The Nittany Lions had five finalists in this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, all of whom were top ten overall recruits coming out of high school. Four of those were rated as top five recruits, including national champions Nico Megaludis and Zain Retherford. In addition, the Penn State lineup featured two other top ten recruits, Jimmy Gulibon and Nick Nevills; Gulibon fell just short of All-American honors in 2016, while Nevills failed to qualify for the national tournament after missing almost all of the season due to injury.
On the other side of the ledger, Penn State got a second All-American finish from Jordan Conaway, who was not a top 100 recruit when he graduated from high school; Conaway was ranked nationally in the 112-pound weight class. This shows two additional important points of collegiate wrestling programs and recruiting: the ability to develop and improve the prospects brought into your program, along with the ability to project success for productive prep wrestlers (Conaway won state in Pennsylvania's big-school division as a senior) that might enter college slightly less touted.
As emphasized the last year, having the type of roster talent that is present at Penn State creates a higher margin for program success should top prospective wrestlers fail to meet pre-conceived expectations. The more stars a team brings into the program, the more likely it is for the proper number of them to emerge into key contributors.
While there are some excellent recruiting hauls here in 2016, let's not overreact and say that it guarantees program success. What is more accurate to say is that strong recruiting hauls create positive momentum for a program, but ultimate end-game results may end up being a different story. Even though the high performers in college generally come from the subset of high profile prospects, being a high profile recruit entering college is no guarantee of strong collegiate performance, especially when considering the full career.
InterMat Recruiting Class Rankings
1. North Carolina State
2. Penn State
3. Iowa State
4. Iowa
5. Lehigh
6. Nebraska
7. Purdue
8. Minnesota
9. Rutgers
10. Ohio State
11. Stanford
12. Cornell
13. Virginia Tech
14. Lock Haven
15. Virginia
16. Wisconsin
17. Oklahoma State
18. Illinois
19. Pittsburgh
20. Central Michigan
21. Princeton
22. Northern Iowa
23. Drexel
24. Utah Valley
25. Michigan State
Below is a breakdown of each ranked recruiting class.
Hayden Hidlay is one of five top 100 recruits for North Carolina State (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Top 100 recruits: No. 9 Nick Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.), No. 13 Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa.), No. 18 Trent Bullard (Archer, Ga.), No. 42 Daniel Bullard (Archer, Ga.) and No. 75 Tariq Wilson (Steubenville, Ohio)
Other ranked recruits: Tommy Cox (Deer Park, N.Y.) and Chris Diaz (Archer, Ga.)
Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Kellen Devlin (Amherst, N.Y.), NHSCA Senior Nationals champion Codi Russell (Collins Hill, Ga.) and Super 32 placer Wade Cummings (Downington East, Pa.)
Commentary: This is the second straight year that a non-traditional program has earned the top recruiting class ranking, following Arizona State last year. The Wolfpack have the momentum of a most excellent 2015-16 regular season that included dual meet wins at Oklahoma State and Iowa. This recruiting haul further validates the work that Pat Popolizio and his assistants have done in Raleigh over a short period of time. Middleweights are abound with Hidlay, Reenan and the Bullard's; while lowerweights are addressed by Wilson, Cox, and the three lesser heralded but notable recruits.
2. Penn State
Top 100 recruits: No. 1 Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 2 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), No. 7 Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 92 A.J. Nevills (Clovis, Calif.)
Commentary: Penn State just won a national title, their fifth in six years, and has three of the nation's top ten recruits coming to Happy Valley in the fall. Somehow I think things will be just fine for the Nittany Lions despite not getting the No. 1 recruiting class, which was driven by the quantity of quality recruits in the haul that North Carolina State brought in. Suriano will probably be called into immediate service at 125 where he becomes an All-American contender, Hall and Manville will become assets in the middle of the Penn State lineup sooner rather than later, and Nevills provides quality depth in the upperweights. Penn State returns three of their five national finalists in 2016-17, and will replace Conaway in the lineup at 133 with impact transfer Jered Cortez.
3. Iowa State
Top 100 recruits: No. 14 Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore.), No. 43 Gannon Gremmel (Dubuque Hempstead, Iowa), No. 45 Kanen Storr (Leslie, Mich.), No. 72 Ian Parker (St. Johns, Mich.) and No. 76 Danny Vega (Ironwood Ridge, Ariz.)
Additional notable recruits: State champion Trey Meyer (East Valley, Wash.) and three-time state champion Zemua Baptista (Friend, Neb.)
