Pat Saltou

Wildcats Reign-Cornbowl Conference - casual wrestling fan

[Matthew Modine @MatthewModine]

REPOST + be following by next Monday, August 25 for a chance to win this signed limited edition 8"x10" glossy photo print of Louden Swain's #wrestling victory produced exclusively for VISION QUEST's 40th anniversary earlier this year! I'll pick one winner and announce next #ModineMonday. Good luck!

And place your bids to win a VISION QUEST Blu-ray + photo print set - both signed by yours truly! Check out @FMJDiary's eBay auction to learn more. 👇

https://t.co/ts9hmIAzSl

[FloWrestling @FloWrestling]

John Smith returns to coaching.

[The School of Wrestling @TheSchoolofWres]

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to visit the University of Iowa and sit in on a Hawkeye wrestling practice. It was the day after the news dropped that Bo Bassett had officially decommitted, setting off a wave of online criticism, speculation, and hot takes about the future of Iowa Wrestling.

But while everyone online was busy writing off the Hawkeyes and predicting the downfall of Tom Brands, I was watching something very different unfold on the mat.

Inside the room, the energy was focused, intense, and unbothered.
I watched Drake Ayala, Patrick Kennedy, Angelo Ferrari, Michael Caliendo, and incoming transfers Dean Peterson and Massoma Endene put in serious work. These guys weren’t distracted. They weren’t rattled. They looked locked in, hungry, and ready to compete at a high level this coming season.

You can feel the competitive fire in that room—it’s still very much alive.

Let’s be honest, losing top recruits like Bo Bassett stings. These are high-profile names and future stars of the sport. But to act like a couple of decommitments signal the death of a dynasty? That’s just not grounded in reality.

Here’s what I saw:
✔️ A coaching staff still pushing with purpose
✔️ Athletes engaged and training with intensity
✔️ A program that still expects to win

One practice doesn’t tell the full story, of course. But it tells more than message boards and Twitter threads ever will.

Wrestling programs are built on more than recruiting rankings. Culture, development, grit, and leadership matter just as much—if not more—over the course of a season. And Iowa still has all of those ingredients.

I’m not here to defend or critique decisions I wasn’t a part of. I don’t know exactly what led to the decommitments. What I do know is that the Hawkeyes aren’t folding. Far from it.

Tom Brands isn’t going anywhere, and from what I saw, his team is far from done making noise.

Don't count out the Hawkeyes.
They're still in the fight. And they still know how to win.

— Dalton Bullard
The School of Wrestling

[Justin Basch @JustinJBasch]

Portal doesn't stop on the weekends... 2024 National Champ Richie Figs @stunnamanrich has entered the transfer portal.

[UNI Wrestling @UNI_wrestling]

For the first time since 1986, the Panthers will be represented at all ten weight classes at the NCAA Championships! 🤼

📰 https://t.co/ZfX2r7KbUS

#PantherTrain | #EverLoyal

[Barstool Iowa @BarstoolUIowa]

Cooper DeJean: Champion🏈💍

[Tyler Tachman @Tyler_T15]

Cooper DeJean: “Man, I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid. Watching this game growing up. Now it’s here. Now I get to wear a big ol' ring on my finger whenever we get it.”

More from DeJean’s reaction to becoming a Super Bowl LIX Champion: https://t.co/GAuwP5A1jK

[Ross Bartachek @rossbchek]

Bishop McCort’s Owen McMullen has committed to the Hawkeyes.

Owen was one of several big name recruits that was in town last weekend on an official visit. He is a top 150 recruit in the class of 2026 and projects as a middleweight.

[Bo Bassett WC @BoBassett06]

Great weekend at Wrestle Town, USA. I really enjoyed Iowa and their love for wrestling. #MachineGunMindset 🐤 @TheIowaHawkeyes @hawkcentral @HWC_wrestling @Hawks_Wrestling @iawrestlingfan @TheIowaHawkeyes

[Tanner Lafever @TannerLafever]

Nothing to see here...

Just the #1 (Jax Forrest), #2 (Bo Bassett) and #3 (Dreshaun Ross) ranked wrestlers in the Class of 2026 visiting Iowa City together this weekend.

📸's by @webcentrick

[Tanner Lafever @TannerLafever]

Looks like #2 overall 2026 prospect Bo Bassett (& HS teammate, #1 Jax Forrest) got in a workout with a pair of Hawkeye legends this morning.

Bassett/Forrest are part of an A-list of official visitors on campus for Iowa men's wrestling this weekend.

(Story attached below)

[WrestlersGrind @_wrestlersgrind]

Future Hawkeyes? 🤔

@BoBassett06 @JaxForrest6

[Ross Bartachek @rossbchek]

Bo Bassett and Jax Forrest among the recruits taking an official visit to Iowa this weekend.

Here they are talking with a couple of Iowa Wrestling legends.

[Bo Bassett WC @BoBassett06]

So grateful for these opportunities. Got to scrap with Spencer & Austin. I looked up to these guys since I started wrestling. Heading to the football game next. #MachineGunMindset #grateful @Hawks_Wrestling @HWC_wrestling @LeeSpencerlee36 @IowaWRLive

[Minnesota Twins @Twins]

The Pohlad family’s statement on today’s news:

[Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives @dom_lucre]

🔥🚨BREAKING: Grammy award winning rockstar Bruce Springsteen just endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in a new video where he calls Donald Trump “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.”

[Eli McKown @Emckown23]

Otto Black was an intriguing prospect to me when he committed, and has done nothing but win since: https://t.co/aQqxkZxfIx

[FloWrestling @FloWrestling]

Who Will Start for Iowa Wrestling This Year?

[Ross Bartachek @rossbchek]

Jacori Teemer in the University of Iowa Student Directory

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr @RobertKennedyJr]

I delivered my State of the Union on March 7th, 2024. It feels more relevant than ever tonight…