Takedown Report

Recruiting class rankings released, Ohio State No. 1

The point cannot be mentioned enough, but in an individualized team sport such as wrestling, talent matters. While there are clearly factors such as attrition, development, and culture that play integral roles in the success of teams and individuals at the college level — there is a strong tie between ability level and success. When looking at the All-Americans from the last three NCAA tournaments, here is the ratio of All-Americans based on top recruiting rankings:
Top 10: (2017) 19/80 (2018) 23/80 (2019) 25/80
Top 20: (2017) 33/80 (2018) 32/80 (2019) 35/80
Top 30: (2107) 40/80 (2018) 38/80 (2019) 45/80
Top 100: (2017) 60/80 (2018) 63/80 (2019) 67/80
The two programs that have finished first and second at the national tournament each of the last three years, Penn State and Ohio State, have also been dominant within the recruiting landscape — and also have been very successful in turning those recruits into successful starting lineup participants.
The nine NCAA qualifiers for Penn State were ranked as follows coming out of high school:
133: Roman Bravo-Young — 15th in Class of 2018
141: Nick Lee — 5th in Class of 2017
149: Brady Berge — 8th in Class of 2017
157: Jason Nolf — 7th in Class of 2014
165: Vincenzo Joseph — 7th in Class of 2015
174: Mark Hall — 1st in Class of 2016
184: Shakur Rasheed — 56th in Class of 2014
197: Bo Nickal — 5th in Class of 2014
285: Anthony Cassar — WC in Class of 2014

The 10 NCAA qualifiers for Ohio State were ranked as follows coming out of high school:
125: Malik Heinselman — 48th in Class of 2018
133: Luke Pletcher — 8th in Class of 2016
141: Joey McKenna — 8th in Class of 2014
149: Micah Jordan — 6th in Class of 2014
157: Ke-Shawn Hayes — 13th in Class of 2015
165: Te’shan Campbell — 65th in Class of 2015
174: Ethan Smith — 53rd in Class of 2017
184: Myles Martin — 4th in Class of 2015
197: Kollin Moore — 32nd in Class of 2015
285: Chase Singletary — 6th in Class of 2017
Rest of the Story and list is at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21874

May 2, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized