Today is National Letter of Intent Signing Day. With recruiting being my passion, this is the day that the recruiting classes are set as recruits sign and send in their Letter of Intent. With a lineup that could see as many as seven seniors this season, the Hawks were looking to reload with the next generation of Iowa Wrestling. Mission accomplished. The Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2022 is in my opinion a very good class with ten new Hawkeyes.
The huge recruiting weekend of October 9-10 was very productive. In the following week Iowa had most of this class committed.
Every press conference by a newly named wrestling, football or basketball coach has a mention of in-state recruiting. You have to keep the talent in your home state. Dan Gable built his dynasty with Iowa high school wrestlers. Tom Brands continues that tradition today. Eight of the ten members of the Class of 2022 are from the great state of Iowa. Aiden Riggins would be the top recruit from Iowa. Ranked #3 in the country, Riggens has a very good future for the Hawks.
This is the best recruiting class in my home state in years. It looks as though Iowa is set to become a recruiting hotbed again with the future looking bright as well. I had expected the Hawks to do real well in Iowa this year but this was an impressive haul that even I was not expecting. To get all of these recruits from Iowa sends a message to the competition as well.
The one recruit that stands out to me as a huge get for this class is Kolby Franklin. This is an elite recruit from national powerhouse Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Hawk fans, this is a great recruit with a ton of potential. SEM has several elite top recruits for the Class of 2023. Let’s hope Franklin is the first of at least three SEM wrestlers to make their new home in Iowa City, Iowa soon.
Iowa has already secured verbal commitments from three top recruits for the Class of 2023 in Nate Jesuroga, Ryder Block, and Ben Kueter. All from Iowa. That is one heck of a foundation to build off of for the recruiting class next year. Speaking of which the National Letter of Intent Signing Day for the Class of 2023 is November 9, 2022. I believe the 2023 class has the potential to be one of the best ever in the history of Iowa Wrestling. I will keep you up to date right here on my blog.
You can bet that the coaching staff will be out on the recruiting trail once again seeking out the next generation of Iowa Wrestling.
The present and future of Iowa Wrestling is looking great.
*Rankings by Willie Saylor of MatScouts.
Class of 2022
Jace Rhodes
Mason City, Iowa
2nd, 5th and 5th at State
138 lbs.
Carter Martinson
Southeast Polk HS, Iowa
3rd and 4th at state
138 lbs.
Joel Jesuroga
Southeast Polk HS, Iowa
State champ, 4th
#23 at 145
Carson Martinson
Southeast Polk HS, Iowa
3rd and 5th at state
152 lbs.
Drake Rhodes
Billings West HS, Montana
2X state champ, state runner-up
#22 at 152
Aiden Riggins
Waverly-Shellrock HS, Iowa
State champ, state runner-up, 3rd place
Junior Nationals runner-up
2021 Cadet FS World Team Trials runner-up
#3 at 160 lbs.
Mickey Griffith
Des Moines Lincoln HS, Iowa
State champion, state runner-up
#17 at 182 lbs.
Kolby Franklin
Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania
State runner-up
Cadet Freestyle and Greco-Roman champion
#5 at 197
Brad Hill
Bettendorf, Iowa
State champion, 6th place
#9 at 220 lbs.
Easton Fleshman
West Lyon HS, Iowa
7th at State, 3X Qualifier
Iowa State Freestyle champion
#25 at Hwt.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
