A pair of top 100 rated Class of 2015 wrestlers are likely to have their collegiate futures in major college football.
Kenneth Brinson (Marist, Ga.)
Ranked No. 14 nationally as a wrestler in the Class of 2015, Brinson has won state titles in each of the last two seasons after finishing runner-up as a freshman. After each of those seasons he also won a grade-level title at the NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach (195 as a freshman and sophomore, 220 this past season). In addition to the wrestling exploits, Brinson is a three-sport star, nationally ranked for his age in the javelin and discus and a three-star football recruit. Rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, he has interest from at least three ACC schools as a weakside defensive end.
Gage Cervenka (Emerald, S.C.)
The nation’s No. 72 ranked wrestling prospect in the Class of 2015 has won state titles in all three of high school seasons at 285 pounds. In addition, he was champion at the NHSCA Sophomore and Freshman Nationals. However, Cervenka is also a three-star recruit at the defensive tackle position per 247Sports, and rated as a top 40 player nationally at the position. He has committed to Clemson University to play football.
Here is a list of ten other players that project to be major college football players, and have been relatively productive in their scholastic wrestling careers to date.
Tevis Bartlett (Cheyenne East, Wyo.)
Like Cervenka, Bartlett has won state titles in each of his three high school wrestling seasons; 182 as a freshman, 195 as a sophomore, and 220 this past year. After his freshman and sophomore seasons, he also won grade-level titles at the NHSCA Nationals in the 182 pound weight class; while this past season he placed third at 195 pounds. He also earned Cadet National All-American honors in Greco-Roman in the summers of 2012 and 2013. Bartlett is rated as a three-star multiple position athlete by 247Sports, as he has been recruited as both a quarterback and linebacker. He has offers from multiple Pac-12 schools including Oregon.
Wyatt Cook (McDonogh School, Md.)
Cook has placed twice at the National Prep Championships, taking seventh as a freshman at 220 pounds and third this past season at 285, while not wrestling during his sophomore campaign. Rated as a three-star recruit at the inside linebacker position by 247Sports, Cook has already committed to Purdue.
Marquise Copeland (Bedford, Ohio)
Copeland made his debut state tournament appearance this past season at 220 pounds, where he won his opening round bout before losing the next two. However, should Copeland wrestle during his senior season, he will be rated as a legit state title contender in the big-school division. Like Brinson, he is rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports projecting to the weakside defensive end position. Copeland committed to the University of Cincinnati, passing on offers from multiple “Power Five” conference schools.
Kevin Feder (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.)
Partnering with a top 50 Class of 2015 wrestling recruit in Zack Chakonis, who competed at 220 pounds for the Ironmen, Feder qualified for the state tournament at 285 pounds during his junior season. He finished one match of placement at the state wrestling tournament. As a football prospect, 247Sports rates Feder as a three-star offensive tackle, while the future Ohio State Buckeye is rated as a four-star by Rivals.
Jordan Fox (St. Peter’s Prep, N.J.)
The two-time New Jersey state placer, fourth this past year at 220 pounds, has an older brother James who qualified for the NCAA tournament this past year at 197 pounds for Harvard. However, it looks like Jordan will be pursuing Division I college football in his future. Fox is rated as a three-star outside linebacker by 247Sports, and considered as a top 40-to-50 prospect at the position. Most recruiting media predict he will choose Stanford over most notably Miami (FL) and Virignia.
Alex Hart (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Hart won a state title this past season at 220 pounds after placing third at 195 pounds as a sophomore. However, it may be football that looms in his future, being rated as either a two-or-three star at the inside linebacker position (though Hart has also been projected by some as a fullback). So far the offers have been limited to the lower reaches of FBS (formerly Division I-A) as well as multiple FCS schools (I-AA).
Adam Lemke-Bell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.)
An extreme novice to the sport of wrestling, as he started competing in the ninth grade, Lemke-Bell has made excellent strides with his athleticism and the excellent coaching in the OPRF program. While yet to qualify for the state tournament, he was a Cadet National double All-American in the summer of 2013, and a FILA Cadet National champion in freestyle. Before heading off to Northwestern as an offensive tackle, where 247Sports rates him as a three-star within the top 100 nationally at the position, he’ll play a potentially key role as the Huskies seek a national wrestling title in 2014-15.
Norman Oglesby (Benjamin Davis, Ind.)
This past season Oglesby was a state runner-up at 285 pounds in Indiana. Come August of 2015, he can share his common wrestling experience with future defensive line-mate Marquise Copeland, as the three-star defensive tackle will also be attending the University of Cincinnati. Oglesby is ranked around 100th nationally at the position by 247Sports, and chose the Bearcats over multiple Mid-American Conference offers.
Landon Paulsen (Woodbury Central Moville, Iowa)
On the wrestling mats, Paulsen is a two-time state placer at 285 pounds, placing third as a sophomore and finishing runner-up this past season. Come next fall, he’ll be playing football for the home-state Hawkeyes, where he is rated as a three-star offensive guard by 247Sports. The outlet ranks him as around the 25th best player at his position nationally.
Brady Reiff (Parkston, S.D.)
Reiff, a multiple-time state wrestling champion in South Dakota, will join Paulsen as a future Iowa Hawkeye. Older brother Riley had an excellent career on the offensive line, which has parlayed into NFL experience; however, Brady is rated as a three-star weakside defensive end by 247Sports.
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