2012 Recruiting Class Rankings
1. Iowa
2. Lehigh
3. Oklahoma
4. Cornell
5. Oklahoma State
6. Nebraska
7. Michigan
8. Illinois
9. Iowa State
10. Wisconsin
11. Minnesota
12. Ohio State
13. North Carolina
14. Stanford
15. Northern Iowa
16. Penn State
17. Cal Poly
18. Indiana
19. Northwestern
20. Harvard
21. Drexel
22. Oregon State
23. Old Dominion
24. Virginia Tech
25. Ohio
An analysis of the NCAA tournament qualifiers for two-time defending Division I national champion Penn State more than confirms this premise. Out of the 12 wrestlers that captured the 17 qualification spots in the last two seasons (eight in 2011, nine in 2012), 10 of them were multiple-time state champions and all had won at least one state or National Prep title. It should also be noted that during their high school career, 10 of these wrestlers were also finalists at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, Junior Nationals (Fargo), and/or a FILA Junior World freestyle medalist
1. Iowa
2. Lehigh
3. Oklahoma
4. Cornell
5. Oklahoma State
6. Nebraska
7. Michigan
8. Illinois
9. Iowa State
10. Wisconsin
11. Minnesota
12. Ohio State
13. North Carolina
14. Stanford
15. Northern Iowa
16. Penn State
17. Cal Poly
18. Indiana
19. Northwestern
20. Harvard
21. Drexel
22. Oregon State
23. Old Dominion
24. Virginia Tech
25. Ohio
There is also a clear correlation between being talented as a prep wrestler and the potential for success as a Division I college wrestler. Among this year's eight NCAA finalists from the Classes of 2009 through 2011, five were top five recruits in their graduating class, and all were inside the Top 50. Among this year's Division I All-Americans from the Class of 2009, right around two-thirds of them were Top 100 recruits coming out of high school.
For immediate impact stars, the correlation is even greater. Seven of the eight wrestlers to earn All-American honors at this year's NCAA tournament from the Class of 2010 were ranked as Top 100 recruits, six of them inside the Top 25. Finally, for the ultimate of immediate impact, all six true freshman All-Americans were ranked inside the Top 30 of the Class of 2011 -- with eight other Top 30 members earning qualifying spots in the NCAA tournament.
Without further ado here are the 2012 team recruiting class rankings.
1. Iowa
Top 100 Recruits: No. 8 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 10 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), No. 14 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 15 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa), and No. 49 Alex Meyer (Southeast Polk, Iowa)
Impact Newcomer: Nathan Burak (Coronado, Colo./USOTC)
Other Notables: Topher Carton (Davenport Assumption, Iowa), Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa)
Commentary: This marks a second No. 1 class in three years, and third top five class in four years for Tom Brands and the Hawkeyes. Even though Penn State has won the last two national titles, Dan Gable and the Brands brothers have established Iowa as the brand in college wrestling. All aspects of the program sell itself, and the nation's elite have bought in. Gilman, Brooks, Clark, Meyer, and Burak were all Junior National freestyle All-Americans last summer; while Skonieczny brings significant off-season folkstyle credentials to the table (success at the Super 32, FloNationals, and Disney Duals).
2. Lehigh
Top 100 Recruits: No. 12 Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), No. 23 Brandon Griffin (Sprague, Ore.), No. 31 Mitch Minotti (Easton, Pa.), No. 37 Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 45 Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.), and No. 72 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.)
Other Notables: Laike Gardner (Biglerville, Pa.), Ben Haas (Salamanca, N.Y.), Zach Diekel (Whitehall, N.Y.), Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley, Pa.), and David Jeffrey (Parkersburg South, W.V.)
Commentary: Even with being a perennially strong program, this recruiting class represents a significant milestone for the Mountain Hawks. It is a group that restocks the roster across the weight classes, and does so with extreme talent that has thrived on the biggest stages (i.e. Fargo, Super 32, and some of the most rigorous in-season and state tournaments).
