Iowa wins our Super 32 recruiting argument, but the chase stays open
Iowa gets our nod among the college commitments, while uncommitted underclassmen give coaches plenty of reasons to keep calling.
A title helps sell a recruiting class. Depth makes the argument harder to dismiss. Iowa gets our vote for the strongest recruiting haul at the 2026 Super 32 Challenge, led by commit Israel Borge winning at 132.
Dawson Youngblut gives Iowa the edge in our debate. His runner-up finish at 138 puts another Hawkeye commit near the top of the podium. We like that breadth more than judging a college's weekend by its best individual result.
The college scoreboard goes beyond Iowa
- Virginia Tech: Melvin Miller won at 165. With a pound-for-pound rank of 1, he gives the Hokies the strongest individual counterargument to our Iowa choice.
- Nebraska: Mac Crosson won at 157. The nationally top-ranked wrestler at that weight gave his future program a title to celebrate.
- Northern Iowa: Dean Anderson won at 138. His pound-for-pound rank of 14 adds weight to a championship weekend for the Panthers commit.
- Oklahoma State: Tanner Hodgins won at 190. We would call that a strong return for a commit ranked 5 nationally at the same weight.
- Cornell: Arseni Kikiniou won at 150. The Big Red commit turned a national rank of 5 at that weight into a tournament title.
- Lehigh: Cameron Sontz won at 120. He supplies the championship half of Lehigh's argument against our Iowa choice.
- Lehigh: Gabriel Ballard finished third at 150. His medal gives Lehigh another result to put beside its title.
- Illinois: Anthony Garza finished second at 120, giving the Illini a finalist.
- NC State: Dale Corbin finished third at 138, putting a Wolfpack commit on the podium.
- Rutgers: Justin Farnsworth finished third at 126, giving the Scarlet Knights a medal from their 2027 commit.
Who should get the next call?
Matthew Oneill would be near the top of our call sheet. The uncommitted 2028 wrestler won at 144, where he ranks 3 nationally. A junior with a title gives coaches an immediate reason to pursue the conversation.
Mateo Gallegos gets our vote for the biggest recruiting jump among the uncommitted boys. Ranked 10 nationally at 126, the 2028 wrestler won that bracket. We would expect coaches to take a harder look, though that is our judgment, not a claim of new interest.
Zeinab Mourad deserves the same attention on the girls side. The junior won at 200 and carries a national rank of 19 at 190. Those are different weights, but we would still put her championship high on a college coach's review list.
- Camryn Howard: The 2028 wrestler finished second at 157 and holds a pound-for-pound rank of 12. We would make him a priority.
- Matthew Staples: Second at 165 gives the 2028 wrestler a strong recruiting talking point. We like his place near the front of the junior chase.
- Mario Hutcherson: The 2028 wrestler finished second at 190. He would be high on our list for coaches studying the heavier weights.
- Jovani Solis: Second at 144 keeps the 2028 wrestler firmly on our call sheet.
- Luke Loren: The 2029 wrestler finished second at 106. We would keep a close eye on the sophomore already ranked 1 nationally at that weight.
- Kooper Deputy: Second at 113 makes the 2029 wrestler another sophomore we would prioritize.
- Lyla Hensen: The sophomore finished second at 200. We like the recruiting value of reaching that final with more high school wrestling ahead.
- Epenesa Elison: The junior finished third at 124 and holds a pound-for-pound rank of 9. We would keep her high on the board despite leaving without the title.
- Lauren Samuel: Third at 132 as a freshman puts her on our longer-term recruiting list.
Our vote goes to Iowa for the committed talent. Gallegos would get our first call about what comes next.