WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Wrestling’s recruiting class of 2026 earned a final ranking of No. 22 by MatScouts, a primary recruiting source in college wrestling.
This news comes after the Boilermakers’ group was named the No. 13 class in the country by FloWrestling, the other top recruiting outlet, which last updated its list in October 2025.
Purdue has now earned three MatScouts top 25 recruiting classes in the past four years; the Boilermakers landed the No. 13 class in 2023 and the No. 23 class in 2024.
“What a great class for (head coach Tony Ersland),” wrote Willie Saylor, editor of MatScouts. “There are state champs from Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana, and the group spans across many weights. It will be an impact class -- both in the competitiveness in the room, and with a couple guys that have point-scoring potential at the dance.”
Purdue’s class of 2026 features eight wrestlers on the MatScouts Big Board Top 250: No. 46 Camden Baum, No. 53 Zach Stewart, No. 125 Xavier Smith, No. 129 Nathan Rioux, No. 200 Parker Reynolds, No. 204 Drake Hooiman, No. 228 Tylin Thrine and No. 250 Jackson Bradley.
Purdue is one of three Big Ten programs with eight or more top 250 recruits.
| Big Ten school | # of Top 250 recruits, class of 2026 |
| Nebraska | 9 |
| PURDUE | 8 |
| Illinois | 8 |
| Michigan | 7 |
| Maryland | 6 |
| Northwestern | 6 |
| Ohio State | 5 |
| Iowa | 4 |
| Minnesota | 4 |
| Penn State | 3 |
| Rutgers | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 3 |
| Michigan State | 2 |
| Indiana | 1 |
The Boilers will welcome 12 total newcomers this fall including the eight listed above. Other additions include Camden Baumann, Max Matthias, Austin Richens and Jacob Weaver. Baumann and Weaver are the talented younger brothers of current Purdue wrestlers Brody Baumann and Noah Weaver. Matthias is a two-time Wisconsin state finalist and four-time placewinner who projects as an upper weight.
Richens is perhaps the most likely to make an immediate impact as the only transfer; he was named the top male junior college athlete in the nation among all sports after winning the 2026 NJCAA national championship as a heavyweight at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo.
Below is a breakdown of each newcomer’s accolades heading into their first year at Purdue.
Camden Baum (Harrisburg, Pa.)
- #46 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board (#44 FloWrestling)
- 2026 Pennsylvania state champion (139 lbs.)
- Two-time Pennsylvania state runner-up (2024, 2025)
- Super 32 placewinner
Camden Baumann (Evansville, Ind.)
- Younger brother of three-time NCAA qualifier, Purdue redshirt junior Brody Baumann
- 2026 Indiana state fourth place (165 lbs.)
- 35-3 record as a senior
- 2026 U.S. Open participant
Jackson Bradley (Cowan, Ind.)
- #250 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board
- 2026 Indiana state runner-up (157 lbs.)
- 2025 Indiana state fifth place
- 143-10 high school record
- 2025 NHSCA nationals sixth place
Drake Hooiman (Clark County, Nev.)
- #204 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board
- Four-time Nevada state champion
- 199-26 high school record (40-7 as a senior with 83% bonus rate)
- Powerade finalist
- Four-time team state champion with SLAM! Academy
Max Matthias (Two Rivers, Wis.)
- Two-time Wisconsin state runner-up (215 lbs. in 2026, 190 lbs. in 2025)
- Two-time Wisconsin state third place (190 lbs. in 2024, 182 lbs. in 2023)
- 148-18 high school record
Parker Reynolds (Brownsburg, Ind.)
- #200 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board
- 2025 Indiana state champion
- 2024 Indiana state placewinner
- NHSCA All-American
Austin Richens (Vernal, Utah)
- Transfer from Northwest College (Powell, Wyo.)
- 2026 David Rowlands Award recipient, given to the nation’s top male JUCO athlete (among all sports)
- 2026 NJCAA national champion (285 lbs.) and Outstanding Wrestler of the NJCAA Championships
- Two-time NJCAA All-American (placed third at 197 lbs. in 2025)
- Collegiate record of 49-4 with at least two more years of eligibility
Nathan Rioux (Avon, Ind.)
- #129 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board (#93 FloWrestling)
- Two-time Indiana state champion (2025, 2026)
- Two-time Indiana state runner-up (2023, 2024)
- 159-16 high school record
- Four-time team captain
- Led Avon to 4th in state in 2025
Xavier Smith (Fishers, Ind.)
- #125 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board
- Was the #1 175-pounder in Indiana prior to an injury at the start of his senior season
- 2025 Indiana state fifth place
- High school record of 109-21
- Four-year team captain
- Folkstyle national champion (175 lbs.)
- Fargo Greco-Roman third place
- Fargo Freestyle fifth place
Zach Stewart (Aurora, Ill.)
- #53 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board (#77 FloWrestling)
- Two-time Illinois state champion (2024, 2026)
- 2025 Illinois state runner-up
- Took fifth at the 2024 Super 32
- Took seventh at the 2024 Ironman
- 194-27 high school record (34-5 as a senior with 88% bonus rate)
Tylin Thrine (New Castle, Ind.)
- #228 overall recruit on the MatScouts Big Board
- 2023 Indiana state champion (126 lbs.)
- 2026 Indiana state runner-up (138 lbs.)
- Two-time Indiana state third place (2024, 2025)
- 158-7 high school record
Jacob Weaver (Rossville, Ind.)
- Younger brother of Purdue freshman Noah Weaver and son of Boilermaker wrestling alum Matt Weaver
- 2026 Indiana state eighth place (157 lbs.)
- 45-2 senior record