The Buckeye wrestling team netted a pair of elite verbal commitments from the Class of 2017 last week, or, in the words of Mark Pantoni “Boom! Boom!”
The Buckeyes snagged three-time Ohio state champion Kaleb Romero of Mechanicsburg, Ohio as the first part of the commitment combo, stabilizing the upper-middle weights for the next four years. Through three seasons at Mechanicsburg, Romero has amassed a 150-3 record, including a perfect 52-0 campaign as a junior. Romero is currently ranked No. 4 in FloWrestling’s national rankings at 160 lbs, but likely projects to wrestle at 165 early in his career before settling into the 174 lb class as he grows. Romero may step directly into the lineup in his first year on campus if the staff believes that he can be a significant contributor to the team at 165. Kaleb chose Ohio State over Cornell and North Carolina.
After a long recruiting process, I have decided to continue my academic and athletic career at THE Ohio State University... Go Bucks! #OH pic.twitter.com/Bf7RRSWaiM
— Kaleb Romero (@KalebRomero7) October 5, 2016
The following day, the Buckeyes learned that they would also be getting the services of Chase Singletary of wrestling powerhouse Blair Academy. Singletary is ranked No. 1 at 220 in Flo’s national rankings and currently holds down the No. 8 spot in their Pound for Pound rankings. Chase has earned titles at the Walsh Ironman, Prep Nationals, and handfuls of tournaments throughout the US. Much like Tommy Rowlands, JD Bergman, and more recently, Kyle Snyder, Singletary will compete as an undersized heavyweight, emphasizing speed and athleticism over sheer size. Chase has stated that he is open to taking a redshirt in his first year on campus, allowing himself a year to train with Olympic Champion *** Kyle Snyder while Snyder wrestles as a senior. Singletary, like Romero, opted for Ohio State over Cornell and North Carolina.
*** Federal Law probably prohibits Snyder's name from being mentioned without mentioning that he is an Olympic champion. Better safe than sorry.
Romero’s name was tossed around as one that the Buckeyes had a close eye on, but the Singletary commitment caught me a bit off guard. The two wrestlers took an official visit to Ohio State on September 18th, and apparently saw what they wanted to see on campus despite the Buckeye football team having a bye week.
While two elite recruits in two days may be enough to satisfy some programs, the Buckeye wrestling Twitter account hinted at more big things coming.
Perhaps an outstanding lightweight to take over at 125? Time will tell how the Buckeyes plan to replace Nathan Tomasello in a few years, but they’ve undoubtedly got some big names in mind.
In other recruiting news, the Buckeyes gained the services of Norwayne’s Zach Steiner. Steiner is a state champion in the Class of 2018 for Creston’s Norwayne High School, where he was a teammate of probably Buckeye starter (at 197) Kollin Moore. Steiner won his state title at 170 lbs and will likely provide depth for the Buckeyes at 174 or 184 to begin his career.
Also committing from the Buckeye State recently is Dublin Coffman’s stud Dominick Demas, though Demas opted to head west to wrestle. Demas, who is the younger brother of former Buckeye standout Josh Demas, has decided to wrestle for former Buckeye assistant Lou Rosselli at Oklahoma. Demas is a three-time state placer for Coffman, winning the state title as a sophomore and capturing second place as a junior.
Joining Demas and Rosselli at Oklahoma will be former Wisconsin verbal commit Kyle Lawson, who has won three state titles and will pursue a fourth for Olentangy Liberty High School. Lawson was a teammate of current Buckeye Micah Jordan at Graham High School and won his first two state titles for the Falcons before transferring to Liberty. Lawson projects to be a 165 or 174 pounder in college and will give Rosselli an excellent group of signees in the Class of 2017.
As wrestling season approaches, more news is likely just around the corner for some of the nation’s top high school wrestlers. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for recruiting news as it becomes available.
