On Friday night, No. 1 ranked Penn State wrestling dominated No. 2 Iowa at the Bryce Jordan Center in Happy Valley, winning the match 30-8. Then, four days later on Tuesday night, the Hawkeyes got their revenge, when Bo Bassett, the No. 1 wrestling recruit in the 2026 class from Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, PA, chose Iowa over Penn State.
Bassett committed to the Hawkeyes over Penn State, Oklahoma State, and Virginia Tech. The high school junior wrestles at 144 pounds for Bishop McCort and is teammates with Penn State commit Sam Herring and No. 2 recruit Jax Forrest, who is a top target for head coach Cael Sanderson.
Bassett is a lifelong Iowa wrestling fan and that weighed heavily into his decision. “I know I'm from Pennsylvania, but I'm excited to feel that Iowa love. I know if you're from Iowa, you know Iowa wrestling. Pretty excited to come out in Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time and hopefully create a legacy that lasts forever,” Bassett said on his commitment stream.
It will take a lot more than losing out on one top recruit to derail the dynasty that Sanderson has built in Happy Valley, winning 11 of the last 13 national championships and three straight from 2022-24. The last program to dethrone the Nittany Liosn was Iowa in 2021, but Friday night’s result proved that there’s a significant gap, and there still is on the recruiting trail.
In the 2025 class, Sanderson landed commitments from the No. 1 and 2 overall recruits, Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke, in a six-athlete recruiting class that also features the No. 15, 18, 32, and 41 ranked recruits. The Nittany Lions are already reaping the rewards of landing 2024 top recruit Luke Lilledahl, who dominated Iowa’s Joey Cruz at 125-pounds on Friday night.
For now, Herring headlines Penn State’s 2026 class, but the Nittany Lions were included in Forrest’s group of finalists and are targeting many of the nation’s best.