2018-2019 Prospect Rankings

Prospect Rankings By Weight

Prospect rankings are back! Here we handicap the talent and rank them based on what we believe will be their future college weights.

Over the next couple weeks, we'll roll out Prospect Rankings at each of the ten college weights.

A little about these rankings:

The Prospect Rankings are markedly different from the weight class rankings (which are all grades with wrestlers at their current weights and based entirely on results) and the Big Board rankings (which are grade specific and opinion-based).

Prospect Rankings take wrestlers from all grades and project them to their college weights. We then rank them based on what we think (opinion/assessment) their potential is.

A good measure to understand what I'm assessing, is to find a valuation to a senior, and then to take all the other wrestlers and project what level they will be at when they are a senior.

It's certainly an inexact science - one that is ever evolving and full of factors (none more obvious than the difficult in projecting physical growth). But Prospect Rankings just might be the most important one to recruiters, who have to not only target each weight, but have to deliberate on signing that weight this year, or waiting a year or two on someone who might turn out to be better.

The Turnover at 149:

- Seven of the previous Top 20 graduated

- Eight of the previous Top 20 remained ranked at the same weight

- Two of the current Top 20 were ranked at other weights

- Ten of the current Top 20 are new to the Prospect Rankings

At The Top:

Andrew Alirez takes over the top spot formerly held by Sammy Sasso. Abas stays at #2.

The ascent of Alirez comes after beating two other prospects (Michale Blockhus and Kendall Coleman), and two collegians (Kaden Gfeller and Yahya Thomas) at Junior Nationals. He then went to the Junior World Team Trials and beat Fargo Champ Ben Freeman (Michigan), Thomas (Northwestern) again, and Penn State's All American Nick Lee. 

Lovett, O'Toole, and Aragona make huge jumps.

Two freshmen - Nick Bouzakis who already has wins against high school state champs, and Daniel Cardenas - the Fargo Runner-Up to Jakason Burks - make their mark.

Among the big movers are Josh Edmond who obliterated the field in Fargo Cadets, including a win over returning runner-up and #7 here, Ryan Franco. Franco is one of four sophomores in the Top 20.

Just missing the cut this go-round were St. Ed's Bryce Hepner and Bethlethem Catholic's Kenny Herrman.