Bo Bassett Decommits From Iowa. Is Penn State Wrestling in the Picture?

Bo Bassett, the top high school wrestling prospect of the 2026 recruiting cycle, reopened his recruiting process Sunday night, when he announced his decision to decommit from Iowa. Bassett had committed to Iowa and head coach Tom Brands in February, marking a huge recruiting coup for the Hawkeyes in plucking the Pennsylvania star from Penn State's backyard.

Now, Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson has another opportunity to recruit Bassett, who is 126-0 in his high school wrestling career at Bishop McCort with one season left. Bassett had listed Penn State among his final four schools, with Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech, before initially choosing Iowa.

“After a lot of prayer and talking with my family, I’ve decided to decommit from the University of Iowa,” Bassett wrote in a Facebook post. “This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a
wrestler, a person or for my faith journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll never speak a bad word about their program. This is about finding the place God wants me to be. This is a huge decision
in my life and it has to be the right one.

“I would like to thank all of the Iowa fans who have supported me. You have been amazing and I am grateful for the support you showed me. I have opened up my recruitment.”

Bassett is the No. 1 overall prospect of the 2026 recruiting class, according to FloWrestling, and among the most heavily recruited wrestlers of the cycle. At age 14, Bassett won a world title at the Cadet World Wrestling Championships and last year placed third at the U20 World Championships. He recently completed a 52-0 season at Bishop MsCort with his second PIAA title.

Bassett's initial commitment to Iowa was an online event, drawing more than 40,000 viewers, according to FloWrestling. Bassett has amassed nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram as well.

Recently, Bassett went head-to-head with Penn State 2025 commit Marcus Blaze, as the wrestlers competed at Final X. Blaze turned a four-point, third-period move into a 5-1 victory over Bassett for true third place in the 65 kg men's freestyle weight class. It's now more possible that Blaze and Bassett could be Penn State teammates in 2026.

The Nittany Lions already have flipped one top wrestler in the 2026 class. Jayden James, FloWrestling's No. 3 overall prospect, chose Penn State after initially committing to Virginia Tech. James recently won two gold medals at the U17 Pan American Championships. In a social media video, FloWrestling's Christian Pyles addressed the potential for Bassett to wind up at Penn State.