not Poulin's final five. These are just the five schools he has been in contact with the most. Poulin said he can't say a school won't be added to the mix depending on which schools enter the picture in the coming months.
Poulin has been an internet sensation since he was a youth wrestler and has continued to have success at every level along the way. Poulin won Super 32 in 2018, is a three-time New York state champion, and in 2019 made a Cadet world team before taking fifth at the world championships.
Check out the video that put Poulin on the national radar.
Lehigh also made the list for Pennsylvania state champ and #24 Trey Kibe. Brandon Paetzell, who spent the majority of last season ranked in the top five, will be a senior next season so that does open the door for Poulin to potentially start as a true freshman. The Mountain Hawks did sign two-time Pennsylvania state champion, Sheldon Seymour, in the class of 2020, but after a year redshirting in Bethlehem, he could grow into a 133-pounder.
As far as connections go, NC State makes the most sense for Poulin. Frank Popolizio, the brother of NC State Head Coach Pat Popolizio, is an assistant coach at Shenendehowa High Shcool where Poulin attends and runs the Journeymen Wrestling Club where Poulin trains. Jakob Camacho finished the season ranked ninth for the Wolfpack and in the ACC finals gave returning NCAA finalist Jack Mueller his first loss of the season. Camacho will be just a redshirt sophomore next season. NC State also signed Anthony Noto in the class of 2020 who projects as a 125-pounder. If Poulin ended up committing to NC State it would be the Wolfpack's nation-leading fifth top-100 commit in the class of 2021.
Ohio State is the only other school Poulin has been able to visit and it also is arguably the school on this list with the clearest path to the lineup. The Buckeyes currently have four 125-pounders on the roster led by Malik Heinselman. Despite qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year, Heinselman struggled at times this season and finished with just an 18-15 record. Ohio State did not sign a 125-pounder in the class of 2020 and their only commit so far in the class of 2021 is Paddy Gallagher, who projects as a 165-pounder. One thing to keep an eye on with the Buckeyes is current Arizona State commit Richie Figueroa. Ohio State is still in the mix for the three-time California state champion and top recruit in the class of 2021.
Watch Figueroa and Poulin square off at Who's #1.
Could we see another New York lightweight hammer sign with Oklahoma State? Nick Piccininni just finished up an outstanding career in Stillwater as a three-time All-American and leaves a big hole in the Cowboys lineup. However, in the nation's top-ranked 2020 recruiting class Oklahoma State signed Trevor Mastrogiovanni and Jakason Burks who could both possibly make 125. Burks is the smaller of the two and Mastrogiovanni might be too big for the lightest weight class. The Cowboys are currently on pace to be in the running for the nation's top recruiting class for the second consecutive year. Four top-56 recruits on the Junior Big Board are committed to Oklahoma State currently and none of them are 125-pounders.
Finally, the Nittany Lions. Since the transfer of Nick Suriano, Penn State hasn't qualified a wrestler for the NCAA Championships. Devin Schnupp and Brandon Meredith who have been the starters the past two seasons are back, but neither has posted winning records as the starter. Penn State did sign two-time New Jersey state champion and the seventh-ranked recruit in the class of 2020, Robert Howard. The Bergen Catholic product won his second New Jersey state title in March at 126 and should Penn State choose to wrestle him right away and at 125, he should make an impact immediately. It's oftentimes very hard for wrestlers to hold 125 their entire college careers and a possible bump to 133 could open the door for Poulin should he pledge to Penn State.
No matter which school Poulin selects, they will be getting not only one of the best prospects in the class of 2021, but one of the best lightweights in America that has the potential to battle for NCAA titles throughout his college career. Keep it locked on FloWrestling throughout the spring and summer as we continue to bring you school lists for the nation's top wrestlers in the class of 2021 and breaking news when kids make their college decisions.
#21 Cooper Flynn
Ever since he's been in high school, Cooper Flynn has established himself as one of the hardest working and grittiest kids in the country. It's those traits that have attracted some of the best colleges to speak to him.
Flynn is originally from the tiny town of Seymour, Tennessee, but wrestles for McDonogh High School in Maryland. After finishing second and third at National Preps as a freshman and sophomore, he finally got his title, winding up with a 47-2 record on the year and fourth in our rankings at 120. His only losses came in the Ironman finals and Beast of the East quarters.
Being from the Southeast, most of the schools he's talking to are (relatively) close to home, but it doesn't seem to be a requirement for him. He's close with his family and very proud of where he's from, but he went to a different state for high school and will do the same for college if he feels it will help him achieve his ultimate goals.
Cooper Flynn School List
- Virginia Tech
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- NC State
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Rutgers
- Indiana
- Chattanooga
- Navy
As you can see, it's not really a school list as much as his current options, the programs that have been reaching out the most. He still has four official visits remaining and is not ruling out any other schools joining the fray, but right now coaches from these colleges are the ones he stays in heavy contact with.
The only official visit so far for the Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Wrestler of the Year has been to Virginia Tech. While there's no doubt the Hokie coaches have a high level of interest in Flynn, they also have a strong group of lightweights already. If Flynn were to redshirt his first year in Blacksburg, they'd still have one year left of Collin Geraradi, two years of Sam Latona, and three years of Eddie Ventresca.
