Iowa recruiting thread.
- Thread starter MVPFAN
- Start date
Step away from the cliff dude!!! IOWA can get this done!!! NO doubt that F*** st recruiting has gone from "what??? to, are you kidding to, crazy, to WTF!?!?!?!?"
We all get it. This years haul I guess tops the list with 5 in the top 10! The thing is, they can only wrestle 10 guys and we have some very good pieces in place currently.
We need to sign ANGELO,
Get Nagao, and possibly Truax. IF these thing happen(I know BIG if) we will go toe to toe with them and I believe win a few NC in the next 3-4 years. Next years line up would be favored I believe! Obviously, the future recruiting classes MUST be brought up to their level to keep pace. The Bosette kid becomes HUGE!!!
Pretty straight forward that 99% of coaches think Shane Griffith is better than Nelson Brands
This isn't complicated. Hawks really really need to start winning individual titles. Excluding Spencer, the hawks have zero since 2017.
Sure, PSU is dominating recruiting, but they're dominating recruiting because they can point to their individual titles. They are far and away the best place to win a title and that's what elite recruits want to do. The current score is 34-7 since Cael's first title in 2011. It's a blowout.
Until TNT start producing on Saturday night, you can expect them to keep losing head to head recruiting battles with PSU more often than not.
Sure, PSU is dominating recruiting, but they're dominating recruiting because they can point to their individual titles. They are far and away the best place to win a title and that's what elite recruits want to do. The current score is 34-7 since Cael's first title in 2011. It's a blowout.
Until TNT start producing on Saturday night, you can expect them to keep losing head to head recruiting battles with PSU more often than not.
Iowa needs to improve recruiting. It's as simple as that. Not easy, but simple. They made head way and are now falling back again. I see last year's recruiting weekend as a sign. I see good recruiting classes every 4 to 5 years as a sign. They are using the portal as a crutch. I don't disagree with using the portal, but at some point recruiting needs to improve enough that the portal is a added plus, not the plan. I'm not within the program, so take with a grain of salt, but I also don't see the changes to improve recruiting. Number one for me would be adding a recruiting coordinator. Lastly, I honestly think if the fan base closest to the program quits allowing the money factor to be excuse would also help the cause. Until we shut up about how much more money PSU has that will be a crutch. I'm just sick of hearing it. I fully realize it is a huge problem that needs to be overcome. .....but now that it's realized and is being worked towards correcting move the f on and concentrate on other factors that can be controlled, changed, worked on. The money factor is going to take some years. We need to progress in those years and we aren't going to if we continue to beat that horse. 2010 vs. 2021 should prove that we need to move and continuing to talk about $ isn't moving. Anyway, rant over......
My Iowa Recruiting Wishlist
2023 Class (includes transfers from this offseason and anybody in the incoming Freshman class):
#10 AJ Ferrari (2020) (Much must be risked in war. Undeniable talent.)
#14 Anthony Ferrari (2022) / #22 by Matscouts
#1/UR Cody Chittum (Was ranked #1 P4P Class of 2023 when he flipped commitment to Iowa - but neither FLO or Matscouts have him ranked on a big board anymore, I think he was Willie's #2 at one point - either way he's a stud)
#3 Ben Kueter (2023) / #6 by Matscouts (Have some faith folks... not everybody thinks in just $$$. He will wrestle for us.)
