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"Recruiting class rankings are always unique in their own sort of way. This year, the number one spot seemed to be locked up early; however, classes #2-#4 all could probably make a case for the second spot. After that, it gets very interesting.  Then, as you made your way down to the 25 spot, there were a handful of teams that could’ve made a case for their inclusion. Some of it came down to how you value quantity over quality. As you peruse the rankings, you’ll see plenty of classes that had both. Recruiting rankings mark the end of the respective class and put a bow on the hard work of coaching staffs around the nation. The question you ask is, how are these rankings tabulated? First, we have used the big board rankings courtesy of our sister site, MatScouts. Willie Saylor has taken the arduous task of projecting the top-250 wrestlers in the Class of 2026, making calculating these rankings slightly easier. Some of the factors that are taken into account when putting these rankings together include: - Numbers: Where were the signees ranked? How many top-ten, top-50, top-100, top-250, etc., does a school have? - Fit: After years of following these programs and their coaching staffs, does a particular recruit fit the "type" of kid that has success at their respective team? Or maybe a style of wrestling. - Filling a need: In years past, I have weighed this very heavily. Signing two highly ranked 184 lb prospects doesn't appear to fit a need when you have a stud sophomore returning at the same weight. - Impact on a program: This is subjective, but tends to favor teams that aren't consistent NCAA trophy contenders. If Iowa or Penn State signs the #80 overall recruit and he turns out to AA twice, taking seventh and eighth for them, it has a particular impact. But if Northwestern or Princeton signs the same prospect and he has the same career, it will have a much more significant impact on those two programs. Both Northwestern and Princeton may have benefited from this criterion in 2026. So, with that out of the way, enjoy the second half of InterMat's 2026 Team Recruiting Rankings. 1-12. 13-25 were released earlier this week.   12. Lehigh Top Recruits: #23 Dean Bechtold (Owen J. Roberts, PA), #29 Keanu Dillard (Bethlehem Catholic, PA), #56 Cael Weidemoyer (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #235 Tavio Hoose (Southwestern, NY) Like others in these rankings, Lehigh is a team that went with a smaller, but star-studded, recruiting class compared to a large one like in previous years. The end result is a group with two top 30 recruits and another in the top 60. All four recruits on the Big Board came away with high school state titles in 2026. Dean Bechtold is a Super 32 champion, while Keanu Dillard is a U17 world bronze medalist, and Cael Weidemoyer had a great senior year, after missing significant time due to injuries. Hoose was a New York DII champion. With Hoose, Bechtold, and Weidemoyer, Lehigh is really strengthening their upperweights. Dillard might be able to immediately lessen the impact of losing Ryan Crookham. Ultimately, Lehigh was able to retain a handful of top-quality local talent, which is great, given its location in Pennsylvania’s District XI. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (HM), 2024 (HM), 2023 (21), 2022 (17), 2021 (NR) 11. Illinois Top Recruits: #28 Wyatt Medlin (Washington, IL), #32 Aaron Stewart (Warren, IL), #96 Jake Knight (Bettendorf, IA), #109 Caeleb Hutchinson (Manhattan, KS), #133 Josh Hoffer (Washington, IL), #176 Jaxon Penovich (Mt. Prospect, IL), #249 Griff Powell (LaGrange, IL) And now we have a team that typically has brought in small recruiting classes, but has a large one in 2026. This year’s class marks only the second time in the last decade that Illinois has inked three or more top 100 recruits. In a sign of the times, Illinois had two other ranked recruits who flipped; at the same time, they picked up a pair (Knight, Hutchinson), who were previously committed elsewhere. Fans have always hoped that Illinois would consistently keep the best in-state kids at home. Realistically, that might not be possible all of the time, but this year, the Illini staff did very well at meeting that goal. Medlin, Stewart, and Penovich were all state champions as seniors. Medlin was an Ironman champion, while Stewart was a 2025 U17 world team member and a record-setting running back. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (NR), 2024 (15), 2023 (11), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 10. Iowa State Top Recruits: #7 Coby Merrill (JW North, CA), #44 Jake Miller (Broken Arrow, OK), #64 Liam Kelly (Mt. Carmel, IL), #116 David Perez (Ponaganset, RI), #141 Valentine Popadiuc (St. Pius X, NM), #209 Cale Vandermark (Ankeny, IA), #241 Thunder Lewis (Del Norte,CA) In a rankings so driven by top prospects, this is the first team we’ve discussed with a top-ten recruit. Iowa State has signed big man Coby Merrill. Merrill was already highly regarded for his high school work; however, he really turned heads in April at the US Open. Merrill advanced to the semifinals of the Senior Open and notched a win over world medalist and Olympian Mason Parris. That week, he also won the U20 Open, beating top prospects Michael Mocco and Dreshaun Ross. It looks like the Cyclones won’t have much of a drop-off at 285 lbs after the graduation of NCAA finalist Yonger Bastida. Along the way, the Cyclone staff also picked up top 100 flips from Jake Miller and Liam Kelly. As the program has been known under the Dresser-era, Iowa State spans the country looking for talent in all places. That’s evident with a prospect from Rhode Island (David Perez) and one from New Mexico (Valentine Popadiuc). Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (25), 2024 (9), 2023 (NR), 2022 (2), 2021 (16) 9. Army West Point Top recruits: #19 Joe Uhorchuk (Signal Mountain, TN), #45 Ashton Besmer (Buchanan, CA), #82 Cash Colbert (Paul VI, VA), #105 Cooper Merli (New York Military Academy, NY), #120 Titus Norman (Baylor School, TN), #169 Alex Denkins (Perrysburg, OH), #183 Evan Sanati (Brentsville, VA), #185 Mikey Bautista (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #230 Billy Tyler (Brentsville, VA), #232 Garett Kawczynski (Port Washington, WI) It’s a record-setting year in West Point! The 2026 class for Army will be the highest in program history. It’s truly a remarkable achievement for Troy Nickerson and staff. Despite this being the highest ranked class for Army, it’s also a trend that you should have seen coming. Looking at Army West Point’s rankings over the past five years, they have generally been in the mix with highly regarded groups - now, they just took that next step. As you go further back in time, recruiting data tends to get a little fuzzy. I’m not sure if #19 Joe Uhorchuk is the highest-ranked Army recruit ever, but he’s up there. The same goes for the fact that they have three top 100 recruits with Uhorchuk, Ashton Besmer, and Cash Colbert. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (18), 2024 (NR), 2023 (17), 2022 (23), 2021 (24) 8. Oklahoma Top Recruits: #34 Dallas Russell (Jefferson, GA), #35 Mason Ontiveros (Pitman, CA), #67 Alex Taylor (Mount Vernon, OH), #72 Mikey Ruiz (Canyon Randall, TX), #88 Johnathon McGinty (St. Joseph’s Regional, NJ), #131 Christian Jelle (Grand Rapids, MN), #167 Eric Casula (Stillwater, OK) Under Roger Kish, Oklahoma has been quite good at recruiting, evidenced by their second top ten class in three years. This group features five top 100 recruits, the same number that the Sooners hauled in during the 2024 recruiting campaign that saw them end up with a #3 ranking. This class is led by a pair of top 35 recruits, who made the Fargo finals in Junior freestyle, before their senior year of high school. Heavyweight prospect Alex Taylor won the UWW U17 Trials in freestyle and Greco-Roman and competed at the World Championships in both styles. Oklahoma is a program that has relied heavily on the transfer portal in each of the last two offseasons. With this class of talent headed to Norman, they might not need the portal as much in upcoming spring’s. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (NR), 2024 (3), 2023 (NR), 2022 (24), 2021 (11) 7. Cornell Top Recruits: #20 Joey Jeter (Edmond North, OK), #50 Santino Rodriguez (Don Bosco Prep, NJ), #52 Joe Toscano (Buchanan, CA), #99 Thomas Verrette (Edmond North, OK), #134 Michael Turi (Wyoming Seminary, PA), #161 Samson McKissick-Staley (Pittsford, NY), #182 Tyler Traves (Mountain View, VA), #210 Brayden Zuercher (Nazareth, PA), NR Vinny Freeman (Penn, IN) Looking at the recruiting history, the pattern was that Cornell would have a massive class in the odd-numbered years, then dial it back in the even-numbered years. With 2026’s class, they’ve gone back-to-back with top-ten ranked recruiting classes. The Cornell staff got to work early and got this group locked in early in the recruiting process, and then kept them together for over a year. During this time, Joey Jeter emerged as the top recruit for Cornell. As a senior, Jeter won a Walsh Ironman title and ascended to the #1 ranking nationally at 175 lbs. The biggest riser in this class is Santino Rodriguez, who wasn’t on the Big Board two years ago, but finished at #50 win a Beast win and New Jersey state title. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (3), 2024 (18), 2023 (4), 2022 (NR), 2021 (3) 6. Penn State Top Recruits: #3 Jayden James (Delbarton, NJ), #27 Sam Herring (Bishop McCort, PA), #36 Elijah Brown (Belle Vernon, PA) It’s kind of difficult to compare Penn State’s class to others since it is rather small, but they have such an incredible track record for producing high-level collegiate wrestlers. In a normal year, Jayden James could very well have held the #1 ranking. Five years from now, perhaps he’ll be the wrestler from this class with the best credentials. James has already demonstrated that he has the talent to take out Senior level competitors as he defeated NCAA finalists Mikey Caliendo and Quincy Monday. A U17 world champion in 2025, James will look to conquer the U20 landscape this summer. After James is Sam Herring, a five-time Fargo All-American and Pennsylvania AAA state champion, Elijah Brown. All three don’t have a clear path to a starting role (especially with 5 for 5 eligibility); however, Penn State tends to figure these things out. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (1), 2024 (1), 2023 (3), 2022 (NR), 2021 (1) 5. Arizona State Top Recruits:  #18 Rylan Seacrist (Brecksville, OH), #33 Kal-el Fluckiger (Valiant Prep, AZ), #43 William Ward (Moorhead, MN), #66 Travis Cardenas (Chandler, AZ), #103 Antonio Rodriguez (Los Gatos, CA), #177 Justin Wardlow (Lockport, IL) It’s good to see Arizona State featured prominently once again in the recruiting rankings. 2022 was the last time the Sun Devils cracked the top ten. For the most part, it seems like recent ASU classes were smaller in numbers. This one is bigger and contains more Big Boarder’s than usual. With Rylan Seacrist’s signing, it marks the first top-20 prospect that ASU has inked since Richie Figueroa. They’ve picked up three top 50 recruits for the first time since 2019 (Cohlton Schultz’s class). Seacrist finished at the top 113 lber in the nation and won Fargo Junior freestyle, the Ironman, and the Beast within the last year. He’s the 125 of the future. The Sun Devils' other top recruits fit in at the other end of the lineup, the “always difficult to fill” 197 and heavyweight classes - with William Ward projecting at 197 and Kal-el Fluckiger at 285 lbs. The remainder of this group should be able to help at the middleweights. In years past, ASU has struggled with depth after an injury or two. This class should add more depth, in addition to the obvious star power. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (NR), 2024 (23), 2023 (NR), 2022 (10), 2021 (2) 4. Michigan: #10 Moses Mendoza (Gilroy, CA), #13 Kellen Wolbert (Oconowomoc, WI), #16 Haakon Peterson (Dodgeville, WI), #37 Henry Aslikyan (Birmingham, CA), #65 Blake Cosby (Dundee, MI), #97 Bodie Abbey (Hartland, MI), #155 JayDen Williams (Roseville, MI) Michigan continues its recent run of impressive recruiting efforts by signing the #4 ranked class in the country this year. The Wolverine staff has done well at going out west to California in recent years. They’ve done it again in 2026, signing Moses Mendoza and Henry Aslikyan. Mendoza was a Fargo Junior freestyle champion and a Super 32 champ in 2025. Aslikyan was a U17 world bronze medalist in 2024. Then there’s the Wisconsin duo, Kellen Wolbert and Haakon Peterson. Both are Fargo finalists and have finished as runners-up at the UWW U17 Trials. Even with a strong core returning, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a handful of incoming freshmen from this group work their way into the Michigan lineup as the season progresses. