When looking at the All-Americans from the last three NCAA tournaments, here is the ratio of All-Americans based on top recruiting rankings:
Top 10: (2017) 19/80 (2018) 23/80 (2019) 25/80
Top 20: (2017) 33/80 (2018) 32/80 (2019) 35/80
Top 30: (2107) 40/80 (2018) 38/80 (2019) 45/80
Top 100: (2017) 60/80 (2018) 63/80 (2019) 67/80
The two programs that have finished first and second at the national tournament each of the last three years, Penn State and Ohio State, have also been dominant within the recruiting landscape -- and also have been very successful in turning those recruits into successful starting lineup participants.
The nine NCAA qualifiers for Penn State were ranked as follows coming out of high school:
133: Roman Bravo-Young -- 15th in Class of 2018
141: Nick Lee -- 5th in Class of 2017
149: Brady Berge -- 8th in Class of 2017
157: Jason Nolf -- 7th in Class of 2014
165: Vincenzo Joseph -- 7th in Class of 2015
174: Mark Hall -- 1st in Class of 2016
184: Shakur Rasheed -- 56th in Class of 2014
197: Bo Nickal -- 5th in Class of 2014
285: Anthony Cassar -- WC in Class of 2014
The 10 NCAA qualifiers for Ohio State were ranked as follows coming out of high school:
125: Malik Heinselman -- 48th in Class of 2018
133: Luke Pletcher -- 8th in Class of 2016
141: Joey McKenna -- 8th in Class of 2014
149: Micah Jordan -- 6th in Class of 2014
157: Ke-Shawn Hayes -- 13th in Class of 2015
165: Te'shan Campbell -- 65th in Class of 2015
174: Ethan Smith -- 53rd in Class of 2017
184: Myles Martin -- 4th in Class of 2015
197: Kollin Moore -- 32nd in Class of 2015
285: Chase Singletary -- 6th in Class of 2017
Below is a breakdown of this year's top 25 recruiting classes.
Ohio State's recruiting class is headlined by Greg Kerkvliet, the nation's No. 1 recruit (Photo/Mary Christen, The Guillotine)1. Ohio State
Top 100 recruits: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Simley, Minn.), No. 3 Carson Kharchla (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), No. 6 Jordan Decatur (CVCA, Ohio), No. 18 Dylan D'Emilio (Genoa, Ohio), No. 66 Isaac Wilcox (Olympus, Utah), and No. 100 Jacob Decatur (CVCA, Ohio)
Other notable recruits: Nick Oldham (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa) and Tyler Stein (Canfield, Ohio)
Recruiting class rankings (2015-2018): 6th-10th-7th-2nd
NCAA finishes: 2nd-2nd-2nd
Final dual meet rankings: 6th-2nd-6th
Commentary: This is a second straight absolutely loaded class for the Buckeyes, which is needed with the losses to graduation the Buckeyes have taken in 2018 (Tomasello, Bo Jordan, and Snyder) and 2019 (McKenna, Micah Jordan, and Martin). Kerkvliet, Jordan Decatur, and Kharchla ended the 2018-19 season ranked No. 1 nationally in their respective weight classes. The 2018 class started positively -- among that group, Heinselman qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman, while Sasso and Gavin Hoffman had superlative redshirt seasons.
2. Arizona State
Top 100 recruits: No. 2 Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.), No. 16 Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor, N.Y.), No. 22 Nick Raimo (Hanover Park, N.J.), No. 23 Trent Munoz (Trabucco Hills, Calif.), No. 27 Julian Chlebove (Northampton, Pa.), and No. 59 Zane Coleman (Choctaw, Okla.)
Weight class ranked recruit: Jacob Good (Clovis, Calif.)
Additional notable recruit: Cleveland Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.0
Recruiting class rankings (2015-2018): 1st-NR-8th-HM
NCAA finishes: 14th-10th-12th
Final dual meet rankings: 20th-9th-NR
Commentary: The top-ranked Class of 2015 for Arizona State is approaching their redshirt senior season. It's been a group that has launched clear improvement for the Sun Devils' program, even though it has yet to reach the heights those in Tempe would have hoped (It seems that all members of the class haven't hit peak performance at the same time.) Zeke Jones and staff seek for this group to build upon and elevate the standard that the 2015 group has set for the program. Schultz is a high-end projected heavyweight; Munoz is one of the most improved wrestlers during the 2018-19 season; while Busiello, Raimo, and Chlebove are potential lower-half of the lineup anchors.