3. Oklahoma
Top 100 Recruits: No. 43 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), No. 54 Brad Johnson (Lockport, Ill.), No. 61 Ross Larson (Ankeny, Iowa), No. 66 Matt Reed (Wichita Heights, Kan.), and No. 94 Kyle Garcia (Choctaw, Okla.)
Impact Transfers: Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) and Travis Rutt (Wisconsin)
Other Notable: Greg Wilson (Keller Central, Tex.)
Commentary: Unlike at American University, where head coach Mark Cody started with a less than ideal environment, things in his second year with the Sooners are ideal to say the least. The administrative commitment is exceedingly strong, and he has one of the best sets of assistant coaches in Division I wrestling (Michael Lightner, Jared Frayer, and Tyrone Lewis). That environment has attracted five Top 100 recruits into the fold, along with the services of NCAA Division I All-Americans Howe and Rutt for their senior seasons.
4. Cornell
Top 100 Recruits: No. 5 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.), No. 18 Brian Realbuto (Somers, N.Y.), No. 25 Steve Congenie (Villa Park, Ill.), and No. 64 Dylan Palacio (Long Beach, N.Y.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Gabe Dean (Lowell, Mich.)
Other Notables: Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) and Taylor Simaz (Allegan, Mich.)
Commentary: For four straight years, the Big Red have found themselves in the top five of the standings at the NCAA Tournament, including runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. Strong recruiting hauls, such as this one, have been key in building success for Rob Koll's program. Grey and Palacio were champions at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, Cisneros won a FloNationals title, and Congenie returned to the mats with a Junior National folkstyle title after missing his senior season due to injury.
5. Oklahoma State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 4 Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.), No. 22 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.), No. 77 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 79 Case Garrison (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and No. 100 Nolan Boyd (Deer Creek, Okla.)
Impact Transfer: Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma)
Other Notable: Brian Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.)
Commentary: Yet again, it's more of the same for John Smith and staff in Stillwater. Another terrific haul of prospects led by the Rogers, who finished the season No. 1 in his weight class, and a solid group of Oklahoma natives led by NHSCA Senior All-Americans Kyle Crutchmer and Boyd. Also key to the class is 2011 NCAA runner-up Caldwell, who has two years of competitive eligibility remaining.
6. Nebraska
Top 100 Recruits: No. 17 Tim Dudley (Irmo, S.C.), No. 52 Tim Lambert (Forest Hills Eastern, Mich.), No. 60 Ben Morgan (Forest Lake, Minn.), and No. 96 Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Lockport, Ill.)
Impact Transfer: Frank Cagnina (Iowa Central)
Other Notables: Skyler Wood (Platte County, Missouri) and McCoy Newberg (Independence, Tenn.)
Commentary: Head coach Mark Manning continues to bring in excellent wrestlers to Lincoln on a yearly basis, with this being a fourth straight top six recruiting class for the Cornhuskers. This class addresses a cross-section of the lineup, with the lower-weights being a primary focus, as four of the seven listed wrestlers fit into the first two-to-three weight classes.
7. Michigan
Top 100 Recruits: No. 2 Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich.), No. 13 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.), and No. 28 Jordan Thomas (Greenville, Mich.)
Impact Transfer: Conor Youtsey (Mason, Mich.)
Commentary: One of the major stories of last off-season was the coaching staff and cultural overhaul in the Michigan wrestling wrestling program. The Wolverines added Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff as assistant coaches, while the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club became a bona fide regional training center -- the home of U.S. Olympian Jake Herbert among others. A residual benefit is an excellent recruiting class that includes three top 30 prospects, including the very impressive Massa who went undefeated in high school.
8. Illinois
Top 100 Recruits: No. 21 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.), No. 24 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.), and No. 47 Zac Brunson (Churchill, Ore.)
Impact Transfer: Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane, N.Y.)
Other Notable: John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.)
