TOM’s 2009-10 Recruiting Class Rankings (#1-5)

Published on July 7, 2009 by viratas   ·   2 Comments

By: The Open Mat Editor – Willie Saylor

#1 Oklahoma State

Coming off one of the most lackluster years in recent memory, The Cowboys and Coach John Smith appear poised to make a run at a record 35th title in the near future. They bring in nearly a full line-up of Division I talent with 9 recruits in all, that along with their 5th ranked 2008 class, should form a formidable team for years to come.

The big guns are in-state prospects Chris Perry(184) and Dallas Bailey(165). Perry, our #1 prospect at the weight, won this year’s Fila Jr. FS title by beating several NCAA qualifiers, a Fargo FS title, 3 state titles and the Reno tournament. Bailey, our #2 at 165, won 3 state titles, the Beast, and has been a Fargo AA.

Other In-state guys include Ladd Rupp(#7, 125) who won three state titles and 2 Fargo medals, Zach White(#8, 174), a 2xer, and 3xer Stephen Swan(149), who won a Dream Team match and recently re-committed to the Cowboys.

Coach Smith plucked Illinois for 3 top prospects. Jon Morrison(#4, 125) won two Dvorak titles and was featured in 2 finals of both his state championships and Fargo. Junior College transfer, Albert White(149) won a JUCO National title last year. Mike Benefiel(174), a transfer from Northwestern, was a 4xer in Illinois, and recently won the 2009 University National Freestyle Championships.

From the international department, OSU brings in Russian Zilan “Alan” Gelogaev(197), who has impressive international wins, placed third at HWT. in last season’s Central Missouri Open, losing only to eventually NCAA champion, Mark Ellis.

Where They’re Here:
They have an incredible amount of talent coming in, most of which is validated by the competition they faced and its recency. They have can’t miss prospects (Perry, Bailey) immediate impact transfers (White, Benefiel) and the building blocks of a strong foundation. As large of a class as this is, there’s a purpose for the majority of them. Many of them will find a place in the line-up within the first two years. Expect the bulk of this class to serve as the core of a team that contends for national championships in the future.

#2 Oklahoma

After having 3 wrestlers fall in the NCAA round of 12 and failing to bring home any All-American medals, Coach Jack Spates needs to get the winning tradition back on track in Norman. This class will certainly help, featuring 6 ranked wrestlers from five different states, all of which were top 8 in our Dirty Dozen College Prospects. Spates reached into his back yard to nab consensus #1 Jake Kemerer(165), who owns two state titles and a Dapper Dan win over Dallas Bailey. Also from the northeast, Alex Eckstom(NY), our #3 at 133, boasts 4 state titles and a NHSCA Junior crown. The Lester Brothers of Missouri are also on board. Nick(#6, 149) was a 3x state finalist and 3x Fargo AA, while big brother Matt(#4, 157) won 2 state titles, an NHSCA Junior crown and last year’s Fargo FS National championship.

The Sooners pick up two wrestlers who each have three state titles and a 2008 Midwwest Classic crown: Tyler Caldwell(#6, 165) of Kansas and in-state product, Jerrod Patterson (#8, 133).

Why They’re Here:
A bona fide #1 and several more within the top 8 in the country at their perspective weights. That’s a ton of talent, and most of them have significant national credentials. This class could contribute the bulk of their starters for years to come.

Why They’re Not Higher:
Just a bit more national exposure from Caldwell and Patterson may have served them well. But in all reality, how much higher could they go? The Sooner faithful should be extremely pleased.

#3 Nebraska

Coach Mark Manning and staff bring 6 accomplished wrestlers from 6 different states to Lincoln. David Klingsheim(125) a 2x champ, 4x placer, in the tough CA single class tournament, headlines the class as our #2 ranked prospect at the weight. Now teammates Cody Compton(157, MO) and C.J. Napier(133/141, KS) won NHSCA’s as seniors. Both were 4x state place-winners and with multiple Fargo AA finishes, including Napier’s Cadet national FS title.

