The Penn State wrestling dynasty: Why Bo Bassett may join PJ Duke, Marcus Blaze, after all
The national champion Penn State wrestling program already is restocking with the country's two top recruits, arriving this summer.
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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