While the start of Andrew Barbosa’s Rutgers career is still months away, he made headlines on Saturday. The California native, a Rutgers wrestling commit, took on the fourth-ranked wrestler in the country and emerged with a victory. Barbosa also earned a title at the Doc B Wrestling Tournament.
Although Barbosa’s success is not surprising, it provided a preview of the future. The Palm Desert High School product was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect at 145 pounds by MatScouts. His resume includes a first-place finish at the CIF SS Boys Ford Masters championship, competing at 145 pounds.
When Barbosa joins the mix, he will be an essential part of one of the best wrestling programs in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights are off to a 6-1 start and are undefeated on the road. Having a wrestler like Barbosa in the 2024 class should allow that success to continue.
Congratulations to Andrew Barbosa on his commitment to Rutgers! 💪🏼🔥 pic.twitter.com/dvDBnWMemX
— Palm Desert Wrestling (@PalmWrestling) April 18, 2023
Additionally, Rutgers showed support for their future star. On Twitter, Rutgers wrestling posted a picture of Barbosa after his win. In the post, they said, “It’s all about the hat! Congratulations to signee Andrew Barbosa, who defeated the No. 4 wrestler in the country en route to an individual title at the prestigious Doc B Wrestling Tournament!”
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With another title added to his resume, the anticipation for Barbosa’s debut during the 2024-2025 campaign is building by the day.