The contact window for the 2026 recruiting class in NCAA wrestling has formally opened, and all eyes are on Bishop McCort Catholic’s rising junior and the nation’s top-ranked prospect, Bo Bassett. With a 2024 PIAA Class 2A title, a U17 world championship title, a Tremendous 32 Championship title, a spot on the U20 staff, and eight Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state championships, Bassett is undoubtedly a dream recruit. Given his spectacular resume, it’s no shock that Bo is commonly seen within the Penn State wrestling room since his highschool is in close by Johnstown.
He’s even shared some constructive preliminary impressions of Penn State wrestling because the 2026 recruiting window opened. However as quickly because the clock struck midnight, the competitors heated up. Penn State isn’t the one faculty vying for Bo’s consideration. Enter Magic Man David Taylor—the two-time NCAA champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist—who’s now the pinnacle coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Taylor jumped into the recruiting frenzy, aiming to snag the nation’s primary 2026 prospect for himself.
David Taylor hopes to convey Bo Bassett to the Cowboys
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In a submit on X by The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo, he shared a collection of photographs exhibiting 29 school coaches who referred to as Bo Bassett as quickly because the wrestling recruiting window opened. The handwritten record detailed the universities, name instances, and coaches. Bo’s best choice, marked with a star, was Rutgers College, with Coach Steve Mytych calling proper at 12:00 AM. Different notable calls got here from Ohio State, the place Bo famous, “Tom + Logan talked a lot,” together with Nebraska, Michigan, Cornell, Missouri, Iowa, Lehigh, Princeton (scheduled at 2:30 AM), NC State (at 12:45 AM), Stanford (12:49 AM), Little Rock, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clarion, and North Carolina.
On Sunday, the calls stored rolling in from Bucknell, Pitt, American, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Northern Iowa, Missouri, Oregon State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Harvard, and Minnesota. One standout second was a notice beside Oklahoma State at quantity 27: “DT (David Taylor) finally!!!” This confirmed that even the Magic Man, David Taylor, made certain to not miss out on the prospect to recruit Bo. With the rising record, it’s clear that schools throughout the nation need Bassett, however what does Bo take into consideration his future school choices and the way Penn State stacks up?
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May Penn State snag the nation’s top-ranked NCAA wrestling prospect?
Earlier this week, Bo Bassett was noticed again within the Penn State wrestling room coaching alongside some of the well-known Nittany Lions, three-time Nationwide Champion and Olympian Zain Retherford. The pair have been gearing up for his or her upcoming worldwide competitions. Bassett will characterize the US on the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, in September. In the meantime, Retherford will compete for Group USA on the 2024 Summer time Olympics in Paris in July.
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Bassett has been frequenting the Penn State wrestling room and mentioned on the Baschamania podcast, “So you know, I’ve been in the room. I’ve trained with their guys… It’s only about an hour and 15 minutes [away].” Furthermore, Bassett already has shut ties to Penn State and Cael Sanderson. His periodic coaching with the NLWC and his cousin, Erik Gibson, being a freshman for the Nittany Lions final season strengthened these ties. Regardless of these connections, it’s not but determined that Bo Bassett will find yourself in Comfortable Valley.
With so many choices, he’s maintaining an open thoughts because the 2026 recruiting cycle begins. He shared, “I don’t prefer any other schools over anyone else, and I’m really excited to be open. As far as college recruiting, I’m excited to go see where I best fit.” Bo additionally shared how he plans to take visits and never commit on day one and even “within the first month to six months.” Reflecting on Bo Bassett’s phrases and the fierce competitors to recruit the nation’s high 2026 prospect, the place do you assume he’ll find yourself? Share your ideas within the feedback beneath!