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2026 recruiting rundown

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2026 recruiting rundown

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 39th and 93rd 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.

Jordyn and Jayden Raney let it fly against one another in the 2024 U17 World Team Trials finals.

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.

Rylan Seacrist knocked off two-time U17 World champion Dom Munaretto in the 2023 Ironman quarterfinals.

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.

I was too young to ever own one of these myself (humble brag), but gosh isn’t she beautiful?

Short time

As I bring things to a close, just a heads 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 1st, 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.

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Temple Begins Indoor Track & Field Season at UPenn This Weekend

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December 6, 2025

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PHILADELPHIA – Temple women’s indoor track and field season opens its 2025-26 campaign with a meet this Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Penn Opener. The meet will be held at the indoor facility located in South Philadelphia, The Ott Center, and is hosted by Penn. The Cherry & White have 17 returners along with 16 newcomers joining the Owls, 15 of which are freshmen. The jumping events will start at 11:30 a.m. followed by the running events at 1:30 p.m. Catch all the action live on ESPN+ or by viewing the link below.

Live Results 

Previewing the Owls

  • A total of 26 athletes will represent Temple across 11 events this weekend.

  • Freshman Emilie Creighton, Aly Doyle, Kei-Mahri Hanna, Rian Johnson, Kenya Merritt, Kamryn Ohm, Janae Pettaway, Smilla Ranebro, and Adama Turay, will make their indoor track and field college debut this weekend.

  • Nine Temple athletes will compete in the jumps: Emelie Beckman (pole vault), Doyle (long jump), Ohm (pole vault), Ranebro (high jump), Shalisha Robertson (long jump and triple jump), Reagan Schwartz (long jump and triple jump), Deja Scott (long jump), Inara Shell (long jump and triple jump), and Reece Sullivan (pole vault). 

  • For the sprints, Zayniah Ali, Pettaway, Turay, and Lila Ziegler  will compete in the 60m dash. Also, racing in the 60m hurdles are: Ali, Doyle, and Turay.

  • Competing in the 300m dash are Ali, Grace Hickman, Merritt, Pettaway, and Maliah Powell. 

  • Racing in the 600m are Jayla Green, Hanna, Mariah Jameson, Chole Smith, and Dicia Watkins. 

  • Laila Cottom and Maya Gomes will represent Temple in the 1,000m race. While, Creighton and Johnson will run the 3,000m race. 

  • To conclude the meet Temple will race three 4×400 meter relay teams. 



Previewing the Field
    Other schools that will be competing this weekend are Delaware, Georgetown, Hampton, Rider, St. Joseph’s, Penn, Princeton, Morgan State, and Villanova. 

Up Next 

    Temple will return to the Ott Center to compete at the Penn Select hosted by Penn on Saturday, Jan. 10.



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Women’s Track & Field Sees Positive Performances at SVSU Holiday Open

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December 6, 2025

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RESULTS

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. –

Three top 10 performances in program history put the Albion track & field team in good spirits at the SVSU Holiday Open.

Performing inside the vast field house with a 300m track, Caragh Dwyer placed 14th in the 400m (1:02.92) that was good enough to earn a top 10 mark in team history.

Maggie Sorrelle leapt for a mark of 2.82m in the pole vault, which was the fourth-best in Albion history and highest since 2020.

In the throws, Morgan Hurd’s 14.81m toss in the weight throw was fourth-furthest in Albion history and tenth overall among the field.

Mia Czarnowski (8.31, PR), Sorrelle (27.66) and Brianna Bennett (1:05.70, PR) were the best finishers for the Britons in the 60m, 200m and 400m, respectively.

Czarnowski posted a 4.77m in the long jump, while Zoey Bennett leapt a 9.45m in the triple jump.

As for other throwers, Kaylee Kopulos notched 10.42m and 12.43m tosses in the shot put and weight throw, respectively.

Up Next

Albion will be back in action during next calendar year, as they will head to Heidelberg’s brand-new indoor track for the Larry Brown Invitational on Friday, January 16.

 



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USC Women’s Volleyball Falls to Cal Poly in NCAA Second Round Bout

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December 6, 2025

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LOS ANGELES – The fourth-seeded No. 14-ranked USC women’s volleyball team (25-7) fell in five sets (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7) to Cal Poly (27-7) in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament and was eliminated from the postseason at Galen Center on Friday, Dec. 5.
 
KEY PLAYERS

  • Fr. OPP Abigail Mullen led all scorers with 21.5 points earned on a match-high 17 kills (7e, 39att, .256) to go with 10 digs for her eighth double-double. She also had five blocks and two service aces.

  • Fr. S Reese Messer put up her 11th double-double with 46 assists and 11 digs. She also added six blocks (one solo) and had three kills on eight swings (.375).

  • RS So. OH London Wijay had 10 kills (3e, 38att, .184) and 12 digs for her eighth double-double (17th career).

  • RS So. MB Leah Ford had nine kills (1e) on 17 swings to hit .471 and led the team with seven blocks.

  • So. MB Mia Tvrdy played just the last three sets but finished with eight kills on 10 swings (.800) and had two blocks, two digs and a two-handed jump-set assist on a kill by Mullen.

  • Sr. MB Rylie McGinest had six kills (1e, 13att, .385) to go with one block.

  • Fr. LIB Taylor Deckert led the team with 13 digs and added six assists. Sr. LIB Gala Trubint had four digs and a service ace.

  • For the Mustangs, Emma Fredrick led with 17 kills and had 17 digs to lead all players. Kendall Beshear and Annabelle Thalken each had 12 kills. Beshear had 14 digs for the double-double and served a pair of aces. Emme Bullis put up 44 assists with 12 digs for a double-double.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Mustangs never trailed in the opening frame to grab a 25-19 win. Both teams registered 15.0 points, but the Mustangs committed fewer unforced errors to come out on top. The Trojans had 13 kills with five from McGinest but hit just .146 with seven errors on 41 swings. Cal Poly had just 11 kills but hit .258 and had a 3-1 edge in blocks. Both teams each served an ace, but the Trojans served six errors to the Mustangs’ two in the loss.

  • The teams were tied 13 times and the lead changed hands five times before Cal Poly took a 2-0 lead with a 25-20 win in set two. Mullen had five kills to lead the Trojans, but USC totaled just 10 kills and hit .147 in the set. Both teams had three blocks apiece, but the Mustangs still hit .270 with 15 kills (5e) on 37 swings with five more kills from Beshear. 

  • USC secured a 25-20 set-three win on the second of two service aces from Dani Thomas-Nathan. Tvrdy came in and sparked the Trojans with the first kill of the frame and finished with five on just six swings. Mullen tallied six kills on 12 swings without an error and helped USC hit .326 (18k, 4e, 43att). The Trojans had four blocks to help hold the Mustangs to a .194 attack rate with 10 kills (4e) on 31 swings. USC never trailed and led by five twice before winning by five.

  • Back-to-back Mustang errors broke the eighth and final tie of the fourth and put the Trojans in front, 11-9, en route to a 25-14 win. USC continued to push and moved in front by six, 17-11, on a block by Mullen and Ford. Back-to-back kills from Mullen put USC on top by seven, 19-12, and her tool kill made it a 10-point USC lead at 23-13. Mullen and Wijay each scored four kills in the fourth as the Trojans hit .448 (14k, 1e, 29att) and had three blocks to hold Cal Poly to a .081 hitting percentage with 12 kills (9e) on 37 attacks.

  • Cal Poly broke a three-all tie in the fifth with a 6-0 run and was never threatened on the way to a 15-7 win to seal the 3-2 win. Beshear had a six-serve run that included a service ace to put the Mustangs on top by six, 10-4. The Trojans could get no closer than within five despite every effort. The Mustangs hit .316 with eight kills (2e) on 19 swings over USC’s .091 rate in the fifth with five kills (3e) on 22 attempts.

MATCH NOTES

  • USC fell to 13-6 all-time against Cal Poly. The teams met for the first time since 2012.

  • The Women of Troy fell to 15-4 at home this season and to 231-64 (.783) all-time at Galen Center, which includes a 21-5 mark in NCAA tournament matches.

  • USC goes to 131-45 (.744) all-time in the postseason with an 85-38 (.691) mark in the NCAA tournament.

  • The Trojans fell to 14-11 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

For more information on the USC women’s volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram.
 



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Indiana volleyball vs Colorado NCAA tournament final score, game updates, next

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December 6, 2025

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7:57 pm ET December 5, 2025

When does Indiana volleyball play next? Indiana volleyball next game, opponent in NCAA tournament

Aaron Ferguson

Details are still to come on the next weekend of the NCAA tournament. The certainties: IU is headed to Austin, Texas as UT hosts that quadrant as the No. 1 seed. The first and second rounds in Austin will finish Saturday night. No. 8-seed Penn State awaits the winner of Texas and Florida A&M in Saturday’s second round match.

7:55 pm ET December 5, 2025

Indiana volleyball celebrates Sweet 16 berth

Aaron Ferguson

Here’s how it looked as IU won its second-round match against Colorado:

7:50 pm ET December 5, 2025

Indiana volleyball highlights in win vs Colorado

Aaron Ferguson

Here’s a look inside Wilkinson Hall for IU’s win:

7:42 pm ET December 5, 2025

Indiana volleyball stats in win vs Colorado

Aaron Ferguson

The Hoosiers hit .378 for the match and had an 11-2 blocking advantage against the Buffs. The serving pressure wasn’t there like it was against Toledo, but IU played solid defensively and were able to clinch its second Sweet 16 appearance — its other was 15 years ago in 2010.

Candela Alonso-Corcelles led the way with 16 kills with just one error on 27 swings, an efficient .556. Freshman Jaidyn Jager added 15 kills (.375). The middles did plenty of work with Madi Sell having seven blocks and Victoria Gray adding four. Avry Tatum also had five blocks with eight kills. Setter Teodora Krickovic had 29 assists, eight digs and three blocks.

Colorado hit .208 for the match, led by Ana Burilovi’s 19 kills (.239) and an efficient seven on 11 swings for Cayla Payne (.545). But nine service errors did not help the Buffs, particularly with five in the first set.



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Kansas women’s volleyball vs Miami (Fl.): NCAA tournament final result

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December 6, 2025

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Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 8:26 p.m. CT



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Former UH volleyball player, youth coach accused of producing child porn

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December 6, 2025

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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A former youth volleyball coach who played on the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team was arrested and charged with production of child pornography, allegedly with a former player.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii, announced Friday that Elias David, 37, of Waimanalo, was charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 3.

He was employed as a firefighter for the Department of Defense and worked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Federal Fire Station 9.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the FBI, a 17-year-old told her aunt she was having sexual intercourse with David, who was a family friend and her volleyball coach since she was 13 years old.

Court documents said the teen’s relationship began with David in 2023 after a volleyball trip to Las Vegas. She was 16 at the time.

The teen told investigators that David was providing extra training to prepare her for college. She also admitted to engaging in different types of sexual contact with David that including oral and vaginal sex, documents said.

She also said that their sexual activities occurred at the fire station where he worked, at a nearby warehouse, as well as at David’s home and vehicle, documents said.

David was arrested in July of 2024 for sexual assault in the second degree. He waived his Miranda rights and was interviewed.

During his interview with investigators, David said they “began to develop feelings for each other and ‘fell in love,’” and admitted that he and the teen engaged in a sexual relationship, documents said.

David said that the romantic phase of the relationship began around March 2023, and admitted to ordering ride share services for the teen so she could leave her house to meet him at or near his workplace, documents said.

Investigators said they found 97 graphic videos of the two of them on her phone and 78 emails referring to ride share trips and GPS location data.

David played for the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team in 2009.

If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.



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