The moment that the entire wrestling and collegiate community was waiting for is finally here! Yes, Bo Bassett, the #1 prospect in the class of 2026 has finally locked in his desired university and it is? Drumrolls! The Iowa State! Yes, the wrestling prodigy has made his much-awaited declaration and soon he will be a Hawkeye, donning black and yellow. Yes, he will be following in the footsteps of Patrick Kennedy, Kyle Parco, and Spencer Lee. Bassett will now further expand his career under the mentorship of Legendary three-time NCWA Coach of the Year Tom Brands.

But wait! Did Bo Bassett let go of the opportunity to be trained by David Taylor? Shocking, right? The decision has been made, and we are going to see them in opposite camps. And it seems he has made this decision after much consideration. “I’ve always wanted to be an Iowa Hawkeyes and I think that that’s you know, there’s nothing right there. I mean that that’s something I didn’t forget since I was six years old,” said 2022 Ironman Champion, speaking with ‘Saturday Night Lights’ as posted by them on their official Twitter account a few minutes back.

Bo Bassett further added, “I started wrestling, Iowa was always my favorite team.” Wondering why Iowa was his favorite since such a tender age? Well, the 2022 Super 32 Champion himself seems to be unsure about it! “And I don’t know why I just love the way they wrestle. They’re very similar to the McCort Room, right?” Oh, so this is the reason! The Bishop McCort high schooler seems to have been searching for a college that could feel similar to his High School arena. And honestly, why not? After all, it was here that gave him the recognition and accolades he holds today. It was the McCort Room, with his head coach and father, Bill Bassett who trained him to become U17 World Champion in 2021 and a U20 World bronze medalist in 2024.

The decision to commit to Iowa wasn’t a simple one as opting for the right college meant a lot to him. “I want to be, you know, achieve all my goals and do this and that,” said the 17-year-old just yesterday on ‘FloWrestling Radio Live’ while talking about locking his final university choice. Well, he did declare his final four picks, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Virginia Tech, yesterday. And it wasn’t an easy task. “It’s been more challenging than I thought,” said Bo Bassett yesterday in the same conversation. It must have been indeed challenging from creating a long list of 80 possible colleges to narrowing down the list slowly to multiple rounds of visits. And just like the best-kept surprise, the 8x PAW Champion promised to reveal his pick on 4th February. Too much suspense, right?

Now the decision has been made and he has officially committed. But was opting for Iowa Hawkeyes over David Taylor’s Oklahoma Cowboys just based on his love for Iowa or is there more to it?

Bo Bassett’s top pick seems to be much more than what meets the eye

Iowa State boasts of having given wrestling star like Spencer Lee. Yes, the Paris Olympic Silver medalist in the 57kg category, 2014 World Champion, three-time NCAA Champion, three-time PIAA State Champion, three-time Big Ten Champion, and Wrestler of the Year with a collegiate career record of 98-6 is a former Hawkeye. To add to this, on January 27th Bassett took to while talking to ’FloWrestling’ hailed Spencer Lee when asked about his favorite wrestler. He wrote, “I gotta go Spencer Lee. That’s my guy. I looked up to him since I was young.” Thus, it’s safe to say that Lee’s magic must have some role to play in Bassett’s commitment to Iowa.

Furthermore, if you go a little back to November 2024, do you remember Bo Bassett’s visit to Oklahoma State? He posted about the same on Twitter as well as Instagram and it seems he did have an amazing experience but something surprised the spectators. And that was the possible absence of David Taylor from the scene. Taylor’s achievements are known to everyone but did the absence of a personal meeting between Bassett and David, cause the Cowboys the #1 prospect from joining their team? What are your thoughts? Comment down below!