One of his coaches at McDonogh, Joe Bakewell, was slated to join Flynn on a couple of unofficial visits to North Carolina and Oklahoma after the season ended, but those were obviously canceled. Another of his coaches, Pete Welch, was an All-American for the Tar Heels in 1991. UNC would have a senior Joey Melendez and either two or three years left of Wil Guida at 125, and the weights above them don't leave much room to move up. As for the Sooners, they are in dire need of a 125, with only one on the roster, though Tommy Hoskins would be a senior by the time Flynn comes off redshirt.
Like most high-level recruits, he has freestyle aspirations beyond college. He's placed fifth, third, and seventh at Fargo, plus a fourth-place finish in Akron, helping him to be #21 on our junior Big Board. Right now, NC State appears to have had the most RTC success of any school Flynn is talking to. Again looking at a redshirt, they'd have a senior Jakob Camacho, three years of Anthony Noto, a year left of Jarrett Trombley and two more of Kai Orrine.
The Cavaliers are certainly in need of a 125 with Jack Mueller graduating, but Flynn won't have Mueller to work out with as the NCAA finalist is now with the NYC RTC. There's a good possibility by the time Flynn arrived in Madison that Eric Barnett and Kyle Burwick would be up in weight, or perhaps both at 133, so he might be able to start right away for the Badgers.
Another Big Ten school looking at Flynn is Rutgers, which would be a great fit if Dylan Shawver and Joey Olivieri go up in weight. I assume Sammy Alvarez also ends up getting bigger, which is crazy to think about given how small he was in high school. A third Big Ten program speaking to him is Indiana, whose head coach Angel Escobedo was a 125lb NCAA champ and 55kg world team member. Brock Hudkins has one more year left so Flynn could start right away if he wanted to.
Flynn won NHSCA grade level nationals as both a freshman and a sophomore, and would have been the favorite for a three-peat this year. He's a first-year UWW Junior and will compete at 57kg if there ends up being a trials this year. He's still not a big 125lb prospect, but should grow into it by the time he arrives on campus. The plan right now is for him to go 126 next season for McDonogh, closing out a one weight bump for him each year in high school.
The only Division I program in his home state is UT-Chattanooga, and his time being able to attend the Southeast RTC coincided with Dan Dennis being down there. Although Dennis was never a coach for the Mocs, he ran the RTC and developed a relationship with Flynn. Although UTC is still in play, Dennis' departure to the Hawkeye Wrestling Club could make it a little harder to keep Flynn home.
Last but not least is Navy. The recent hiring of Cary Kolat no doubt helped their cause, and it would keep him in his new adoptive home of Maryland. The Midshipmen would have just a single 125 on the roster in Grant Treaster, so Flynn would be in a good position to be the guy.
As you can see, I project Flynn as a 125 in college, with the potential he grows into a 133 later in his career. When he was younger I saw him as a 141, but he never grew quite like I anticipated. Both his parents are short so it seems unlikely he hits a big growth spurt. If he can maintain 125 for his whole career he'll turn out to be one of the most valuable prospects in the 2021 class.
#24 Trey Kibe
On February 16, Pennsylvania state champ Trey Kibe announced he had committed to Penn State. Less than a month later he took to social media once more to announce he had changed his mind and was re-opening his commitment.
I have decided to de-commit from Penn State University.. I will be taking some time to thoroughly reconsider my future plans
— Trey Kibe (@TreyKibe) March 10, 2020
With his recruitment open again, Kibe shared his top four schools with us.
Trey Kibe School List
- NC State
- Virginia Tech
- Stanford
- Lehigh
Kibe was a 2019 PIAA state champion and was fourth this year in a bracket that featured five wrestlers in the top 12 of the national rankings. Kibe is currently #9 at 170 and #24 on the Junior Big Board.
NC State makes a lot of sense for a couple of reasons. Kibe projects as a 174-pounder and three-time NCAA qualifier, Daniel Bullard, will be a senior next season for the Wolfpack. Kibe also goes to Mifflin County high school where the Hidlay brothers attended and Trent Hidlay recently posted a picture of the two working out.
Welcoming @TreyKibe to the Members Only Garage. How bout that! pic.twitter.com/HM0KSSDUpq
— Trent Hoagie Hidlay (@hoagieboyhidlay) April 13, 2020
NC State's 2020 recruiting class does feature Dylan Reinert who knocked off Kibe in the third-place match at the 2020 PIAA State Championships. The two are very familiar with one another as Kibe defeated Reinert the previous year in Hershey in the quarterfinals.
Watch Kibe and Reinert's battle from the 2020 PIAA State Championships.
Much like their ACC rival, Virginia Tech has had a lot of success in Pennsylvania recently. The class of 2020 saw the Hokies nab PA hammers Hunter Catka, Sammy Hillegas, and Clayton Ulrey. If NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis stays down at 165 for the rest of his career, the path to the lineup is much clearer in Blacksburg. Cody Hughes qualified for NCAAs this year at 174-pounds but was a senior this season and there's no clear replacement waiting in the wings.
Stanford will be salty next season as the Cardinal return five NCAA qualifiers including Real Woods, Shane Griffith, and Nathan Traxler who were all ranked in the top 15 to end the season and will add Southern Scuffle champ Jaden Abas to the lineup as well. One hole in the lineup for Stanford is 174 and Kibe could help the Cardinal jump another level.
Lehigh is the only Pennsylvania school that made the final cut for Kibe and while 174 is not as big of a need for the Mountain Hawks with Edmond Ruth and Jake Logan at the weight in Bethlehem, Lehigh is always known for their depth.
#30 Nate Schon
One of the nation's best big men has put out his school list. Below are the final five for Nate Schon (Selinsgrove, PA).
Nate Schon School List
- Rutgers
- Pitt
- Ohio State
- NC State
- Penn
Most of these programs are in the market for a heavyweight, which is where Schon sees himself in college after spending his first three years in high school at 220 pounds. He's placed every year in AAA at the Pennsylvania state tournament, finishing eighth as a freshman, winning the title as a sophomore, and making the finals this season.
Rutgers used sophomore Alex Esposito at Big Tens, though they also have three years left of Kyle Lightner, but he only wrestled nine matches this season. They'd only be about three hours from home and would allow Schon to wrestle a Big Ten schedule. However, they already have an excellent big man committed from the 2021 class in Kyonte Hamilton. The National Prep champ is ranked second at 220 and is #4 on the Junior Big Board.
Pitt is a bit of a wildcard, with Colby Whitehill coming in from their 2020 recruiting class to replace graduated senior and new Pittsburgh Wrestling Club member Demetrius Thomas. Schon finished #14 in our 220lb rankings, while Whitehill was seventh at 285. The two never wrestled in high school.
Ohio State has already picked up a verbal from the #7 junior in the country in Paddy Gallagher, so Schon would give them another blue-chip from this class. Columbus would be a good fit as he could take over for transfer Tate Orndorff after a redshirt year, allowing Orndorff to finish out his eligibility and Gavin Hoffman to close out his career at 197.
The rising senior, who also plays football and may be interesting in trying to do both sports at the next level, has already taken visits to Rutgers and Pitt. Ohio State was supposed to be his next visit prior to travel being shut down due to COVID-19, and he is also hoping to take visits to Philadelphia and Raleigh.
Pennsylvania has long been a fertile recruiting ground for the ACC, and the Wolfpack currently have two starters from there in the Hidlay brothers. Their high school is about an hour away from Selinsgrove. If Schon went there and redshirted it'd allow Deonte Wilson to graduate, but that would coincide with Owen Trephan's junior year.
Schon, who is our 30th-rated prospect on the 2021 Big Board, is also considering staying in-state to get an Ivy League education at Penn. The Quakers' current heavyweight Ben Goldin would be gone, but their best 285lb recruit from a year ago in Joey Slackman would be a junior. Slackman had a 6-7 record this year.
Lineup-wise, Ohio State probably makes the most sense, though they did have Nick Boykin redshirting this year. The development of Trephan and Slackman will also come into play, which will be harder to quantify the longer this quarantine goes on and difficult to gauge before signing begins on November 11, 2020.
#34 Braxton Brown
Being the second-largest high school in the state of Texas with around 5,000 students, Allen High School is no stranger to putting out star athletes — whether it's Heisman Trophy winner and #1 NFL draft pick Kyler Murray, Olympic gold medalist gymnast Carly Patterson, or the other double-digit draft picks in the big four professional sports. The Eagles are also known for their wrestling having won the last 10 Texas 6A state championships. On the mat, they've produced the likes of Oliver Pierce, Bo Nickal, Braeden Redlin, and most recently AJ Ferrari.
Another Allen Eagle who will soon be adding his name to that list and joining the DI ranks is Braxton Brown, who is currently ranked #34 on the Junior Big Board. Brown is a three-time Texas state champion and has been fourth at Super 32 the past two years. Brown finished the 2019-20 season ranked #6 at 113 and his only two blemishes on the season came to #2 Joey Cruz in matches that were each decided by two points.
Watch Brown pushed #6 on the Sophomore Big Board Joey Cruz.
Braxton Brown School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- Little Rock
- Maryland
- Missouri
- NC State
- Ohio State
- Virginia
Despite going into just their second year as a DI program, Little Rock and head coach Neil Erisman already have two top-100 commitments from the class of 2021 in #48 Matt Bianchi (141/149) and #75 Cougar Andersen (165). Could they add a third? If Brown did sign with the Trojans, he would be joining another former Allen wrestler, Braeden Redlin, who transferred to Little Rock from Ohio State after winning four Texas high school state titles, which Brown is currently on pace to do. Jayden Carson started last year for the Trojans going 12-11 and would be a junior when Brown would get on campus. The Trojans also signed Josh Sarpy in the class of 2020 who projects at 125 as well.
The last time Maryland qualified a wrestler for the NCAA Championships at 125? James Knox back in 2010. Brandon Cray has been the starter the past three seasons but has yet to punch his ticket to the big dance and will be gone after this season. The Terrapins currently have two other 125-pounders on the roster in Jarod Kosman and Zach Spence and signed Jackson Cockrell and Cole McCormick in the class of 2020 who project as 125-pounders.
Watch Brown beat Clarion commit and #100 on the Junior Big Board, Joey Fischer.
