Nic Bouzakis, TOM's Top 132-Pounder, is a Buckeye

Graphic courtesy of Nic Bouzakis' Instagram. 

Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan and the rest of the Buckeye coaching staff are happy this Monday morning. The Scarlet and Gray landed a commitment from The Open Mat's top 132-pounder in the Class of 2022 and the Open Mat's pound-for-pound fourth-best prospect in Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania, standout Nic Bouzakis. 

The senior, originally from Florida, took to Instagram early Monday morning to share the news of his college decision. 

"I am proud to announce I will be a Buckeye! I have grown to know Coach Ryan over the years and we have bonded with each other. We both share commonalities that strengthen our commitment to overcome challenges and persevere in the face of tragedy. I look forward to the next stage of my education and my wrestling career and hope to be an inspiration to others as I continue this journey.

Go Bucks!

Competing Fiercely in memory of my little brother…

❤️(Greco Roman Bouzakis)❤️”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVE5OFsqZ_/

Bouzakis can wrestle and wrestle well across all three styles. Nic has made it known that a strong RTC, one with Greco-Roman success, would factor into his college decision. With that, Bouzakis landed in Columbus, home of the Ohio RTC.

 The elder of the Bouzakis brothers, Nic, is a 2021 Junior Greco-Roman World team member. He took third in Fargo's Junior Freestyle tournament earlier this summer while competing at 132 pounds and has a 16U Fargo stop sign and Fargo OW award from 2019 on his list of accolades on the freestyle circuit. 

In Folkstyle, Bouzakis amassed three state titles, two of which came in middle school, in his native Florida, before making a move to powerhouse program Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. In 2020, Bozakis brought home a National Prep title. Injury woes kept him off the Wy Sem mat this past season in 2021. He has also taken home some hardware at some of the best high school invitationals in the nation, including Super 32, Ironman, and others. 

Concerning the OSU recruiting, the Bouzakis pledge to the Tom Ryan and company is the latest in what is shaping up to be a phenomenal Class of 2022 recruiting cycle, which includes TOM's top pound-for-pounder out of Malvern Prep heavyweight Nick Feldman. In addition to Feldman and Bouzakis, the Buckeyes will welcome Seth Shumate, a former Fargo and Ironman winner in his own right. Plus, Gavin Brown, a state champ from right there in the Buckeye state. All four will be welcomed to campus in Columbus in the summer of2022. 

In the Big Ten, Bouzakis is likely a 133-pounder or a 141-pounder at the next level. 



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