WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland made a late addition to the 2021-22 Boilermaker roster Thursday, signing Illinois native Hayden Copass to a tender. One of the nation's top-ranked heavyweights at the high school level over the past few seasons, and plans to enroll at Purdue at the semester and join the team.
"Adding an athlete like Hayden at this stage in the game is a great boost to our program," said Ersland. "You can't coach 'size' and he's got that in spades. Add in the fact that he's athletic and can really move his feet and you have the recipe for a really successful college heavyweight wrestler."
A native of Georgetown, Illinois, Copass was ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation at 285 pounds, finishing his high school career at No. 2 via FloWrestling. InterMat ranked Copass as the No. 18 overall recruit in the class of 2021, while FloWrestling tabbed him at No. 32.
Copass won the U.S. Marine Corps Freestyle National Championships on two occasions, taking the Cadet crown in 2018 and the junior title in 2019. He also captured the 2020 Super 32 championship, which featured a who's who list of the nation's top high school heavyweights. He was a two-time 2A Illinois High School State Championship finalist, placing second in 2019 and taking the 2020 state title, and finished with a high school record of 105-11.
The Boilermakers host their first event of the season Friday, October 29, welcoming fans to Holloway Gymnasium for their intrasquad wrestle offs. Purdue's first event of 2021-22 is set for Saturday, November 6, at Drexel University.
"Adding an athlete like Hayden at this stage in the game is a great boost to our program," said Ersland. "You can't coach 'size' and he's got that in spades. Add in the fact that he's athletic and can really move his feet and you have the recipe for a really successful college heavyweight wrestler."
A native of Georgetown, Illinois, Copass was ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation at 285 pounds, finishing his high school career at No. 2 via FloWrestling. InterMat ranked Copass as the No. 18 overall recruit in the class of 2021, while FloWrestling tabbed him at No. 32.
Copass won the U.S. Marine Corps Freestyle National Championships on two occasions, taking the Cadet crown in 2018 and the junior title in 2019. He also captured the 2020 Super 32 championship, which featured a who's who list of the nation's top high school heavyweights. He was a two-time 2A Illinois High School State Championship finalist, placing second in 2019 and taking the 2020 state title, and finished with a high school record of 105-11.
The Boilermakers host their first event of the season Friday, October 29, welcoming fans to Holloway Gymnasium for their intrasquad wrestle offs. Purdue's first event of 2021-22 is set for Saturday, November 6, at Drexel University.