News broke that the highest ranked class of 2026 recruit reopened his recruitment after backing down from Iowa. Putting himself back on the market, Bo Bassett revealed that he has three finalists in his mind as to where he'll take his NCAA career.
The Penn State Nittany Lions made the list.
Bo Bassett decommitted from Iowa on Sunday evening
Bassett initially committed to Iowa back in February. The Hawkeyes got a huge boost of confidence with the news, especially given that the rising senior is from Pennsylvania. Bassett attends Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown Pa. and has an undefeated record, 126-0. To no surprise, FloWrestling marked him as the No. 1 overall recruit from his class.
According to Penn State Nittany Lions on SI, Bassett won the Cadet World Wrestling Championships at 14 years old and placed third at the U20 World Championships last year. His junior season at Bishop McCort ended with a 52-0 record, another PIAA title to his name, and a third Ironman title.
On Sunday night, he made an announcement via Facebook that Iowa would no longer be his future home:
"After a lot of prayer and talking with my family, I’ve decided to decommit from the University of Iowa. This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a wrestler, a person, or for my faith journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll never speak a bad word about their program. This is about finding the place God wants me to be. This is a huge decision in my life and it has to be the right one.
"I would like to thank all of the Iowa fans who have supported me. You have been amazing and I am grateful for the support you showed me. I have opened up my recruitment."
Penn State now has a shot to land the No. 1 recruit right from its backyard. The Nittany Lions' competition is now with Oklahoma State and Nebraska.
“You know, I think for me, it came down to things like, where I can be the best wrestler, the best person, where I can become the best in my faith, right, where they got a rich history, where they can produce good wrestlers, where I’m going to be valued, where there’s great atmospheres, right where I can grow myself, you know, maybe with my brand," Bassett said according to On3.
Penn State wrestling can pick up another top recruit, Melvin Miller
The top recruit from the class of 2026 isn't the only one on the board for Penn State to pick up.
After Bassett announced his decommitment from Iowa, class of 2027's Melvin Miller followed suit. He is the No. 1 recruit from his class and also attends Bishop McCort just one year behind Bassett. Miller is also Bassett's younger brother, prompting him to bring his original top nine down to a top eight in his own recruitment.
"Family First!" Miller captioned an Instagram post with the logos of the eight remaining schools he's considering.
If the Nittany Lions were to land Bassett, the chances of acquiring Miller in the future become much greater. Miller is currently considering Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Nebraska, Missouri, and North Carolina State alongside the Nittany Lions.