NEWS: 2027 pledge Sonny Amato announces decommitment

[el dub]

Well, I don’t know about a “positive” move for Iowa, but not a negative move for sure!

thanks for all you do Bob!

No. He distinctly said, “positive.” And that’s not even reading between the lines, ld…

 

[MissouriHawkeye]

Nah, the ship ain't a goin down

It's taking on more water than it can bilge pump out. Thank you though for all your support.

 

[MissouriHawkeye]

So why did we recruit him in the first place then?

This is my question. WTH. Tom offered him then buyers remorse. The turnover with the recruits we can get to committ isn't good. Wrestling is for the young that includes coaching. These top kids aren't impressed with Brands & Co.

 

[Mattski]

Impossible to level the playing field with the level of cheating in Happy Valley by the Sando boys

This is really poor. Either detail it all in black and white and make sure it's reported to the ncaa or we need to stop this. It comes off as nothing but sour grapes and excuses.

 

[InTheCircle]

Just from Iowa or nationwide?

Nationwide. I’d like to see where we stand. Just decommits, not transfer's.

 

[Trakker]

Why wouldn't we try? we even called Schwab haha. we should try to recruit every top recruit.

But according to you, he wasnt a top recruit and we have no use for him.

 

[luthius dagan]

Nationwide. I’d like to see where we stand. Just decommits, not transfer's.

you gotta decommit before you commit to another school

Jayden James (#2 2026) VTech to PSU
Sergio Vega (#7 2025) Cornell to Okie State
Landon Robideau (#5 2025) MINN to Okie State
Harvey Ludington (#15 2025) ASU to IOWA
Bo Bassett (#1 2026 Iowa to VTech)
Sonny Amato (#18 2027) Iowa to ???
Antonio Mills (#10 2026) NC State to Mizzou to tOSU
Jude Correa (#12 2025) MICH to Cornell
Dillan Johnson (#11 2024) NW to Wisconsion
Christian Carroll (#8 2023) Illinois to Penn to Okie State

 

[luthius dagan]

But according to you, he wasnt a top recruit and we have no use for him.

That’s not what I said, I just said we’re fine without him and he likely would have to work very hard to start and he’s not that much better than the other guys we have committed

 

[UNIHawk]

you gotta decommit before you commit to another school

Jayden James (#2 2026) VTech to PSU
Sergio Vega (#7 2025) Cornell to Okie State
Landon Robideau (#5 2025) MINN to Okie State
Harvey Ludington (#15 2025) ASU to IOWA
Bo Bassett (#1 2026 Iowa to VTech)
Sonny Amato (#18 2027) Iowa to ???
Antonio Mills (#10 2026) NC State to Mizzou to tOSU
Jude Correa (#12 2025) MICH to Cornell
Dillan Johnson (#11 2024) NW to Wisconsion
Christian Carroll (#8 2023) Illinois to Penn to Okie State

Routledge Neb. to Okie State

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Photoshopping Iowa wrestling on the t-shirt of a common Penn State fan is not allowed here.

 

[Anon1757876443]

This team is so cooked... unfortunately

 

[bnicolls]

She is sooo right. Thanks for posting this

 

[sdvike]

Goes back a bit further but Cassioppi was a great decommitted that came to Iowa. Those were some great years for Hawk wrestling not that long ago.

 

[VakAttack]

Vak you're not usually that thick. Can one use the current status of several NJ wrestlers being on the team or live recruits as an indication that punting Amato has no impact on NJ recruiting - when those statuses were set before Amato was punted?

And as we know, in college wrestling, once a wrestler is on the team, they're stuck there forever. Your point makes no sense. That doesn't mean it's a good situation.

 

[Bobhaywood]

This is my question. WTH. Tom offered him then buyers remorse. The turnover with the recruits we can get to committ isn't good. Wrestling is for the young that includes coaching. These top kids aren't impressed with Brands & Co.

Manning has been doing well recently, I believe he's in his 60's........

 

[PUR158]

Nah, the ship ain't a goin down

 

[Nashville_Hawk]

Set for a long time….. Will we be competing for titles or third?

I think 3rd will be tough these next 2 years...and maybe longer the way Nebraska seems to be rolling on the recruiting trail.

 

[Sabula]

I think 3rd will be tough these next 2 years...and maybe longer the way Nebraska seems to be rolling on the recruiting trail.

Yeah, the state of the program now vs other top schools is we'll be fighting for 4/5 place now and in the near future.

 

[el dub]

Yeah, the state of the program now vs other top schools is we'll be fighting for 4/5 place now and in the near future.

I believe we’re currently fighting for third place?

 

[Dean111!]

Recruitment of individual wrestlers in today’s market is very intense. Without question money is an influential factor in the decision to commit for most young athletes. For many/most D-1 coaches, the evaluation, recruitment and retention of the contemporary athlete is uncharted territory. No playbook here.

 

[Sabula]

I believe we’re currently fighting for third place?

Sure... PSU, Okie St, Nebraska all a better team than us. That looks like a 4th, at best... given who knows what Oh St will do. We used to battle for 1 or 2. Not anymore.

 

[Anon1771119513]

Sure... PSU, Okie St, Nebraska all a better team than us. That looks like a 4th, at best... given who knows what Oh St will do. We used to battle for 1 or 2. Not anymore.

Don't count out Va. Tech

 

[Coastal2]

I agree, but as of now Amato would have started 0 of his 5 seasons. It’s good for both parties for him to find a good home. Hopefully he goes to Rutgers and helps them become relevant. But he’s not going to make an impact at Iowa, so it’s a waste of his time and a waste of our money.

Recruits are looking at winning individual national championship moreso than team trophies so please define relevant.

Rutgers had two individuals win national titles in 2019. When's the last time Iowa had at least two wrestlers win titles in the same year?

 

[dtripp26]

Recruits are looking at winning individual national championship moreso than team trophies so please define relevant.

Rutgers had two individuals win national titles in 2019. When's the last time Iowa had at least two wrestlers win titles in the same year?

 

[dtripp26]

Nah, the ship ain't a goin down

SS Hawkeye with Capt Tom and 1st Mate Terry

 

[Coastal2]

Close, it's been since 2010. Current recruits were still in diapers and quite a few wrestlers at U17 weren't even born yet.

 

[Anon1757876443]

And as we know, in college wrestling, once a wrestler is on the team, they're stuck there forever. Your point makes no sense. That doesn't mean it's a good situation.

My point is that this is already being talked about in clubs throughout NJ (I am here and have heard it in my club and multiple other parents in North NJ) and not in a positive way for the Hawkeyes. As it stands, it has negatively impacted NJ recruiting prospects. And the list of current NJ wrestlers/recruits of the Hawkeyes is irrelevant when discussing the impact of punting Amato on NJ relations. Let me know if you follow

 

[Nashville_Hawk]

My point is that this is already being talked about in clubs throughout NJ (I am here and have heard it in my club and multiple other parents in North NJ) and not in a positive way for the Hawkeyes. As it stands, it has negatively impacted NJ recruiting prospects. And the list of current NJ wrestlers/recruits of the Hawkeyes is irrelevant when discussing the impact of punting Amato on NJ relations. Let me know if you follow

As bad as that sounds - and it does sound bad - we still don’t know what really happened so it’s hard to judge either way…

 

[johnstownsteel]

Impossible to level the playing field with the level of cheating in Happy Valley by the Sando boys

Well done Bobby...

This should help explain away this idea some fans may have that the longer you are involved in the Iowa program the worse they become.

 

[mvattivo]

Close, it's been since 2010. Current recruits were still in diapers and quite a few wrestlers at U17 weren't even born yet.

Hey that was the year wrestling started!

