When Bo Bassett made his way to the University of Iowa, he knew it wasn’t going to be an ordinary experience. And boy-oh-boy, was he right! Let’s look at how his visit went! For starters, he met the Hawkeye favorite and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee. While Lee is a great wrestler, as the world already knows, he means something entirely different to Bo. Lee has been a source of inspiration for a long time to Bo. So much so that his recruitment process is one that Lee inspired. So, as expected, Hawkeyes made the most of the top recruit’s visit.

Spencer Lee and Bo spent some time on the mat together during the visit. It almost felt like Lee was passing on the Hawkeye spirit to the prodigy. However, the best moment was not on the mats. It was surprising in the football stadium. When Lee arrived, he did not come empty-handed. He came with tickets to an Iowa football game. A surprise that was intended to give Bo Bassett a full-throttle experience of the Hawkeye sporting culture. Bo, as it turns out, didn’t just go to the game. He went all in.

Bo Bassett seems to be more just impressed with the game he watched. But the moment that truly got to him was the Hawkeye Wave. Now, this is not just a wave. It is a moment between the first and second quarters that hits pause. In that moment of stillness, fans, athletes, and families wave at the young patients in the nearby Stead Family Children’s Hospital. It is a true Hawkeye tradition, and Bo was left speechless.

Bo took it to Instagram and posted a reel of the Hawkeye wave. He went on to write, “This was amazing- Best Tradition in all of College Sports. It gives you chills and really puts life in perspective when the children are waving back. Getting chills again just writing this.” The tradition that Bo seems to love began seven years ago and has become a symbolic ritual of hope. It is a moment when the Hawkeye stadium comes together to stand as one. Almost creating a sense of community while reminding the world that they are the Hawkeyes.

The sense of community and the ode to children might just have given the University of Iowa a push to stay longer on Bo Bassett’s college list. Talking about the list, while the Hawkeyes may have won Bo’s heart, their fight is with legacy.

With 15 schools remaining, Bo says, “Take it all in!”

By now, it is clear that Bo Bassett has no rush to reach the finish line. In fact, Bo himself took it to X and wrote, “The recruiting process is FUN! You only get to do it once. Why not take it all in & take the opportunity to see as much as you can.” He sure is enjoying the process. But the University of Iowa aside, the reduced list of colleges still has 14 names on it. And this includes big names like Michigan, Penn State, and even Oklahoma State.

While all three of these names remain threats, OSU is perhaps the biggest of them all. David Taylor is one of Bo’s idols. And Bo’s interactions with OSU and Taylor have been quite impactful, too. There is one element that OSU has that none of the other schools do. Taylor is inspiring his students and showing the ways of championships as he steps back onto the mat.

If Taylor manages to win another title at the 2024 Senior World Championships, the scales might just tip in favor of OSU! To make the process harder, there are some other names giving competition too. The other colleges on Bo Bassett’s list include Arizona State, Cornell, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Princeton, and even Rutgers, amongst others. Each school comes with its own allure and avenue of opportunities to explore. The decision for Bo is not going to be an easy one. But for now, Bo Bassett is simply living out his Lee-inspired recruitment dream.