Rutgers wrestling is having quite the incoming class, with eight of the verbals currently among the highest-ranked recruits in the nation.
The news follows a strong bounceback season for Rutgers wrestling and head coach Scott Goodale. The Scarlet Knights finished 12-5 (4-4 Big Ten) and secured two All-Americans on the season.
They did this with one of the toughest schedules in the nation. All five of Rutgers’ losses on the year came against ranked programs. Four of those losses came in the Big Ten, the consensus toughest conference in wrestling.
Rutgers was boosted by a strong home environment, posting a 6-3 record at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The environment made for quite a recruiting backdrop for Goodale, and it showed in this class.
As Rutgers wrestling analyst Nick Kosko points out, the recent rankings released for the class of 2024 underscore just how strong of a class this is for the program:
With @MatScouts1 releasing his final 2024 SR Big Board (Top 250 prospects overall), here’s where @RUWrestling commits rank:
No. 26 Conner Harer (157/165)
No. 32 Nate Blanchette (174)
No. 34 Ayden Smith (125)
No. 40 Andrew Barbosa (157)
No. 53 Mason Gibson (125/133)
No. 117 Alex…— Nick Kosko (@nickkosko59) May 21, 2024
Four recruits in the top 40 nationally is certainly impressive, with a top of five recruits in the top 55 according to MatScouts.