#10 Kai Orine Commits To NC State
#10 Kai Orine Commits To NC State
#10 Kai Orine has verbally committed to wrestle for the NC State Wolfpack after high school.
One of the most active coaching staffs in the country has picked up another nationally ranked recruit. Kai Orine gave his verbal to NC State this morning.
SURPRISE! Happy to announce I’m committing to North Carolina state university to further my athletic and academic career. Biggest thanks to my coaches family and friends who’ve helped throughout the years. #wolfpackmentality pic.twitter.com/99pEzv1VWs
— Francisco Isaiah Kailani Orine (@kaiorine) July 25, 2018
Orine is currently ranked 10th at 126 pounds. The rising senior at Seckman was a Missouri Class 4 state champ this year, the largest division in the Show Me State. It was his second straight state title after a third-place finish as a freshman and improved his career record to 146-7.
The 2019 Big Board has not been updated yet post-Fargo, but going in Orine was the #61 prospect in his grade. After picking up a commitment from #95 Owen Trephan (NJ) on Tuesday, NC State now has five top-100 recruits in that class, including #74 Christian Knop (AL), #77 Kiernan Shanahan (NY), and #79 Sammy Alvarez (NJ).
It makes the future lightweight situation crowded in Raleigh, as Jakob Camacho signed from the class of 2018, and Alvarez already committed a while back. None of those three are projected as higher than 133-pounders. The last prospect ranking we did at 133, which includes now graduated seniors, had Orine as the 18th-best prospect at that weight.
In between his state crown and committing to the Wolfpack, Orine has had a busy spring and summer. First, he went to Virginia and won NHSCA Junior nationals, beating eventual Fargo All-American Earl Blake in the finals.
Then, he made the FloNationals finals, picking up a win over eventual Fargo champ Jesse Ybarra in the quarters. Prior to Fargo, he got third at Southern Plains. Orine finished out his summer with a fifth-place finish in the FargoDome at Junior 126.
This past high school season, Orine won the KC Stampede, and beat nationally ranked Vinny Zerban for his state title. Perhaps the biggest win of Orine's career to date came in the 2016 preseason nationals when he pinned Julian Tagg.