#12 Gabe Arnold (2023) / #19 by Matscouts (We got to see what a healthy Arnold can do this year, great trajectory)
#25 Ryder Block (2023) / #26 by Matscouts (Long, athletic, funky - great attributes - will surprise some folks)
2024 Class
#1 Angelo Ferrari / #6 by Matscouts
#16 Cody Merrill / #3 by Matscouts (Gilroy boy out in CA - start the pipeline - replacement for AJ Ferrari at 197)
#56 Dru Ayala / #110 by Matscouts (keep the family, part of the family - if he wants to be here)
2025 Class
#1 PJ Duke / #1 by Matscouts (Have to go after him hard - along with Ferrari, one of the best in HS any class p4p)
#2 Anthony Knox / #3 by Matscouts (We've had a tough time recruiting NJ - but certainly worth the effort)
#34 Isaiah Cortez / #26 by Matscouts (Another Gilroy CA boy - 3rd as FR and State champ this year)
#38 Elijah Cortez / #50 by Matscouts (Brother of above - Gilroy Boy - 3rd as FR and State champ this year)
#59 Daniel Zepeda / #17 by Matscouts (CA State champ along with the Cortez brothers for Gilroy this year- stud)
2026 Class (Just spitballing some names here - obviously still a ways out and needs/wants will change based on who we get in the 2024 and 2025 classes)
Bo Bassett #2 Matscouts
Dreshaun Ross #3 Matscouts
Cassioppi twins Rocco and Bruno - keep family tradition. (I think I'm correct in that they are class of 2026 but correct me if I'm wrong)
Jaxon Miller #48 Matscouts
Nolan Fellers #47 Matscouts
Establish the Gilroy connection with Merrill and continue it the next year.
Hone the chaotic energy of the Ferrari's and unleash it on PSU. Easier said than done.
Hopefully keep the family ties alive where possible
Get a high quality Iowa guy or two - the 2026 class has some good Iowa talent for sure.
2023 Class (includes transfers from this offseason and anybody in the incoming Freshman class):
#10 AJ Ferrari (2020) (Much must be risked in war. Undeniable talent.)
#14 Anthony Ferrari (2022) / #22 by Matscouts
#1/UR Cody Chittum (Was ranked #1 P4P Class of 2023 when he flipped commitment to Iowa - but neither FLO or Matscouts have him ranked on a big board anymore, I think he was Willie's #2 at one point - either way he's a stud)
#3 Ben Kueter (2023) / #6 by Matscouts (Have some faith folks... not everybody thinks in just $$$. He will wrestle for us.)
#12 Gabe Arnold (2023) / #19 by Matscouts (We got to see what a healthy Arnold can do this year, great trajectory)
#25 Ryder Block (2023) / #26 by Matscouts (Long, athletic, funky - great attributes - will surprise some folks)
2024 Class
#1 Angelo Ferrari / #6 by Matscouts
#16 Cody Merrill / #3 by Matscouts (Gilroy boy out in CA - start the pipeline - replacement for AJ Ferrari at 197)
#56 Dru Ayala / #110 by Matscouts (keep the family, part of the family - if he wants to be here)
2025 Class
#1 PJ Duke / #1 by Matscouts (Have to go after him hard - along with Ferrari, one of the best in HS any class p4p)
#2 Anthony Knox / #3 by Matscouts (We've had a tough time recruiting NJ - but certainly worth the effort)
#34 Isaiah Cortez / #26 by Matscouts (Another Gilroy CA boy - 3rd as FR and State champ this year)
#38 Elijah Cortez / #50 by Matscouts (Brother of above - Gilroy Boy - 3rd as FR and State champ this year)
#59 Daniel Zepeda / #17 by Matscouts (CA State champ along with the Cortez brothers for Gilroy this year- stud)
2026 Class (Just spitballing some names here - obviously still a ways out and needs/wants will change based on who we get in the 2024 and 2025 classes)
Bo Bassett #2 Matscouts
Dreshaun Ross #3 Matscouts
Cassioppi twins Rocco and Bruno - keep family tradition. (I think I'm correct in that they are class of 2026 but correct me if I'm wrong)
Jaxon Miller #48 Matscouts
Nolan Fellers #47 Matscouts
Establish the Gilroy connection with Merrill and continue it the next year.
Hone the chaotic energy of the Ferrari's and unleash it on PSU. Easier said than done.
Hopefully keep the family ties alive where possible
Get a high quality Iowa guy or two - the 2026 class has some good Iowa talent for sure.
Well, scratch him then. I just saw that Willie lists him as a 197 and he wrestled 92KG this past summer. If we bring John Smith in to the HWC could we suck him down?
Yes, they are currently in the 8th grade. Of course in today's sports world, they might decide to repeat 8th grade
We need to really get it together. After moving Chittum up to the 2023 class the 2022 class was not even top 20. PSU was listed as honorable mention but Haines alone make them top 10 in reality.
2023 held as #1 with the addition of Chittum helping with the loss of Jesuroga. PSU was right there at 3rd in 2023.
We are not ranked at all and I'm not sure we even have a commitment for 2024 class. Dru Ayala really a walk on level. Meanwhile PSU has destroyed the field with a run away #1 class that has 5 top 10 overall.
For 2025 you know up front because of our poor recruiting connections that we don't have any shot at Duke. In addition to the other guys you mentioned Cooper Hilton is maybe someone to keep an eye on. Also there is Jude Correa, Kollin Rath, Nathan Desmond, Collin Gaj, Anthony Mutarelli and Gage Botero in PA that are highly ranked. William Henckel, Leo Deluca and Harvey Ludington in NJ. Sebastian Degennaro in Florida. Seth Mendoza in Illinois. Tyler Eise from Ponderosa Colorado is a good looking young upper weight kid.
Your 2026 list is a good start. Ross and Bassett are absolute musts. Jax Forrest in this class as well.
Rocco and Bruno are 2027, throw in Dawson Youngblut for that class.
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Let's see who joins from the portal, then worry about weights to upgrade. Wouldn't that make sense?
Also, our staff are great recruiters and all over guys we need to bring on.
I really, really want to believe you.
It’s odd to me that we don’t go harder at blue chips in general. There are usually rumblings of not being a good fit culturally before those guys go elsewhere and compete for national titles.
I clicked on that because I trusted you, bruh. Lol
That gif can be construed in a couple of ways. Both may be relevant to this conversation, btw.
Specifically what kinds of cultural gaps have you heard rumblings of?
Having cultural personal alignment with an institution probably minimizes some challenges that onboarding student athletes might otherwise experience. It also probably makes their coaches lives somewhat easier.
On the other hand, institutionally reinforced cultural alignment creates an opportunity for inherent bias. Such biases may make an institution far less resilient to some change that is necessary for its survival.
I was too lazy to find a site that would embed the pic. Now I won't bother.
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I respect your optimism Bob but recruiting good up front and using the portal to fill unexpected holes or just to get greedy when the right situation arises makes the most sense. Buying guys from the portal is going to cost more and a lot more unpredictable from a team unity and chemistry standpoint. Our recruiting plan should have weights accounted for. Portal heavy recruiting is less stable and the lineup turnover will be faster.
When your target pool tends to be slow footed grinders with limited mat wrestling skills, in state kids, kids with pre existing connection to Iowa wrestling or kids who dreamed of wrestling for Iowa since they were 5 years old it tends to exclude a large portion of the blue chip market.
7 is about 20% of 34, btw… For those keeping score at home.
For every two national champs to come out of IC, PSU has ten.
Unfortunate facts. Superior recruiting obviously a big part of it but they have just plain done better winning big matches. We don't win big matches as well as them for whatever reason. I have to think individual match strategy and adjustments is a big part of it. I hope to never hear our coaches or wrestlers say we only worry about what we do ever again. It's a rediculous statement. Even if it's not true and just being said for bravado it should stop, it sounds silly. The coach speak in general from the Iowa staff is stale. PSU staff never says shit, they just win.
I saw a Dan Gable video interview where he said he might do some things different today, if he were still coaching.
One change had to do with recruiting more for 'genetics' (e.g., quickness, body awareness) than his prior focus on 'attitude.' He seemed to believe he had over-prioritized on the latter.
One person could deem some characteristics as being 'the right/prerequisite attitude' in a way that eliminates some segment of the population that have differing beliefs. So there is a cultural element to it.
