2026 recruiting rundown: Iowa men's wrestling

As Hawkeye Report welcomes an influx of passionate Iowa wrestling fans from their former Rivals platform, I thought it’d be a good time for a status check on the most pressing recruiting targets for Tom Brands & Company – the Class of 2026.

And given recent developments, it feels even more appropriate to reevaluate Iowa’s options as it pertains to high school seniors-to-be.

But first, let’s take a look at the hay in the barn, if you will.

Current commits

Michael Mocco (Florida – Cardinal Gibbons HS)

• Ranked #15 overall, #3 at 285 pounds (FloWrestling)
• 2024 U17 World Champion (110kg)
• 2023 16U Fargo national champion (Freestyle and Greco)
• 3x Florida high school state champion
• 2024 Ironman champion
• 2x Super 32 finalist

Of Iowa’s two-man 2026 class to date, the headliner is unquestionably Michael Mocco.

When the Hawkeye legacy committed back in April, he set the program up with its heavyweight of the future.

Mocco still appears to be growing into a full-sized heavyweight, but his variety of attacks are impressive to see on display.

After a dominant junior season, he finished fifth at the US Open and fourth at World Team Trials in his first foray into the U20 division.

Bottom line, Iowa is in great position for the post-Ben Kueter era thanks to Mocco – especially if he can reach anywhere near the heights his famous father once did while donning the Black & Gold singlet.

Owen McMullen (Pennsylvania – Bishop McCort HS)

• Unranked (144/150 pounds)
• Missed 2024-25 high school season (injury)

The first 2026 prospect to pledge to the Hawkeyes, McMullen has had few opportunities to excite Iowa fans since.

That’s because a knee injury kept the Pennsylvania prep sidelined for the entirety of his junior season. Only recently has he returned to competition – competing in several freestyle events.

One of those was U23 Nationals in early June, where McMullen entered the mostly college populated division. There, he competed at 70 kilograms (~154.3 pounds), going 2-2 – including a 7-6 loss to Lehigh junior Owen Reinsel.

While presently unranked in either his weight class (top 20) or the 2026 Class (top 100) by Flo, the coming season will provide a much better opportunity for McMullen to establish his true standing amongst high school prospects.

Who’s left?

To be blunt, it’s slim pickings when it comes to highly ranked uncommitted wrestlers remaining in the Class of 2026.

Of the top 38 prospects on Flo’s 2026 Big Board, 35 are committed elsewhere, one (Michael Mocco) is already pledged to the Hawks, and the other two – #1 Bo Bassett and California heavyweight #8 Coby Merrill – aren’t coming to Iowa City.

So where does that leave Iowa?

Well, it could target any of the remaining uncommitted top 100 prospects – of which 29 remain, ranked between 39^th and 93^rd in the class.

But as I chronicled in a lengthy feature published earlier today, Iowa needs to sign more blue-chip recruits (top 30 or higher) if it wants to compete with the likes of Penn State and Oklahoma State.

As things stand today with the Class of 2026, that’ll require putting the old recruiting ‘spatula’ to use – because the Hawkeyes will have to ‘flip’ somebody.

Based on recent history, that wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for the Iowa staff. Two of its top three 2025 recruits – Harvey Ludington and Claudio “CJ” Torres – both originally pledged elsewhere.

Ranked 15th overall in his class and #1 at 190 pounds, Ludington was a long-time Arizona State commit before reopening his recruitment – eventually landing with the Hawkeyes in December.

Torres (69th overall and #6 at 165 pounds) changed course even later, flipping from Virginia Tech to Iowa in late May.

So, now that you’re familiar with the current lay of the land, who’d make sense for Iowa to go after?

Possible targets

The best place to start may very well be with prospects who’ve had previous interest in the Hawkeyes. And in that vein, there’s an obvious person(s) I’m continuing to call if I’m Tom Brands – the Raney brothers.

For those who don’t know, twins Jordyn and Jayden were viewed as heavy Iowa leans earlier this spring until a late move by Oklahoma State secured the commitment of the Kentucky natives.

Why not take whatever NIL package you’d reserved for the now-decommitted Bo Bassett and split it between the Raneys – in addition to whatever you’d previously offered them?

Not only could it be a two-for-one switcheroo, but there are some – myself included – who’ve thought for a while now that #5 Jordyn and #6 Jayden might actually be better long-term prospects than the far more publicized, top-ranked Bassett.

Both twins are high-flying hammers in every wrestling discipline there is (folkstyle/freestyle/Greco) and would be two perfect building blocks for Iowa’s future lineups in the 133-149 pound range.

A rung lower on the ladder might be three-time Wisconsin state champion Haakon Peterson.

A self-proclaimed long-time Hawkeye fan, Peterson expressed real interest in Iowa before committing to Michigan in early January.

Was that decision because he’s entirely swept up in the idea of the Maize and Blue – or did Iowa’s simultaneous, well-known pursuit of Bassett and the Raneys encourage Peterson to look elsewhere?

It’s probably worth finding out when it comes to the #24 ranked prospect in the class – who could be a future high-end 149-pounder at the collegiate level.

Another name to potentially circle back on is #96 Rylan Seacrist – who visited Iowa last October as part of its massive recruiting weekend. Iowa doesn’t have an obvious lineup fit for the ninth-ranked 113-pounder in America, but you never want to presume the likes of top 2025 commit Leo DeLuca will be a career 125-pounder either.

So, perhaps a depth addition is in order, if they can sway him away from his Arizona State pledge.

(Like I said earlier, you’d be hard pressed to find guys – especially at the top – who aren’t already committed in the 2026 class.)

There aren’t many other names from my original 2026 target list – published last September – that feel especially viable and/or available at this point.

Then again, if I’m Iowa I’m gauging the interest of just about every blue-chipper who will listen, committed or not.

As of Monday evening, 174 has suddenly become a major need following the dismissal of Gabe Arnold. Does the staff now pursue additional names around that weight class?

#23 Liam Crook (Kaukauna, Wisconsin) was set to officially visit Iowa last fall before cancelling and committing to Virginia. Might he be worth another look?

And while we’re talking Midwest prospects around this weight, what about #9 Aaron Stewart – a dual-sport wrestling/football commit to Illinois?

Sound familiar, Hawkeye fans?

Reportedly only five-foot-seven, and (for what it’s worth) not among the 22 current Illinois commits listed on On3’s recruiting database, who’s to say the wrestler/running back doesn’t turn to the mat full time in college? If he does, wouldn’t you rather it be in the Black & Gold than that gaudy Illini orange?

(That last one is just my own completely speculative musing, folks. But admit it, you’re intrigued!)

Back to the original premise, whomever the Iowa coaching staff winds up pursuing in the fast-closing window between now and November’s National Signing Day – especially among the elite 2026 prospects – they’d do well to make like the early 2000’s cellphone market and get to ‘flippin.

Short time

As I bring things to a close, just a heads up that a few weeks ago I put together a list of top 2027 prospects for Iowa men’s wrestling fans to keep tabs on in conjunction with the start of the recruiting contact period.

If you’re one of the new members at Hawkeye Report/On3 thanks to the Rivals acquisition, I’d encourage you to check that out. And if you’ve been a regular here for a while and just happened to miss it, well then now’s a perfect time to swing back around.

(Also, be on the lookout later today for my ‘Three Questions’ article regarding the 2025-26 Hawkeyes.)

Anyway, thanks to everyone (new and old) for diving into some wrestling recruiting with me today.

It’s July 1^st, and somehow there’s still so much to talk about. But I guess that’s the deal when it comes to this sport at this school, right?

And you know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way.