College Signings
Zack Velasquez Moving on to Northern Illinois
Ponderosa’s Zack Velasquez is moving along to Northern Illinois. The 2015 CIF State champion spent last season at Grand Canyon University but unfortunately decided to drop their program. Since the news Velasquez began the search for his new home. Zack decided to go where his original 2nd choice was a year ago, NIU, and join fellow Californian’s McCoy Kent (Enochs HS) and Angel Velasquez (Pitman HS). Zack was a CIF state champion in 2015 at 154 lbs. and then went on to finish 6th place at Senior Nationals in Virginia. Also during his senior season Zack was a Doc Buchannan Invitational and a Temecula Valley Battle for the Belt champion. After winning his State Championship Velasquez finished the CIF season with an incredible — and perfect — 55-0 record. Here is his CIF State finals match where he took on Justin Thomas from Santiago HS (SS).
Last week was a big success for Oregon State’s recruiting, with Chris Pendleton’s team securing three verbal commitments, two from the Class of 2026 and one from the senior class, all Big Board members and two in the top 100. On Tuesday, Nathan Carrillo from St. John Bosco, CA, ranked #46 in the Class of 2026, also committed, making Oregon State one of two schools with three recruits from that class. Carrillo, a two-time California state qualifier and 2024 state finalist at 120 lbs, holds national-level accolades, including third-place finishes at the UWW U17 Trials and Fargo. He’s currently ranked seventh at 120 lbs and is expected to compete at 125/133 lbs in college. Despite already having young talent in those weight classes, Oregon State’s roster will benefit from Carrillo’s potential.
The Cornell recruiting Class of 2026 is off to a strong start with the verbal commitment of #9 overall Joseph Toscano from Buchanan, CA, making him the highest-ranked recruit from the class and the first top-ten recruit to commit so far. Toscano, a two-time state runner-up, reached the finals as a freshman at 126 lbs and again in 2024 at 144 lbs. He also advanced to the finals of the Doc Buchanan Invitational during his first two years, winning the title and the traditional cowboy hat as a freshman. Currently ranked sixth in the nation, Toscano is set to compete in the stacked 144 lb bracket at the Super 32, which will feature the top eight wrestlers in that weight class.
At the next level, Toscano is projected to wrestle at 157 lbs, which aligns with the graduation of current Cornell All-American Meyer Shapiro, setting Toscano up to join the Big Red in the fall of 2026. This commitment bolsters what is already considered one of the best recruiting classes in the current cycle.
On Friday morning the Oklahoma State Cowboy’s secured their first commitment from that class with #44 Rocklin Zinkin, a two-time state finalist from Buchanan, California. Zinkin, who was a state runner-up as a freshman at 106 lbs. and a state champion at 113 lbs. as a sophomore, also excelled at the Doc Buchanan Invitational and went 7-0 at the 16U National Duals in freestyle over the summer.
Expected to compete at 133 lbs. in college, Zinkin’s commitment marks the third straight year Oklahoma State has landed an elite California recruit, following #2 Coby Merrill in 2024 and #27 Ronnie Ramirez in 2025. Zinkin chose the Cowboys after visiting Michigan, NC State, and Virginia Tech, solidifying his decision after a visit to Oklahoma State.
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State Rankings2 weeks agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Team Rankings
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State Rankings2 weeks agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 106 lbs.
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State Rankings2 weeks agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 126 lbs.
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State Rankings2 weeks agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 120 lbs.
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State Rankings2 weeks agoCalGrappler California High School Wrestling Rankings – 113 lbs.
