2018-2019 Prospect Rankings

Prospect Rankings By Weight

Prospect rankings are back! Here we handicap the talent and rank them based on what we believe will be their future college weights.

Over the next couple weeks, we'll roll out Prospect Rankings at each of the ten college weights.

A little about these rankings:

The Prospect Rankings are markedly different from the weight class rankings (which are all grades with wrestlers at their current weights and based entirely on results) and the Big Board rankings (which are grade specific and opinion-based).

Prospect Rankings take wrestlers from all grades and project them to their college weights. We then rank them based on what we think (opinion/assessment) their potential is.

A good measure to understand what I'm assessing, is to find a valuation to a senior, and then to take all the other wrestlers and project what level they will be at when they are a senior.

It's certainly an inexact science - one that is ever evolving and full of factors (none more obvious than the difficult in projecting physical growth). But Prospect Rankings just might be the most important one to recruiters, who have to not only target each weight, but have to deliberate on signing that weight this year, or waiting a year or two on someone who might turn out to be better.

The Turnover at 157:

- Eleven of the previous Top 20 graduated

- Just three of the previous Top 20 remained ranked at the same weight

- Four of the current Top 20 were ranked at other weights

- Thirteen of the current Top 20 are new to the Prospect Rankings

At The Top:

A few things jump out at 157. First is that it's top-heavy with hammers before falling off a big. Balmeceda gets the top spot in what is a tenuous position. That is, his status largely hinges on a single tournament - last year's Super 32 title. We'll learn a lot more about him at Who's #1 and 2018 Super 32 where he'll either cement himself as the undisputed #1 or drop back to the 3-4 range.

Andonian and Kevon have split matches, the last a Davenport win in Akron. Andonian would go on to win Fargo. Pick your poison at the #2 position.

Everyone at Flo loves Ryan Anderson, but we have him conservatively 4th here. He could be the best of the bunch but he's up in weight again, so let's see how he performs this fall.

Ryan Sokol at the 5 spot might come as a surprise. He hasn't wrestled in over a year. But he was amazing in winning the Fargo title prior to his freshman year. If he's healthy and back to his old form, he's a special talent.

Luchau, who I view as a hardworking kid that has a valuable high floor (mid-tier AA), serves as the end of a first tier.

The second thing you'll notice is that this weight is loaded with youngsters. Nomad and I are frankly more excited about the future 145's and 152's than we are with the current crop. 11 of our Top 20 are FR or SO.