Commentary: With the slight scrutiny that the Cyclones coaching staff is facing on a year-to-year basis, bringing in strong recruits is one way to head it off. The other is obviously strong dual meet performances and success at the NCAAs in terms of All-Americans and team finish. Five top 100 recruits is joint most for 2016 with North Carolina State. Colbray and Gremmel have the potential to be cogs in the Cyclones' machine at 197 and 285 for a few years, Vega the same as a career 125, while Storr and Parker provide potential in the lower-middleweights.
4. Iowa
Top 100 recruits: No. 3 Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 26 Kaleb Young (Punxsatawney, Pa.), No. 36 Carter Happel (Lisbon, Iowa) and No. 83 Jack Wagner (Bettendorf, Iowa)
Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Brock Rathbun (Cedar Point-Urbana, Iowa) and state champion Matt Malcom (Glenwood, Iowa)
Commentary: Falling outside of the top four trophies for the first time in the Tom Brands era stoked the fire for fans across the sport of wrestling about the Hawkeyes' program, regardless of where one falls in the Iowa spectrum (fan, non-fan, etc). Since the top-ranked recruiting class in 2012, it has been three successive recruiting years outside the top ten prior to this one. This group -- along with the verbal commitments of elite 2017 and 2018 prospects -- provides a clear marker that Iowa remains a collegiate wrestling force to be reckoned with. Of interest here is that Marinelli and Happel are both four-time state champions.
5. Lehigh
Top 100 recruits: No. 10 Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa.), No. 15 Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 19 Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) and No. 80 John Jakobsen (Stroudsburg, Pa.)
Additional notable recruits: Junior National freestyle All-American Nick Farro (Delbarton, N.J.) and two-time state placer Kyle Gentile (Pennridge, Pa.)
Commentary: Local recruiting is the lifeblood of Lehigh's program, and an excellent base has enabled Pat Santoro to bring in yet another ranked class. Five of the six core recruits in this Mountain Hawks recruiting class are in-state wrestlers, while the other is from across the river in New Jersey; this includes two wrestlers from District XI itself (Karam and Jakobsen).
6. Nebraska
Top 100 recruits: No. 5 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.), No. 12 Beau Breske (Hartford Union, Wis.) and No. 40 Eric Schultz (Tinley Park, Ill.)
Other ranked recruits: Luke Weber (Forsyth, Mont.) and Taylor Venz (Owatonna, Minn.)
Additional notable recruit: Two-time state champion Johnny Blankenship (Platte County, Mo.)
Commentary: In recent years, Mark Manning's Huskers have been noted for having a very balanced lineup, which culminated in all ten wrestlers qualifying for the NCAA tournament based on finish in the Big Ten tournament; furthermore each and every wrestler won two or more matches at the NCAA tournament. In order to achieve that type of lineup, it takes strong recruiting. This class is another example of that; Red is an elite lower-middleweight, while Breske and Schultz fit that description for upperweights. The other three core recruits have strong potential as well.
7. Purdue
Top 100 recruits: No. 17 Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn.), No. 27 Shawn Streck (Merrillville, Ind.) and No. 84 Christian Brunner (Dundee-Crown, Ill.)
Other ranked recruits: Devin Schroder (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) and Kobe Woods (Penn, Ind.)
Commentary: Rebuilding a program in college wrestling is a process that takes time, especially at a relatively off-brand program, a billing that describes the Boilermakers. They are competing in the nation's toughest conference, Big Ten, and face a tough battle in terms of talent procurement. However, in two years at the helm Tony Ersland has laid a solid foundation. This year's recruiting class a crucial tone setting piece of that. The three top 100 recruits need to reach their potential and beome lynchpin pieces if the Boilermakers are going to creep into the upper half of the Big Ten and get to earning multiple All-Americans at the NCAA tournament yearly.
8. Minnesota
Top 100 recruits: No. 20 Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.), No. 48 Owen Webster (Shakopee, Minn.) and No. 50 Hunter Marko (Amery, Wis.)
Other ranked recruit: Lucas Jeske (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.)
Commentary: The Gophers' 2010 recruiting class was the top-ranked group of that year, and then there were four straight groups outside the top ten. This somewhat explains the relative struggles of the 2015-16 season, finishing in the lower half of the Big Ten tournament standings, and a finish outside the top 15 at the NCAA tournament. However, a second straight top ten recruiting class should enable the Gophers to return to their perennial status of the upper reaches of the Big Ten standings and the top ten at the NCAA tournament.
9. Rutgers
Top 100 recruits: No. 34 Matt Correnti (Holy Cross, N.J.), No. 44 Kevin Mulligan (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) and No. 62 Joe Grello (Bergen Catholic, N.J.)
Other ranked recruits: Alex Mackall (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), Mike Van Brill (Clearview Regional, N.J.) and Brett Donner (Wall Township, N.J.)
Additional notable recruit: Two-time state runner-up Brandon Paetzell (Phillipsburg, N.J.)
Commentary: The Garden State provides a fertile in-state recruiting base for head coach Scott Goodale and his Scarlet Knights. Three consecutive seasons with an All-American, and now a season with multiple All-American finishers, helps to validate the development work that has went into the program during Goodale's reign. Of the seven core wrestlers in this class, six are in-state wrestlers. In addition, the six weight class ranked recruits is the second most this year (North Carolina State has seven).
10. Ohio State
Top 100 recruits: No. 4 Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 8 Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) and No. 68 Elijah Cleary (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)
Additional notable recruit: Three-time National Prep placer Kevin Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.)
Commentary: More of the same for head coach Tom Ryan and the Buckeyes. Three very high-end prospects come in as part of this class, one that is ranked within the top 12 for the seventh time in the last eight years. Look for White to be called upon immediately at 165 pounds for a Buckeyes team that will be contending for yet another trophy at the NCAA tournament; Pletcher fits into the lower middleweight area after a likely redshirt, while Cleary is an upper middle weight.
11. Stanford
Top 100 recruits: No. 29 Nathan Traxler (Marmion Academy, Ill.), No. 31 Brandon Dallavia (Blair Academy, N.J.) and No. 71 Requir van der Merwe (Blair Academy, N.J.)
Additional notable recruit: Three-time state placer Gabe Townsell (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.)
Commentary: Yet again, head coach Jason Borrelli has brought in a high-end recruiting haul to The Farm, as it's the sixth top 20 class in eight years at the helm. The question remains when this will translate into a top ten finish at the NCAA tournament, maybe 2016-17 will be that year; the Cardinal return a pair of All-Americans in Joey McKenna and Connor Schram, along with round of 12 finisher Jim Wilson. This recruiting group further affirms the positive strides for Stanford with prospects coming in from some of the nation's strongest prep wrestling programs.
12. Cornell
Top 100 recruits: No. 28 Ben Darmstadt (Elyria, Ohio), No. 63 Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.) and No. 89 Noah Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio)
Other ranked recruit: Trence Gillem (Helix Charter, Calif.)
Additional notable recruit: Three-time state champion Foster Karmon (Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.)
Commentary: A pair of NCAA champions anchored a ninth straight top ten finish for the Big Red at this year's NCAA tournament. Key to their success has been the recruiting of highly talented wrestlers with strong character, which is yet again reflected in this class. All three top 100 recruits won a pair of state titles as high school wrestlers, while nationally ranked Gillem was a state champion this past season. Dean and Darmstadt address the upperweights, while Baughman and Gillem fit in the lower weight classes.
13. Virginia Tech
Top 100 recruits: No. 51 Kyle Norstrem (Brandon, Fla.), No. 53 Brent Moore (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and No. 86 Jarrett Degen (Belgrade, Mont.)
Other ranked recruit: Cody Amos (Cave Spring, Va.)
Additional notable recruits: Three-time National Prep finalist Joey Prata (St. Christopher's, Va.) and three-time state champion Anthony Helm (Matoaca, Va.)
Commentary: The 11th season of Kevin Dresser being the head coach at Virginia Tech concluded with a fourth consecutive top ten finish, which is an impressive leap, given where things were when he took the job. Furthermore, momentum for Hokie wrestling has never been stronger, as they finished fourth in the NCAA tournament this past season and won the ACC regular season title. This recruiting group is yet again excellent with three top 100 recruits coming into the fold, along with some solid in-state wrestlers as well.
14. Lock Haven
Top 100 recruit: No. 46 Tyshawn White (Central Dauphin, Pa.)
Impact transfers: Chance Marsteller (Oklahoma State/Kennard Dale, Pa.), Thomas Haines (Ohio State/Solanco, Pa.), and Patrick Duggan (West Virginia/Cumberland Valley, Pa.)
Other ranked recruits: Tyson Klump (Nazareth, Pa.) and Jonathan Ross (Northern York, Pa.)
Additional notable recruits: Three-time state placer Colin Glorioso (Huntingdon, Pa.) and two-time state placer Trey Hartsock (Mifflin County, Pa.)