A second change had to do with perhaps over-training, with a belief that it may not lead to optimal performance. Early he believed his conditioning methods took any concern a competitor would be better conditioned off the table for his athletes. In retrospect, he advises following the science regarding recovery and peaking for optimal performance.
It's possible that this latter change relates to what some may term a '(mental) toughness' culture. Such a culture could lead to an increased tendency to compete thru injury. So again, this could eliminate some segment of the population that have a differing belief.
I would think TnT have considered and are acting on these, even if I don't have firsthand knowledge.
'Attitude' and 'work ethic' come across as positive attributes, but if they aren't properly channeled and managed, they can lead to less than optimal performance.
One change had to do with recruiting more for 'genetics' (e.g., quickness, body awareness) than his prior focus on 'attitude.' He seemed to believe he had over-prioritized on the latter.
One person could deem some characteristics as being 'the right/prerequisite attitude' in a way that eliminates some segment of the population that have differing beliefs. So there is a cultural element to it.
A second change had to do with perhaps over-training, with a belief that it may not lead to optimal performance. Early he believed his conditioning methods took any concern a competitor would be better conditioned off the table for his athletes. In retrospect, he advises following the science regarding recovery and peaking for optimal performance.
It's possible that this latter change relates to what some may term a '(mental) toughness' culture. Such a culture could lead to an increased tendency to compete thru injury. So again, this could eliminate some segment of the population that have a differing belief.
I would think TnT have considered and are acting on these, even if I don't have firsthand knowledge.
'Attitude' and 'work ethic' come across as positive attributes, but if they aren't properly channeled and managed, they can lead to less than optimal performance.
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Agree, but here we r needing to upgrade some weights. The only way at the moment are transfers or others
If we have success with this, recruiting just a couple spots each year going forward will b manageable
Bob, I absolutely love what you've done and I imagine continue to do for the program. With that said I honestly think that part of the problem is when large donors like you don't think there is a problem that needs to be worked on. To me it is as simple as looking at previous recruiting classes (five year cycle), recent football recruiting weekends and performance over the long term to see that improvement with recruiting simply needs & has to be made. I'm not going to dissect the numbers, but PSU's & tOSU's recent recruiting classes shows where we need to get to. Anyone that thinks we are there right now is simply wrong.
Saying a guy who’s donated more money to the program than you will ever make in your life is “part of the problem” because of an opinion he posted on the Internet might very well be the single most idiotic thing posted on this board. It certainly has to be the dumbest thing you’ve posted. Both are really saying something.
No. You just posted the most idiotic thing on this board. Donating money makes one a wrestling guru? Edit: Thanks for your support though, Bob.
You make this claim once a week spooner, me thinks you might have an issue speaking in hyperbole.
Love this stuff.
2024 Class
#1 Angelo Ferrari / #6 by Matscouts - Perhaps the #1 P4P prospect. Athleticism thru the roof. Just wish we saw more of him. Really only WNO + Ironman in the last 18 months.
#16 Cody Merrill / #3 by Matscouts - Will be #6 when JR Big Board comes out (Monday). as corby mentioned he's up to HWT. such an odd year. Made CD World Team, then FF'd FS Trials. Went to Fargo like 2 days before leaving for Cadet Worlds and destroyed everyone. in JR's. in FS. including Rylan Rogers in finals. Then made literally one appearance (at 220) during his hs season (didn't wrestle state tourney but brother did (and finished runner up in a one class state as a FR at 195). Cody is a beast. word has been Stanford but who knows?
#56 Dru Ayala / #110 by Matscouts - coming along nicely
2025 Class
#1 PJ Duke / #1 by Matscouts
he'd be a game changer. imo the type of splash iowa needs. most people believe it's Cornell, PSU, and NCST in some order.
#2 Anthony Knox / #3 by Matscouts - would fit well stylistically imo. and he's a career 125 i think. his dad just emailed me asking to talk about his decision. i obviously won't share those conversations here, but i'll learn something. frankly there's been zero chatter about his school list.
