The dry summer was reaching its end in Jordan. But at the Princess Sumaya Bint al-Hasan Arena, the competition was just starting to heat up. It was the 2024 U17 World Wrestling Championships, and Jordyn Raney was looking to make his mark in the men’s freestyle category after his Greco Roman triumphs. After all, he was in top form, heading into the competition, where anything could happen. Having reached the semifinal, could he wrestle his way to the top?

Unfortunately, his participation in the freestyle category ended prematurely as an injury forced Raney to withdraw during his semifinal bout. It was a disappointing end to a World Championship that was shaping up to be a competition to remember for Raney. But after 5 months of recovery, Raney has returned to action, and it’s as if he never left.

Raney made his post injury return to competition with his high school, Union County, at the KYWCA State Duals. Those who may have been worried that he’d lost match sharpness or needed time to settle in following the injury were swiftly proven wrong. Raney’s contribution of 2 pins in under 30 seconds helped Union County win the title by an overwhelming margin.

It was a return to form that showed why Raney is one of wrestling’s brightest young stars. According to FloWrestling, Raney, along with his twin brother, Jayden, had received calls from nearly every top collegiate wrestling program in the U.S. Amongst the options, Raney is most familiar with the program at Illinois, having used the Illinois RTC as his training base. However, after the first round of calls, the program at the University of Iowa emerged as the likelier destination.

Why is Jordyn Raney considered a top wrestling prospect?

Jordyn Raney entered the freestyle competition at the U17 World Championships after already securing the Greco-Roman bronze medal following a thrilling bout in the quarterfinal. Speaking to USA Wrestling, Raney was almost disbelieving of the electrifying nature of the match: “I don’t know; that was crazy. That was very scary, but I came out on top.” Not only did he win the bronze medal, but he was also the reigning U17 Greco-Roman champion after clinching the title in Istanbul the previous year.

His triumph in the Greco-Roman category looked to be a precursor to more success in the freestyle event. It would be yet another feather in the cap of his young but budding wrestling career. Besides his 2023 U17 Greco-Roman win, Raney was also a double medalist at the 2024 U17 Pan-American Championships and a double medalist at the U17 World Team Trials in 2024, where he also earned the title of Outstanding Wrestler. With his star continuing to rise, it looked like Raney could leave the World Championships as a double medalist yet again. However, his untimely injury dashed those hopes.

Nonetheless, it’s clear that Raney’s injury has not affected his college prospects. Tanner Lafever, a journalist who covers Iowa wrestling, reaffirmed Iowa’s interest in Raney. Quote tweeting the video of Raney’s KYWCA wins, he explained, “A 2026 prospect to watch for Iowa wrestling fans. Jordyn Raney & twin brother Jayden (both U17 Greco World champs) got their first call from Tom/Terry Brands when the recruiting window opened at midnight last June. Both are considered top-10 overall prospects next year.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling program is one of the most successful NCAA programs. So, it’s clear why it would be a top choice for an athlete like Jordyn Raney. In his wrestling membership bio, Raney stated his goal was, “Being the best in the world.” If his high school career is any indication, it’s likely that Raney will have a good chance at fulfilling this goal by reaching greater heights in college and beyond.