Tag: Rutgers wrestling recruiting

Rutgers wrestling finishes with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation

On Wednesday, InterMat named the Scarlet Knights’ 2024 recruiting class the fourth-best in the country

Things are certainly trending right for Rutgers wrestling.

On Wednesday, InterMat named the Scarlet Knights’ 2024 recruiting class the fourth-best in the country. That is welcome news for the Scarlet Knights as they look to build on their 12-5 record.

When Rutgers returns to action for the 2024-2025 campaign, there will be a few new faces. That includes Andrew Barbosa, Nate Blanchette, Ryan Ford, Conner Harer, and Alex Nini. Three members of that group, Harer, Nini, and Blanchette, are ranked in the top 100 nationally.

It is a huge recruiting class for Rutgers as they look to move up in the Big Ten standings. The Big Ten, the unquestioned toughest conference in the sport, is stacked from top-to-bottom.

Four of the top six programs in the nation are from the Big Ten.

A class like this should be able to help head coach Scott Goodale make some noise in the Big Ten.

.@RUWrestling officially locks up its highest-rated rookie class since 2008! https://t.co/XOYeHvSv5E

— Bradly Derechailo (@Bradly_D) June 12, 2024

[lawrence-related id=38827,38823]

While Rutgers freshmen will be looking to make their mark, they will also have plenty of veterans to rely on, including Yaraslau Slavikouski, who will be using his final year of eligibility. He is regarded as one of the top heavyweights in the country.

 

Seven incoming Rutgers wrestlers are top 25 in their weight class

Rutgers wrestling has a tremendous incoming recruiting class.

This incoming class of freshmen for Rutgers wrestling is absolutely loaded and might represent the best class in program history.

Head coach [autotag]Scott Goodale[/autotag] managed to land seven incoming Rutgers wrestlers who nationally are ranked top-25 in their respective weight class. That is a seriously good haul for Goodale and his staff.

For those who don’t follow wrestling recruiting closely, the clearest comparison would be that Goodale has landed seven (if not eight) incoming freshmen who would be four-star recruits in the football world. That’s some impressive recruiting.

MatScouts ranks Rutgers with five freshmen ranked in the top 55 of all recruits, regardless of weight class. Individually, four of the verbals are top-10 nationally in their weight class.

Seven of the eight are among the top-200 recruits in the nation. This is a top-tier Big Ten recruiting class:

 

Rutgers is coming off a season where they had two All-Americans. They finished the season 12-5 (4-4 Big Ten) and with an impressive 6-3 record at home.

[lawrence-related id=38296,38293,38288]

All five of their losses on the season were against ranked opponents.

Eight Rutgers wrestling commits ranked top 250 in the nation

The Rutgers wrestling class has the potential to be quite strong.

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:

 

Four recruits in the top 40 nationally is certainly impressive, with a top of five recruits in the top 55 according to MatScouts.