#34 Isaiah Cortez / #26 by Matscouts
#38 Elijah Cortez / #50 by Matscouts - both guys will rise a bunch when Soph BB gets updated. Their name came up in a previous thread and i said they'd be PERFECT in Iowa. I met their father and watched them work out last summer at Cormier's in Cali. to me, it's a great fit.
#59 Daniel Zepeda / #17 by Matscouts - really came on in the last 8 months. In JR High he was an absolute whiz. now it seems it's all coming together. frankly i have know idea what kinda program he's looking for.
2026 Class (Just spitballing some names here - obviously still a ways out and needs/wants will change based on who we get in the 2024 and 2025 classes)
Bo Bassett #2 Matscouts - duh. it will certainly come down to the power programs, Iowa included.
Dreshaun Ross #3 Matscouts - duh.
Cassioppi twins Rocco and Bruno - as someone correctly pointed out, they are in 8th, along with Youngblut, who just beat a ranked HSer.
Jaxon Miller #48 Matscouts
Nolan Fellers #47 Matscouts - if i was Nolan, i'd make his old man pony up some NIL money to be a hawk.
+ Jake Knight in this class. He's already ranked at his weight nationally. And i think he'll be a legit DI prospect.
2024
Frankly, I don't like much of what's left of the uncommitted in 2024. There's Angelo and then Dillan Johnson and Max Shulaw at HWT - both of whom are on the fence re: football. I'd love to see Iowa land either. (I'm SUPER high on Shulaw, who won Ironman at 215).
2025
This is where Iowa needs to make hay. There is SOOO much talent. And where they gonna go? Seriously no room at the inn at PSU, MICH (except at 174 and HWT), and tOSU and with the uncertainty of John W. at OKST, i think they'll have a harder time landing out of staters.
You listed good ones but there's so much more. The options for Iowa in this graduating class are almost limitless. If i were you guys i'd really be looking forward to the Big Board getting updated b/c you're going to target (and land) a bunch of them. I'd go thru them here, but it'd be pointless b/c iowa should really have their pick of anyone from this grade that they hone in on.
Old Spoons, same old dog, same old tricks. Only because my wife has taught me how to handle the female mind am I going to not engage entirely and outside of this one response because I don't want to deal with the rabbit hole of non senssical my opinion is fact responses from you. Look at the only two responses to your post already within hours of my post. Anyway, you are delusional if you don't think money equals power. Deservingly so as well. Bob has it. Bob has given it. I love Bob for it. Bob has made more change in the Iowa program than I'll probably ever dream of. With all of that said Bob has the staff's ear and his opinions, thoughts, concerns carry weight. If you don't see that everything that you named called me in your elementary style of a message board name calling applies to you, sir.
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Maybe part of the problem are the anonymous people who give very little thinking they know more about what's going on than those close to the program. Bob has repeatedly said we must recruit better, and he has laid out explanations on how that is happening moving forward. In the meantime, the portal is the best temporary fix..And sometimes the portal is a better guarantee than a high school recruit with zero college results.
Can you give me a good reason that TNT should be taking wrestling advice from Bob? Financial advice .. okay.
You can't challenge for titles year after year off the portal. You must recruit well
I thought you already got banned for stupidity. The ban must of been temporary but the reason for it.....
As of today recruiting needs to improve. As of today portal recruiting needs to improve. Both can happen as soon as today. If I miss read where Bob said Iowa is doing good recruiting today I apologize. I'm not referring to any time in history where Bob said Iowa needs to improve it's recruiting. Iowa didn't win the title in 2023. Iowa doesn't have the #1 recruiting class for the class of 2024, or 2025 yet. Iowa needs to improve their recruiting to surpass PSU. It's that simple. Not easy, but that simple.
Can you point me to who said TNT should take wrestling advice from Bob? And the voices in your head don't count.
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