2020 Commitment List - NCAA DI

2020 DI Commitment List

One of my favorite projects for over a decade have been the final Recruiting Class Rankings which, with a greater emphasis on throughout both the sport's administration and fandome, have taken on much more excitement.

They typically come out in May. But with so many recruits committing earlier and earlier, it's even now, in the fall and six month away from the final rankings, that we can get a good glimpse of what the situation is.

Top 200 Class of 2020 Recruits HERE

Just 12 of the Top 100 and 31 of the Top 200 are still available. 

Two schools lead the pack with six commitments that are ranked within the Top 200 - Oklahoma State and NC State with the Cowboys clearly ahead in the valuation of their individuals.

OK State has the #1 and #2 ranked wrestlers with three others in the Top 34 and the #82.

The Wolfpack, by contrast, has three beyond the 150's.

It's interesting to note that Ohio State, who has the highest average Recruiting Class Ranking over the last decade, have just one commit for 2020 - #104-Santos Cantu, 197 (OR).

Lock Haven leads the surprisingly good efforts. They have been on the upswing with under recruited guys the past few years and you must be optimistic about what they will do in the future with a passionate fan base supporting the five Big Boarders coming to campus.

Michigan St., Rider, Campbell, Illinois, Old Dominion, UVU and Ohio also get my kudos in exciting groups already.

Here are my mid season Top Ten Team Classes.

1. Oklahoma State Cowboys

#1-AJ Ferrari, TX (285)

#2-Dustin Plott, OK (184)

#16-Trevor Mastrogiovanni, NJ (133)

#27-Luke Surber, OK (165)

#34-Jakason Burks, NE (125)

#82-Konner Doucet, OK (285)

Five in the Top 34 including #1 and #2 and very important bookends. Getting the #1 and #2 has only happened twice in the last decade, with Penn State getting Mark Hall and Nick Suriano in 2016 and the year before when ASU landed the Valencias.

2. Virginia Tech Hokies

#7-Hunter Catka, PA (285)

#23-Clayton Ulrey, PA (165/174)

#29-Sammy Hillegas, PA (141)

#47-Eddie Ventresca, NJ (125)

#70-Sam Fisher, VA (184) 

Other than OK State, Tech is the only program with three of the Top 30. The Hokies could get half a starting lineup out of this single class. 

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

#4-Robert Howard, NJ (125/133)

#8-Beau Bartlett, PA (141)

#92Matt Lee, IN (157)

Aurileus Dunbar, PA (157)

Along with OK State, PSU is the only team with two Top 10's. Howard and Bartlett have the kind of pedigree to pull in eight AA's with a couple titles.

4. Missouri Tigers

#6-Keegan O'Toole, WI (165)

#11-Rocky Elam, MO (197)

#45-Colton Hawks, MO (184)

#48-Josh Edmond, MI (141)

#100-Trey Crawford, MO (149)

The Tigers were just shy of two Top 10's with O'Toole and Elam. All five recruits are Top 100. 

5. Iowa Hawkeyes

#5-Patrick Kennedy, MN (165)

#17-Jesse Ybarra, AZ (133)

#35-Bretli Reyna, FL (149/157)

#55-Cullan Schriever, IA (141)

#105-Gabe Christensen, IA (197)

Leif Schroeder, MT (141)

Colby Schriever, IA (149)

A very solid class with Kennedy as the headliner got even more interesting late last night when the Hawks picked up Reyna. If he can maintain the level he's been at this fall...what a late get. There are a couple other questions when you get nit-picky: (where/when does Ybarra fit in? and what level is Schriever at right now.) Kennedy is about the most sure-fire AA caliber recruit in the Class of 2020. And everything else is upside after that. Ybarra could be a big factor depending on how he navigates the deep Iowa lightweight roster, and there is a ton of upside should Schriever return to his pre-injury form. 

6. Nebraska Huskers

#13-Dominick Serrano, CO (125/133)

#19-Silas Allred, IN (197)

#36-Nathan Haas, CA (184)

#95-Jeremiah Reno, MO (125)

Another solid Husker class with three in the Top 40 and where Reno, as a career 125, could prove more valuable than his conservative ranking. Allred and Haas will be mainstays in the lineup and Serrano has finalist potential. Overall, I like the surety of the class. 

7. Cornell Big Red

#9-Josh Saunders, MO (141/149)

#18-Greg Diakomihalis, NY (125)

#38-Cole Handlovic, PA (157)

#58-Ethan Hatcher, OH (197/285)

#179-Gage McClenahan, PA (165)

Wyatt Yapoujian, CO (133)

A lot to like here starting with Saunders who's been one of the most active and prolific wrestlers in the country in recent memory. I consider him a threat to AA each year of his career. Greg D could be finalist-level at some point in his career at 125. Handlovic is on the upswing and could have a better college career than his high school one. McClenhan lies under the radar missing his Junior campaign after reaching state finals as a soph. And ya gotta love the athletic big man in Hatcher.

8. North Carolina St.

#10-Ryan Jack, CT (141)

#43-Ed Scott, PA (149)

#61-AJ Kovacs, CT (157/165)

#153-Anthony Noto, NY (125)

#182-Donald Cates, NC (157/165)

#189-Kai Bele, FL (174)

Joe Roberts    Yorkville    IL    NC State    165    

Dylan Reinert    Gettysburg    PA    NC State    174    

If you read the most recent Big Board update you know I'm super high on Jack as a potential face of the program. Scott and Kovacs are guys I'm completely sold on for college production. The #8 ranking will likely be +/- depending on those two.

9. North Carolina Tar Heels

#25-Lachlan McNeil, Canada (141)

#33-Julian Tagg, OH (133)

#39-Gavin Kane, GA (174)

#69-Cade Lautt, KS (285)

Four Top 70's and McNeil and Kane are doing it at the right time. Both just made S32 finals. Lautt had a breakout Fargo. The question mark is Tagg who has been training freestyle almost exclusively for two years. 

10. Wisconsin Badgers

#3-Braxton Amos, WV (197)

#28-Joey Zargo, NJ (149/157)

Aiden Medora, WI (141)

I like the combination of the sure thing in Braxton and the high upside of Zargo, whose skills I think translate to a better college career than his one in preps.

Knocking On The Door

Princeton

Lock Haven

Michigan St.

Rutgers

West Virginia

Illinois

Northwestern

Lehigh

Northern Iowa

Minnesota

Additional Reading

2019 Recruiting Class Rankings

Class of 2021 Commitments