Iowa adds Black, the 10th commit to 2024 class
Iowa wrestling has received a pair of commits for the 2024 class, growing its 2024 recruiting class to 10 pledges for next season
The most notable of the two is Otto Black, a Colorado native, a two-time Fargo champion in Greco-Roman and most recently won a folkstyle state title in Colorado in his senior season at 138 pounds. He’s a three-time medalist in high school, with a fourth-place finish in his sophomore season and a second-place finish as a freshman. He did not wrestle folkstyle in his junior year, according to trackwrestling.
“I have decided I wanted to continue my folkstyle career at the University of Iowa,” Black said in an Instagram post. “I want to thank my coaches, family, training partners, and anyone else who has helped me along this crazy journey. I have some additional goals that I have put in place for myself, but I am still chasing that Greco World and Olympic gold.”
Black comes from Mead High School, where his teammate and 2025 Hawkeye commit Leister Bowling IV also attends. Bowling won a state title this year at 175 pounds alongside Black, helping their school win its first team title. Jake Howell, also a Colorado native who finished second at 215 pounds at the Colorado State Championships, is also a member of the 2024 class.
He’s only wrestled at the Colorado State Championships twice in his career and has placed both times. He could be one to watch as a late bloomer for this class.
Black will be an intriguing prospect for Iowa, as a star on the Greco-Roman circuit with Olympic aspirations in that style. While not primarily a folkstyle wrestler, he’s shown talent there as a three-time medalist in Colorado high school and going 49-0 on his way to a state title this winter.
Alongside him is New Jersey native Anthony Lavezzola, who did not qualify for the New Jersey state tournament at 125 pounds this year, according to Trackwrestling, but it is one of the hardest high school tournaments in the country. He made his commitment on April 12.
For the 2024 class, Black was a muchneeded pickup after losing four wrestlers to the transfer portal near Black’s projected weight class, which will likely be around 141 or 149 pounds. Here’s a look at the 2024 class in its entirety as of Tuesday:
Dru Ayala - four-time state medalist for Fort Dodge (projects at 125 pounds)
Otto Black - two-time Fargo GrecoRoman champion, one-time Colorado state champion (projects at 141 or 149 pounds)
Brady Benham - four-time Oklahoma State champion (projects at 165 pounds)
Miguel Estrada - three-time California state champion (projects at 157 pounds)
Angelo Ferrari - No. 2 pound-forpound recruit according to Flowrestling (projects at 184 pounds)
Kenyan Hernandez - four-time Montana state champion (projects at 125 pounds)
Jake Howell - two-time Colorado state medalist, 2024 finalist at 215 pounds (projects at heavyweight)
Joey Kennedy - two-time state medalist in Minnesota (projects at 157 pounds)
Anthony Lavezzola - New Jersey native, did not qualify for states (Projects at 125 pounds)
Kael Voinovich - one-time Iowa state champion (projects at 165 pounds)