A year ago, three different wrestlers — Cameron Valdiviez, Dack Punke, and Cevion Severado — started dual meets for the Tigers. All three boasted winning records, but it was Valdiviez who got the nod at the MAC Championships but was unable to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Punke had qualified for the NCAA Championships the year prior. Missouri also has Noah Surtin on the roster who went 20-7 during his redshirt season. Valdiviez, Punke, and Severado would be redshirt seniors when Brown would arrive while Surtin would be a redshirt sophomore.
Brown is now the third 125-pound prospect that has listed the Wolfpack as one of their final schools. NC State currently has Jakob Camacho who will begin the 2020-21 season ranked fifth for the Wolfpack and is coming of an ACC title where he gave returning NCAA finalist Jack Mueller his lone loss of the season. Camacho will be just a redshirt sophomore next season. NC State also signed Anthony Noto in the class of 2020 who projects as a 125-pounder. If Brown ended up committing to NC State it would be the Wolfpack's fifth top-100 commit in the class of 2021 which would tie them with Cornell for the most top-100 commits.
Watch Brown take out #5 on the Sophomore Big Board Jordan Williams.
The Buckeyes currently have four 125-pounders on the roster led by Malik Heinselman. Despite qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year, Heinselman struggled at times this season and finished with just an 18-15 record. Ohio State did not sign a 125-pounder in the class of 2020 and their only commit so far in the class of 2021 is Paddy Gallagher, who projects as a 165-pounder. One big thing to keep an eye on is if the nation's top-ranked recruit in the class of 2021, Richie Figueroa, stays committed to Arizona State. Ohio State is still in the mix for the three-time California state champion as well as Penn State.
The Cavaliers are certainly in need of a 125 with three-time All-American and NCAA finalist Jack Mueller graduating and moving on to the NYC RTC. In the class of 2020, the Cavaliers signed Josiah Encarnacion out of New York and also have Ben Kamali and Patrick McCormick on the roster who would both be redshirt juniors by the time Brown would get to Charlottesville.
#35 Evan Bates
Evan Bates went into Fargo last summer unranked after a third-place performance at the Indiana state championships. After beating returning champion Noah Pettigrew on his way to a runner-up finish in Cadet freestyle and following that up with a third-place finish in Greco-Roman, Bates left the FargoDome ranked #8 in the country at 195. This week I caught up with the 35th-ranked prospect on the Junior Big Board to find out which schools he's considering.
Evan Bates School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- Cornell
- Indiana
- Northwestern
Bates followed up his incredible Fargo performance with a fifth-place finish at Super 32 and state championship in Indiana which has just one division. It will be interesting to see how Bates grows over the next year. The Hoosier state champ wrestled 195 the majority of the season before bumping up to 220 the second half of the year. For all three schools that made the final cut for Bates, I'll break down how both 197 and 285 looks moving forward.
Watch Bates take out Fargo champ Noah Pettigrew.
Ben Darmstadt and Brendan Furman currently are the starters at 197 and 285 for Cornell and will be seniors when Bates would be a freshman, should he take his talents to Ithaca. However, the Big Red have two wrestlers who competed for the Finger Lakes RTC last year who could make things crowded in the upper weights. Jacob Cardenas was 24-4 last year and picked up a win over Ethan Laird who finished the season ranked #16. Lewis Fernandes at heavyweight put together a 26-4 campaign and had wins over #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski and #22 Cary Miller. Cardenas and Fernandes would be just sophomores when Bates arrived on campus. Cornell also signed the #40 recruit in the class of 2020, Ethan Hatcher, who projects as a 197-pounder.
When it comes to the home state Hoosiers, Angel Escobedo is trying to turn things around at his alma mater, and landing a homegrown hammer like Bates would certainly be a big help. Indiana hasn't had an NCAA qualifier at 197 since the 2013 NCAA Championship when Lucas Sheridan earned a spot at the big dance and hasn't had a qualifier at heavyweight since 2014 when Adam Chalfant earned All-American honors. The Hoosiers did sign Santos Cantu at 197 and Andrew Irick at heavyweight in the class of 2020, but the path to the lineup is much clearer in Bloomington than Ithaca.
Watch Bates take out Minnesota commit Bennett Tabor.
Finally, there are the Northwestern Wildcats, who have a big connection to Bates. Current Northwestern 197-pounder Lucas Davison went to Chesterton High where Bates attends and Davison's father, Keith, is an assistant coach at Chesterton high. If Bates were to choose to head to Evanston, Davison would be a junior during Bates' true freshman season. At heavyweight, however, the Wildcats currently only have one on the roster and did not sign one in the class of 2020 either.
#39 Andre Gonzales
After a third-place finish at the 2019 California state championships, Andre Gonzales took the country by storm when he went to Fargo and left as the Junior freestyle and Greco-Roman champion at 106. The Poway product followed his performance up in the FargoDome with a California state title in 2020, finished the season as the nation's second-ranked 106-pounder in the country, and currently sits at #39 on the Junior Big Board.
Watch Gonzales beat then #6 (now #20 at 113) Blake West in the Junior Freestyle finals at Fargo.
Andre Gonzales School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- Cornell
- Missouri
- Ohio State
- Stanford
- Wisconsin
To say the lightweights and 125, in particular, is crowded in Ithaca might be an understatement. Vito Arujau is back from Olympic redshirt and will only be a sophomore, Dom Lajoie qualified for the NCAA Championships last season and will be a junior this fall, the Big Red signed the 15th ranked wrestler in the class of 2020 Greg Diakomihalis, and currently own commitments from Brett Ungar, Vince Cornella, and Nico Provo who all are top-100 recruits in the class of 2021 and project as 125-pounders. If Gonzales were to join the loaded group of lightweights, he would be the Big Red's nation-leading sixth top-100 recruit in the class of 2021.
