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This year is yet another strong year for recruiting in Michigan. However, true to form, the state of Michigan only has a few guys who have received significant amounts national recognition.
Jackson Morse and Ryan Nieman appear to be the obvious top two recruits based on their performances at national tournaments. Morse won the Super 32's last fall and he and Nieman both went undefeated at the Disney Duals this summer. Nieman then went on to take third at the Junior Nationals, beating a handful of nationally-ranked wrestlers. Morse is ranked as the No. 24 senior recruit in the country by InterMat, while Nieman is ranked No. 35.
Jake Dorulla, the No. 3 recruit on our list, was ranked as the No. 52 recruit by InterMat in the spring. However, he has fallen out of the top 100. Dorulla, Nick McDiarmid, and Mike Curby are the other guys to have placed high at major national events. However, there are a lot of other wrestlers in this class who have gotten out nationally and scored some big wins, but failed to place at Fargo, or gain a great deal of national notoriety.
A bit of advice to up and coming high school wrestlers looking to be noticed: Register early and get into the Super 32s and/or start training for Fargo immediately after the high school season. While there is debate over whether Fargo is still the mecca of high school wrestling it once was, most college coaches and wrestling publications will agree that placing in Fargo remains the fastest route to national recognition. Ryan Nieman is a great example of this. Prior to his Fargo performance, the verdict was still out. However, following his third-place finish he will likely be breaking into the national rankings this fall.
The Disney Duals are doing great things for gaining exposure to Michigan's best high school wrestlers and competing against top tier competition. However, the Duals still aren't getting the kind of exposure that Fargo, Super 32s, and the NHSCA Senior/Junior/Sophomore Nationals receive. Therefore, a lot of great Disney performances are going unnoticed by the people who do national rankings and those same rankers are focusing heavily on the NHSCA Junior & Sophomore Nationals, which in case you forgot wrestlers from the state of Michigan are not allowed to attend (per the MHSAA). Therefore, some of Michigan's best kids remain to go unnoticed until late into their senior seasons.
Below you will find everything you need to know about the wrestlers who we believe are the Top 10 recruits heading into the early signing period, which begins in November.
1. Jackson Morse
School: Lowell
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160
Projected College Weight Class: 157/165
Jackson MorseThis summer he further proved himself nationally with an undefeated performance at the Disney Duals. He is well put together with a long, muscular frame and he wrestles well from all positions. The best thing about Morse is that he seems to compete the same in big matches when the lights are on, so don't expect him to get caught off guard his first year or two at Illinois. He should be ready to compete right away. Morse is ranked as the No. 21 recruit in the country by InterMat and there is no doubt that he will live up to that ranking and make a huge impact in the Big Ten and the NCAA. Too bad we couldn't keep him in Michigan!
2. Ryan Nieman
School: Bullock Creek
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 135
Projected College Weight Class: 141/149
Scouting Report: There were some question marks about Nieman heading into this summer regarding his ability to compete on the national stage. However, he has officially erased all those question marks with one heck of a summer that has seen him dominate the Disney Duals and finish third in a stacked weight in Fargo wrestling in his first national freestyle tournament. His third-place finish in Fargo officially put him on the map as Nieman downed two top 100 recruits, three nationally ranked wrestlers, and the only wrestler to win a period against him was eventual champ Josh Dziewa of Pennsylvania, who Nieman tech-falled in the first period. This kid is the prototypical college 141 or 149-pounder in that he is strong, athletic, and has that in-your-face style that a coach loves. He has great attacks on his feet and is always pushing the pace. However, he also has an innate ability to stay in good position and come out on top of scrambles. With two state titles under his belt, it was already evident that Nieman was tough. However, his performances in Disney and Fargo have launched him into the forefront of the recruiting world and he should begin to get some serious looks from the nation's top programs.
3. Jake Dorulla
School: Rockford
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 171
Projected College Weight Class: 174
Scouting Report: Dorulla finally got the monkey off his back last year by winning his first state title after losing in the D1 state finals his first two high school seasons. He has also proven himself nationally with a big win over Iowa state champ Kyven Gadsen in last fall's Preseason National finals. He flies under many recruiting radars because he doesn't wrestle summer freestyle events. However, Dorulla is without doubt one of the most talented kids coming out of Michigan this year and he has all the physical tools to be a great college wrestler. He is very athletic for his size and much like most Rockford greats, Dorulla can ride and turn on top with the best of them. His Disney Duals performance was solid, but not great, so really the only thing separating him from the top two here is breakout success on the national level. He will most likely graduate as a four-time state finalist and two-time state champ. His stock could go up even more if he chooses to wrestle at the Super 32s or Senior Nationals this year.