3. Cornell
Top 100 recruits: No. 5 Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 12 Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 32 Mason Reiniche (Baylor School, Tenn.), No. 33 Chris Foca (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 52 Coltan Yapoujian (Pomona, Colo.), No. 61 Phillip Moomey (Kearney, Neb.), and Lewis Fernandes (Voorhees, N.J.)
Additional notable recruit: Jonathan Fagen (Fruitland, Idaho)
Recruiting class rankings: NR-12th-2nd-20th
NCAA finishes: 8th-7th-7th
Final dual meet rankings: 7th-11th-9th
Commentary: This is another excellent class for Rob Koll and staff, which should enable the Big Red to maintain their status as a top 10 national program, and possible elevate themselves into one of the trophy positions. Ramirez, Foca, Cardenas, and Fernandes have the potential to be an elite "back four" of a lineup in a few years (possibly even in the near term), while Moomey, Yapoujian, and Reiniche are solid middle-weight talents.
4. Wisconsin
Top 100 recruits: No. 19 Peter Christensen (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 20 Eric Barnett (Hortonville, Wis.), No. 38 Kyle Burwick (Hettinger, N.D.), and No. 76 Joshua Otto (Arrowhead, Wis.)
Delayed enrollee: Atilano Escobar (Liberty, Ariz./class of 2018)
Recruiting class rankings: 8th-16th-13th-16th
NCAA finishes: 13th-17th(tied)-21st
Final dual meet rankings: 16th-22nd-16th
Commentary: This is the first recruiting class for Chris Bono, and the new staff at Wisconsin. Previous head coach Barry Davis basically did the recruiting for the 2018 group. If the Badgers are going to crack the top four/five in the Big Ten, then recruiting at the level they have this year is going to have to be the standard. Barnett and Otto are two of the three top in-state recruits for this year, while Christensen and Burwick are elite out-of-state recruits. All were multiple-time state champions, while all but Otto finished in the top four in Junior freestyle last summer. Escobar was a top 100 recruit from the 2018 class, but the 2017 Junior freestyle runner-up missed the 2017-18 high school season with an injury and delayed his matriculation to college.
5. Virginia Tech
Top 100 recruits: No. 8 Connor Brady (Olentangy Liberty, Ohio), No. 30 Bryce Andonian (St. Edward, Ohio), and No. 53 Sam Latona (Thompson, Ala.)
Weight class ranked recruit: Andy Smith (Christiansburg, Va.)
Additional notable recruits: Brandon Wittenberg (Battlefield, Va.) and Dan Mancini (Owen J. Roberts, Pa.)
Recruiting class rankings: 14th-13th-4th-NR
NCAA finishes: 6th-8th-11th
Final dual meet rankings: 4th-10th-14th
Commentary: Three out-of-state top 100 recruits anchor yet another excellent Hokies' recruiting class. While last year's class outside the top 25 was a clear exception, it did see true freshman Mitch Moore qualify for the NCAA tournament. Latona is a most excellent lower-weight, while Andonian and Brady are dynamic middle-weight talents.
6. Nebraska
Top 100 recruits: No. 11 Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho), No. 25 Kevon Davenport (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.), and No. 73 Isaiah Alford (Lincoln High, Neb.)
Weight class ranked recruit: John Henrich (Akron Westfield, Iowa)
Additional notable recruits: Tyler Deen (Buchanan, Calif.) and Bubba Wilson (Manhattan, Kansas)
Recruiting class rankings: HM-6th-9th-5th
NCAA finishes: 9th-9th-10th
Final dual meet rankings: 5th-12th(tied)-7th
Commentary: One of the most consistent programs in the country has produced another recruiting haul that is reflective of their on-the-mat results standard. Lovett is one of the most productive lower-to-middle weight wrestlers in the country, while Davenport is a dynamic middle-weight. Alford is an excellent in-state talent that comes in off an excellent finish to his senior season.
7. Oklahoma
Top 100 recruits: No. 31 Jake Stiles (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 35 Sam Dover (St. Edward, Ohio), and No. 58 Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
Weight class ranked recruits: Talon Borror (Coweta, Okla.), Carson Berryhill (Tuttle, Okla.), and Josh Heindselman (Piedmont, Okla.)