Caleb Kolb(174, PA) followed his undefeated state championship season with a 4th place finish at senior nationals and a Dapper Dan victory. Kyle Waldo(125) became the state of Michigan’s 14th ever four-timer and placed third at senior nationals while lone in-state recruit, Michael Klingensmith(149) polished of his third consecutive undefeated season.

Why They’re Here:
Perhaps no other program filled holes with DI-ready recruits as well as Nebraska did with Klingsheim and Napier. They will start immediately. Kolb, who started wrestling at a relatively late age, has a ton of upside and Compton could fill the void left by Burroughs or Dwyer in year. This class is a lot like Cornell’s. Expect a lot of quality seasons from these guys, probably early on. At least four of them should start within a season.

Why They’re Not Higher:
We’re sold on the ability for several in this class to be solid and productive, but can they reach the upper-echelon; can they win matches at NCAAs? Many of them came on late with impressive performances, but they are still a bit more ‘raw’ than some other recruits.

#4 Minnesota

Coach Robinson backs up his stellar 2008 class with this outstanding ’09 edition. Jake Deichtler(165, MN) re-affirms his ’08 commitment after making the U.S. Olympic Team fresh out of high school. Alec Ortiz(165, OR) has won 4 state titles, the Reno tournament, and a staggering 9 combined Fargo and Fila medals, including this years Fila Junior Nationals runner-up finish.

Three Gopher legacies come aboard. David Thorn(141, MN) and Bart Reiter(133, IA) both own 4 state titles and Fargo medals, while Danny Zilverberg(141, MN) reached state finals twice. All have, or had, brothers on the Gopher squad.

Minnesota state champions, Kevin Steinhaus(165), Tony Nelson(197) and Jake Kettler(HWT), also come to campus.

Why They’re Here:
Deichtler and Ortiz, who will likely redshirt, are top flight gets. Thorn and Reiter should prove to be very solid. There’s a great balance here of blue-chippers and depth.

Why They’re Not Higher:
A lot of it has to do with their own recruiting success of the recent past. There’s certainly a lot of talent coming in, but it’s possible that just 4 of them ever see much more than 1 competitive season. Nelson won Seniors but it was a very thin field and he will have to contend with Ryland Geiger(197, r-Fr.) and/or Atticus Disney(HWT, r-FR.) for 4 years. In the end, you’re probably looking at 4 regular starters, and I don’t see this class having as much impact to their team as the classes above. But then again, there’s only 3 of them!

#5 Penn State

The incoming class for Coach Sanderson’s first campaign in Happy Valley is a small but unparalleled. Their rankings, according to Our Dirty Dozen Prospects: #1, #1, #6. A product of powerhouse St. Paris Graham, David Taylor(149/157), who has won just about every major prep accomplishment, was considered the consensus #1 recruit at any weight. A double Fargo winner as both cadet and junior, the only 4x Ironman champion in the tournament’s history, a 4x Ohio big school division state champion, the only thing in question is what weight he will wrestle in the future. Former PSU coach, Troy Sunderland did the program one last favor by signing Ed Ruth(174) before he blew up on the national scene. After losing to now-teammate Quentin Wright at the PIAA state tournament as a junior, Ruth went on to win NHSCA’s junior nationals. He then transferred to Blair Academy and won National Preps and The Ironman, before capping his prep career at Senior Nationals with an impressive 12-3 win over Ethan Lofthouse in the finals.

The final piece of the class is Arizona 197lb prospect Luke Macchiaroli, who won 3 state titles.

Why They’re Here:
Not only is Penn State the only team in the country to sign two #1’s, they signed the clearest-cut #1’s. No two recruits had distanced themselves from the rest of the senior class at their perspective weights than did Ruth and Taylor.

Why They’re Not Higher:
Signing 20% of the nations #1’s is certainly cause for optimism. But the classes ahead of them are significantly bigger. They didn’t sign anyone for depth and with the coaching change, failed to address future needs at 125 and 133. Macchiaroli, much like Cornell’s Stryker Lane, dominated in-state competition, but, other than an AA showing 2 years ago as a cadet, doesn’t have much of a resume versus national competition.