A year ago, three different wrestlers — Cameron Valdiviez, Dack Punke, and Cevion Severado — started dual meets for the Tigers. All three boasted winning records, but it was Valdiviez who got the nod at the MAC Championships but was unable to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Punke had qualified for the NCAA Championships the year prior. Missouri also has Noah Surtin on the roster who went 20-7 during his redshirt season. Valdiviez, Punke, and Severado would be redshirt seniors when Brown would arrive while Surtin would be a redshirt sophomore.
Watch Gonzales win a 2019 Junior Greco-Roman national title in Fargo.
The Buckeyes currently have four 125-pounders on the roster led by Malik Heinselman. Despite qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year, Heinselman struggled at times this season and finished with just an 18-15 record. Ohio State did not sign a 125-pounder in the class of 2020 and their only commit so far in the class of 2021 is Paddy Gallagher, who projects as a 165-pounder. One big thing to keep an eye on is if the nation's top-ranked recruit in the class of 2021 and fellow California hammer, Richie Figueroa, stays committed to Arizona State. Ohio State is still in the mix for the three-time CIF state champion as well as Penn State.
A year ago the Cardinal qualified half their lineup for the NCAA Championships and one of those qualifiers was true freshman Jackson DiSario at 125. If Gonzales were to sign with Stanford, DiSario would be a junior when he arrived on The Farm. Logan Ashton is on the roster as well and would also be a junior when Gonzales would get on campus. Finally, Stanford also signed Ohio state champion and 2018 Ironman champion, Kyle Rowan, in the class of 2020.
Watch Gonzales nearly take out the #6 wrestler in the class of 2022, Joey Cruz, in the Reno TOC final
Like Stanford, Wisconsin also started a true freshman the majority of the season at 125. Unlike DiSario, Eric Barnett came up just short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships after having his redshirt pulled. Ethan Rotundo is the only other 125-pounder on the roster, but he will be a senior this upcoming season. The Badgers also did not sign a 125-pounder in the class of 2020 and do not have a 125-pounder currently committed in the class of 2021.
#40 Cole Deery
Recently, I talked with the 40th-ranked prospect on the Junior Big Board, Cole Deery.Deery had quite the 2019-20 season winning Ironman, Powerade, and National Prep titles, and finishing third at The Beast Of The East. After beginning the season unranked, Deery finished ranked inside the top 10 of the heavyweight class.
The Malvern Prep standout has options unlike any other wrestler on the Big Board. Not only does Deery have offers on the mat, but on the gridiron as well, and as you'll see below many of those schools would love to have Deery's services for both sports.
Watch Deery win an Ironman title back in December
Cole Deery Offers To Play Both Sports (listed in alphabetical order)
- Air Force
- Army
- Brown
- Bucknell
- Columbia
- Cornell
- Indiana
- Lehigh
- Navy
- Oklahoma
- Penn
- Princeton
A dozen schools so far have told Deery that he can wrestle and play football should he come to their school. Of the 12 schools, only Army, Cornell, and Lehigh had a heavyweight finish the season ranked inside the top 25, and Lehigh's Jordan Wood is a senior next season. Army's Ben Sullivan and Cornell's Brendan Furman finished the year ranked 24th and 23rd, respectively.
While a couple of individuals have successfully pulled it off in recent seasons, wrestling and playing football at the collegiate level is unbelievably difficult. Jan Johnson did it in 2016 when Penn State needed an emergency heavyweight and Josh Hokit, of course, did it at Fresno State the past four seasons. While earning All-American honors twice on the mat, Hokit rushed for over 1,200 yards and scored 20 touchdowns on the gridiron. The 22nd-ranked prospect in the class of 2020, Gaige Garcia, plans to both wrestle and play football at the University of Michigan.
Cole Deery Wrestling-Only Schools (listed in alphabetical order)
- Nebraska
- Ohio State
- Rutgers
The Cornhuskers currently have three heavyweights on their roster but none have yet to qualify for the NCAA Championships, and Christian Lance will be gone after next season. Deery could compete for the starting spot right away in Lincoln.
On the other side of things, Ohio State has three heavyweights on the roster who have qualified for the NCAA Championships: Chase Singletary, Gary Traub, and Utah Valley transfer Tate Orndorff. However, Singletary is expected to head down to 197 with the departure of Kollin Moore, Traub will be a senior next season, and Orndorff has just two years of eligibility remaining. Deery could redshirt and then compete with current redshirt freshman Nicholas Boykin for the starting spot.
Since the loss of four-time NCAA qualifier Billy Smith, Rutgers has struggled at heavyweight and hasn't had a qualifier at the weight since Smith in 2016. Help is on the way, though, as NJCAA national champion Boone McMcDermott announced near the end of April that he will enroll at Rutgers and has three years of eligibility remaining. Interestingly enough, the Scarlet Knights also have a commitment from the #4 recruit in the class of 2021, Kyonte Hamilton, who intends to wrestle and play football on the banks.
To start I would like to thank of all the Rutgers coaching staff, @CoachHoffmannRU @GregSchiano @RUJLeo @CoachGoodale, and more of the coaches for helping me make my decision and offering a full ride to the Rutgers University. That being said I’m glad to be a double commit to SKN
— I am Kyonte Hamilton (@HamiltonKyonte) March 9, 2020
Hamilton is a three-star rated athlete by 247 Sports and also has offers from Boston College and Wake Forest on the gridiron.
Watch Deery win his National Prep Championship back in February.
Cole Deery Football-Only Offers (listed in alphabetical order)
- Akron
- Bowling Green
- Buffalo
- Central Michigan
- Cincinnati
- Coastal Carolina
- Dartmouth
- Fordham
- Furman
- Harvard
- Holy Cross
- Lafayette
- Monmouth
- Montana State
- Richmond
- Tulane
- Villanova
- William & Mary
- Yale
While there are plenty of schools that want Deery to focus on wrestling or star in both sports, there are also currently double-digit FBS and FCS schools that want Deery to focus solely on the gridiron. Deery is currently rated as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports and is ranked as the 16th best center prospect in the United States for the class of 2021 and the 26th best overall player in the state of Pennsylvania.
No matter which path Deery selects he has plenty of options and I'm sure will find success.
#41 Brandon Hoselton
Not only has COVID-19 brought sporting events to a halt, but it has also brought on-campus recruiting to a standstill since March 13 and currently the "dead period" is in effect until June 30. This has impacted the recruiting timeline of wrestlers from coast to coast as many, like Illinois hammer Brandon Hoselton, planned to take official and unofficial visits in March and April to begin to narrow their lists. Without the ability to get on-campus, Hoselton is much earlier in the process than he planned to be and is still talking to a number of schools around the country.
Brandon Hoselton School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- American
- Campbell
- Central Michigan
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Iowa State
- Michigan State
- Navy
- North Carolina State
- Ohio State
- Purdue
Hoselton is a three-time Illinois state finalist, won state titles as a freshman and sophomore, was in the Super 32 finals last fall, was a double Fargo All-American in 2018, and currently sits as the 41st ranked wrestler in the class of 2021. His recruitment is an interesting one as schools have talked to him about wrestling three different weights: 184, 197, and heavyweight. Hoselton still has all five official visits to use.
With so many schools still in the running, I did things a little differently this time. I broke the list down a little further into teams with no returning NCAA qualifiers or with returning NCAA qualifiers that will be gone by the time Hoselton is on campus and then schools that will have returning qualifiers on with eligibility remaining when Hoselton would arrive on campus.
Programs With No Qualifiers/Qualifiers That Will Be Gone
Indiana
Navy
American
Campbell
Central Michigan
Purdue
Indiana and Navy did not have a qualifier at 184-285 a year ago. The Hoosiers did sign Santos Cantu who actually beat Hoselton in the Super 32 finals last fall and Andrew Irick, a projected heavyweight, in the class of 2020. The Midshipmen inked Gavin Bell, a projected 184-pounder, and Grady Griess, a projected 197-pounder in the class of 2020.
Watch Hoselton and Cantu battle in the Super 32 finals.
American, Campbell, Central Michigan, and Purdue all had an NCAA qualifier between 184-285 last season that either graduated or will be out of eligibility by the time Hoselton gets to campus. However, each school signed at least one recruit at one of those weights in the class of 2020.
American and Central Michigan each signed one recruit between 184-285. The Eagles signed Isaac Righter a projected heavyweight and the Chippewas signed John Shelton who is projected at 197.
Three-time NCAA qualifier Jere Heino is gone and looking to replace him, Campbell signed two heavyweights, Chad Nix and Jacob Meek, and Eli Daugherty who could wrestle 197 or 285. Purdue also went all-in on 184-285. The Boilermakers signed seven wrestlers in the class of 2020 and four of them are projected between 184-285. The gem of the class for Purdue is two-time Pennsylvania state champion Gerrit Nijenhuis who projects at 184 and was the 13th-ranked recruit in the class of 2020. Rounding out the class was Mitch Hutmacher signed as a projected 197-pounder, Doian Keys is a projected heavyweight, and Macartney Parkinson signed as a 184-pounder. The Boilermakers also have Ben Vanadia, the 65th-ranked recruit in the class of 2021, committed currently.
Programs With Qualifiers Returning When Hoselton Arrives
Iowa
Iowa State
Michigan State
NC State
Ohio State
Purdue
Three schools listed above — Iowa State, Michigan State, Purdue — will have just one wrestler at 184-285 that has qualified for the NCAA Championships previously that will still have eligibility remaining when Hoselton arrives. In Ames, Marcus Coleman who qualified last season at 184, would be a senior when Hoselton can get on campus. Also at 184, Michigan State would have Cam Caffey returning for his senior season when Hoselton would be a true freshman. Finally, Purdue's Thomas Penola, who will be dropping back down to 197 after finishing last season at 285, would be a junior by the time Hoselton would be in West Lafayette. Of course, as I laid it out above things are going to be crowded in the Boilermaker upper weights.
Watch Hoselton take out Indiana state champion Evan Bates.
