Iowa wrestling’s 2025 recruiting class has grown with Claudio (CJ) Torres announcing he was withdrawing his commitment to Virginia Tech to become a Hawkeye.
Torres, who wrestles for Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, is the No. 6-ranked 165-pound recruit in Flowrestling’s latest high school rankings. He is a four-time All-American at the 16U and Junior Freestyle Nationals (two-time 16U and two-time Junior) in Fargo, North Dakota and recently won a Junior Folkstyle national title in West Des Moines in March. There, he defeated three-time Iowa state champion and Fargo champion Kyler Knaack of Don Bosco, who is a Northern Iowa commit.
He has also won two National preps titles while in high school and was third at the Ironman Wrestling tournament in December 2024. The only two wrestlers he placed behind at Ironman were LaDarion Lockett (Stillwater, Oklahoma) and Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort, Pennsylvania), with both being considered top prospects nationally regardless of age or weight class.
“I’m thrilled to announce my commitment to the University of Iowa,” Torres wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m excited for the future and lifelong dream of wrestling as a Hawkeye.”
Torres is the seventh member of the 2025 class following his May 28 announcement, with Leo DeLuca (No. 19 pound-for-pound recruit, No. 1 at 120 pounds) and Harvey Ludington (No. 1 at 190) being the top recruits of the class. With the Miller twins, Jarrel (No. 10 at 190) and Ty (No. 14 at 190), as well as unranked recruits Leister Bowling IV and Paolo Ciatto, the coaching staff has filled some needs with this class while also adding some star-level talent.
None will be expected to impact next year’s roster, barring injuries, but DeLuca, Ludington and Torres in particular should be looked at as potential building blocks for future teams.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Iowa wrestling: Claudio Torres commits to Hawkeyes in 2025 recruiting class
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