Recruiting class rankings: 11th-NR-6th-14th
NCAA finishes: N/A-N/A-25th
Final dual meet rankings: 18th-NR-NR
Commentary: Lou Rosselli has been the head coach in Norman for three seasons now, and the results from the NCAA tournament and final duel meet poll are not what the Sooners would have hoped. However, from a recruiting perspective, there is talent churning through the program. This group is another piece in that right direction. Stiles and Dover are talented middle-weights, while the other four commits project well for the back third of the lineup.
8. Oklahoma State
Top 100 recruits: No. 17 Brevin Balmeceda (South Dade, Fla.), No. 24 Reece Witcraft (Broken Arrow, Okla.), and No. 68 Daniel Manibog (Katy, Texas)
Additional notable recruits: Chance McLane (Bozeman, Mont.), Triston Wills (Derby, Kansas), and Colt Newton (Choctaw, Okla.)
Recruiting class rankings: 2nd-17th-11th-15th
NCAA finishes: 3rd-13th(tied)-3rd
Final dual meet rankings: 2nd-5th-2nd
Commentary: Oklahoma State had loaded classes in 2014 and 2015, which ties well into their recent success. Witcraft is a talented lower-weight, Balmeceda and Manibog represent clear potential in the middle-weights. Four wrestlers that became All-Americans in their career graduated after this past season, and another three wrestlers that have already become All-Americans graduate after next season. The 2019 recruiting group is solid but not loaded; on the other hand, the upcoming 2020 group is going to be absolutely loaded (probably a No. 1 overall group) based on early verbal commitments.
9. Iowa State
Top 100 recruits: No. 9 Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) and No. 37 Aden Reeves (Albia, Iowa)
Weight class ranked recruit: Julian Broderson (Davenport Assumption, Iowa)
Additional notable recruit: Eric Owens (Ankeny Centennial, Iowa)
Recruiting class rankings: NR-3rd-15th-11th
NCAA finishes: N/A-N/A-16th
Final dual meet rankings: NR-NR-11th
Commentary: Year 2 of the Kevin Dresser Era in Ames saw clear improvement in terms of on-the-mat performance. The recruiting under Dresser continues to operate in a positive direction, though that also was also something the previous staff did well. Anderson is a talented middle-weight, who continues to grow into his body and ability level, while Reeves is a high-end lower-weight. Broderson has clear potential as an upper-weight wrestler, as he was a multi-sport athlete in high school (also part of a state championship baseball team his junior year), while state runner-up Owens is one of many in-state commits for the Cyclones that were not ranked.
10. Illinois
Top 100 recruits: No. 43 Luke Luffman (Urbana, Ill.) and No. 44 Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio)
Delayed enrollee: Emille (D.J.) Shannon (Christian Brothers College, Mo./USOTC EAP)
Additional notable recruit: Dominic Zaccone (Stagg, Ill.)
Recruiting class rankings: 22nd-18th-NR-NR
NCAA finishes: 11th-13th(tied)-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: 9th-15th(tied)-24th
Commentary: Projected 125 and projected 285 are two of the harder things for college programs to find, and that is something the Illini did successfully in this class. Luffman and Byrd have been productive in all three styles through their high school careers. Shannon was a commit to West Virginia in the 2018 class, but never enrolled on campus, instead spending all of this year at the USOTC in Colorado Springs.
11. Michigan
Top 100 recruits: No. 15 Cameron Amine (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) and No. 21 Kurt McHenry (St. Paul's, Md.)
Additional notable recruits: Noah Comar (Clinton, Mich.) and Cole Mattin (Delta, Ohio)
Recruiting class rankings: 10th-NR-3rd-6th
NCAA finishes: 10th-4th(tied)-5th
Final dual meet rankings: 15th-4th-4th
Commentary: While this is a light class in terms of quantity, its two anchors (Amine and McHenry) represent wrestlers that the Wolverines expect to perform at a championship level. McHenry is a multi-time Cadet world champion in freestyle, while Amine has a clear family lineage (father, uncle, cousins) of success for the Maize and Blue. Mattin is the younger brother of Drew, who has qualified for the NCAA tournament at 125 pounds the last two years.
12. Rutgers
Top 100 recruits: No. 7 Jojo Aragona (Pope John XXIII, N.J.), No. 46 Jackson Turley (St. Christopher's, Va.), and No. 50 Robert Kanniard (Wall Township, N.J.)
Weight Class ranked recruit: Zach Delvecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.)
Additional notable recruit: Devon Britton (Northampton, Pa.)
Recruiting class rankings: 20th-9th-NR-12th
NCAA finishes: 19th-11th-9th
Final dual meet rankings: 12th(tied)-19th-18th
Commentary: 2019 was a transformational year for the Scarlet Knights program, as Nick Suriano and Anthony Ashnault became the first wrestlers to win national titles for Rutgers wrestling. Head coach Scott Goodale has built something that has the potential to become even more special in Piscataway, and that momentum continues with another positive recruiting haul (three wrestlers that were New Jersey state champions, plus a National Prep champion, and a multiple-time Pennsylvania state placer).
13. Fresno State
Top 100 recruits: No. 35 Ryan Reyes (Gilroy, Calif.), No. 41 Matthew Olguin (Buchanan, Calif.), and No. 48 Jace Luchau (Selma, Calif.)
Weight class ranked recruit: Kyle Parco (De La Salle, Calif.)
Additional notable recruit: Christian Rodriguez (Selma, Calif.)
Recruiting class rankings: N/A-N/A-20th-NR
NCAA finishes: None-N/A-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: None-NR-NR
Commentary: The Fresno State program has only been back for two seasons after being shut down for over 10 years. Already the Bulldogs have already had their first All-American in Josh Hokit, who finished fifth at 197 pounds. They also have a vibrant RTC in place, one which is the home base for 61-kilogram world freestyle medalist Joe Colon. If head coach Troy Steiner and his staff can recruit their home base effectively, there is clear potential for success. Olguin and Luchau come from California's central section, while Reyes was at Clovis West before moving two hours to the west for his senior season. Parco is another in-state wrestler, while Rodriguez is also a central section kid.
14. Lehigh
Top 100 recruits: No. 34 Connor McGonagle (Timberlane, N.H.), No. 47 Jake Logan (New Rochelle, N.Y.), No. 63 Malyke Hines (Osceola, Fla.), and No. 74 Edmund Ruth (Susquehanna Township, Pa.)
Additional notable recruits: Luca Frinzi (Bethlehem Catholic) and Loudon Haga (Parkersburg South, W.Va.)
Recruiting class rankings: 13th-5th-HM-25th
NCAA finishes: 12th-15th-13th(tied)
Final dual meet rankings: 11th-8th-21st
Commentary: Four top 100 recruits for the Mountain Hawks in this class represent another very solid group brought in by Pat Santoro and his staff. McGonagle and Hines are talented lower-half of the lineup guys, while Logan and Ruth fit well in the upper-half of the lineup.
15. Minnesota
Top 100 recruits: No. 40 Devin Winston (Park Hill, Mo.), No. 55 Matthew Ramos (Lockport, Ill.), and No. 97 Cael Carlson (Willmar, Minn.)
Weight class ranked recruit: Martin Wilkie (Havre, Mont.)
Additional notable recruits: Marcos Polanco (Bishop Amat, Calif.), Sebas Swiggum (Apple Valley, Minn.), and Baylor Fernandes (Lockport, Minn.)
Recruiting class rankings: 7th-8th-HM-4th
NCAA finishes: 7th-17th (tied)-8th
Final dual meet rankings: 12th (tied)-18th-8th
Commentary: This marks the second "true" class for Brandon Eggum, who became the interim head coach at the start of the 2016-17 season. The 2017 recruiting class was sub-standard, while Eggum's first season as the official head coach (17-18) was the Golden Gophers' worst season in a while. However, things seem to be headed in a positive direction. The No. 4 overall 2018 recruiting class has started to show itself. Steveson was third at 285 pounds as a true freshman, Brayton Lee had an excellent redshirt season, This is another solid class. Winston is an upper-weight, Ramos is a projected 125 most notably, while Carlson and Wilkie will be in the middle of the lineup.
16. North Carolina State
Top 100 recruits: No. 63 Kai Orine (Seckman, Mo.), No. 71 Owen Trephan (Blair Academy, N.J.), and No. 87 Sammy Alvarez (St. Joseph Montvale, N.J.)
Weight class ranked recruit: Christian Knop (Alexandria, Ala.)
Additional notable recruits: Hunter Lewis (Stoughton, Wis.) and Mike Madara (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Recruiting class rankings: NR-1st-NR-3rd
NCAA finishes: 17th-4th(tied)-17th
Final dual meet rankings: 8th-6th-10th
Commentary: Two of the three classes immediately preceding this one were extraordinarily loaded. Pat Popolizio and his staff have worked very hard both on the recruiting trail and the wrestling room to create a program that is consistently among the top 10 programs in the country. It's been done through both development and talent procurement. Alvarez and Orine are talented lower-weights, while Trephan and Knop are talented upper-weights.
