Iowa wrestling just made one heck of a recruiting haul for the future.
Iowa added not one, not two, but three top-15 prospects in the class of 2027 all in one swing on Nov. 9. Alongside those three, two younger brothers added that they plan to follow along.
In what quickly turned into a massive recruiting wave, Faith Christian Academy’s Joe Bachmann (No. 3 in 2027 by Flowrestling) and Christian Brothers Academy’s Paul Kenny (No. 8 in 2027 by Flowrestling) started by announcing on the Baschamania Podcast that they were choosing Iowa for their college careers. Bachmann chose Iowa over Cornell, Iowa State, Lehigh, Missouri, Ohio State and Rutgers. Kenny picked the Hawkeyes over Nebraska, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.
Bachmann is a two-time U17 World medalist, winning silver in 2024 and bronze in 2023. He also has won two U17 Pan-Am championships. In high school competition, the Pennsylvania native has won two state titles and owns first-place finishes at the Ironman and Super 32 tournaments. His last state title in Pennsylvania came at 127 pounds.
Kenny won a U17 World title in 2023. He is a New Jersey native, one of several in recent months to choose Iowa in their recruitment. In high school competitions, Kenny won a state title this past spring at 120 pounds. He took third at the Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, in July at 126 pounds. He is also high school teammates with 2026 commit Bobby Duffy.
It doesn’t end there, though.
Kenny and Bachmann both have talented younger brothers in the class of 2028 in Sean Kenny (No. 7 at 113 pounds regardless of class) and Freddy Bachmann (No. 7 at 132 pounds regardless of class). Just before the announcement for their older brothers was completed, Sean Kenny and Freddy Bachmann added that they plan to follow in the footsteps of their brothers for the class of 2028. Sean Kenny is a 16U Fargo champion. Freddy Bachmann is a U17 World silver medalist, an Ironman champion and a Pennsylvania state champion.
As if that weren’t enough, the Hawkeyes had another significant addition when No. 11-ranked Israel Borge also committed to the Hawkeyes. He is a 2025 state champion at 138 pounds from Utah and a two-time state finalist.
Just like that, five blue-chip prospects project to be Hawkeyes in the 2027 and 2028 classes.
Paul Kenny, Joe Bachmann and Borge make it five commits for Iowa in 2027, alongside Dawson Youngblut (Iowa, No. 29 in 2027) and Sonny Amato (New Jersey, No. 30 in 2027). Duffy, Paul Kenny, Rutgers transfer Dean Peterson, true freshmen Leo DeLuca and Harvey Ludington, 2027 commit Sonny Amato and redshirt freshman Anthony Lavezzola are all New Jersey natives who have chosen the Hawkeyes in the last two seasons, making the Garden State pipeline that much deeper.
What this means for Iowa wrestling
It’s hard not to have your jaw on the floor when several high-profile prospects all pick Iowa in one major swing like this, but it’s even harder not to think of what things were like just a few months ago.
It wasn’t even a full year ago when Bo Bassett, one of the most coveted prospects in recent memory, chose Iowa. His adopted brother and the top-ranked recruit in 2027, Melvin Miller, seemed poised to follow him. Then Bassett changed his mind as many high school recruits do, decommitting from Iowa, and the Hawkeyes subsequently lost consideration from Miller. At the time, it felt like a huge gut punch to the future classes for the program.
But as quickly as the hope seemed to falter, Iowa has instantly changed its fortune with a groundbreaking haul of future Hawkeyes. It’s a reflection of the times in a wild recruiting world, but also a showing of the relentless pursuit Iowa has currently to get back to its place at the top.
Assuming these five all arrive in Iowa City and continue winning on World and national stages, there are five guys who project to compete for NCAA All-America honors and potentially national titles. As the Hawkeyes’ chase of Penn State continues, this weekend’s news shows a continued path forward for Iowa to regain its spot atop of the college wrestling world.
This story has been updated with new information and analysis after other recruits announced their intention to wrestle at Iowa.
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 makes massive recruiting swing, adds multiple commits
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
