BOOM.
Ohio State earned its third commitment from the class of 2022 on Thursday as Malvern Prep big man Nick Feldman announced his pledge via Instagram. As the top-ranked heavyweight in the country, Feldman is the No. 5 overall prospect in the country according to FloWrestling.
With Feldman's commitment, Ohio State now has what is shaping up to be the top class in the country. In addition to Feldman, the Buckeyes hold pledges from No. 7 Seth Shumate and No. 29 Gavin Brown, giving them three top-30 prospects and a pair residing in the top 10. No other school has more than one in the top 10 at this point in the recruiting cycle.
The class gives Ohio State a potent pair of big men, as Feldman is the top-ranked heavyweight in the class, and Shumate is the top-ranked 195-pound prospect.
Feldman said he choose Ohio State over a list of schools that at one time included Big Ten foes Michigan and Purdue, as well as Navy and Virginia Tech, because of his relationship with the coaching staff and fellow Pennsylvania high school standouts Sammy Sasso and Gavin Hoffman.
"[I] just had that feeling," Feldman told Eleven Warriors. "Felt at home with the coaches and kids. I know they can help me be great on and off the mat." In addition to wrestling for the Buckeyes, he also plans to join the University's NROTC program in preparation for earning a commission in the United States Navy after college.
Feldman's impact is significant; Ohio State thought it had its heavyweight of the future in Minnesota sensation Greg Kerkvliet. His precipitous departure just days before the start of the 2019-2020 season left the Buckeyes in the lurch, both immediately and in terms of how they had approached heavyweight prospects in the Class of 2020 and 2021.
The future Buckeye big has been on roll over the past year: he finished second at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman and then won both the Beast of The East and National Prep Championships. He rocketed to the top of the heavyweight rankings when he won a major decision over previous top-ranked heavyweight (and current Oklahoma State commitment) Kyle Haas at Flo's Who's #1 event back in October.
beastly
— Ol' Two Eyes Himself (@SpeyWrestle) January 15, 2021
@SJanickiPhoto pic.twitter.com/2mi2HtLKtv
Recruiting continues to be a strong suit of Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan and his consigliere of prospective personnel, Anthony Ralph. The program just signed Paddy Gallagher, the nation’s No. 1-ranked 160-pounder in the Class of 2021 and the No. 2 pound for pound prospect according to FloWrestling, as well as Andre Gonzoles, ranked No. 4 nationally at 113 pounds and a Fargo champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
The future is bright in Buckeyeland! pic.twitter.com/UTCjHgYl5C
— Thomas Ryan (@Buckeye158) January 15, 2021
