Bo Bassett's Iowa receives major boost as program welcome top wrester in latest transfer portal pick

Claudio Torres has committed to Bo Bassett's alma mater, the Iowa Hawkeyes, after initially considering Virginia Tech. Torres has been a formidable wrestler at Lake Highland Preparatory School, placing No. 6 in the 165-pound division in FloWrestling's latest high school rankings.

Bassett, the top recruit of the Class of 2026, committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes earlier this year, fresh off an undefeated career at Bishop McCort High School. He added the U17 World champion's title in 2021 and won bronze at the U20 World Championships in 2024. The Iowa commit was in action at the Senior World Team Trials, where he succumbed to Brock Hardy in the semi-finals and failed to secure a World Team spot.

As per recent news, Bo Bassett's Iowa Hawkeyes welcomed another formidable high school wrestler, Claudio (CJ) Torres, in 2025's recruiting class. The latter withdrew commitment from Virginia Tech to join Iowa. He announced his major career update on his Instagram handle, captioning:

"I recently decided to withdraw my commitment to Virginia Tech, I would like to thank VT for their understanding. I’m thrilled to announce my commitment to the University of Iowa. I’m excited for the future and lifelong dream of wrestling as a Hawkeye."

The No. 6 ranked in the 165-pound high school division won a Junior Folkstyle National title in Des Moines in March 2025. His repertoire also includes four All-American honors at the 16U and a third-place finish at the 2024 Ironman Wrestling tournament.

Bo Bassett made his feelings known after a bronze finish at the U20 US Open Championships

Bo Bassett competed in the 65-kg category at the U20 US Open Championships in April 2025. He lost to Lehigh University's Luke Stanich in the semi-finals 5-2 and ended his gold medal-winning run. Stanich eventually won the title in the weight division.

After the campaign, Bassett shared a post on his Instagram handle, reflecting on the event and expressing pride in his younger brother, Keegan's World Team selection.

"US Open U20 65kg 3rd- It’s always fun battling against the best! God always has a plan and this is all part of the preparation for the month ahead. 18 days until Senior WTT & 32 days until U20 WTT. Extremely proud of my little brother! U17 World Team Member. It is impossible to beat someone who never gives up. Noah didn’t wait for his ship to come in, he built one."

Bo Bassett was coached by his father, Bill Bassett, in his early wrestling days, and the latter continues to be a strong support system.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder