Joe Sealey isn't much of a talker. That's what made June 15 such an unusual day for the top recruit in the class of 2024. On the first day college coaches could contact him, Sealey woke up to five texts and two voicemails from programs interested in his services. The first program Sealey spoke with might have been Nebraska, or maybe it was Campbell. It's hard for Joe to remember because, by the time he went to bed, he'd talked to over 20 coaches.

It's no surprise that Sealey's phone was ringing non-stop. The high octane 152-pounder has an incredible offensive output and a diverse set of attacks. He wrestles as hard at the end of the match as he does at the beginning because his work with Josh Kindig has taught him to go hard when he's tired. 

Joe Sealey puts up 15 points in the National Prep finals

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Now that Sealey has had a couple of weeks to investigate these programs, he's narrowed his list down to around eight schools, but he's not ready to share that list. He's not in a rush to narrow that list down yet either. That can wait until after the U17 World Championships later this month.

While Sealey hasn't learned anything game-changing for his eventual college commitment, the first two weeks of recruiting have been valuable. He's been listening closely to everything the coaches are telling him, and that's not easy because, according to Joe, so many coaches say such similar things. "You have to pay attention and pick out what they say that's special or what sticks out to you."

In the early stages of his recruitment, Joe has learned that he wants to go somewhere he'll feel comfortable both when he's in the wrestling room and when he isn't. He's learned that even though he cares about the partners he'll eventually have in college, he cares more about finding coaches he connects with on a campus that fits him.

Perhaps one of the reasons Joe is comfortable taking his time with his college decision is that he's used to picking out programs that fit him. He's actually in the process of finding the right high school program for his junior year. The North Carolina native attended two public schools during his freshman year then moved to Wyoming Seminary for his sophomore season. He may end up there again, but he may not. His father recently moved to Florida, so Joe is considering all his options.

Sealey says the experience of training in different high school environments uniquely prepares him to evaluate colleges. He's familiar with a number of coaching styles, academic approaches, and geographic locations.

Ultimately, Sealey wants to find a program where he can train to win an Olympic gold medal. He's wanted to do that since he was five years old, and he thinks about it a lot now. Joe's Olympic goal will likely shape his college weight class. He plans to compete at 165 lbs so that he'll be prepared for an international career at the Olympic weight of 74 kg. To that end, Sealey plans to move up to 160 lbs for his junior season even though that means he'll need to focus on getting bigger.

That won't happen until after the end of July when Sealey returns from the U17 World Championships in Rome where he'll be testing himself against the best in the world at 71 kg. This will be the start of his international wrestling career and a stepping stone toward his ultimate goal of Olympic gold, so a new weight class, a decision about his junior year of high school, and the next steps in the recruiting process can all wait until after U17 Worlds.