Iowa wrestling added another big piece to its 2026 recruiting class in the form of Michael Mocco. Mocco, one of the top recruits in the 2026 class, verbally committed to Iowa on Monday, announcing his decision via Instagram.
"I'm excited to announce my commitment to the University of Iowa," Mocco said in the statement announcing his commitment. "I feel blessed to have these opportunities and I'm excited for what the future holds. Go hawks!"
Flowrestling ranks Mocco as the 15th overall recruit in the 2026 class, and the third-best heavyweight prospect. If the name sounds familiar, it should -- Mocco is the son of Steve Mocco, a former standout heavyweight wrestler for Iowa and Oklahoma State. The elder Mocco was a four-time NCAA finalist, winning NCAA championships in 2003 (at Iowa) and 2005 (at Oklahoma State).
The younger Mocco has been dominant as a youth wrestler. In addition to three Florida state championships, Michael Mocco has also won an Ironman championship, two Fargo national championships, and a U17 world championship last year. Mocco won all four matches at the U17 world championships by a combined scored of 47-6, with four consecutive technical fall victories.
As a member of the 2026 recruiting class, Mocco won't join the Iowa locker room for another 18 months -- until fall 2026. Ben Kueter, Iowa's current starter at heavyweight, is set to be a redshirt junior during the 2026-27 season. If Mocco uses a redshirt during that season, he would be a redshirt freshman in 2027-28 when Kueter will be a redshirt senior. Mocco could take over as the starter as a sophomore in 2028-29, though it's also unclear how Kueter's football ambitions could impact his availability in future seasons. Long story short: it's way too early to worry about the 2027-28 or 2028-29 lineups at this point.
Mocco joins Bo Bassett and Owen McMullen in Iowa's 2026 recruiting class so far. Bassett, the #1 overall prospect in the class, projects at 149 lbs. McMullen, Bassett's teammate at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, likely projects at 157/165.
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