Where are Bo & Melvin going?
- Thread starter Cali_Nittany1
- Start date
Personally, I’m happy for Robie and co at VT. Bo and Melvin are the kind of kids who can change a program. Keegan will obviously be likely to follow, though he’s a step or two behind Bo and especially Melvin in terms of talent IMO. Karenbauer and Mills look like the two biggest gets from that group of projected lightweights
I know he is only an incoming Sophomore, but if he continues on the same trajectory I would love to see Penn State get Samuel Sanchez out of Esperanza High (Aaron Nagao alum) in California. As a freshman at the single division 2025 California State tournament his matches went 15-0, Fall, Fall, Fall, Fall, and 20-0 in the Finals to complete his 33-0 perfect season.
And is a 2x U17 world champ. Won 2025 at 51 kg / 112 lb. (Mills won 48 kg / 105.6 lb worlds, and won the trials over Karenbauer.)
It's early to project college weights, but Sanchez absolutely is in that discussion.
Yup. I only focused on his folkstyle credentials, but his freestyle results obviously speak for themselves. His 2025 U17 gold medal match against Rashidov, who was the returning U17 gold medalist, showed just how tough Sanchez is. Rashidov is phenomenal defensively, but Sanchez fought hard the whole match and got that go-ahead TD near the end. That was an impressive tournament for Sanchez.
i wish the Bassetts and Melvin would have just went to Pitt... two more seasons with kade Brown, Luca Augustine, Mac Stout, Dayton Pitzer .... with those additions, Pitt could have made some legit noise! Also if they would have went to Lehigh.. Those additions to an already very strong roster like Seymour, Crookham, Stanich, Rozynski, Bringola, JT Davis and Nate Taylor... they would be looking at a top 3 finish... heck they may be a top 5-8 team now!.
Yes to Sanchez. Nagao was out training with him before U17s. PSU kind of kid.
Matwrestling posted in X that it’s widely known PSU and OSU were backing off Bo and still wanted Melvin. The father made it clear it was all or nothing. Sad to use a kid in that way.
You kind of have to wonder if a kid can't go to college without his high school buddy, if he will be able to handle D1 wrestling and college life. I can see wanting to go to school with you best friend, but a person has to look at what is best for them and where they feel like they fit in.
I had some very close friends in high school and where they went to school had absolutely no impact on my decision as to where I was going.
Well, I guess technically they live in the same house and consider each other brothers. So as we all know by now, with the Bassetts , it's "family first"..
"family first" for the Bassetts includes Dad, which is a problem for the elite programs.
Ignoring that they're family, this is still a bad take. I don't blame any D1 athlete for choosing his own existing support system. Something about fitting in.
Ok, any except Angelo Ferrari. He's best off away from AJ and especially Fredo.
They are a distraction. The elite program recognized that and said...no thanks.
It kind of feels like the kids aren't the ones making decisions and that dad is calling the shots here.
Willie recently said on Baschamania that he was in contact with Bob Suriano about getting Nick to join RAF. I was a bit dumbstruck. Nick is now 28 years old.
Maybe I shouldn’t judge how other people’s families work—but at some point the goal in child rearing is independence, right?
The social media stuff Bo puts out is over the top. No elite program wants that in their program.
Bo was recruited by, offered and either was accepted or would have been accepted at PSU, OkieSt, Nebraska, Iowa and VaTech. It would be rather tough to make a more elite grouping of college wrestling programs.
Your comment was, "The social media stuff Bo puts out is over the top. No elite program wants that in their program"
I was simply pointing out most elite programs would have been just fine accepting Bo and his social media presence, and that your assertion was incorrect.
Maybe Cruiseliner Nick is under self-imposed exile on some remote tropical island and only his dad knows where he is.
This half-true and false, respectively.
PSU offered Bassett, and withdrew interest later.
Iowa didn't say no. Iowa said we're not paying for your RTC travel on top of your NIL, and then Bassett said no.
PSU did not say no thanks to Bo, I think it had more to do with not meeting the requirements for Mr Bassett, had nothing to do with Bo and his social media. Most of us think social media is a waste of time, PSU coaches probably feel the same way, however, it is a big part of the culture of the todays college students. Coaches will have to deal with it.
One does wonder how Cael would have handled Bo having a camera on 24/7 in the room. I’m sure it would have been Bo having to pull back as opposed to Cael giving more access
Cael is the **head coach** and didn't have a problem with posting that social media not just from the room, but from actual practice.
Cael also didn't have an issue with the volume of social media from the room by RBY and Bartlett, among others. He took issue with some of Carter's specific content, but not with the volume.
I agree with you that Cael would've stepped in if it became a distraction. Most of us trust Cael to decide what that comprises. I think you do too, but some others seem to have their own ideas regardless of what Cael might think.