17. Penn
Top 100 recruits: No. 39 Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 45 Lucas Revano (Camden Catholic, N.J.)
Weight class ranked recruits: Nick Incontera (Blair Academy, N.J.), Cole Urbas (State College, Pa.), and Joey Slackman (Commack, N.Y.)
Additional notable recruits: Jake Stefanowicz (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), Cam Connor (Kiski Area, Pa.), and Gabe Miller (Pequea Valley, Pa.)
Recruiting class rankings: NR-NR-NR-24th
NCAA finishes: N/A-N/A-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: NR-NR-NR
Commentary: In his second stint as head coach at Penn, Roger Reina continues to create some positive momentum for his program with a second straight ranked recruiting class. Colaiocco and Revano represent talented wrestlers in the lower-half of the lineup, while there are a slew of other wrestlers in the class with the potential to be value-added contributors to the Quakers' lineup.
18. Northern Colorado
Top 100 recruits: No. 4 Andrew Alirez (Greeley Central, Colo.) and No. 83 Mosha Schwartz (Ponderosa, Colo.)
Weight class ranked recruits: Theorius Robison (Pomona, Colo.) and Drake Engelking (Longmont, Colo.)
Additional notable recruit: Nathan Moore (White River, Wash.)
Recruiting class rankings: HM-NR-NR-NR
NCAA finishes: N/A-N/A-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: NR-NR-NR
Commentary: The last few years have represented an emergence of talented high school wrestlers from the state of Colorado, with the Class of 2019 being an exceptional group. Four of those elite level wrestlers are headed to the in-state Bears program led by head coach Troy Nickerson. Alirez is the most talented recruit to enroll in the program, while Schwartz should be a key contributor in the lower-half of the lineup. Robison and Engelking are talented middle-weight types.
19. Northern Iowa
Top 100 recruits: No. 13 Parker Keckeisen (Nicolet, Wis.), No. 91 Kyle Gollhofer (Woodland, Ga.), No. 93 Lance Runyon (Southeast Polk, Iowa)
Additional notable recruit: Dayton Porsch (Hoxie, Kansas)
Recruiting class rankings: 4th-22nd-NR-19th
NCAA finishes: 18th-24th (tied)-13th (tied)
Final dual meet rankings: 14th-15th (tied)-17th
Commentary: It's a second straight recruiting class ranked in the 19th overall position, and a fourth ranked recruiting class in the last five years. Head coach Doug Schwab earned his first national champion as Panthers' head coach when Drew Foster earned an unexpected title at 184 pounds. This class features three top 100 recruits. Keckeisen projects as a 184 type in college. Gollhofer is a lightweight from Georgia. Runyon, an in-state recruit, is a middle-weight.
20. Iowa
Top 100 recruits: No. 26 Abe Assad (Glenbard North, Ill.) and No. 57 Zach Glazier (Albert Lea, Iowa)
Weight class ranked recruit: Cobe Siebrecht (Lisbon, Iowa)
Recruiting class rankings: 12th-4th-1st-13th
NCAA finishes: 4th-3rd-4th
Final dual meet rankings: 3rd-7th-3rd
Commentary: The three key components coming to Iowa City for the Hawkeyes are very talented, but it's just a light class in terms of quantity, which is driving this lower recruiting class ranking. Assad (from same high school as Tony Ramos) and Glazier are talented wrestlers with potential to be strong performers in the upper-third of the lineup. Siebrecht will be one of many talented wrestlers in the lower-middle-weight area on the Iowa roster (same high school as Carter Happel).
21. Stanford
Top 100 recruit: No. 10 Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.)
Weight class ranked recruit: Jackson Disario (Ola, Ga.)
Additional notable recruits: Logan Ashton (Buford, Ga.), Luciano Arroyo (Calvary Chapel, Calif.), Fabian Santillan (Grandview, Colo.), Dawson Sihavong (Bullard, Calif.), Nick Addison (Rumson Fair Haven, N.J.), and Seamus O'Malley (St. Edward, Ohio)
Recruiting class rankings: NR-11th-NR-7th
NCAA finishes: 24th-N/A-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: 21st-NR-NR
Commentary: This is a third ranked recruiting class in four years for the Cardinal, and most of the 11 recruiting classes for Jason Borrelli as Stanford head coach have been ranked. There was an 11th-place finish at the NCAA tournament in 2011 with finishes of 19th and 21st in 2016 and 2017, but the last two years have been outside the top 25. Real Woods and Shane Griffith were cogs of the 2018 recruiting, and excellent in redshirt this past season. Abas is the clear anchor of this class, and brings all sort of credentials to Palo Alto. The rest of the class represents a mixture of sizes and should provide meaningful depth.
