Recruiting
- Thread starter Ryno53
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Turi has placed 7th at last two PIAAs at 127 then 139. Has multiple wins over Eren Sement in the past who is a multiple time super 32 placer. Nafshi was a junior who took 8th last year, seems to be a grinder that keeps getting better. He is hard to gauge though becuase Harriton has one of the weakest possible schedules a wrestling team could have. He would be a room guy in my opinion. Between him and Turi I would prefer Turi. Huerta I don't know much about but seems he is a solid lightweight prospect with some good career acoolades that has been going to other good D1 schools
Huerta has been a nationally known name for a while. Comes from one of the top HS programs in the nation. I like Turi a lot. Don’t know much about Nafshi
His Instagram still shows committed to Ohio State. His brother goes to Ohio State. I would be really shocked if he change to another school. If he did I would imagine Pitt not a favorite to land him. Only being honest.
He does still have the post but his bio does not specifically link him to tOSU and rumors come from MatScouts showing him as uncommitted in latest big board update. I agree that Pitt will not be one of the bigger schools after him, but their was a lot of mutual interest the first time through the recruiting process and lineup wise it makes perfect sense for both parties
Would be an huge land for Pitt if they could pull it off. I recall Drew Headlee coaching him at Fargo in 2023.
Pitt commit Elijah Brown is #49 on the new matscout big board
Santino was one of the local guys I wanted to see at Pitt so glad to see this pickup. I am probably higher on him than others but big fan of a guy who beats the Uber prospect in Sidun. Tells me a lot about a kid who can pull that upset off
And with Sloboda he has 6 career losses and 5 of them have been at the state tournament. He doesn’t have the toughest schedule but he also just wins
Talk to the new A.D. and say get some money in here to freaking get some of these top level recruits for once, NIL is huge for these top level recruits no matter if they say it is or not.
Official confirmation has been posted that Bouzakis has decommitted from tOSU. Apparently Lehigh is the likely destination with UNC also getting a visit. Hope Gavin and Co can get their hat in the ring
His brother leaving is possible but apparently, Vince's decision has nothing to do with Nic's situation
Cali's CJ Huerta, who was at the Blue-Gold Match, committed to Princeton.
I think there will be money coming in, but I fear that getting it for wrestling won't be a priority.
In the updated Big Board Rankings Huerta had fallen to 141 and Turi had risen to 110. Hopefully Turi commits to Pitt soon as he seems to be a riser
This is my fear as well. Im hoping that the fans can show that it should be a priority, like they are for the women's vball team. If the butts are in the seats for competitive teams, they cant ignore it
Without a doubt, the majority of the money is going to be going to football and basketball plain and simple, but if they put out a winning product and multiple all Americans every single year, no different than women’s volleyball, it will take flight. People will come, more money will be invested into the program, but this shit without any all Americans that can’t happen, so they have to develop better or recruit better whichever one it is or a little bit of both, but that’s where it is in my honest opinion
I would think donations directly to the university can be earmarked, not sure about A412
The latest 2027 big board came out yesterday. I will highlight our main targets and how this can be a major class for us some point today.
Thank you for all the information you provide!!!
2027 Big Board Key Names:
1. Melvin Miller (PA) (McCourt) : We don't have a shot at this kid unfortunately. Would be shocked if he goes anywhere other than whatever school Bassett ends up at
2. Joey Bachmann (PA) (FCA): We have gotten visits from FCA kids over the past two years (Botero, Weidemoyer, Effendian, Singer) but nobody has committed. I would hope we could get a potential visit out of Bachmann but I am not too optimistic on that.
5. Saleh Tsarni (MD) (Bullis): A projected 165/174 who has really stormed onto the scene I would love to be on on his recruitment especially as he is in a longterm area of need but nothing concrete makes me think there is a connection here.
17. Landon Sidun (PA) (Norwin): Sidun has kind of fallen in these rankings after not competing at Fargo and MFF out of S32. However I think that is a major mistake as this kid is an absolute animal. He has taken 3rd and 4th at Cadet Trials in back to back years and won States and Powerade last season at 114 going 42-2 overall. He also took 3rd at Beast of the East (at 120) where he beat Dillard who won PIAA states and was a Cadet Bronze Medalist this season. He is a WPIAL kid who trains at the PWC and I have seen attending matches. He should absolutely be the person Gavin calls at midnight on June 15th, 2026 and we should work hard as possible for a quick commitment from this kid.
21. Greyson Music (PA) (McDevitt): Music took the world by storm at PIAAs last season when he upset Louie Gil in the state semis to make the finals as a freshman. Kid is an absolute gamer who consistently makes huge jumps. He also has a big frame and went from 120-132 from season to offseason. I could see him being a middleweight by the time he graduates.
31. Gabe Ballard (PA) (Northampton): This kid is underrated in these rankings in my opinion. He is an absolute beast who took 3rd at beast and 4th at States at 114. He nearly beat Sidun at States losing 9-8. He took 3rd at Fargo over the Summer. I don't know where he will end up at weight wise but I would guess it is 133 and up based on his competition weights this offseason. Pitt has struggled to establish a connection to this District 11 are but this would be a great start for that.
34. Nick Singer (PA) (FCA): Singer took a huge fall in this ranking, through little fault of his own. He won NHCSA and took 3rd at Fargo, he also couldn't make the stacked FCA lineup and may struggle to make it again this year. He is still an absolute stud. His older brother visited Pitt but committed to Lehigh. Lehigh is really stacked in this 165-197lb weight range I would project Singer to fall in and I think he may look elsewhere. This is where a joint Bachmann and Singer visit would be great for the program with hopefully a chance to land Singer.
37. Zach Aquila (OH) (Brecksville): From not far from Pitt, he is a kid who is at 150 already and could end up really anywhere weight wise. Took 2nd at NHCSA and 4th at Fargo. This is the type of Ohio kid we are hoping Rosselli helps us improve our pull with.
48. Dom Morrison (PA) (Hatboro): Hatboro has a really weak schedule and Morrison doesn't wrestle full time as I believe he still plays soccer as well. He won states at 106 as a freshman and had a great ETR tournament. He is a kid who I think is going to keep making jumps throughout HS and even bigger ones once he gets to college and is wrestling full time with a better room and schedule.
63. Kai Vielma (PA) (Connellsville): Although his older brother is a WVU commit, Vielma is the kind of WPIAL kid we have to at least make a real effort on to make the jumps we need to make as a program. He had a good season at 132 this year and I could see him growing to a 149-165 type like his brother.
76. Hunter Snyder (PA) (Latrobe): I think he is being underrated by this big board. He is a former Fargo runner up and took 6th at states this year at 172. As a freshman mind you. His 6th place finish doesn't showcase how he big State Runner up Bodie Morgan the week before at WPIALS and barely lost to him in the semis before completing the semi slide. He didn't have the greatest off-season but I would expect him to come out this year up at 189 and make some noise. I don't know where to project him long term. Could see anywhere from 184-HWT being his weight destination. Either way a kid who has done this much as a freshman and is from Latrobe, where your assistant coach is an all time legend and is a local kid, has to be a kid we get to seriously consider Pitt.
89. James Whitbred (PA) (State College): Whitbred is a kid who went 0-2 at States, then went out and took 5th at Fargo in free and second in Greco. He has a frame to grow and is already competing at 145 after being 133 last season. Could see him ending up in that 57-65 range. He already trains with the PWC and that makes me believe he is someone we should seriously be interested in. Establishing the RTC and building connections with athletes who want to train there is crucial to recruiting and it means that athletes who commit will already have an idea of the staff's coaching style which can help with retention in the transfer portal era.
