Last week, The Wolfpacker provided its in-depth breakdown of NC State wrestling recruiting, looking at the Pack’s signing class of 2020 and four top-100 commits in 2021.
The 2020 signing class is a loaded group that included three of FloWrestling’s top 100 recruits and plenty more depth, evidenced by the nine-man group’s combined 21 state championships in high school. Six of the nine wrapped up their prep careers with state crowns, and many were included on Flo’s big board before it got cut down to a final top 100.
The class recruiting rankings are starting to trickle out, and that makes official what was already known — this is one of the best groups of incoming freshmen in the country.
FloWrestling ranks the class eighth nationally in its team rankings, ahead of some programs that had more top-100 additions due to the incredible depth of it. The Pack has had quite a bit of success under head coach Pat Popolizio developing recruits from outside the top 100 into All-Americans and even national championships, so it is not safe to count any of the nine out from making an impact in Raleigh.
The highest-ranked prospect in the class is Pennsylvania native Ed Scott, the No. 19 overall recruit regardless of weight per Flo who was announced by the school as a 149-pounder when he signed in the fall. Projected 197-pounder Isaac Trumble (No. 43) and projected 141-pounder Ryan Jack (No. 46) also made the outlet’s top 100.
“Only three top-100 recruits, but the Wolfpack landed several guys right outside the top 100 with the capability of having a career that exceeds that of many in the top 100,” FloWrestling wrote. “Ed Scott appears to be on the trajectory of a top-tier recruit.”
That ranking means the program has now inked its third straight top-20 class according to the website and its third top-10 group in the last five cycles, which includes the No. 1 class in 2016 that will be fifth-year seniors next year.
Longtime national recruiting expert Willie Saylor seems to be in the midst of compiling his team recruiting rankings as well, and tweeted this recently:
It should be noted that Old Dominion (@ODUSports above) has cut its wrestling program, which means that NC State and Campbell (who underwent a coaching change this offseason, which could affect its class) will finish the cycle tied for the most top-250 big board prospects according to his rankings, provided Campbell doesn’t lose any to the coaching change.
All nine of NC State’s 2020 recruits signed in the fall and are broken down in depth here.
Since being hired by the Wolfpack in 2012, Popolizio’s NC State newcomers have routinely been ranked among the top recruiting classes in the country. He has been at the helm in Raleigh for eight recruiting cycles, and brought in top-20 classes per Flo six times.
Those six groups had an average national ranking of 10.8. Here is a quick look at each of those groups:
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