Commentary: In three seasons at Lock Haven, head coach Scott Moore has helped to stabilize the program and provide growth. The recruiting haul -- both in terms of high school graduates and college transfers -- is one that can help buoy the Bald Eagles back towards their glory years of the past. Four-time state medalist White is the type of wrestler that Lock Haven had not been getting for many years, which is a positive reflection on Moore's work. Marsteller and Haines were top 10 overall prospects in the 2014 class; should they show that type of potential, it would be a huge coup, though transfers are always a crap shoot in terms of resultant performance. Each has three years of eligibility remaining.
15. Virginia
Top 100 recruits: No. 22 George Phillippi (Derry Area, Pa.) and No. 25 Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Texas)
Other ranked recruits: Louie Hayes (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) and Jay Aiello (Westfield, Va.)
Additional notable recruits: Four-time state champion Michael Murphy (Baylor School, Tenn.), three-time state placer Jake Shaffer (Greater Latrobe, Pa.) and state champion Edwin Rubio (John Glenn, N.Y.)
Commentary: Steve Garland and staff followed up last year's fifth-ranked recruiting class with yet another solid recruiting group, one that is ranked nationally for a fourth straight year. Elite lowerweights Phillippi and Mueller anchor this class, while Aiello and Rubio provide potential talent in the upper two weight classes.
16. Wisconsin
Top 100 recruits: No. 37 Zander Wick (San Marino, Calif.), No. 39 Evan Wick (San Marino, Calif.) and No. 100 Jacob Covaciu (Merrillville, Ind.)
Additional notable recruit: State champion Brady Wetter (Dodgeville, Wis.)
Commentary: Out of state recruiting again had to be key for the Badgers, as they failed to get commitments from either of the pair of top 50 (and 100) recruits in this class from the state of Wisconsin. A pair of talented twins from California are excellent prospects in the middle-weights; with two-time state champion and Junior National freestyle All-American Covaciu, also a middleweight prospect.
17. Oklahoma State
Top 100 recruits: No. 47 Keegan Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.), No. 57 Ethan Andersen (Southeast Polk, Iowa) and No. 59 Wyatt Sheets (Stilwell, Okla.)
Commentary: The Cowboys' recruiting continues to be excellent. The previous two years saw a combined eleven top 100 recruits come into the fold, and with class ranked second overall. While this group is ranked lower, it's due more to a lower quantity than it is the lack of quality. All three commits are highly talented and accomplished; Moore and Andersen represent out-of-state upperweights with strong potential, while Sheets is an excellent in-state middleweight with strong genetic stock (father was multiple-time NCAA champ).
18. Illinois
Top 100 recruits: No. 38 Dylan Duncan (Montini Catholic, Ill.), No. 49 Mike Carr (South Fayette, Pa.) and No. 77 Travis Piotrowski (Prairie Ridge, Ill.)
Additional notable recruits: Two-time state third Jacob Silzer (St. Rita, Ill.) and three-time state placer Dylan Thurston (Washington, Ill.)
Commentary: Another year, yet again the Fighting Illini bring in multiple top 100 recruits to Champaign-Urbana. Head coach Jim Heffernan has again found solid in-state talent in two-time state champion Duncan and state champion Piotrowski. However, a concern does remain in that eight of the ten top 100 recruits from Illinois are not ending up at the state's flagship institution; this follows last year when the Illini only landed two of the nine top 100 recruits from their own state. In terms of this class, the lower half of the lineup is the clear focus.
19. Pittsburgh
Top 100 recruits: No. 33 Jake Wentzel (South Park, Pa.), No. 67 Austin Bell (Belle Vernon, Pa.) and No. 82 Christian Dietrich (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)
Commentary: Given the geographic footprint that the Panthers operate within, strong recruiting classes should be a consistent pattern. However, that is not the case, as only the Panthers' third-ranked group from 2013 was ranked in the top 25 from the previous seven years. Wentzel and Bell come from right around Pittsburgh, and are extremely accomplished wrestlers. Wentzel is a two-time state champ and four-time state placer, while Bell placed third twice at the state tournament; both wrestlers placed third at the Super 32 Challenge in 2014, and each has also placed at the FloNationals. This pair addresses middleweight needs, while Dietrich is a talented upperweight.
20. Central Michigan
Top 100 recruits: No. 16 Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio) and No. 56 Landon Pelham (Tecumseh, Mich.)
Other ranked recruits: Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.) and Dresden Simon (Dansville, Mich.)
Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champions Reiley Brown (Whitehall, Mich.) and Blake Montrie (Bedford, Mich.)
Commentary: The five years after the Chippewas' No. 2 recruiting class in 2011 have been a mixed bag to say the least. 2015 saw a 12-year run for Central Michigan earning an All-American at the NCAA tournament come to an end. However, Justin Oliver's seventh-place finish this March is the potential start to a new streak for the Chippewas. Four of the six core recruits are two-time state champions, while Pelham and Hildebrandt each have a state title in their own right. A plethora of weight classes are covered with this group; however, an unfortunate note is that the two best recruits of the group are probably both projected heavyweights.
21. Princeton
Top 100 recruits: No. 61 Ty Agaisse (Delbarton, N.J.), No. 64 Christian Araneo (Ward Melville, N.Y.) and No. 93 Riley DeMoss (Marmion Academy, Ill.)
Other ranked recruit: Kevin Parker (Shenendehowa, N.Y.)
Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champion Matteo DeVincenzo (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and National Prep runner-up Leonard Merkin (Poly Prep, N.Y.)
Commentary: Yet another nationally ranked recruiting haul for Chris Ayres and the Tigers, who are building positive momentum. They are recruiting their region very well, with Agaisse coming from the Garden State, and four others coming from right across the Hudson River in New York. Agaisse and DeVincenzo are lowerweights; Merkin is a middleweight; while DeMoss, Parker, and Araneo fit in the back third of the lineup.
22. Northern Iowa
Top 100 recruits: No. 24 Rudy Yates (Carl Sandburg, Ill.) and No. 58 Carter Isley (Albia, Iowa)
Additional newcomer: Tyler Hoffman (Iowa Central/East Buchanan, Iowa)
Commentary: The last two seasons have been setbacks for the Panthers following the banner 2014 season, in which they went undefeated in dual meets and saw three wrestlers earn All-American finishes. However, the positive culture is still there. The No. 4 ranked recruiting class from 2015 is likely to start making an even stronger impact, though Bryce Steiert already qualified for the NCAA tournament this year as a true freshmen. Three very strong assets come into the Northern Iowa program from this class: elite lowerweight Yates; elite heavyweight Isley; and 2015 NJCAA champion Hoffman, a projected 184.
23. Drexel
Top 100 recruit: No. 41 Josh Hokit (Clovis, Calif.)
Impact transfer: Garrett Hammond (Penn State/Chambersburg, Pa.)
Additional notable recruits: State placer Devan Turner (Dixon, Calif.), four-time state placer Julian Flores (San Marino, Calif.) and three-time state placer Justin Demicco (Brecksville, Ohio)
Commentary: The California ties of head coach Matt Azevedo helped the Dragons procure much of the core talent in this year's recruiting class, most notably state champion Hokit and 2015 state champion Flores. If Flores shows the form of 2014-15, he is a clear top 50 to 100 wrestler in this graduating class, which would be very good news for Drexel. The transfer Hammond has two years of eligibility remaining, and is a probable top 15-20 wrestler at either 157 pounds or 165 pounds immediately.
24. Utah Valley
Top 100 recruits: No. 23 Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain, Utah) and No. 87 Durbin Lloren (Buchanan, Calif.)
Additional notable recruits: Three-time state champion Tanner Cox (Maple Mountain, Utah), two-time state champion Koy Wilkinson (Pleasant Grove, Utah) and three-time state champion Gary Jantzer (Marshfield, Ore.)
Commentary: Considering the geography and limited resources facing the Wolverines, it's been a relatively positive seven-year run as a postseason eligible Division I program. Jade Rauser earned the second All-American honor in program history this past March. In addition, this is another solid year in recruiting with a pair of top 100 commits, along with three additional wrestlers from the western third of the country with many credentials. LaMont has been one of the best age group wrestlers throughout his career, and thrived in all the major events, while Lloren was a four-time state placer in California with the 2015 state title.
25. Michigan State
Top 100 recruit: No. 32 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.)
Other ranked recruit: Shane Tucker (Mt. Carmel, Ill.)
Additional notable recruits: Two-time state champion Lucas Hall (Lowell, Mich.), three-time state finalist Matt Santos (Swan Valley, Mich.), state champion Austin Hiles (Brecksville, Ohio), two-time state runner-up Nick May (Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, Mich.) and state runner-up Christian Rebottaro (Monta Vista Christian, Calif.)
Commentary: The transition from Tom Minkel to Roger Chandler as head coach is upon us. Enough words have been written about the struggles of Spartans wrestling under Minkel. The first recruiting class for Chandler's program is one that offers solid roster depth/talent across the weight classes, something that is of genuine need. There is also a potential program lynchpin in Hughes (two-time state champion, two-time fourth place at the Super 32 Challenge). Hall and Santos help the lower weights, Hiles and Tucker help the middle-weights along with Hughes, while May and Rebottaro help the top two weights.
Honorable Mention (alphabetical): Indiana, Missouri, Northwestern and West Virginia
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