 

[hawknut]

Absolutely zero way of knowing this. What is known is recruiting has been a weak point in recent history and now a top 20 kid from NJ just decommitted. The tired old "he wouldn't have helped us anyway" excuse has been overplayed for years.

If we cut bait because he’s not good enough—that is great, but why did we take him in the first place? It’s not like something changed. Not coming to train as a high schooler? I bet the kid has been training most every day for basically his whole life. I’m going to just assume he’s not as good as we thought. Again, back to my original question—do we just take kids and then figure out if they fit our system?

 

[hawknut]

Impossible to level the playing field with the level of cheating in Happy Valley by the Sando boys

Our coaches objectively have relative deficiencies compared to the “Sando boys” regardless of whatever the Sando boys are doing. Our coaches have been slow or unable to recognize the deficiencies and in some cases cannot improve. This includes recruiting planning, individual match planning, injury prevention, lineup planning. The Sando boys are better at all of that. Our coaches are the most hated coaches by the other coaches and fans. They’ve even got some bad relationships with former wrestlers who coach at different institutions. They often come off as low IQ. They’ve become crazy caricatures. LOL on blaming Sando boys. Maybe you are implying either PEDs or $$$. There are enough top prospects out there that we can win or be more competitive H2H regardless. We could make more AA and more Champs.

Many fans aren’t dumb. We run businesses, are successful and smart. We see these problems and they are independent of what the “Sando boys” may be doing. If Brands didn’t have these problems for years that haven’t been fixed, we’d support him more.

Are we really going to start placing worse than 4th if we hire a new coach? So what if we get 6th instead of 4th? Well we aren’t getting better. What is it going to hurt?

 

[SpacemanSpifff]

If we cut bait because he’s not good enough—that is great, but why did we take him in the first place? It’s not like something changed. Not coming to train as a high schooler? I bet the kid has been training most every day for basically his whole life. I’m going to just assume he’s not as good as we thought. Again, back to my original question—do we just take kids and then figure out if they fit our system?

I don’t know the reasons behind the de-commitment, but you are making way too many assumptions. And even if your assumptions are true, things change over time. It’s just the way life is.

 

[FanInBlack]

excuses are for wussies amarite?

 

[bnicolls]

SS Hawkeye with Capt Tom and 1st Mate Terry

They dont look like TnT to me

 

[bnicolls]

Well done Bobby...

This should help explain away this idea some fans may have that the longer you are involved in the Iowa program the worse they become.

There you are, lurking and now pontificating. Thanks for stopping by

 

[bnicolls]

Our coaches objectively have relative deficiencies compared to the “Sando boys” regardless of whatever the Sando boys are doing. Our coaches have been slow or unable to recognize the deficiencies and in some cases cannot improve. This includes recruiting planning, individual match planning, injury prevention, lineup planning. The Sando boys are better at all of that. Our coaches are the most hated coaches by the other coaches and fans. They’ve even got some bad relationships with former wrestlers who coach at different institutions. They often come off as low IQ. They’ve become crazy caricatures. LOL on blaming Sando boys. Maybe you are implying either PEDs or $$$. There are enough top prospects out there that we can win or be more competitive H2H regardless. We could make more AA and more Champs.

Many fans aren’t dumb. We run businesses, are successful and smart. We see these problems and they are independent of what the “Sando boys” may be doing. If Brands didn’t have these problems for years that haven’t been fixed, we’d support him more.

Are we really going to start placing worse than 4th if we hire a new coach? So what if we get 6th instead of 4th? Well we aren’t getting better. What is it going to hurt?

It's summer, be happy

 

[dt21]

always draws the riffraff

 

[PAHURDLER]

.

 

[Coastal2]

do we just take kids and then figure out if they fit our system?

And therein lies the issue, the fact that there is a "system". Penn St, OKST and the other major players let wrestlers be the best themselves they can be, adapting their coaching to various styles. Iowa is the opposite as wrestlers adapt to the coaches' way of doing things.