By Rob Sherrill, WIN High School Editor

In most years, most of the recruiting drama has concluded by the time the early signing period has concluded in November.

            That appeared to be the case this year as well, as over 200 of the nation’s top seniors made college commitments before the season began.

            But the events of the last few weeks have completely changed the landscape…so much so that we may not know how the final balance of power stands for some time.

            Spring signings brightened the picture considerably for several programs and resulted in a new king of the hill.

            The signing of two-time Minnesota champion Tony Nelson (197-Hwt, below) of Cambridge-Isanti High, also the NHSCA Senior Nationals champion, pushed the University of Minnesota up five spots, an eyelash beyond November leader Oklahoma State. With November-commitment Jake Kettler of Anoka High winning the state heavyweight title, Gopher recruits took the state’s top-two weight classes.

            Three other programs worked their way into the top 25 with solid spring signings. Off the heels of Darrion Caldwell’s electrifying performance at the NCAA Championships, North Carolina State coach Carter Jordan signed another statement recruit, top-ranked heavyweight Eloheim Palma from nearby Cary High, to take the No. 18 spot.

            With three-time Washington champion Jake Swartz of Auburn High already in the fold, Broncos coach Greg Randall added a pair of solid spring signees to move to No. 19. And a mix of November and spring signings took Purdue coach Scott Hinkel into the rankings at No. 20.

            After getting six commitments by the end of the November sweepstakes, Navy coach Bruce Burnett increased his class to 11 recruits and moved the Midshipmen up five spots from their November standing. Several other programs also helped themselves.

            We had to make some hard decisions to narrow down the field, but here are WIN’s top-25 recruiting classes for 2008-09 at press time.

            Ten schools just missed the cut: Bucknell, Cal-State Fullerton, Harvard, Illinois, Iowa State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford and Tennessee-Chattanooga.

            1. Minnesota: Nelson’s signing adds to coach J Robinson’s latest star-studded class. Three-time state champions Bart Reiter (125) of Gilbertville (Iowa) Don Bosco High, David Thorn (133) of nearby St. Michael-Albertville High and double Junior National finalist Alec Ortiz (165-174) of Newberg (Ore.) High became four-time champions and Kevin Steinhaus (157) of Kerhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High won his third title. Two other locals will stay home: Danny Zilverberg (125) of Plymouth Wayzata High, Pat Smith (141) of Chaska High. The Gophers are the only school with six signees ranked in WIN’s top 20.

            2. Oklahoma State: Coach John Smith’s class all signed in November and they did everything they could. Like the Gophers, the Cowboys’ class includes three four-time champions: Ladd Rupp (125) of Perry High, Dallas Bailey (165) of Catoosa High and Chris Perry (184-197) of Stillwater High. Bailey beat another future Cowboy, two-time champion Zach White (197) of Woodward High, in the state finals. The Cowboys’ other 125-pound recruit, Jon Morrison of Orland Park (Ill.) Carl Sandburg High, lost in overtime to three-time champion Tony Ramos of Carol Stream Glenbard North High in his bid to repeat.

            3. Nebraska: Perhaps nobody’s class was more impressive during the season than coach Mark Manning’s six November recruits. All six won titles, with David Klingsheim of Brentwood (Calif.) Liberty High winning his second title and Kyle Waldo of Rockford (Mich.) High winning his fourth. Three-time Kansas champion C.J. Napier (133-141) of Columbus High was the NHSCA Senior Nationals Outstanding Wrestler and Cody Compton (157-165) of Bonne Terre (Mo.) North County High also won at Virginia Beach. Caleb Kolb (174-184) of Grove City (Pa.) High and three-time state champion Michael Klinginsmith (149-157) of Kearney Catholic High also won.

            4. Oklahoma: Ditto for coach Jack Spates’ class. Alex Ekstrom (133) of Palmyra-Macedon (N.Y.) High won an epic battle of three-time defending state champions in his state and Jake Kemerer (165) of Greensburg (Pa.) Hempfield High was as dominant as any wrestler in the Keystone State’s loaded Class 3A. So were Missouri twins Nick (141) and Matt Lester (149) from Eureka High and four-time Oklahoma champion Jared Patterson (125) of Cushing High. Three-time Alaska champion Nolan McBryde (174) of Eagle River Chugiak High signed on this spring.

            5. Virginia Tech: Coach Kevin Dresser’s 10 November recruits all had solid seasons. Hayden Countryman of Prattville (Ala.) High won his fifth state title and second straight OW award, Erik Spjut (133) of The Woodlands (Texas) High and Taylor Knapp (149-157) of Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill High won their third titles and Virginia stars Andrew Clement (174-184) of Chesapeake Grassfield High and Andrew Miller of Bassett High, along with Brian Stephens (141-149) of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High also impressed. The top spring recruit was two-time National Prep place-winner Justin Armstrong (165) of Dallas (Texas) Bishop Lynch High.

            6. Old Dominion: Two members of coach Steve Martin’s class, John Nicholson (157) of Des Moines (Iowa) Roosevelt High and three-time Oklahoma champion Joey Sheridan (174) of Tulsa Union High, had memorable seasons and Justin LaValle (133) of Apple Valley (Minn.) High and Jack Burbank (HWT) of Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox High also came up big. Martin added depth this spring with five more commitments, four from Virginia, led by state place-winners Matt Brunke (157) of Chesapeake Grassfield High and Billy Curling (174-184) of Chesapeake Great Bridge High.           

            7. Virginia: Andrew Williams (133-141) of Yorktown Tabb High won his fourth state title, Jonathan Fausey (184-197) of Herndon (Pa.) Line Mountain High was an unbeaten state champion and Zach Clemente (141-149) of Troy (N.Y.) LaSalle Institute won his second title to bring a smile to coach Steve Garland’s face. November signee Nicky Gordon (141) of Kingston (Pa.) Wyoming Seminary, a four-time National Prep place-winner, gets spring help from Colorado champion Gabe Gomez (125) of Broomfield High and Bloomsburg University-transfer Matt Snyder (125-133).

            8. Iowa: No complaints about coach Tom Brands’ November haul. Ethen Lofthouse (174) of Hyrum (Utah) Mountain Crest High won his fourth state title, Tony Ramos (125) of Carol Stream Glenbard North High captured his third and Dylan Carew (141-149) of Iowa City West High earned his second. Carew’s teammate, Derek St. John (157), came up short in his bid for a second state title but made amends with a FILA Junior freestyle crown.

            9. Cornell: Either way, coach Rob Koll wasn’t disappointed by the 140-pound Division 2 New York state final, which matched up two of his recruits. Kyle Dake (133-141) of Lansing (N.Y.) High nipped Mike Nevinger (133-141) of Gainesville Letchworth High 2-1 in a battle of two-time defending champions, and Dake added the Senior Nationals title. Craig Eifert (141-149) of Mason (Mich.) High and Stryker Lane (HWT) of Norwood (Colo.) High won their third titles.

            10. Michigan: The legend of one of the top recruits of coach Joe McFarland’s tenure, five-time Florida champion Eric Grajales (133) of Brandon High, seems to grow by the event. National Prep champion Sean Boyle (125) of Blairstown Township (N.J.) Blair Academy won the Senior Nationals and Brandon Zeerip (157-165) of Hesperia High won his third Michigan title easily.

            11. Ohio State: Collin Palmer (141-149) of Lakewood St. Edward High won his fourth state title and Ian Paddock (133) of Warsaw (N.Y.) High lost in an epic battle of three-time state champions in the state final. Nick Heflin (174) of Massillon Perry High also won a state crown and Jacob Vaughan (125-133) of Columbus St. Francis de Sales High finished third. Coach Tom Ryan added another 125-pound prospect this spring, California runner-up and Senior Nationals champion Esteban Cabanas of Moreno Valley Canyon Springs High.

            12. Northern Iowa: Two of coach Brad Penrith’s November recruits, Brice Wolf (174) of Greeley (Colo.) Central High and Joey Lazor (133-141) of McDonough (Ga.) Union Grove High, won state titles. Two others were upset in their state tournaments: two-time Iowa champion Jake Demmon (125) of Eddyville-Blakesburg High and Ryan Loder (184-197) of Granite Bay (Calif.) High, but both have plenty of success elsewhere.

            13. Wyoming: Coach Mark Branch’s two November plums, Tyler Cox (125) of Gillette Campbell County High and Jim Belleville (149) of Olympia (Wash.) A.G. West Black Hills High, easily won their fourth state titles. Patrick Martinez (157-165) of Temecula Valley (Calif.) High also came through, winning a state title in a difficult weight class.

            14. Missouri: Coach Brian Smith’s November class focused on the middle weights and all had solid seasons. Bradley Wisdom (133) of Farmington High won his second state title and Kellen Bounous (149-157) of Monett High won his third. Kyle Bradley (149) of St. Charles Francis Howell Central High, who finished third for the third time, might be the best in the class. Zach Toal’s (165) second Ohio crown was the difference for three-time Division 3 champion Troy Christian High.

            15. Navy: Burnett’s six November recruits were impressive. James Mannier (165-174) of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High was a state champion and Shane Gentry (125) of Stafford Colonial Forge High upset a three-time defending champion to win in Virginia. The spring group is impressive as well. Junior National finalist Bobby Barnhisel of Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick High was a state champion, Mason Bailey (174-184) of East Fairmont (W.Va.) High was his state’s Outstanding Wrestler award winner and Danny Miller (197) of Berlin Stephen Decatur High won his third Maryland title.

            16. West Virginia: Southwestern Pennsylvania was kind to coach Craig Turnbull once again. Three-time state champion Shane Young (125) of Harrison City Penn-Trafford High signed in November and Nathan Pennesi (125) of Greater Latrobe High had a spectacular senior year. Mac Mancuso (184) of Absecon (N.J.) Holy Spirit High was a state runner-up and Rocco Wellek (133-141) of Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Preparatory High placed at the state meet again.

            17. Edinboro: Three-time Virginia champion Michael Garofalo (125) of powerful Stafford Colonial Forge High came into his own this season as a legitimate national standout, and John Greisheimer (157) of Wantagh High showed his first New York state title a year ago was no fluke. Coach Tim Flynn was busy this spring, too. Evan Yenolevich (133) of Center Valley Northwestern Lehigh High is a star in the making and Ernest James (HWT) of Middle Island (N.Y.) Longwood High emerged as the surprise standout of a loaded weight class in the Empire State this year.

            18. North Carolina State: In addition to his outstanding senior year, Palma proved something else: that he could continue to win, and win impressively, after assuming the burden of expectations the No. 1 national ranking carries. Dale Shull (133) of Fort Lupton (Colo.) High was just another three-time state champion until his impressive Senior Nationals title run opened eyes. Andrew Tumlin (197) of Harrison (Ohio) High was in the tough weight class several times in the Buckeye State, but could be ready to blossom.

            19. Boise State: November pickup Swartz was a solid foundation for the Broncos. Randall made this class the envy of any program with the additions of two-time Oregon champion Brock Gutches (165) of Central Point Crater High and two-time Montana champion Toby Erickson (HWT) of Helena High.

            20. Purdue: The cream of a standout group of lower weights in Indiana — two-time state champion Camden Eppert (125) of Anderson Highland High and Cashe Quiroga (125-133) of Indianapolis Lawrence North High — signed in November. Hinkel’s best class yet got a big boost this spring in two-time state champion Steve Sandefer (141-149) of Mishawaka High and a pair highly-regarded heavyweights, Alex White of Mount Vernon High and Adam Walls of Beavercreek (Ohio) High.

            21. Indiana: Coach Duane Goldman’s two November recruits — Max Ortega (141-149) of Rio Rancho (N.M.) High and Ryan LeBlanc (165) of Morrisville-Eaton (N.Y.) High — extended their state crown hauls to five and three, respectively. An underrated spring pickup: Junior National placewinner Justin Brooks (125) of Warsaw High, who finished fourth in a loaded weight class.

            22. Lehigh: Coach Pat Santoro’s fall signees showed why they’re highly ranked. Joey Napoli (141-149) of Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley High came up just short in a loaded weight class this year and two-time New York champion Austin Meys (184) of Clifton Park Shenendehowa High was the Division 1 Outstanding Wrestler for the second straight year.

            23. Columbia: Coach Brendan Buckley continues to score big with Robert Dyar (125) of Vestavia Hills (Ala.) High winning his second state title. Junior All-American Stephen West (165-174) of Clovis Buchanan High was a California state runner-up and Tyler Sheridan (149) of Concord DeLaSalle High also placed in the Golden State. Nick Mills (184) of Hunting Valley (Ohio) University School was a state runner-up and two-time Pennsylvania place-winner Jake O’Hara (149) of Mountain Top Crestwood High could be the best of the class.

            24. Clarion: Coach Teague Moore’s first recruiting class had some fine performances. Joe Waltko (133-141) of Wexford North Allegheny High was a state champion and James Fleming (157-165) of West Mifflin High and Nick Milano (165) of Erie Cathedral Preparatory High were repeat state place-winners. Delaware state champion Alex Thomas (184-197) of Georgetown Sussex Vo-Tech High also had a solid senior season.

            25. Wisconsin: Coach Barry Davis lost former verbal commitment Zach Neibert of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High to Northern Illinois, but picked up two upper-weight plums in November. Brendan Ard (174-184) of Watchung Hills (N.J.) High won his second state title and Derrick Borlie (184) of Winchester (Va.) Millbrook High was also impressive in his state-title performance.