Iowa wrestling keeps taking hits on the recruiting trail, and the latest one stings.
Sonny Amato, the top New Jersey prospect and the No. 6 overall prospect at 150 pounds, announced on Instagram that he has reopened his commitment after initially pledging to Iowa in October 2025. For a program trying to steady itself after a rough stretch by its own standards, losing Amato is another setback in a run that has already included a few painful turns.
The Hawkeyes had gotten a jolt when Amato first picked Iowa, especially after the earlier blow of Bo Bassett’s decommitment. Bassett, the 2026 No. 2 overall wrestling prospect, had been a major win for Tom Brands and the Hawkeyes before backing away from the program. Bassett said Iowa simply turned out to be the wrong fit, while reports also surfaced that the Bassett family was seeking extra accommodations for him and his brother, Melvin Miller.
Then came another hit. Soon after Bassett’s exit, Miller - the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2027 class - removed Iowa from his list of top choices.
Amato’s departure now adds to that frustration. He is coming off another state championship, his second in three years, and his decommitment leaves Iowa searching again for answers after briefly easing the sting of the Bassett situation.
The broader picture hasn’t helped the Hawkeyes. Iowa owns 24 national championships and once sat alone at the top of the sport, including nine straight under Dan Gable from 1978 to 1986. But the recruiting landscape has changed, the talent pool has widened, and with expanded NIL opportunities, the old pull Iowa once had has loosened.
Penn State has taken full advantage. Since 2021, the Nittany Lions have won every Big Ten and national championship, and they continue to separate themselves from the pack. According to MatScouts’ recent 2027 Big Board, Penn State has four of the top 10 recruits in the class as it keeps building distance over Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Ohio State.
Iowa still has some high-end talent in the class. Paul Kenney, ranked No. 8 at 133 pounds, and Joe Bachmann, ranked No. 9 at 165 pounds, remain in the Hawkeyes’ corner. But after losing Miller and now Amato, the misses are piling up.
For a program that used to be the destination for the best of the best, the recent recruiting run has become a series of gut punches. And if Iowa wants to climb back into the national title conversation, it has to start winning more battles before those wrestlers ever step on the mat.
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