The contact window for the 2026 recruiting class in NCAA wrestling has officially opened, and all eyes are on Bishop McCort Catholic’s rising junior and the country’s top-ranked prospect, Bo Bassett. With a 2024 PIAA Class 2A title, a U17 world championship title, a Super 32 Championship title, a spot on the U20 team, and eight Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state championships, Bassett is undoubtedly a dream recruit. Given his impressive resume, it’s no surprise that Bo is often seen in the Penn State wrestling room since his high school is in nearby Johnstown.

He’s even shared some positive initial impressions of Penn State wrestling as the 2026 recruiting window opened. But as soon as the clock struck midnight, the competition heated up. Penn State isn’t the only school vying for Bo’s attention. Enter Magic Man David Taylor—the two-time NCAA champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist—who’s now the head coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Taylor jumped into the recruiting frenzy, aiming to snag the nation’s number one 2026 prospect for himself.

David Taylor hopes to bring Bo Bassett to the Cowboys

In a post on X by The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo, he shared a series of images showing 29 college coaches who called Bo Bassett as soon as the wrestling recruiting window opened. The handwritten list detailed the colleges, call times, and coaches. Bo’s top choice, marked with a star, was Rutgers University, with Coach Steve Mytych calling right at 12:00 AM. Other notable calls came from Ohio State, where Bo noted, “Tom + Logan talked a lot,” along with Nebraska, Michigan, Cornell, Missouri, Iowa, Lehigh, Princeton (scheduled at 2:30 AM), NC State (at 12:45 AM), Stanford (12:49 AM), Little Rock, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clarion, and North Carolina.

On Sunday, the calls kept rolling in from Bucknell, Pitt, American, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Northern Iowa, Missouri, Oregon State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Harvard, and Minnesota. One standout moment was a note beside Oklahoma State at number 27: “DT (David Taylor) finally!!!” This showed that even the Magic Man, David Taylor, made sure not to miss out on the chance to recruit Bo. With the growing list, it is clear that colleges across the country want Bassett, but what does Bo think about his future college options and how Penn State stacks up?

Could Penn State snag the country’s top-ranked NCAA wrestling prospect?

Earlier this week, Bo Bassett was spotted back in the Penn State wrestling room training alongside one of the most famous Nittany Lions, three-time National Champion and Olympian Zain Retherford. The pair were gearing up for their upcoming international competitions. Bassett will represent the United States at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, in September. Meanwhile, Retherford will compete for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in July.

Bassett has been frequenting the Penn State wrestling room and said on the Baschamania podcast, “So you know, I’ve been in the room. I’ve trained with their guys… It’s only about an hour and 15 minutes [away].” Moreover, Bassett already has close ties to Penn State and Cael Sanderson. His periodic training with the NLWC and his cousin, Erik Gibson, being a freshman for the Nittany Lions last season strengthened these ties. Despite these connections, it’s not yet decided that Bo Bassett will end up in Happy Valley.

With so many options, he’s keeping an open mind as the 2026 recruiting cycle begins. He shared, “I don’t prefer any other schools over anyone else, and I’m really excited to be open. As far as college recruiting, I’m excited to go see where I best fit.” Bo also shared how he plans to take visits and not commit on day one or even “within the first month to six months.” Reflecting on Bo Bassett’s words and the fierce competition to recruit the country’s top 2026 prospect, where do you think he’ll end up? Share your thoughts in the comments below!