22. Penn State
Top 100 recruit: No. 14 Carter Starocci (Erie Cathedral Prep, Pa.)
Additional notable recruit: Donovan Ball (Cedar Cliff, Pa.)
Impact transfer: Matt Parker (Pennridge, Pa./Lehigh)
Recruiting class rankings: 16th-2nd-5th-1st
NCAA finishes: 1st-1st-1st
Final dual meet rankings: 1st-1st-1st
Commentary: One thing to keep in mind here with the Nittany Lions is that Aaron Brooks and Michael Beard, who were part of last year's No. 1-ranked recruiting class, both delayed their enrollment to Penn State until the 2019-20 school year. Brooks, Starocci, and Beard represent elite level upper-weight talent that is clearly befitting the Penn State brand. Also keep in mind that Rasheed and/or Cassar might end up being sixth-year eligible, and that 2018 Kent State All-American Kyle Conel is reportedly enrolling at Penn State should he get a sixth year. There's also a ton of talent already on campus, both in the starting lineup and in reserve; plus Parker comes in as a potential immediate starter at 125 pounds with three years of eligibility remaining after missing this past season due to injury.
23. Indiana
Top 100 recruit: No. 96 Asa Garcia (Avon, Ind.)
Weight class ranked recruits: Cayden Rooks (Columbus East, Ind.), Donnell Washington (Portage, Ind.), and Nick South (Columbus East, Ind.)
Additional notable recruits: Matthew Ortiz (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Luke Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio), and Greg Hagan (Dowling Catholic, Iowa)
Impact transfer: Brock Hudkins (Danville, Ind/Northern Illinois)
Recruiting class rankings: HM-HM-NR-NR
NCAA finishes: N/A-N/A-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: NR-NR-NR
Commentary: Angel Escobedo became the head coach in April of 2018 after one year as associate head coach at his alma mater. As a result, this recruiting class is the first recruiting class for him and his new staff (which includes associate head coach Mike Dixon and assistant coach Isaac Jordan). The anchors for this class are three-time state champion Garcia and the transfer Hudkins, a two-time NCAA qualifier who has two years of eligibility remaining. The mix of regional talent with meaningful state tournament accomplishments also includes two-time state champions in Rooks and South.
24. Northwestern
Top 100 recruits: No. 56 Chris Cannon (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 60 Trevor Chumbley (Marmion Academy, lll.) and No. 72 Troy Fisher (Goddard, Kansas)
Additional notable recruit: Justin Benjamin (St. Charles East, Ill.)
Recruiting class rankings: 18th-HM-NR-17th
NCAA finishes: N/A-24th(tied)-22nd
Final dual meet rankings: NR-17th-NR
Commentary: It's a second straight ranked recruiting class for the Wildcats, which again has three top 100 recruits in it. Even with the tight roster cap, Matt Storniolo and staff continue to bring in talented wrestlers to campus. Cannon is a lower weight, Chumbley a middle-weight, and Fisher an upper-weight.
25. Wyoming
Top 100 recruit: No. 78 Jake Svihel (Totino-Grace, Minn.)
Weight class ranked recruits: Brendon Garcia (Pueblo County, Colo.), Stephen Buchanan (Neillsville, Wis.), and Brooks Baker (Brookfield, Mo.)
Additional notable recruit: Terren Swartz (Thunder Basin, Wyo.)
Recruiting class rankings: NR-NR-NR-NR
NCAA finishes: 21st (tied)-17th (tied)-N/A
Final dual meet rankings: NR-14th-12th
Commentary: The Cowboys have clearly had some roster talent, though it hasn't been recognized in the form of a top 25 recruiting class in recent years. The on-mat performance is a clear feather in the cap for Mark Branch and his coaching staff, and their ability to identify some underrated talent and to develop it into successful collegiate performers. This class is anchored by a pair of light-weights in Svihel and Garcia, and three upper-weights in Buchanan, Swartz, and Baker.
Honorable mention: Old Dominion, South Dakota State, Missouri, and Michigan State
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