Overall these are not all kids who are going to have an interest in Pitt and the staff may write some of them off (I bolded the 5 names I felt were most realistic for the Panthers to go after). But for our recent mediocre recruiting classes (in terms of ranking and tbd on actual results) we will need to make a big splash in this class. Especially as it lines up with our mass exodus of wrestlers in 2027 to graduation/eligibility ending ( likely Vinnie, Finn, Keslar, Stout and Pitzer at least).
1. Melvin Miller (PA) (McCourt) : We don't have a shot at this kid unfortunately. Would be shocked if he goes anywhere other than whatever school Bassett ends up at
2. Joey Bachmann (PA) (FCA): We have gotten visits from FCA kids over the past two years (Botero, Weidemoyer, Effendian, Singer) but nobody has committed. I would hope we could get a potential visit out of Bachmann but I am not too optimistic on that.
5. Saleh Tsarni (MD) (Bullis): A projected 165/174 who has really stormed onto the scene I would love to be on on his recruitment especially as he is in a longterm area of need but nothing concrete makes me think there is a connection here.
17. Landon Sidun (PA) (Norwin): Sidun has kind of fallen in these rankings after not competing at Fargo and MFF out of S32. However I think that is a major mistake as this kid is an absolute animal. He has taken 3rd and 4th at Cadet Trials in back to back years and won States and Powerade last season at 114 going 42-2 overall. He also took 3rd at Beast of the East (at 120) where he beat Dillard who won PIAA states and was a Cadet Bronze Medalist this season. He is a WPIAL kid who trains at the PWC and I have seen attending matches. He should absolutely be the person Gavin calls at midnight on June 15th, 2026 and we should work hard as possible for a quick commitment from this kid.
21. Greyson Music (PA) (McDevitt): Music took the world by storm at PIAAs last season when he upset Louie Gil in the state semis to make the finals as a freshman. Kid is an absolute gamer who consistently makes huge jumps. He also has a big frame and went from 120-132 from season to offseason. I could see him being a middleweight by the time he graduates.
31. Gabe Ballard (PA) (Northampton): This kid is underrated in these rankings in my opinion. He is an absolute beast who took 3rd at beast and 4th at States at 114. He nearly beat Sidun at States losing 9-8. He took 3rd at Fargo over the Summer. I don't know where he will end up at weight wise but I would guess it is 133 and up based on his competition weights this offseason. Pitt has struggled to establish a connection to this District 11 are but this would be a great start for that.
34. Nick Singer (PA) (FCA): Singer took a huge fall in this ranking, through little fault of his own. He won NHCSA and took 3rd at Fargo, he also couldn't make the stacked FCA lineup and may struggle to make it again this year. He is still an absolute stud. His older brother visited Pitt but committed to Lehigh. Lehigh is really stacked in this 165-197lb weight range I would project Singer to fall in and I think he may look elsewhere. This is where a joint Bachmann and Singer visit would be great for the program with hopefully a chance to land Singer.
37. Zach Aquila (OH) (Brecksville): From not far from Pitt, he is a kid who is at 150 already and could end up really anywhere weight wise. Took 2nd at NHCSA and 4th at Fargo. This is the type of Ohio kid we are hoping Rosselli helps us improve our pull with.
48. Dom Morrison (PA) (Hatboro): Hatboro has a really weak schedule and Morrison doesn't wrestle full time as I believe he still plays soccer as well. He won states at 106 as a freshman and had a great ETR tournament. He is a kid who I think is going to keep making jumps throughout HS and even bigger ones once he gets to college and is wrestling full time with a better room and schedule.
63. Kai Vielma (PA) (Connellsville): Although his older brother is a WVU commit, Vielma is the kind of WPIAL kid we have to at least make a real effort on to make the jumps we need to make as a program. He had a good season at 132 this year and I could see him growing to a 149-165 type like his brother.
76. Hunter Snyder (PA) (Latrobe): I think he is being underrated by this big board. He is a former Fargo runner up and took 6th at states this year at 172. As a freshman mind you. His 6th place finish doesn't showcase how he big State Runner up Bodie Morgan the week before at WPIALS and barely lost to him in the semis before completing the semi slide. He didn't have the greatest off-season but I would expect him to come out this year up at 189 and make some noise. I don't know where to project him long term. Could see anywhere from 184-HWT being his weight destination. Either way a kid who has done this much as a freshman and is from Latrobe, where your assistant coach is an all time legend and is a local kid, has to be a kid we get to seriously consider Pitt.
89. James Whitbred (PA) (State College): Whitbred is a kid who went 0-2 at States, then went out and took 5th at Fargo in free and second in Greco. He has a frame to grow and is already competing at 145 after being 133 last season. Could see him ending up in that 57-65 range. He already trains with the PWC and that makes me believe he is someone we should seriously be interested in. Establishing the RTC and building connections with athletes who want to train there is crucial to recruiting and it means that athletes who commit will already have an idea of the staff's coaching style which can help with retention in the transfer portal era.
Overall these are not all kids who are going to have an interest in Pitt and the staff may write some of them off (I bolded the 5 names I felt were most realistic for the Panthers to go after). But for our recent mediocre recruiting classes (in terms of ranking and tbd on actual results) we will need to make a big splash in this class. Especially as it lines up with our mass exodus of wrestlers in 2027 to graduation/eligibility ending ( likely Vinnie, Finn, Keslar, Stout and Pitzer at least).
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your are the main 22 keep the recruiting news coming
Harvey Ludington just decommitted from Arizona state. Brick memorial kid at a weight class in need…
As we talked about many times and not trying to be a Debbie downer but when you see that high-level recruit, I just have no confidence that they get it done. I hope they prove me wrong but that’s why one of the questions I wanted to be asked was what is the roadblock of us signing those top 50 recruits?
Well they do get top 50 kids. They have one already in the 2026 class. Plus Stout, Pitzer, Santaniello, Augustine were all top 50. But you need to get top 10-25 kids to be next level. Ludington and Bouzakis are both top 20 in their class.
We’ve gotten a brick high school alum every year so far for the last 3 years, hopefully the trend continues. There certainly is a connection for both kids coming here. Hopefully the Ludington is very close to the Santaniellos. I know someone also mentioned Headlee was in Bouzakis’ corner previously.
But I was also very optimistic about some of the recent Waynesburg/Latrobe wrestlers coming here with their alum on staff, but unfortunately Welsh, Kilkeary and Church went elsewhere. Speaking of Kilkeary, I saw McCrone was starting tonight for tOSU. I wonder if he might be looking to hit the portal.
But I was also very optimistic about some of the recent Waynesburg/Latrobe wrestlers coming here with their alum on staff, but unfortunately Welsh, Kilkeary and Church went elsewhere. Speaking of Kilkeary, I saw McCrone was starting tonight for tOSU. I wonder if he might be looking to hit the portal.
Willie says Vince Bouzakis is down to Lehigh or UNC. An in-state rival and an ACC rival are rough teams to lose recruiting battles to
The problem is is we seem to lose to them all the time
I don't know if Santoro is just a better recruiter or if East PA has just surpassed the WPIAL but he keeps getting these high-level recruits (Crookham, Weidmoyer, Dillard)
Koll is an elite recruiter and I could see him taking UNC to the level that NC State and VT are at recruiting-wise in the next few years
Koll is an elite recruiter and I could see him taking UNC to the level that NC State and VT are at recruiting-wise in the next few years
This is one of those recruitments that I would be hoping that Roselli has a big impact on. So far, it doesnt seem like he having that impact. HCKG is certainly not a dynamic personality but there has to be another ingredient that is missing towards bringing these kinds of wresters into the program
2026 recruiting class is good so far, so maybe Rosselli is having an impact. They got a Fargo champ and I see Karson brown is in the Ironman semis tomorrow. He looks to be a great get
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