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (9), 2024 (11), 2023 (2), 2022 (NR), 2021 (NR) 3. Virginia Tech Top Recruits: #2 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort, PA), #38 Nick Garcia (Marmion Academy, IL), #42 Jonathan Rocha (Clovis North, CA), #49 Alex Rozas (Teurlings Catholic, LA), #113 Kyle Scott (Tyrone, PA), #218 Jake Robie (Christiansburg, VA), NR Walker Turley (St. Christopher’s, VA) The Hokies much-anticipated recruiting class comes in at #3. One spot above where they were a year ago, with an incoming class that already produced two All-Americans. Virginia Tech now has five straight top-ten recruiting classes, which is a remarkable achievement. From the actual recruiting/signing aspect and the financial side, it’s hard to get five top classes in a row. The headliner here for the Hokies is Bo Bassett, but that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone reading this. Bassett has a chance to be our representative at the Senior World Championships in 2026 and already has a spot on the U20 team. In freestyle, at the Senior Open, Bassett defeated 2026 NCAA champion Aden Valencia, along with past national finalists Joey McKenna and Beau Bartlett. He should step into the Virginia Tech lineup and compete for a national title in year one. After Bassett, the Virginia Tech staff signed three additional top 50 recruits in Nick Garcia, Jonathan Rocha, and Alex Rozas. Garcia and Rocha were both champions in power states as seniors, while Rozas was top five in Fargo Junior Freestyle, the Super 32, the Ironman, and Beast. Virginia Tech was already in a great position before this class, but it could be one that elevates the team into a consistent NCAA team trophy threat. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (4), 2024 (10), 2023 (9), 2022 (7), 2021 (22) 2. Ohio State Top Recruits: #11 Antonio Mills (Athens Christian, GA), #12 Adam Waters (Faith Christian Academy, PA), #21 Karson Brown (St. Edward, OH), #24 Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East, IL), #89 Tee Mills (Athens Christian, GA) 2025 stopped a run that saw Ohio State finish in the top-five in recruiting three straight years. Perhaps 2026 sparks another streak, as they’ve got an excellent group headed to Columbus. Top recruit Antonio Mills is a Fargo Junior freestyle champion and a four-time Super 32 All-American and one-time champ. He was also fifth at the U20 US Open in April. Adam Waters was a four-time Pennsylvania state champion and a six-time Fargo AA. In state product Karson Brown won four state crowns for perennial power St. Ed’s. Dom Munaretto wrote his name in the USA Wrestling history books with a pair of U17 world titles. Heading into the 2026-27 season, there don’t appear to be any real holes in the Buckeye lineup. Even so, this is a group that could unseat some veterans and make an impact at Big Ten’s and NCAA’s. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (NR), 2024 (5), 2023 (5), 2022 (1), 2021 (9) 1. Oklahoma State Top Recruits: #1 Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort, PA), #4 Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge, IA), #5 Jordyn Raney (Union County, KY), #6 Jayden Raney (Union County, KY), #8 Rocklin Zinkin (Buchanan, CA), #9 Michael White (Lawrence North, IN) In probably the least surprising ranking in this article, Oklahoma State comes in at #1. The Cowboys have an absurd amount of talent in this class. Six of the top nine prospects in the country have signed with David Taylor’s team. I can’t think of a similar precedent over the last 20 years. This is a weird situation as we can guarantee this class will net at least one national champion, if nothing else. Even though Jax Forrest graduated and enrolled early, he counts with this group, so it already has a leg up on its competitors. In addition, the Cowboys pulled perhaps the next big heavyweight star out of Iowa, with the signing of Dreshaun Ross. He’ll compete this summer at the U20 World Championships. Oklahoma State also won a fierce recruiting battle for the Raney twins, Jayden and Jordyn. The pair combined for eight Fargo All-American honors - six of which included national titles. Both have won U17 Greco world titles and Jayden made the 2025 Senior team in that discipline. Both Rocklin Zinkin and Michael White finished the season ranked #1 at their respective weight classes after starting at #5 (Zinkin) and #11 (White) at this time of the year. Because of Oklahoma State’s existing talent, there aren’t many needs for the immediate future. The amount of talent in Stillwater might mean that one of two of these wrestlers get squeezed out of the lineup, but there’s still enough to make a serious impact, immediately and in the future. The Cowboys get their second top class in the last four years and have now finished #1 and #2 in the two full classes under David Taylor. Recent Recruiting Rankings: 2025 (2), 2024 (16), 2023 (1), 2022 (6), 2021 (6)"

"By University of Northern Iowa Sports Information June 30"