Dylan Ragusin (Michigan)
Ragusin was a top-30 recruit in the Class of 2020 who has raised his national profile considerably over the past three months. In October, Ragusin made a surprising run to the finals of Senior Nationals in freestyle at 57 kilograms. He notched wins over NCAA champion Darian Cruz and NCAA All-American Sean Russell. Ragusin made his Michigan debut this past weekend and had two dominant victories. He pinned No. 20 Nicolas Aguilar of Rutgers on Friday before picking up a 9-1 major decision over Maryland's King Sandoval on Sunday. The second-ranked Wolverines' lineup looks even stronger now with the emergence of Ragusin.
Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State)
Mastrogiovanni, a Blair Academy product, finished his high school career as the nation's No. 16 recruit by InterMat. He won two Walsh Jesuit Ironman titles and three National Prep titles. Mastrogiovanni is stepping in the Cowboy lineup at 125 pounds after the graduation of three-time 125-pound All-American Nick Piccininni. He made his collegiate debut last weekend, going 2-0. Mastrogiovanni started his season with a convincing 8-2 win over returning NCAA qualifier Fabian Gutierrez of UTC before claiming a 7-4 victory over Oregon State's Brandon Kaylor. He entered the InterMat rankings at No. 18 this week.
Julian Tagg (North Carolina)
Tagg, a two-time Ohio state champion and the nation's No. 24 recruit in the Class of 2020, spent time at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs sharpening his freestyle skills before joining his brother Gabriel in Chapel Hill. He made his debut in the UNC lineup this past weekend at 125 pounds and earned a 7-0 shutout over Gardner Webb's Austin Wadlow. Tagg could face his first major test this weekend against Virginia Tech's Sam Latona, who is currently ranked No. 12.
Kellyn March defeated Oregon State's Devan Turner (Photo/Zachary Lucy, NDSU Athletics)Kellyn March (North Dakota State)
March, a four-time South Dakota state champion, made a statement at 133 pounds in the opening weekend of the season, going 2-0 and outscoring his two opponents 21-9. His most notable victory was a 14-5 major decision over Oregon State's Devan Turner, who was ranked No. 7 at the time. This past weekend, March dropped both of his matches to ranked wrestlers Jack Skudlarczyk of Northern Iowa and Zach Price of South Dakota State. He is currently ranked No. 18 at 133 pounds.
Josh Edmond (Missouri)
Edmond, a two-time Michigan state champion, might not get the opportunity to start for the Tigers in the postseason unless he can unseat No. 16 Allan Hart (Edmond lost by fall in tiebreaker to Hart in Mizzou's black & gold scrimmage), but he has shined in the early part of this season. The nation's No. 19 recruit in the Class of 2020 has gone 6-0, with five of those wins coming in "extra matches" of dual meets. In his lone start in the Tiger lineup, Edmond cruised to a 14-5 victory over NCAA qualifier Dylan Droegemueller of North Dakota State.
Virginia Tech's Sam Hillegas celebrates after getting a pin in his collegiate debut (Photo/Virginia Tech Athletics)Sam Hillegas (Virginia Tech)
Hillegas, the nation's No. 31 recruit in the Class of 2020, won two state titles in wrestling-rich Pennsylvania before arriving in Blacksburg. He has made a smooth transition to college wrestling so far, starting the season 4-0 at 141 pounds with two wins in each of the first two weekends. This past weekend, Hillegas shared starting duties with NCAA qualifier Collin Gerardi. Hillegas could be a key contributor to a Virginia Tech team that is expected to contend for a team trophy in March.
Missouri's Keegan O'Toole has been dominant in all four of his matches this season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
O'Toole was one of the nation's top recruits in the Class of 2020. The three-time Wisconsin state champion developed at the Askren Wrestling Academy before becoming a Tiger. He was expected to contend for the starting spot in the Mizzou lineup at 157 pounds with Jarrett Jacques. He and Jacques split starting duties the opening weekend. O'Toole was unchallenged in his first weekend of competition, getting a technical fall and pin. This past weekend, O'Toole moved up to 165 pounds and was once again dominant, picking up a technical fall over Central Michigan's Alex Cramer and a 12-6 win over Wyoming's Cole Moody. O'Toole entered the rankings at No. 13.
Andrew Sparks (Minnesota)
Sparks, a California state champion, was impressive in his collegiate debut for Minnesota at 165 pounds, defeating Big Ten third-place finisher Peyton Robb of Nebraska, 7-6. He didn't start wrestling until after his eighth-grade year, but developed quickly at Calvary Chapel under head coach Dane Valdez, a two-time All-American at Oklahoma. After failing to place at the state tournament as a junior, Sparks broke out as a senior, winning a state title with a 7-1 win over Cael Valencia, the nation's second-ranked 160 pounder.
Peyton Hall (West Virginia)
West Virginia's Hall, a four-time state champion and the nation's No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2020, had an impressive start to his college wrestling career at 165 pounds, going 3-0 this past weekend and outscoring his opponents 31-7.
Oklahoma State's Dustin Plott started his college wrestling career with two bonus-point victories (Photo/Oklahoma State Athletics)Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)
Plott, the nation's No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2020, stayed in his home state of Oklahoma to wrestle for the Cowboys. He could end up competing with Anthony Montalvo for the starting spot at 174 pounds in the Cowboy lineup this season, but for now it's his spot. Plott looked strong in his first two matches in a Cowboy singlet this past weekend, picking up a pair of bonus-point victories.
A.J. Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
Ferrari was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2020 when he signed with Oklahoma State but finished his senior season ranked No. 2 behind Wisconsin signee Braxton Amos. After concluding his high school career with a record of 96-1, Ferrari competed in the UWW Junior Nationals in November, winning the 92-kilogram title in dominant fashion. Last weekend, Ferrari made his collegiate debut for the Cowboys, going 2-0 with two major decisions. A potential match on the horizon for Ferrari is against Iowa State's Yonger Bastida, a silver medalist at the Junior World Championships. The matchup could happen in a dual meet on Jan. 30 when the Cyclones host the Cowboys. Ferrari is one of six ranked 197-pounders in the Big 12.
Missouri's Rocky Elman picked up two wins over ranked wrestlers this past weekend (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Rocky Elam (Missouri)
Rocky Elam, younger brother of Mizzou heavyweight Zach Elam, is the third Tiger to make this list. He finished his senior season as the nation's No. 1-ranked 195-pound wrestler and No. 13 overall senior after winning a pair of Missouri state titles. This past weekend, Elam made his debut, earning two victories over NCAA qualifiers. He broke into the rankings this week at No. 20 but will still have to hold off NCAA qualifier Wyatt Koelling for the starting spot in the Mizzou lineup.
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