Iowa, NC State, and Ohio State all have multiple wrestlers in the 184-285 range that have qualified for the NCAA Championships and will still have eligibility remaining when Hoselton would arrive on campus. If Abe Assad does not take a redshirt next season, he would be a junior, Jacob Warner would be a senior, and Anthony Cassioppi would be a junior. Interestingly enough, all three of those Hawkeyes are fellow Illinois natives like Hoselton. Iowa also signed a top-50 recruit in the class of 2020, Gabe Christenson, who projects as a 197-pounder.
At Ohio State, Rocky Jordan qualified at 184 during his first year in the lineup and would be a redshirt junior, Chase Singletary qualified two years ago and is expected to drop down to 197 where he would be a redshirt senior, and Tate Orndorff would also be a redshirt senior at heavyweight when Hoselton would get to Columbus. The Buckeyes also currently have a verbal commitment from the fourth-ranked wrestler on the Sophomore Big Board, Seth Shumate, who projects as a 197-pounder.
Finally down in Raleigh where Trent Hidlay would be a redshirt junior at 184 and Deonte Wilson, baring a redshirt year, would be a senior at heavyweight should Hoselton chose to sign with NC State. In the class of 2020, the Wolfpack also signed the 43rd-ranked recruit Isaac Trumble who projects at 197 and Kai Bele who projects as a 184-pounder. Hoselton actually pinned Trumble in the 2019 Super 32 quarterfinals. NC State also currently has a commitment from the 99th-ranked wrestler in the class of 2021, Brock Delsignore, who is projected at 184 as well. As per usual, NC State is continuing to build great depth.
Watch Hoselton pin NC State signee Isaac Trumble.
Don't expect a decision anytime soon from Hoselton with the ban of on-campus recruiting still intact for the foreseeable future. Hoselton also plays football so it could be difficult for him to take visits in the fall if the ban is lifted. One thing is for certain though, whichever school lands Hoselton is gaining a big addition to their program.
#43 Luka Wick
In case you didn't know there's a third Wick brother and like his brothers Zander and Evan, Luka is a hammer. The 43rd-ranked wrestler on the Junior Big Board was fifth in loaded California state tournament brackets his freshman and sophomore seasons, and was ranked 17th in the country at 145 before suffering an injury that ended his folkstyle season.
Luka Wick School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- Cal Poly
- Michigan
- Navy
- Nebraska
- North Dakota State
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
- Pitt
Wick made it clear that it's very early in his process and there are other schools in the mix right now and things could change, but as of right now these could be the schools that he would take his official visits to. Wick projects as a 149/157-pounder on the next level.
Watch Wick beat California and Super 32 champ Chase Saldate last April.
Michigan is one of three Big Ten schools in the running for the California standout. Kanen Storr will be finishing up his eligibility next season at 149 and the Wolverines also have Nick Freeman on the roster who would be a redshirt junior in 2021. At 157, Will Lewan would have two seasons left of eligibility when Wick would get to Ann Arbor should he choose the Wolverines. Michigan also signed Fidel Mayora in the class of 2020 who projects as a 149-pounder, but Wick beat Mayora at Fargo last summer and won the Doc Buchanan Invitational this season at the same weight where Mayora was third.
While Nebraska did not sign anyone in the class of 2020 at 149 or 157, the Cornhuskers do have a good bit of talent returning at those two weights. Kevon Davenport is coming off a redshirt season where he was 18-2 and earned a win over three-time NCAA qualifier Henry Pohlmeyer. Brock Hardy will also be in Lincoln this season after taking his Mormon mission to Brazil. Coming out of high school, Hardy was the ninth-ranked recruit in the class of 2018. Both Hardy and Davenport would have three years of eligibility remaining when Wick would get on campus. At 157, Peyton Robb was an NCAA qualifier as a redshirt freshman and would have two years left of college wrestling by the time Wick would get to Lincoln.
Watch Wick battle eventual four-time California state champion Jesse Vasquez to the final second.
Don't look now but North Dakota State is trying to build a pipeline from Cali to Fargo. The Bison already have a commitment from the 46th-ranked recruit on the Junior Big Board, Carlos Negrete, out of Buchanan, California, and now are trying to add another hammer from The Golden State. Jaden Van Maanen has been the starter at 149 for the past two seasons for the Bison but has yet to qualify for the NCAA Championships. He would be in his final year of eligibility by the time Wick would get to campus. Michael Weber is also on the roster at 149 and will be a redshirt freshman next season. Up at 157, Jared Franek put together an outstanding redshirt freshman campaign going 27-7 and earning a spot at the NCAA Championships. The Fargo native would have two years of eligibility left by the time Wick would get to North Dakota should he choose the Bison.
The Buckeyes are the final Big Ten squad Wick is considering right now. Sammy Sasso, of course, was a breakout star for Ohio State this season holding down the nation's #1 ranking for a couple of weeks and making the Big Ten finals. He will be a redshirt junior by the time Wick would be on campus in Columbus. Another thing to keep in mind is Sasso is pretty big for 149 and I could absolutely see him moving up at some point in his career. At 157, Quinn Kinner jumped up from 133 last season and was good beating Penn State's Brady Berge. Kinner would be a redshirt senior by the time Wick would be a Buckeye. The wild card in this weight range for me is Anthony Echemendia. The subject of our most recent FloFilm, The Crossing, looks massive, but isn't and I believe we will see him at 141 next year. I wouldn't be shocked at all to see him move up to 149 or 157 during his career in the scarlet and gray. Finally, the Buckeyes also signed two-time Ohio state champion Bryce Hepner in the class of 2020 who projects as a 149-pounder.
