Friday is roundtable day at Rivals and this week’s edition spans the full spectrum of conversation. Today, national analysts Rob Cassidy and Jason Jordan field questions about the No. 1 prospect in America, the biggest stock risers of the summer and which college coaches they think would thrive in the WWE.
MORE: Five programs that have elevated their recruiting outlook
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WITH THE GRASSROOTS SEASON IN THE BOOKS, WHICH PROSPECT ELEVATED HIS STOCK IN YOUR EYES MOST?
Cassidy: He probably won’t have the biggest rankings jump in the update because he’s already sitting on the No. 46 line and there's a ceiling on how far he’ll rise based on sample size and a number of other things, but Shon Abaev took his game to a new level this summer. He put an exclamation point on the season with an MVP-level performance at Under Armour Elite 24 and looked like a prospect with a possible professional future all weekend. Abaev will have every chance to prove it this season, as his Calvary Christian High School is playing a major national schedule but returns on his recent play are great and he’ll be moving up the rankings come September.
Jordan: I’m gonna stay in the UAA and say Marcus Jackson because he’s been a consistent force all summer and he helped Team Thrill win the league title. Jackson is a ferocious competitor with great hands and elite footwork and his approach on both ends of the floor is what has college coaches lining up. He had a strong week at the Elite 24 to cap off the summer and he’s done enough to crack the Rivals150 in my estimation.
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WHO DO YOU HAVE IN THE A.J. DYBANTSA SWEEPSTAKES, BYU OR THE FIELD?
Cassidy: The field is probably still the smart money at this point, but I’ll take the Cougars. Things seem to be falling into place over there and A.J. Dybantsa’s offseason transfer to Utah Prep was not some convenient coincidence. There is real and serious mutual interest between Kevin Young’s program and the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 Rivals150, and I become more convinced the Cougars can close the deal by the week. There’s a long way to go in the Dybantsa sweepstakes and I’m sure another viable option will emerge down the road, but BYU is the clear leader in the clubhouse for the time being.
Jordan: Well, after he released his visit dates with BYU at the end, it certainly would make sense that the Cougars are in a strong position, but in the NIL era anything can change the tide. At the end of the day numbers are numbers and for that reason I’m going with the field at this point. The power and potential at Baylor, North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama and Kansas State is immeasurable. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a wild next two months of visits.
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WHICH COLLEGE HEAD COACH DO YOU THINK WOULD MAKE THE BEST PRO WRESTLER?
Cassidy: Noted wrestling fan and certified promo master Dan Hurley is the easier answer, but let’s dig deeper. I’d like to see Auburn’s Bruce Pearl with a heel gimmick. He’s obviously comfortable on the microphone and has the size to be believable. Give him a bad-guy gimmick that’s basically “annoying guy that talks politics too much” and watch the crowds boo from coast to coast. I feel like Pearl is the whole package: size, strength and comfortable being an antagonist with a microphone in his hands. What’s not to like?
Jordan: My knee-jerk reaction was to take Bruce Pearl, but I’m going to go in a different direction and say Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway. Stay with me here! He’s leaner which may not bode well in the ring, but he’s feisty and has that Queens aura about him. He’d have all of the energy and the bravado to shine as a pro wrestler for sure.
