Owen McMullen is first 2026 commit for Iowa men's wrestling
If there’s ever an Iowa men’s wrestling recruiting trivia contest for the Class of 2026 (a bit niche, I know) you’d do well to file away the name Owen McMullen.
On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, it was McMullen who became the very first commitment to the Hawkeyes from the (current) high school junior ranks – announcing his decision via Instagram.
The decision comes just days after McMullen joined a who’s who of official visitors on Iowa’s campus.
We can examine the broader ‘tea leaves’ and/or potential ramifications of this commitment in a moment, but first let’s talk about what the Pennsylvania native brings to the Iowa program.
On the surface
As of this writing McMullen is not currently ranked among the top 100 prospects in the Class of 2026 according to FloWrestling. He also does not appear in Flo’s latest weight-by-weight national rankings.
Those are hardly the be-all-end-all for the eventual college career of a current high school junior – but serve as (present) context, nonetheless.
McMullen’s most notable results from a season ago include a 1-2 showing at the incredibly tough PIAA state wrestling championships.
Later this summer he also competed in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle disciplines at the prestigious Junior National Championships – otherwise known as ‘Fargo.’
McMullen advanced to the Round of 16 in Greco as the #7 seed at 144 pounds, losing there and then injury defaulting out of his consolation match. As a #20 seed in Freestyle, he’d go 2-2 (also at 144).
Those Fargo weights are of note because the Pennsylvanian was wrestling all the way up at 172 pounds during the folkstyle season – presumably as a result of the stacked Bishop McCort (HS) lineup that he finds himself competing for a spot in.
(More on Bishop McCort in a moment.)
For those reasons, it’s tough to gauge exactly where McMullen may truly sit within the Class of 2026. He is reportedly listed as a top-150 prospect by the likes of MatScouts.
Today’s news also made McMullen Iowa’s first commit from the state of Pennsylvania since Kolby Franklin back in 2022.
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The Hawkeyes will surely be hoping he won’t be their last from the 2026 class.
The (teammates) in the room
An unavoidable side-element of McMullen’s commitment is a pair of his high school teammates at Bishop McCort.
Those teammates just so happen to be fellow 2026 recruits – and the top two ranked junior prospects in America (by Flo) – #1 Jax Forrest and #2 Bo Bassett.
Oh yeah, they were in Iowa City alongside McMullen last weekend too.
There’s no secret that the Iowa staff is vigorously pursuing both Forrest and Bassett. Every top program in America is.
There’s also no indication that McMullen’s commitment to the Hawkeyes would notably shift the odds in their favor with his two high-profile teammates.
And yet, I’m noting it here, nonetheless.
Maybe we’ll look back at this factoid in the future and it’ll have meant nothing, regardless of Forrest/Bassett’s ultimate destination(s).
Or perhaps the opposite will ring true.
The only thing we do know for certain is that Owen McMullen has committed his wrestling future to the Black & Gold.
And in two years when he steps on campus in Iowa City that could easily be more than enough in itself.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