Watch Wick beat Michigan signee for Fidel Mayora at Fargo last summer.
After landing California state runner-up Tyler Badgett in the class of 2020, Pitt is headed back to Cali looking to add another Golden State hammer. A year ago at 149, Dallas Bulsak wasn't able to qualify for the NCAA Championships and four-time NCAA qualifier at 157, Taleb Rahmani, has graduated. Luke Kemerer started the majority of the year for Pitt at 149 posting an 8-9 record and would be redshirt junior Wick's first possible year on campus. There is no clear replacement for Rahmani and should wick choose the Panthers, he could come right in and compete for a starting spot if he were to grow into 157.
#68 Vincent Zerban
Vinny Zerban is not a stranger to appearing on FloWrestling Big Boards. The Illinois native has been a staple on the Big Board since he was in junior high including being as high as #10 during his freshman year. Zerban is a Missouri state champion, NHSCA Sophomore Nationals champion, and was third at last year's UWW Cadet World Team Trials picking up wins over Teague Travis, Luke Geog, Joey Zargo, Dean Hamiti Jr, and he currently sits at #68 on the Junior Big Board.
Vinny Zerban School List (listed in alphabetical order)
- Illinois
- Iowa State
- Missouri
- NC State
- Ohio State
- Purdue
The Fargo and FloNationals All-American made it clear that this list could change moving forward, but these are currently the six schools he is in contact with the most.
Watch Zerban take out Oklahoma State commit Teague Travis.
Probably the most interesting aspect of Zerban's recruitment is what weight will he be at the next level? It's obviously very common for high school wrestlers to move up multiple weight classes throughout their high school careers, but not to the degree that Zerban has. Zerban wrestled the postseason his freshman season at 120, 132 as a sophomore, and 160 as a junior after competing at 152 for the majority of the season. For this article, we will project Zerban as a 165-pounder.
Zerban competed for Christian Brothers College High School in Missouri his first three years of high school, but is an Illinois native and will be attending Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto, Illinois for his senior season. Fellow Illinois native Danny Braunagel was an NCAA qualifier last season for the Illini as a redshirt freshman and would be a redshirt junior by the time Zerban would arrive in Champaign.
Watch Zerban beat Wisconsin signee Joey Zargo.
Zerban hasn't officially visited Iowa State yet, but he has been on campus as he wrestled on an Agony In Ames card against Jesse Mendez back in 2018. Two-time NCAA qualifier Chase Straw is now gone and a slew of Cyclones will look to replace him. Taylan Entriken, Isaac Judge, Caleb Long, Zane Mulder, and Logan Schumacher have all won double-digit matches in a season and will all still be on the roster when Zerban would arrive if he signed with Iowa State. Another thing to keep an eye on is David Carr moving up. The freshman All-American was a big 157-pounder a year ago and would be a redshirt junior Zerban's true freshman year.
Zerban hasn't taken an official visit to Missouri but has been on campus before at least three times wrestling at the Missouri state wrestling championships where he has been second, first, and third in his three trips to Columbia. A year ago, Peyton Mocco was an NCAA qualifier as a redshirt freshman for Missouri and would be a redshirt junior by the time Zerban was on campus. The Tigers also signed another Ben Askren-trained wrestler, Keegen O'Toole, who finished the season #1 at 160 and as the #2 ranked wrestler in the class of 2020.
As I mentioned above, Zerban wrestled 120 his freshman season and in the state finals fell to current NC State 125/133-pounder Kai Orine. Now, Zerban projects as a 165-pounder. Potential four-time NCAA qualifier Thomas Bullard will be gone by the time Zerban would be on campus, but Tyler Barnes was solid as a redshirt freshman and would be a redshirt junior should Zerban chose to head to Raleigh. NC State also signed AJ Kovacs and Donald Cates in the class of 2020 who projects at 165 and currently have a commitment from Jacob Null who is the 86th-ranked wrestler in 2021.
Watch Zerban beat #52 on the Sophomore Big Board, Luke Geog.
If Zerban were to sign with Ohio State it could be a nice transition as Ethan Smith would be a redshirt season allowing Zerban to take a redshirt season of his own and then compete for the starting spot. While the Buckeyes didn't sign a 165-pounder in the class of 2020, they do currently have a commitment from Paddy Gallagher the wrestler who finished #2 at 160 this season and is the #7-ranked wrestler in the class of 2021.
Last but certainly not least, the Purdue Boilermakers. After putting together a 19-5 redshirt season, Emil Soehnlen was poised to have a breakout season but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury. Soehnlen will be back next year and would be a redshirt junior by the time Zerban would be in West Lafayette if he chose Purdue. Hayden Lohrey and Tanner Webster are also on the roster at the weight and would be a redshirt sophomore and redshirt senior respectively. The Boilermakers did not sign a 165-pounder in the class of 2020 and currently do not have one committed in the class of 2021.
Keep it locked on FloWrestling throughout the spring and summer as we continue to bring you the best recruiting news in the country such as school lists for the nation's top uncommitted wrestlers in the class of 2021 and breaking news when wrestlers make their college decisions.
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