Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/155994
WRESTLING Nickal and Nolf pick Penn State Four top-15 recruits give Penn State the best recruiting class... ever? | uly might be the middle of the collegiate off-season, but the Penn State coaching staff was still putting in its time, especially on the recruiting trail. And what the Nittany Lions have accomplished may go down in the record books. During the span of a month, Penn State secured verbal commitments from four of the top 15 prospects on IntermatWrestle.com's recruiting board. They include the nation's top-ranked prospect Chance Marsteller, No. 4 Nick Nevills, No. 8 Bo Nickal and No. 15 Jason Nolf. The last of those wrestlers to commit was Nickal of Allen, Texas, who announced his decision on July 31. Nevills, Nolf, Nickal and Marsteller (Sounds like a law firm, doesn't it?) give Cael Sanderson a class that will certainly rank as the best in the country and perhaps one of the best of all time. And it could have been even deeper had No. 5 Thomas Haines, a heavyweight, not reopened his recruitment following Nevills' commitment. (See page 56 for more on that development.) "It sounds like it's going to be a killer class," Nickal said. "I can't wait to see what the future brings with that class. Hopefully we pick up a few more NCAA championships for Penn State." Nickal's commitment was the most surprising, as he was thought to be leaning toward Oklahoma. But he visited Penn State in May and fell in love with the university and its wrestling program. He chose the Nittany Lions over Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and the Sooners. "I made it up there to State College and I really liked it," he said. "It was all over from there." National champion David Taylor was Nickal's tour guide during his visit to campus. "It was pretty cool of him J BO KNOWS Nickal is the best high school wrestler in Texas and a freestyle national champ. Photo courtesy of Ray Shoaf PENN STATE COMMITMENTS* RK** NAME PROJECTED WEIGHT HOME SCHOOL 1. 4. 8. 15. Chance Marsteller Nick Nevills Bo Nickal Jason Nolf 165 285 174/184 141/149 York, Pa. Clovis, Calif. Allen, Texas Kittanning, Pa. Kennard-Dale Clovis Allen Kittanning * As of Aug. 15 **Rankings from IntermatWrestle.com showing us around," Nickal said. "It's not every day that you walk around and get to hang out with one of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country. So that was a good experience, and I really liked that." In a few years Nickal, too, could be one of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country, especially if his prep success is any indicator. He boasts a 1407 career record at Allen High, a school that is perhaps best known for its 18,000-seat, $60 million football stadium. He is a two-time Texas state champ and a three-time finalist. He also re-