Angelo Ferrari, No. 1 170-pound prospect, commits to Iowa wrestling

Angelo Ferrari, the No. 1 170 pound wrestling prospect in the Class of 2024, announced his commitment to Iowa.

Ranked No. 1 at his weight and No. 4 pound-for-pound according to MatScouts, Ferrari is the latest big domino to fall in college wrestling recruiting. The youngest of three brothers, Ferrari narrowed down his choices to Iowa, Rutgers and Virginia Tech in the end.

He also listed Iowa State and Wisconsin in his original top five, but finally made his decision as the calendar turns towards the summer.

Ferrari is originally from New Jersey but wrestles at Melissa High School (Texas). He won the 2023 Texas 5A state championship at 175 pounds with a 9-1 decision over Riley Davis of Canyon Randall.

Before his junior season in the “Great State of Texas,” Ferrari wrestled for Stillwater High School (Okla.) since the family was in that part of the country due to his older brother. The youngest Ferrari didn’t waste any time though and overcame injuries to win the 160 pound 6A Oklahoma state title as a sophomore.

“After Angelo ended up being a runner-up as a freshman, people wouldn’t believe the work that he does,” Stillwater coach Ethan Kyle said in 2022, via the Stillwater News Press. “It’s hard to understand how dedicated you can be to something, but you don’t do something like beat Jordan Williams – who is a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

“He just stood in front of him and beat him. Kudos to him and the work is just undeniable.”

His oldest brother AJ is the 2021 NCAA Champion at 197 pounds, when he wrestled at Oklahoma State.

AJ won the title as a true freshman with the Cowboys and was 10-0 the following year before a car accident sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

A bevy of legal issues later, AJ was dismissed from the program by head coach John Smith. The middle brother Anthony was originally committed to Oklahoma State but never enrolled nor wrestled for the program.

With the Ferrari company departed from Stillwater, the college wrestling options were up in the air for the three brothers. AJ was still weighing his options as it is unclear if he’ll return to collegiate wrestling. He also began training in MMA, particularly with now-retired Jorge Masvidal.

Anthony committed to wrestle for Iowa and began the recruitment process for Angelo.

Last winter, Ferrari won Flo Wrestling’s Who’s Number One with victories over Braeden Scoles and Joe Sealey.