Commentary: Similar to Michigan, the Fighting Illini underwent a transformation last summer with coaching staff changes, as Mark Perry and Cory Cooperman came into the fold. The effect of those changes was felt immediately in terms of on the mat performance, as well as with this excellent group of recruits -- Junior National freestyle champions Richards and Brunson, FloNationals champion Reyes, along with newcomer Rodrigues who was a FILA Junior freestyle champion last month.
9. Iowa State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 6 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa), No. 29 Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa), and No. 99 Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West, Iowa)
Impact Newcomer: Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minn./USOTC)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Kyle Larson (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa)
Other Notable: Jesse Doyle (Wheatmore, N.C.)
Commentary: Things in Ames have been very “up-and-down” since Cael Sanderson left for Happy Valley. Recruiting has been very uneven, as the 2009 and 2011 classes were barren, with this class and the 2010 class residing inside the top ten. The lone All-American over the last two seasons was national champion Jon Reader in 2011. Led by four-time state champion Meeks, who did not lose a match in his prep career, the Cyclones capitalized on an excellent in-state senior class. This group, combined with those from 2010, should held return the program to its rightful state of national relevance.
10. Wisconsin
Top 100 Recruits: No. 19 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 44 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and No. 92 Rylan Lubeck (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Phillip Laux (Iowa City West, Iowa), Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa), and Keegan Gennrich (Hortonville, Wis.)
Commentary: Like at Iowa State, there has been some tension in the wrestling program air up in Madison. The loss of assistant coach Donnie Pritzlaff to Michigan, Destin McCauley choosing to matriculate as a Cyclone instead of a Badger, and the transfers of Howe and Rutt to Oklahoma leave some questions in the mind of Wisconsin fans. However, there are clear positives with 2011 All-American Tyler Graff returning from Olympic redshirt and a second consecutive top ten recruiting haul coming to campus.
11. Minnesota
Top 100 Recruits: No. 41 Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minn.), No. 58 Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.), No. 62 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 80 Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.), and No. 88 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, Minn.)
Other Notables: Jordan Bremer (Woodbury Central Moville, Iowa), Cody Phillips (Union County, Ind.), and Zane Zeman (Avon, Ohio)
Commentary: Though this is a second consecutive Golden Gopher class that is outside the top ten, it is yet again another class that will provide significant talent and depth for J. Robinson and crew, in particular in the lower three weight classes -- with four of these prospects projected to fit in at those weights. With the Gophers having a stacked roster this coming year, the incoming freshmen will have time to develop and refine their craft before taking their turns in the starting lineup.
12. Ohio State
Top 100 Recruits: No. 39 Nick Roberts (North Star, Pa.) and No. 40 Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio)
Impact newcomer: Chris Phillips (Monroeville, Ohio)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Nick Tavanello (Wadsworth, Ohio)
Commentary: Though it is a small class in terms of quantity, all four wrestlers are high quality. It is led by Phillips, a four-time state champion, and high school teammate of national champion Logan Stieber, as well as Hunter Stieber and Cam Tessari, who both earned All-American honors last year as true freshmen. Despite graduating high school in 2011, Fall 2012 will mark his collegiate debut. The additional wrestlers in this class are Roberts, a three-time state champion, seems to be a possible career 125 -- which is a hard find; Martin, a two-time state champion, is a wrestler with tremendous upside; while Tavanello is a three-time state champion, and enters a terrific environment for upper-weights with a whole litany of training partners and instruction available.
13. North Carolina
Top 100 Recruits: No. 33 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), No. 42 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), and No. 89 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan, Pa.)
Other Notables: Ryan Harrington (West Morris Mendham, N.J.) and Joey Moon (Southern Alamance, N.C.)
Commentary: Following last year's tenth-ranked recruiting class, the Tar Heels bring another excellent group of wrestlers to campus anchored by lower weight stars in Kraisser and Ward; while Moon, Crawford, and Harrington are multi-time state champions as projected middleweights; and Klempay fits in as a heavyweight.
14. Stanford
Top 100 Recruits: No. 50 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Ill.), No. 68 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 87 James Wilson (McNair, Calif.), and No. 95 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Matt Garelli (Oak Park Fenwick, Ill.)
Other Notable: Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Md.)
Commentary: This marks a third top 20 recruiting class in four years under the leadership of Jason Borelli, and builds upon the momentum of another excellent season for the Cardinal -- as they finished 16th at the NCAA tournament with a pair of wrestlers earning All-American honors. Borelli continues to find high-level wrestlers with the athletic and academic talent necessary to thrive in Palo Alto.
15. Northern Iowa
Top 100 Recruits: No. 53 Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.), No. 65 Dylan Peters (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa), and No. 76 Zach Witte (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Jared Bartel (Mason City, Iowa)
Other Notable: Curt Maas (Medford, Minn.)
Commentary: Head coach Doug Schwab capitalized upon excellent senior classes in Iowa and Minnesota to procure a strong group of wrestlers, as all five listed here earned state championship medals this year. In all these wrestlers combined for eleven state titles during their prep careers. Peters, a three-time state champion, projects as a lower-weight; while the other four should fill slots in the middle-to-upper portion of the lineup.
16. Penn State
Top 100 Recruit: No. 3 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.)
Impact Transfer: Jimmy Lawson (Monmouth University)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.)
Other Notable: Zach Beitz (Juniata, Pa.)
Commentary: After consecutive banner recruiting classes, the Nittany Lions drop back a bit in the recruiting rankings this year. Despite that, head Coach Cael Sanderson has a stacked lineup for 2012-13 and is on the verge of building an empire in Happy Valley. Four-time state champion Gulibon, and multi-time New Jersey state champion Lawson could be called on to step into the lineup immediately; Gulibon at 125 or 133, while the Lawson would fit in at 285 after playing football at Monmouth the last couple of years. Phipps and Beitz are solid wrestlers, who won state titles this past year in the Keystone State.
17. Cal Poly
Top 100 Recruits: No. 16 Max Schneider (Chicago Lane Tech, Ill.) and No. 74 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and J.T. Goodwin (Bear Creek, Calif.)
Other Notables: Colt Shorts (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty, Pa.), Conor King (Poway, Calif.), and Justin Walker (De La Salle, Calif.)
Commentary: Using a California core, along with a smattering of Midwest and mid-Atlantic wrestlers, head coach Brendan Buckley has assembled an excellent group of wrestlers to come on board at Cal Poly. Two-time state champion Schneider, a Cadet World champion in Judo, is the anchor of this class along with three-time state medalist Pereira. The prospects address roster needs throughout the whole lineup in terms of quality and depth.
18. Indiana
Top 100 Recruits: No. 34 Quinton Murphy (Holley Central, N.Y.) and No. 75 Jared McKinley (Perry Meridian, Ind.)
Impact Transfer: Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech)
Other Notable: Nathan Jackson (Marian Catholic, Ill.)
Commentary: This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Hoosiers have earned a top 25 ranking for their recruiting class. Headlining the group is three-time state champion Murphy and two-time state champion McKinley, both of whom were Junior National freestyle All-Americans last summer. In addition, Spjut was a NCAA Division I qualifier this past year and should fit in the lineup immediately with two years of eligibility remaining.
19. Northwestern
Top 100 Recruits: No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) and No. 32 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
Other Notables: Garrison White (Robinson, N.C.) and Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, Minn.)
Commentary: The Wildcats recruiting haul is anchored by the top prospect in all the Class of 2012 in four-time state champion Tsirtsis. He was absolutely dominant in both all-star matches, and has thrived on the big stages of major national competitions over his four year high school career. Likewise, four-time National Prep placer (two-time champ) Malone should also do big things over his career in Evanston.
20. Harvard
Top 100 Recruits: No. 36 Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, N.J.) and No. 57 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Nick Gajdzik (Stoney Creek, Mich.)
Other Notables: Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.)
Commentary: Despite missing his senior year, Gobbo has a lot of talent the potential to achieve big things during his time with the Crimson. He won the Beast of the East during his junior campaign, and had already earned two placements in the Garden State and at the Super 32, before sustaining an injury during the quarterfinals of the Super 32 this past October. Augmenting this solid class for the Crimson are three-time National Prep champion Preston, state champion Gajdzik, and 2010 Nation Prep champion Ott; Preston and Ott each earned Junior National freestyle All-American honors last summer.
21. Drexel
Top 100 Recruits: No. 56 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) and No. 59 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Steven Elicegui (Wooster, Nev.)
Other Notable: Connor Moran (Solanco, Pa.)
Commentary: For a first recruiting class as head coach, Matt Azevedo -- formerly a Cornell assistant -- has brought an excellent group of wrestlers into the fold. The class is anchored by a pair of two-time Junior National freestyle All-Americans in Cimato and Harrah, both of whom also finished as runners-up at the FloNationals held on the Drexel campus this April. Moran marks a third FloNationals runner-up in the Dragons recruiting haul.
22. Oregon State
Top 100 Recruit: No. 67 Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West, Iowa)
Impact Newcomer: Patrick Downey (North County, Md./USOTC)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Mick Dougharity (Barlow, Ore.)
Other Notables: Joey Delgado (Hermiston, Ore.), Joey Palmer (Tahoma, Wash.), and Jared Reis (Napoleon, N.D.)
Commentary: It's an impressive group of wrestlers heading to Corvallis, which is anchored by 2011 NHSCA Senior National champion Downey; who was also a Junior National freestyle champion last summer and a FILA Junior freestyle champion last month. Delgado, Palmer, and Reis are multiple time state champions, who have competed and thrived in national competition; while Hathaway and Dougharity have done the same but have just a single state title each.
23. Old Dominion
Top 100 Recruit: No. 55 Micah Barnes (Simley, Minn.)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Alexander Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), Jack Dechow (Richmond Burton, Ill.), and Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.)
Other Notable: Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.)
Commentary: Entering his ninth year as head coach, Steve Martin has done an excellent job of injecting quality into the Monarchs program, and that starts on the recruiting trail. Though this is the lowest rated recruiting class in the last four years, it still is an excellent group, as all five wrestlers won state championships this past year and have shown high levels of success in major tournaments. Despite seeing its four year string of producing an All-American end in 2012, Old Dominion did qualify a record seven wrestlers to the NCAA Division I tournament.
24. Virginia Tech
Top 100 Recruit: No. 30 Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)
Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) and Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio)
Other Notables: Jake Balestieri (Franklin Regional, N.J.) and Dawson Peck (Chambersburg, Pa.)
Commentary: Kevin Dresser is yet another former high school coach (like Steve Martin) who has done an excellent job of raising the bar since taking over the program. Though this is the lowest rated recruiting class in the last four years, it is still an excellent group headlined by Walsh Ironman champ Evans, a four-time state finalist (champion as a sophomore in 2010). Walz was a state champion this past year, and a Junior National freestyle All-American over the summer; while Mastriani, Balestieri, and Peck each earned All-American honors at the NHSCA Senior Nationals.
25. Ohio
Top 100 Recruits: No. 26 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio) and No. 90 Joey Munos (South St. Paul, Minn.)
Other Notables: Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio), and T.J. Fox (Field, Ohio)
Commentary: An impressive recruiting haul for the Bobcats gives them an appearance in the recruiting rankings for the first time in awhile, and should help them in their quest to crack the Central Michigan/Kent State duopoly that leads the MAC conference at present. The group is led by four-time state placer and two-time state champion/Super 32 third-place finisher Chaz Gresham. In all, it's a group of wrestlers that addresses needs across the lineup and has great potential.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now