4. Mike Curby
School: Hillsdale
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 171
Projected College Weight Class: 174
Scouting Report: When it comes to national experience, at Fargo in particular, Curby is without a doubt the most accomplished kid in this group. Most of his success has come in Greco-Roman and while some people would argue that Greco-Roman success does not say a lot for a college future, winning is winning, and his experience should leave him as prepared as anyone for the grind of college. He is already committed to Eastern Michigan and he is a big pick up for EMU. Curby is a quiet, humble kid who is a hard worker and much like many "Greco Guys,” he is a grinder who just keeps coming. While his Greco-Roman success is impressive, keep in mind that he also won a high school state title last year over John Rizgallah, who is a top recruit as well and he upended Oklahoma standout Ronnie Balfour in freestlye at Fargo. He has already committed to Eastern Michigan and having David Bolyard to work out with every day should be a nice fit for him.
5. Josh Houldsworth
School: Holly
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152
Projected College Weight Class: 149/157
Scouting Report: The past six months have really pushed Houldsworth towards the top of the conversation regarding this year's top recruits. He was pretty dominant in winning the Division 1 state championship and he wrestled well in Fargo, finishing just short of placing with both his losses coming to nationally-ranked guys. In Fargo, he scored possibly the biggest win of his career when he upended No. 9-ranked Luke Vaith of Minnesota. Houldsworth is built well for college. He is strong, wrestles from good position, and really has very little weaknesses -- good takedowns, good on top, defends well … you get the picture. Houldsworth does not have a ton of national exposure. However, he could be a steal for some college coaches out there looking for a solid middleweight.
6. Nick McDiarmid
School: Fowlerville
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 215
Projected College Weight Class: 197
Nick McDiarmid7. B.J. Suitor
School: Swan Valley
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119
Projected College Weight Class: 125
Scouting Report: Suitor is the only guy in this class with a shot at being a four-time state champ. Last year, in his first year not at 103, he dominated all the 112 pounders in Division 3 en route to his third title. An injury kept Suitor out of Disney this year, which did not help his recruiting value. He has not had the most national experience. However, last summer he did very well in Disney and scored a huge win over Ohio state champ Ty Mitch, who won in Fargo this year. His three state titles, the win over Mitch, and the fact that Suitor will likely be a 125-pounder for life in college definitely make a strong case for him as one of the top recruits in this class. Throwing in the fact that he has good grades (3.6 GPA/ 29 on the ACTs) is the icing on the cake.
8. Nick Smith
School: Ida
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125
Projected College Weight Class: 125/133
Scouting Report: Smith came out of nowhere in 2008 to win his first state title. However, he showed that it was no fluke by repeating last year with a 7-2 win over Darius Wass in the finals. This summer he went to Disney, and while he lost four times, all of his losses were to pretty tough kids, including a 9-6 loss to No. 3-ranked Shane Young of Pennsylvania. He also scored wins over Ohio state runner-up David Bolger and Illinois state placewinner Chris Williams. Smith has little national level experience and he still has room to improve. However, he has been getting better and better throughout his career as he was 37-19 as a freshman. Smith has been 119 his whole career so he shouldn't get too much bigger, but with his stocky build leads one to believe he will end up around 133 in college.
9. Tyler Keselring
School: Greenville
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125
Projected College Weight Class: 133
Scouting Report: Entering last season you could argue Keselring as one of the top five wrestlers in this class, and he still has the tools to remain in that argument. He suffered a setback as the two0time state champ did not place at this year's state tournament. However, weight issues seemed to take a heavy toll on Keselring as he was undefeated all year up to the regional tournament and scored big wins all year long including a win over Wass (No. 10) and the eventual champ in his weight, Conor Youtsey. While his state tournament was disappointing, he appeared drained and did not look like the same wrestler. That bad weekend does not change the fact that this kid is one of the most talented wrestlers in the state of Michigan. He is slick on his feet and has an array of setups and shots in his arsenal. He has gotten out as much as anyone nationally and while he has failed to place in Fargo or score any breakout wins, he has been right in the mix with many of the nation's top wrestlers. Last fall he finished third at the Preseason Nationals, with his only loss coming in way of a 4-3 barnburner to Jesse Thielke of Wisconsin, who is currently ranked 18th in the country by InterMat. His state tournament performance may have raised some question marks. However, Keselring's past success and track record of being competitive with the nation's best should still sustain his status as one of the top prospects in this class.
10. Darius Wass
School: Swan Valley
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Darius WassWhile he has not won a state title, Wass has lost only three times in the past two years of high school wrestling: this year's state finals to Smith (No. 8), the Goodrich finals to Keselring (No. 9), and last year's state finals by way of a third-period comeback to Roger Wildmo (No. 1-ranked junior). He may be the most dangerous wrestler in the state as he is the kind of kid who will try anything against anybody. He is also very strong for his size. Whether he ends up winning his first state title this year or not, Wass will be a good pickup for somebody.
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