Buckle up wrestling fandom, the most coveted name on every NCAA recruiter’s lips just had a major hiccup! Bo Bassett, the beloved wrestling legend from Johnstown, kicked off the 2024 U20 World Wrestling Championships in typical Bo style. He won against Valentyn Hryhoryshyn of Ukraine with a 19-8 technical fall. Guess what happened in the match against Dzmitry Shvarts?

Pin in 2:03. Another pin, this time at 3:45 in the game against Nikhil Pilanagoila from India. Bo went through the semi-finals like a hot knife through butter. But things took a turn when the game was up against Japan’s Makoto Hosokawa. Hosokawa is no ordinary opponent; he is a three-time age-group Asian Championship medalist.

The match was brutal, to say the least. Bo Bassett was shut out 10-0. But this isn’t the end of the U20 journey for Bo. The bronze medal is still in the air. And if the world knows one thing about Bo, he always has a comeback story brewing. The bronze, however, could likely affect his college decisions. Bo, after going through an unconventional process, has finally narrowed his options down to 20 colleges. Yes, Bo Bassett’s journey is only just beginning, but will the medal be a factor that limits his number of options? The world will only know after Bo battles it out for the bronze tomorrow.

Will the loss be the factor that gets Bassett to David Taylor?

Bo Bassett isn’t just any top recruit, he is writing the playbook of college selection. And no doubt, he is being wooed by the biggest colleges. Bo, however, unyielding to what his peers are doing decided to set off on his own decision journey. Instead of narrowing the list, Bo dropped an 80-program bombshell. Who does that? As of now, only Bo Bassett!

Bo of course has his eyes set on NCAA titles. But his U20 loss could be a decision-changer for Bo. The question that wearily lingers is, will this loss take Bo closer to David Taylor? The possibility cannot be discarded, considering Taylor’s own gold rush and wrestling history. Could Oklahoma State be the perfect fit? After all, is there any better way to learn, than with the “Magic Man” himself?

Penn State has also been in the mix for Bo. And why wouldn’t it be? Penn has produced wrestling greatness including Bo Nickal and Roman Bravo-Young. Interestingly, Bo recently mentioned the two during a podcast. Although Bo seems to have an admiration for Penn and it fits his style. Let’s also not forget that Taylor himself is a Penn star. Oklahoma State is not out just yet.

An X post from The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo showed Bassett’s college list. On it read, Oklahoma State with a star and a note, “DT (David Taylor) finally!!!” So what will the decision be? Will the loss against Hosokawa push Bo to OSU? Or will he stay true to his Penn State admiration? One thing is for sure, whatever decision Bo makes, it is going to be an unpredictable one. And the fandom is here for it! Stay tuned, because Bo Bassett’s next chapter could be the most thrilling yet!