When the clock struck midnight on June 15, Jordyn and Jayden Raney's phones rang simultaneously. Terry Brands was on the line for Jordyn while Tom Brands had a conversation with Jayden. It's no surprise that the two most dynamic lightweight twins in American wrestling history were interested in bringing two of the most electric recruits hitting the market to Iowa, and their approach of making simultaneous phone calls at midnight made a big impression on the Raney brothers.

Both Raney brothers are top-ten recruits in the class of 2026. Jayden made the U17 Greco-Roman world team at 55 kg, and Jordyn made the team at 60 kg. The two competed for the U17 freestyle world team spot at 60 kg, and Jordyn came out on top in a competitive best of three series.

Match one of Jordyn and Jayden Raney's U17 best of three series

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Big First Impressions

Iowa was the first call for both Raney brothers, but by the end of the night, they had talked to coaches from nine different schools including, and the rest of the 15th was also a busy day of phone calls. At the conclusion of day 1 of recruiting, the Union County, Kentucky stars had talked to, "just about every top program."

While both Jordyn and Jayden remain open to exploring all recruiting options, a few programs did stand out on the first day. The calls from the Brands brothers helped put Iowa near the top of their list, and the Raneys are eager to learn more about the Hawkeyes. 

Illinois is the program they're most familiar with, having trained at the Illinois RTC regularly. Jordyn and Jayden like the entire Illinois coaching staff and are especially comfortable with Illinois Director of Operations and RTC coach Bryan Medlin who has helped them grow tremendously in the international styles, particularly Greco.

While Iowa and Illinois stood out on day 1, both Raneys expressed a desire to fully engage in the recruiting process with open minds.

While many questions remain unanswered in the Raney Brothers' recruiting process, one thing is certain, they're a package deal. Jayden could end up at 141 lbs or 149 lbs, and Jordyn believes he'll be at 149 lbs or 157 lbs.

The NIL Factor

Now that athletes have the ability to earn money from their name, image, and likeness, NIL dollars are purported to play large roles in recruits' final decisions. The Raney brothers haven't had those conversations yet, but they expect they will eventually.

They're excited to find out what kinds of NIL offers they'll get but don't have specific financial expectations at this point since they've heard reports of a wide range of offers for recruits who have gone through the process. Both Jordyn and Jayden expressed a desire to make as much NIL money as possible while also finding the wrestling program that fits them best.

Upcoming Visits

The Raney brothers are open to visiting a lot of schools, and they're looking forward to that part of the process. One of the challenges of making a joint college decision is that both Jordyn and Jayden will have to agree that one school is the right fit for both of them. Campus visits should help with that.