TOM Article

T.J. Stewart after being crowned a 2021 Fargo National Champion.  On the high school wrestling recruiting front, Big Ten powers Iowa and Ohio State have recently been garnering substantial attention for the commitments each institution has brought in over the last couple of months.  The Brands brothers earned verbal's from nearly 10 recruits from the 2022 and 2023 classes. In Columbus, Tom Ryan and company have grabbed three of the best that the Class of 2022 has to offer in Jesse Mendez, Nic Bouzakis, and Nick Feldman, plus a pair of promising juniors in Pennsylvania preps Rocco Welsh and Vinny Kilkeary.  Still, nobody is talking about the small but supremely talented crop of future Hokies that Tony Robie is assembling down in Blacksburg in ACC country. Earlier this week, Virginia Tech received word that Blair's T.J. Stewart, the best-uncommitted recruit in the senior class, wants to be a Hokie .  "After thoughtful consideration, I've decided to pursue the next chapter of my academic and athletic career at Virginia Tech! Special thanks to my amazing family, countless coaches, and extraordinary friends for supporting me throughout the process. Go Hokies Turkey (bird)! #ThisisHome," Stewart wrote on Instagram in a post that had an accompanying video.  https://www.instagram.com/tv/CWBHFA5FCJv/ Stewart, who TOM had rated as the top 182-pounder in its post-WNO rankings, will be joined by fellow senior and TOM pound-for-pounder Caleb Henson (Woodland, GA), and juniors Mac Church (Waynesburg, PA), Hunter Mason (Greenville, TN). With these up-and-comers, coupled with an already talented Hokie squad that currently has six ranked (including five that are top-10 at their weight) in TOM's latest D-I National Rankings, including 2019 NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech will be a program to watch even closer in the years to come.  Robie's latest recruit, Stewart, has a resume that speaks for itself. He is a two-time Fargo champ and 2021 Who's No. 1 winner. Also, at Blair, Stewart Stewart has three top-8 finishes at National Preps, including finishing third as a freshman and second last year as a junior, losing to Malvern Prep's Jack Wehmeyer. Stewart was able to avenge that loss to the future Columbia Lion, Wehmeyer, at WNO. Stewart will try to end his high school career on a high note with his first National Prep title as a senior in 2022. Robie and Co. are likely ecstatic to get a guy like Stewart. He picked the Hokies over Penn State, Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, and Maryland.  At the next level, Stewart projects as a 184-pounder and is the probable succession plan to two-time NCAA All-American, three-time NCAA Qualifier, and 2020 ACC champ, Hunter Bolen. 

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