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2026 Wrestling recruiting class ranked in the top 10

MatScout has the Sun Devils slotted at No. 7 nationally with InterMat ranking the team at No. 5 in the nation.

2026 Wrestling recruiting class ranked in the top 102026 Wrestling recruiting class ranked in the top 10
by Zach Wargo

TEMPE – Head coach Zeke Jones and his coaching staff have brought in some of the top recruits ahead of the 2026-27 season, helping Sun Devil Wrestling secure a pair of top-10 placements in MatScouts and InterMat 2026 Recruiting rankings. 

MatScout has the Sun Devils slotted at No. 7 nationally with InterMat ranking the team at No. 5 in the nation. It is the highest recruiting ranking for the Maroon and Gold since being ranked No. 2 in 2021 and will provide depth to the team during the season. ASU is the second-ranked team in the Big 12, only behind Oklahoma State who is No. 1.

Arizona State is the only team with four incoming recruits in the top-70 in MatScouts’ rankings. Leading the way is Rylan Seacrist, slotting in at No. 18 at 125 lbs, marking the first top-20 recruit since 2024 national champion Richie Figueroa. Seacrist was ranked the No. 2 prospect in his weight class and is a Fargo National Champion, Ohio State champion and a U.S. Open All-American.

Top Recruits:  #18 Rylan Seacrist (Brecksville, OH), #33 Kal-el Fluckiger (Valiant Prep, AZ), #43 William Ward (Moorhead, MN), #66 Travis Cardenas (Chandler, AZ), #103 Antonio Rodriguez (Los Gatos, CA), #177 Justin Wardlow (Lockport, IL)

Chandler, Ariz. native Kal-El Fluckiger is ranked No. 33 nationally and held a 21-8 record in high school. He is a top-ranked recruit in the 215 lb weight class, but will wrestle at 285 lbs. Fluckiger placed fourth at Junior National Championships last Sunday, July 12 and was recognized as a Fargo junior All-American. 

Incoming freshman Billy Ward placed third in the freestyle 215 lb weight class at the Junior National Championships on July 12 and earned junior All-American honors. Ranked as the No. 43 recruit nationally, Ward won three straight state titles at 189 lbs, going unbeaten as a senior.

Arizona native Travis Cardenas is ranked No. 66 in the nation at 157 lbs and is a two-time Fargo All-American. To add, he won his second state title to conclude his high school career and went 35-3 in his final season. Joining the team is Antonio Rodriguez, clocking in at No. 103 in the nation and Justin Wardlow at No. 177, adding depth to the middleweight classes.

The Sun Devils finished No. 12 nationally after junior Nicco Ruiz and graduate transfer David Szuba earned All-American honors at NCAA Championships. Ruiz finished fourth at 165 lbs, the best by a Sun Devil since Steve Blackford took third in 2000. ASU finished third at the Big 12 Championships with 94 points, headlined by Ruiz and sophomore Kaleb Larkin earning Big 12 titles.

The Sun Devils also saw a great deal of success at tournaments, with the following individuals claiming tournament titles throughout the season: 

2025-26 Individual Sun Devil Wrestling Titlists:
Aziz Fayzullaev: Cyclone Open Champion (184)
Kaleb Larkin: Big 12 Champion (157), Michigan State Open Champion (149)
Kyler Larkin: Michigan State Open Champion (133)
Pierson Manville: Michigan State Open Champion (141)
Chance McLane: Michigan State Open Champion (157)
Nicco Ruiz: Big 12 Champion (165), Michigan State Open Champion (165)
Leo Tukhlynovych: Michigan State Open Champion (174)
Cael Valencia: Reno TOC Champion (174), Cyclone Open Champion (174)
Anee Vigil: Reno TOC Champion (125)
Ben Szuba: Edinboro Open Champion (HWT), Reno TOC Champion (HWT)

Last month at the U23 Pan-Am Championships, Ruiz and Manville both emerged victorious in their respective weight classes with Ruiz earning gold in the 73kg freestyle division and Manville winning the 63kg Greco-Roman division in Lima, Peru. Both added another title this summer, with Ruiz becoming a U23 national champion at 74kg in freestyle and Manville winning the 63kg Greco-Roman U23 title in May.

ASU separated itself on a national scale academically, where the team finished as the No. 1 overall academic team per the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), with a team GPA of 3.689827 while seeing 10 members earning NWCA Scholar All-American status and 13 named to the All-Big 12 Winter Academic team. 

 

Follow along
Follow Sun Devil Wrestling at sundevils.com, on @ASUWrestling on X, SunDevilWrestling1962 on Instagram and Sun Devil Wrestling on Facebook for all the latest coverage and content throughout the season.