Bo Bassett is no stranger to the spotlight! He has been making the headlines for a while now with his gold medal at the 2021 Cadet World Championship and a clean sweep at the U20 Pan American Championships. But lately, he has been drawing attention beyond the mat too. At 17, Bo has developed a unique approach to college recruiting. His methods have been the cause of debate amongst the fandom, with many supporting his decision while others not so much. Bo’s strategy revolves around building buzz and maintaining an air of exclusivity at the same time.

Recently, Bo went on to post a video on X saying, “What’s up, guys? We’ve got a huge announcement coming out tomorrow, and the only way to find out is to be part of the inner circle. Just head over to bobasandpace.com, drop in your email, and you’re in—totally free. You’ll be the first to hear about this huge announcement during World Championship week. Lots of energy—let’s do this!” Instead of being applauded, Bo ended up with the bitter end of the stick. The comments turned out to be harsh and even offensive.

Some users even went on to say, “Great, now I have to read about this even longer,” and another saying, “He’s made himself unlikable.” Now, veterans and sports lovers have stepped in to throw some much-needed water on the fire. Allyson Schwabb, wife of the ninth head coach in the UNI Panthers’ Doug Schwab, took it to X to defend Bo Bassett. She went on to write, “I was reading comments under @FloWrestling post about Bo and wow, I didn’t realize how many grown men could be triggered by a teenager enjoying the recruiting process and doing it how he wants.”

Allyson also went on to speak up against those throwing around criticism. “You can think what you want about however a kid does the recruiting process. You can say you would do it different. You can scroll past it. You can unfollow it. But the fact that you took the time to bash a kid in a comment (any kid for that matter) who has done nothing wrong but work hard and take a different approach than you says more about you than it will ever say about how he chose to do this process.” Last but not least, she added, “You’re talking about a child. Get a life.”

The comment was not an unpopular opinion; it quickly got attention, with many echoing the same emotion. Although Bo’s methods may not be traditional, it is definitely a chapter to remember in marketing. Instead of sticking to the usual routes, Bo is controlling the narrative by creating an “inner circle” of fans. As one fan perfectly put it, “Our community doesn’t do enough to acknowledge or respect how smart the kid already is. The fact he’s a junior in high school and already has the marketing awareness to do things like create an ‘inner circle,’ have an email list, etc… he’s gonna make a lot of NIL money.” But for Bo, this avalanche support comes at the right time.

The wave of support comes after U20 downfalls

Bo Bassett recently competed at the U20 World Championships and had a rather challenging run. Bo went into the tournament with the right spirit and energy, but things quickly took a turn. Competing in the 65-kilogram category, Bo made it to the semifinals, defeating opponents from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and India. But then came his match against Japan’s Makoto Hosokawa, which cut his journey short at the U20.

But in true Bo fashion, he did not let the setback define him! He came back to win bronze, defeating Georgia’s Nikoloz Beshidze with a 10-0 win. However, the gold medal slipping through Bo’s fingers has lit a new fire of speculation regarding Bo’s college choices. Bo initially started with 80 schools, but it has been slowing down since then. Bo has narrowed his list to 19 schools, with top contenders like Penn State, Ohio State, and Iowa still in the running after cutting NC State.

Bo’s future still lies wide open despite all the noise and criticism. “I wanna keep getting better, keep finding new ways to score,” he said in a video posted by USA Wrestling. “I’ll be back in this tournament next year.” That’s exactly the spirit that’s made him a recruitment favorite. Whether you are rooting for Bo Bassett or not, one thing is sure. Bo is not going anywhere; the world, if anything, will see more of Bo in the years to come.