The Penn State wrestling dynasty: Why Bo Bassett may join PJ Duke, Marcus Blaze, after all
It now gets another shot at landing the No. 1 prospect who's a year younger.
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Home-state phenom Bo Bassett − the top-rated recruit in the 2026 class − somewhat surprisingly spurned coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions nearly five months ago when he picked the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Johnstown, Pa. senior-to-be chose Iowa the day before his Bishop McCort High teammate Jax Forrest − the nation's No. 2 recruit − picked Oklahoma State.
Suddenly, though, Bassett is back on the market. He announced Sunday evening that he was de-committing from Iowa and re-opening his recruiting process.
It's uncertain yet when the undefeated high school wrestler (126-0 with one season remaining) will decide again. His new finalists, according to FloWrestling, are Penn State, NCAA runner-up Nebraska and Oklahoma State, coached by Penn State icon David Taylor.
Iowa wrestling commit Bo Bassett gives a thumbs up to the crowd during the ÒFloWrestling Night in AmericaÓ event Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
Bassett would bolster a Penn State program that owns the top roster in the sport and is arguably the greatest ongoing sports dynasty in America. PSU has won 12 of the past 14 NCAA Championships, including four straight. He would be joining incoming freshmen PJ Duke and Marcus Blaze, the nation's top two recruits, and Jayden James, the No. 3 prospect in his own 2026 class.
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Bassett's younger brother, Melvin Miller, the nation's top recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, has yet to pick his college destination. His top choices are Penn State, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Pitt, Nebraska, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina State − but not Iowa.
Bassett posted about his move on Facebook:
"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 (Iowa's) 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."
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Best in the nation: Potential Penn State wrestling star PJ Duke wins junior Hodge Trophy. What does it mean?
No. 1 winning percentage: Penn State wrestling at Final X: Can Mitchell Mesenbrink be the best ever?
His PSU salary revealed: Here's how Penn State's Cael Sanderson's salary compares to James Franklin
Bassett won a world title at the Cadet World Wrestling Championships and was third at last year's U20 World Championships. He recently won another PIAA title with a 52-0 season at Bishop McCort.
Bassett did lose to Penn State's Blaze at the recently freestyle Final X competition in New Jersey. There, Blaze hit a big third-period scoring move to win their 65 kilogram weight class match, 5-1.
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Frank Bodani covers Penn State wrestling for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Bo Bassett leaves Iowa. Will he join PJ Duke at Penn State wrestling?
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Penn State raised the bar for the program last season by making a run to the College Football Playoff semifinal and coming within mere moments of playing for a national title. This season, the Nittany Lions have great expectations being placed on them by the national polls and power rankings, and for good reason. Is this team ready to run the gauntlet and prove themselves worthy of the high national rankings en route to another deep playoff run? Our staff at Nittany Lions Wire is going on the record with our Penn State regular-season record predictions for the upcoming season. As you can see, we are all feeling pretty confident in Penn State's success this regular season, but winning every game is a slightly different story. Here are our Penn State final record predictions for the 2025 season. Christopher Sheppard: 11-1 If all goes well for Penn State this season, they could be looking at an 11-1 regular season with the sole loss coming to the Buckeyes on the road. With not too many road tests, most of the Nittany Lions' toughest hurdles will come at home. Starting with their Whiteout matchup in Week 4 against the Oregon Ducks, Penn State will be looking for revenge and should overwhelm a new-look Ducks roster despite the hype around 5-star receiver Dakorien Moore. Indiana could prove to be another feisty opponent at Beaver Stadium, but without an established RB tandem and only one top wideout, the pace of the game could be a stretch for the Hoosiers. Their toughest stretch could be that two-game slate in Weeks 6 and 8, where they have games on the road against Iowa and Ohio State. They do have the week off before their matchup with the Buckeyes, but a potentially grueling matchup against that feisty Iowa defense could have a toll. They should survive a scare in Iowa City, but may not have enough in the tank against the Buckeyes despite the bye week. Therefore, when the dust settles on the 2025 season, Penn State's only blemish will be against their rivals on and off the field. Nevertheless, they could get a chance at redemption in the Big Ten title game due to the new format. That's all they can truly ask for in a scenario like this. Sam Woloson: 11-1 I have Penn State cruising by its three nonconference games before meeting Oregon (ranked No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll). I think the Nittany Lions squeak by in the Big Ten championship game rematch behind their White Out crowd to move to 4-0. Next, Penn State should beat UCLA and Northwestern. I expect the road game against Iowa to be a tight one, but I think the Nittany Lions offense will outperform the Hawkeyes when it counts. That brings us to Ohio State (No. 2 in the coaches poll). The Buckeyes are the reigning champs and still really, really good, and I don't think Penn State will be able to beat them on the road. The curse continues, at least in the regular season. From there, the Nittany Lions will win out to finish the regular season 11-1, likely good enough to make the Big Ten title game again. I expect Indiana (No. 19 in the coaches poll) and Nebraska to be tough opponents down the stretch, but I predict Penn State will get the job done. Toluwani Akintunde: 10-2 I think Penn State runs through the early part of the schedule and gets a statement win over Oregon at home. The two toughest games are at Ohio State and at Iowa. One of those could go either way. I think they split those two and maybe slip up once late. But even at 10-2, this team is playoff-caliber and should be in the Big Ten title game if the tiebreakers fall their way. Andrew Deal: 12-0 With my bold prediction for the 2025 season being Penn State defeating Ohio State in Columbus, it would only make sense for an undefeated year. Penn State's arguably second-hardest game is a home game against Oregon in the whiteout. Other than those two top-10 ranked opponents, the schedule is relatively easy despite some potential trap games. The Nittany Lions are applying the formula that Michigan used two seasons ago and Ohio State used last year, returning a lot of their production while adding pieces in the transfer portal to fill holes on the roster. The talent on Penn State this upcoming season is one of, if not the best in the entire country, and an undefeated season would live up to those expectations. Kevin McGuire: 11-1 Penn State is going to be favored to win every game on its scheduile, with the possible exception of its road game at Ohio State on Nov. 1. That is the one game I pencil in as a loss this season based mostly on history in this series suggesting Penn State is more likely to take the loss than celebrate a win. But the Nittany Lions should win every other game on the schedule. The three additional games on my radar as potential hiccups will be the home games against Oregon and Indiana and the road game at Iowa. Nebraska, toward the end of the season, could become interesting if the Cornhuskers get off to a good start, but anything fewer than 10 wins would be a bit shocking for this team. Previous: Our defensive MVP predictions for Penn State Coming up next week: Our preseason Big Ten predictions
