Beyond the 2024 Big Board
Last week saw MatScouts release the final Big Board for the recruiting Class of 2024. Its release signifies the end is near for the current crop of high school seniors (and now perhaps graduates?), at least from a talent evaluation and rankings standpoint. Of course, InterMat’s recruiting rankings are in the works and nearly ready for release. That will officially turn the page and put the focus squarely on the Class of 2025 and beyond.
Before we look past the Class of 2024, there was plenty to takeaway from the final Big Board. Some are obvious, but other items need more attention before realizing a trend.
Below are plenty of items related to the 2024 Big Board and, in some cases, how it compares to past recruiting classes or interesting notes about a wrestler, state, or school.
Luke Lilledahl finishes as the #1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024. This marks only the third time since Cael Sanderson has been at Penn State that the school has signed the #1 overall recruit. It’s also the first time since Mark Hall in 2016. The other two are Morgan McIntosh (2011) and David Taylor (2009). Additionally, they did get Greg Kerkvliet who was #1 in 2019 to transfer within the first year.
Lilledahl is also the first wrestler from the state of Missouri to earn the #1 overall distinction during this modern era of recruiting (2005-present).
Speaking of Penn State, the Nittany Lions have five of the top-15 recruits. The last time a school had that many, highly-regarded recruits was in 2018 when they had six of the top-22 recruits. Most notably, #2 Aaron Brooks and #12 Roman Bravo-Young.
For the second straight year, Oklahoma State has signed the #2 overall prospect and both are upperweights. This year it’s Cody Merrill - last year it was Christian Carroll.
Aeoden Sinclair is the highest-ranked signee for the University of Missouri during this modern era of recruiting. He comes in at #3 in the Class of 2024. Keegan O’Toole and J’den Cox were both #5 in their respective recruiting classes.
Penn State has two of the top-five recruits (Lilledahl and Connor Mirasola). Over the past ten years, the Nittany Lions have signed ten top-five recruits. That actually ranks second during that period of time to Ohio State who has 11.
In a stunning development, the first wrestler on the Big Board to appear from New Jersey is Lou Cerchio at #56. During this modern era of recruiting rankings, this is the first time that there is no New Jersey native among the top-50.
The State of Wisconsin had three top-ten recruits this year (Sinclair, Connor Mirasola, and Koy Hopke). In the ten years prior, they only had one other top-ten recruit (O’Toole).
Though he went to high school in Pennsylvania at Wyoming Seminary, Joseph Sealey is only the third wrestler from North Carolina to be deemed a top-50 recruit from that state in the modern era. He joins Quincy Monday (#40/2018) and Eloheim Palma (#39/2009).
For the first time, Stanford has signed a pair of top-20 recruits. #11 Aden Valencia and #18 Colin Guffey. The school’s only other comparable class was in 2018 with #19 Shane Griffith and #21 Real Woods.
Hopke is the first Minnesota recruit to earn a top-ten ranking since…fellow heavyweight Gable Steveson who was #1 in 2018.
LJ Araujo finished the year ranked #13. He’s the highest-ranked recruit from North Dakota since #48 Jared Franek in 2018.
Karson Tompkins was the #20 overall recruit and has committed to the Air Force Academy. He’s the second-highest-ranked recruit to sign with the Air Force in the modern era. Brooks Climmons, who was #19 in 2013, edges him out by one spot.
West Virginia signed a pair of top-30 recruits (#25 Rune Lawrence and #28 Hoke Hogan) for the first time since 2015. That year the Mountaineers brought in #23 Keegan Moore and #25 Austin Myers.
Rutgers has signed three top-35 recruits for the first time in the modern era (#26 Conner Harer, #32 Nate Blanchette, #34 Ayden Smith). They came close in 2019 with #6 JoJo Aragona, #26 Ryan Vulakh, and #43 Jackson Turley. Also that year, #34 Sammy Alvarez quickly transferred back to New Jersey after briefly appearing at NC State.
Also, Blanchette is the highest-ranked recruit from Massachusetts since 2009 when Michigan signee Sean Boyle was also ranked #32.
Eddie Neitenbach was one of the biggest risers in the last update of the Big Board. He went from unranked to #47. The Wyoming signee is the Cowboys first top-50 recruit since Zach Beard (#32) in the Class of 2013.
Speaking of….the only wrestlers that went from unranked to the top-100 were Neitenbach, South Dakota State’s Quin Morgan (#49), North Carolina’s Collin Carrigan (#76), Edinboro’s Chris Vargo (#87), NC State’s Draegen Orine (#92), Northern Illinois’ Charles Curtis (#97)
Conversely, the only recruit that went from top-100 to missing out on the Big Board was Iowa’s Dru Ayala who was formerly #86.
Anders Thompson, a late addition to the Oklahoma recruiting class, comes in ranked #55. He’s the first top-100 recruit from Montana since #47 Parker Filius (Purdue) in 2017.
Top 50 recruits by College
5: Penn State, Stanford
4: Rutgers
3: Ohio State
2: Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
1: Air Force, Bucknell, California Baptist, Cornell, Iowa, Lock Haven, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, Purdue, South Dakota State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Top 100 recruits by College
6: North Carolina, Penn State, Stanford
5: Missouri, NC State, Rutgers
4: Iowa State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech
3: Air Force, Cornell, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn, West Virginia
2: Arizona State, Illinois, Indiana, Lehigh, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Wyoming
1: Brown, Bucknell, California Baptist, Campbell, Edinboro, Lock Haven, Maryland, Michigan State, North Dakota State, Northwestern, Purdue, SIU Edwardsville, Virginia, Wisconsin
Top 100 recruits by State
18: Pennsylvania
13: California
8: Ohio, Oklahoma
7: Illinois
6: Wisconsin
4: Minnesota, New Jersey
3: Georgia, Michigan, Missouri
2: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, New York, North Carolina, Texas
1: Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia
