The Best Wrestling States (Tier List)

[@StevanMicicSRB]

I forgot Nick Lee , 2x NCAA champ, from Indiana! What’s the BEST wrestling state? Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE!🏆

[@code3junkremoval466]

Indiana is number 1. Nick lee only won one state title and 2 ncaa titles. Nick lee lost his freshman year to some scrub i can’t remember his name. Lol He won state as a sophomore And lost to chad red his junior year. It’s freaking tuff in Indiana

[@StevanMicicSRB]

@ I’m dying 😂😂

[@JesseFromal-i5g]

Delaware Sheldon Thomas, Earl Walker

[@code3junkremoval466]

@@StevanMicicSRB lol.bonehead! How could you forget a kid that you beat to win a state championship your SENIOR year that went on to be a 2 time NCAA champion. I will say indiana might not be the deepest but from an entertainment standpoint indiana is top notch. The announcer, the semifinals and the lights with only one match going… it can’t be beat. From a product standpoint point indiana is amazing

[@code3junkremoval466]

@@StevanMicicSRB How could you possibly forget a guy that YOU beat your SENIOR year that just happened to go on and win 2 NCAA titles? Our state tournament is amazing. The announcer, the semis and then wrestling under the lights for a title. Plus the 1vs4 upsets on Friday night The production and entertainment of our tournament is unbeatable. Indiana is way underrated

[@NightmareNo-Gi]

Nice to see some Florida respect. Eric Grajales of Brandon High pinning his opponent in the '08 state finals with a leg cradle was peak FL wrestling. 😂

[@BasicGestalt]

Florida wrestling is all about the crowd pleaser moves I’ve seen tons of funk around the state

[@StevanMicicSRB]

My boy from Michigan! Go blue

[@floridafan561]

I was a grade younger than Grajales and I remember seeing/hearing about that. Absolutely insane. He was an undefeated 4x state champ and I think the #2 or #3 overall recruit. I thought he was going to dominate in college but his highest finish was 3rd. That really put the levels of wrestlers into perspective for me.

[@soldierboy2350]

Grajales... now that's a name i remember. I think i beat his brother Ceasar Grajales from Brandon back in 2004 (maybe 2003) at the beast of the east tournament. Very good wrestler that took me to overtime.

[@salvadorromero9712]

I always had the (not very well informed or strong) impression that Florida was fairly middle of the road. And not that deep but producing some strong guys nonetheless. The very fun _Dukes of Oxy_ crime memoir, depicting some stoner redneck teen wrestlers from Pasco County who became drug traffickers in the late 2000s, made it seem like Florida wrestling is more obscure than it probably is. Maybe it does have an obscure social status among high school sports down there but does manage to snag the interest of some kids who end up being high level talent anyway.

[@RobertSmith-so8nk]

My grandson, a two-time semistate qualifier from Indiana, pinned a Mississippi state champion a few weeks ago. Competitive match!

[@dewaynemizzell7009]

@@RobertSmith-so8nk my youngest wrestled a kid from Indiana a couple years back. It was a helluva match and went to the wire. We won late. The match was in Birmingham at a national duals tournament.

[@ThanksStJoseph]

Growing up in PA, I didn’t realize how good we were. It was just part of the culture. When I was in high school, there was a group of people who didn’t even have relatives wrestling on the team, would go to ALL our matches: home, away, duals, tournaments. We were like the hometown entertainment….abroad. lol Then you have past grads who didn’t go to college (we were definitely a blue collar district) who’d come after work to help coach….AND beat the sh$& outa us. It really hit home after college when I coached in VA for a while. I had guys placing at the state tournament that wouldn’t have made it out of the section in PA.

[@dangerpowers4582]

@@ThanksStJoseph Pennsylvania is a beautiful state as well, and I always enjoy driving through it. God bless PA.

[@nitrox1613]

Yea I remember one of friends from PA who never qualified for state said during a camp, he was easily taking down this guy who was a 2 time state placer at Nevada. There are levels to wrestling states 😂

[@dangerpowers4582]

@@nitrox1613 If you win 2 or more PIAA state titles, you're pretty much guaranteed an NCAA title.

[@nitrox1613]

@ for sure. I’m from Illinois and even though I wasn’t anything special, I had teammates who qualified for Illinois state easily beat state placers from weaker wrestling states in freestyle tournaments. We had the luxury of having Izzy Style wrestling club (Was the wrestling coach of Jon Jones and is on of the top wrestling coaches in the country) while these other kids don’t have that fortune

[@dangerpowers4582]

@nitrox1613 Nice, I'm also a proud Illinoisian, and I wrestled for about 6 years, but I was an average varsity wrestler, and I always wanted to go to state, but I didn't listen to the coaches enough and I tried to rely almost solely on my gastank. I miss it every day, so I tell my cousins to enjoy every minute of wrestling while they still can. I really improved going into my junior year, but I had to be an idiot and smoke a bunch of weed. Anyways, Illinois is an amazing wrestling state, and you can go to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and find a ton of NCAA champs from Illinois. One name that's forgotten a lot is Terrance Mccann(2 time NCAA champion and Olympic champion).

[@jackbutts1116]

Having the Harvey Twisters and Gomez Wrestling Academy in your bracket was always a drag. Love the tier list videos! 👍🏻

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Top dogs!

[@Huh307]

What makes it so difficult as a wrestler from Hawaii is the fact that we’re separated from the mainland. Our competition good but not as good as Pennsylvania, Iowa, or any mainland kids who can just road trip across the country and wrestle the best whereas we have to catch a plane to the reach the other states. Hawaii wrestling is getting bigger and we are seeing some good talent but the lack of competition with mainland kids makes it hard to be nationally ranked or even close to that.

[@Zoomer-te9us]

I am from southwest PA and am involved in the Hawaii scene and I can, in fact, support what you’re saying. The NFL eventually saw what these Polynesian kids could do in NCAA football and I will tell you that the only reason Hawaii doesn’t make it high on the list is that it costs thousands to travel to the mainland for just one tournament. The kids in Hawaii are the real deal, especially the girls. If wrestling culture was bigger here, these big poly kids would absolutely wipe kids from the mainland. Kahuku football team is a public school on north shore Oahu and can still compete with football teams in Cali that recruit the best from all over. Let that one sink in…

[@StevanMicicSRB]

I’m not sure how many Hawaiians make it to wrestle in division 1 collegiately

[@Zoomer-te9us]

@@StevanMicicSRB So I am just going to puff up Hawaii a little more as a PA guy. In Hawaii, kids do not start wrestling competitively until 9th grade high school and still have kids making college teams on the mainland... BJJ rules here. Kids start BJJ when PA kids start wrestling around that 4-5 age range. So for kids to basically learn most of wrestling as 9th graders and then be decent enough to even be considered at a college level is impressive. However, with the rise of the UFC and success with boxing and BJJ artists here, I doubt wrestling will ever supersede either of these sports.

[@JeffMitchell15312]

Shout out Missouri. Actually got to wrestler Nick Purler he showed up to a random Tuesday night freestyle practice at my high school. I had no idea who he was. We were just going live, whistle blew, partners switch, and it was him and I. That’s when I realized theres oh levels to this sport.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Nick Purler is the man! 🔥

[@justinflott5133]

A lot of people don’t know how good the OVAC is in Ohio and how good it’s been for years. Extremely competitive conference.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yessir!

[@WrestlingDad73]

As a Georgian who graduated HS in ‘06, it’s encouraging to see us at B tier, back in my day it was rare to see us go on and prosper at the Div 1 level, it’s come up a lot so I’m excited for the club opportunities my boys will have, Caleb Henson finally put us at the top of the podium 💪🏼

[@StevanMicicSRB]

The only Georgians S tier at the moment are from the country of Georgia 🇬🇪 😂 but the state of GA is def on the rise

[@NomadHokie]

Count me as one of the D1 GA prospects from that time who didn’t prosper. VT wrestling. 3rd knee surgery my freshman year killed me wrestling wise. 😬

[@mikey1194]

As a PA guy, Indiana deserves the respect you gave it. Wrestling camps were fun because you got to see how good the other states were generally.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Forreal!

[@Brendan_Clancy]

The Harvey Twisters may be the most decorated club team in the country. Hammer after hammer for the last 30 years. I will say Region has been killin it the last 5+ years.

[@Lpm920]

Coach Q was the best when I was a kid. So many legends

[@normanhuntley5747]

Always see them at d- vorak at Christmas time! Alot of studs!

[@nitrox1613]

Nasir Bailey and Vincent Robinson of the Harvey Twisters were killing us when we did a cross over practice in the offseason with them. And we were a top 10 state in IL that year 🤣

[@vincentlittrell6845]

Well done! Very thought provoking.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thank you!

[@Leonard3300]

You knew Ohio very well when it came to areas and regions. Thanks for the insight. Appreciate your videos.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

thanks im from the midwest

[@hiya4040]

This list is spot on. I thought Wisconsin would be a bit higher due to their recent success

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes forsure

[@cowboy_2362]

Hear me out. NY had a guy on a team at every age group. We have multiple D1 and D3 programs. Seabass and Buxton at Columbia as well now. Ryder and PJ Duke with PSU. KD training center, Journeymen, K6 in Buffalo. Vougars in LI. State as a whole is a wrestling state and a little slept on!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Agreed! Should have put them A tier

[@Joeyisalive]

Sea bass is from NJ....

[@cowboy_2362]

@@Joeyisalive reading comprehension matters. “Seabass and Buxton at Columbia now”

[@eSskater7]

So many good NY guys, picinnini, Duke, Ryder, dake, Ian paddock, Steven Rodrigues, Brian realbuto, yianni, vito

[@mentalist777]

​@@StevanMicicSRB Yeah definitely dropped the ball on this one. NY has six D-1 programs. Recent world team members and world medalists like Dake, Vito, Yanni, Gwiz, etc (two were four-time NCAA champs). A ton of NCAA titles and AA's. Depth is pretty good too (although not comparable to PA or NJ). Compare the # of currently ranked D1 guys or recent world team members from NY to guys from Maryland. NY tends to get overlooked for some reason. Love the channel though. Good luck with it. Great content.

[@lucassilver3347]

First off....Stevan Micic! You are a savage my boy! My boys are both wrestlers in NC and are huge Stevan Micic fans. As for your video rankings, with regards to NC....you nailed it my guy! I also agree that college has held up the state for some time now. However, that is changing rapidly. NC high school wrestling is changing for the best and its happening in a big way! NC State, App State, UNC, Campbell to name a few are definitely holding up the states grade. But do keep in mind that NC produces some studs, but we cant seem to keep them all at home through graduation. Just to mention a couple quick recent examples, Jax Forrest and Joe Sealey are both NC kids originally. All the way to the point where they were good enough to justify moving up North to the typical hotbeds like Pennsylvania and Jersey. We just had another kid leave that was a NC State commit, change his commit to Utah Valley and has moved there for his senior year to train in that room and wrestle his senior year in Utah. Odd choice but Ian Fritz is a great talent. Pisgah High School where my boys wrestle have over 70 kids between varsity, JV and Girls. We have every weight class stacked some, 3 deep with 3rd string kids that destroy most NC high school starters. We should have a team state championship this year for sure. Currently ranked 2nd in 3A for team duals rankings. Let me know if you guys think im nuts. Cheers boys! 🍻

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thank you so much!! ❤️

[@timothyjohnson5304]

Honestly I’m not even sure if I see Minnesota as high as Wisconsin as a whole anymore. We still pump out top tier talent such as Mark Hall, Gable Steveson, Bennett and Brady Berge, Ryder Rogotzke and Max McEnelly but most don’t go to Minnesota anymore. I think Wisconsin might be underrated a bit

[@Tdinh79]

Jake Bergelands AA, Mitch and pat mckee, AA are a few in recent past

[@StevanMicicSRB]

A lot of those kids where move ins like Gable and Mark as well (Gable from my area in IN, and Mark from MI)

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes

[@timothyjohnson5304]

@@Tdinh79 Jake didn’t make the team til his 5th year. To be a A tier you probably should have 4-6 AAs every year

[@RobertSmith-so8nk]

I see Gable is back wrestling for Minnesota this year.

[@haydenancheta]

fire video!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@andrewkennedy-9912]

Dude, AWA is Wisconsin and has so many top NCAA recruits, AA and chmapions. Definitely A tier.

[@jackstoves149]

For sure, Wisconsin has the highest rate of All Americans per capita of any state the last 10 years or so. Most likely will have 3 ncaa finalist this year (Mesenbrink, O Toole, Keckeisen). Askren is the best coach In the country for high schoolers, what he's done is incredible.

[@marksoberay2318]

Hawaii for their population is a phenomenal state, Iowa head women'scoach from there. Its also the only state w sanctioned High School Judo

[@StevanMicicSRB]

I agree’

[@Zoomer-te9us]

There are some absolute bangers in Hawaii. Wrestling is a blue collar sport so getting blue collar kids to the mainland for wrestling is a challenge. If travel was easier, Hawaii kids would podium in any state. Even on each island, most kids wrestle the same 8-12 kids all season…

[@bsd858]

My junior year we competed at a Tourney in Hawaii and I wrestled Travis Lee who was a defending state champ. I took him down first and then he went on to tech me 17-2 lol 😂 He went on to be a 2x national champion for Cornell.

[@marksoberay2318]

@bsd858 he was a Judo guy also!

[@marksoberay2318]

@@Zoomer-te9us great observations! So true

[@RGabeDavis]

Keyveon Roller at Virginia is doing Tennessee proud right now!!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

🔥🔥🔥

[@thewanderer6542]

I had no idea you had a KZbin channel, Stevan. I always enjoyed watching you in high school. I started wrestling my Junior year, and I wasn't very good, but I got way better at it when I continued on with submission grappling. Also helps many of my training partners are state champs/qualifiers (Indiana) and competed at various levels in college.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Wow thank you so much, that’s so cool

[@iWrestleUSA]

If only California had more top tier wrestling universities. I’ve always felt that is one factor that could make the state even tougher.

[@eSskater7]

Bro, for fricken real, imagine if Cal Poly had a top tier coach, it would attract all the best CA talent and it would no doubt be a powerhouse in the ncaa

[@Jaeebliss_.7368]

this is dope as hell you got a KZbin channel

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Keep on watching bro

[@AiJSmith314]

New York is only two classes for wrestling. Great video though love the Long Island shoutout

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thanks!!

[@richp860]

New England states also have single state champs, imo. They have “class” champions as well, but they also have “open” or “all states” where all the kids who qualify wrestle each other - and then of course the New England Championship. Kids who win/place at New Englands are doing fairly well at larger tourneys. New England is on the rise, don’t sleep.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Forsure I won’t!,

[@Iplaygames-h7t]

I got 6th in New England

[@richp860]

@@Iplaygames-h7tnice! Year? Weight?

[@SNEED_FEED]

💤💤😴🛏

[@toadsagetimmy]

No way did not know Stevan had a KZbin channel!! Automatic sub

[@daniellawson652]

The fact that California has so many divisions for all the other sports and not wrestling is kind of crazy. You definitely have to be the best to be a state champion in this scenario.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Exactly!

[@dplw11]

THANK YOU STEVAN FOR FINALLY GIVING INDIANA SOME RESPECT!!! I graduated from Lafayette. Wresteled junior high and college in illinois. Wrestled fresh soph in ohio, and jr-sr in indiana. To win state, let alone qualify, and let alone be a state placer is one of the hardest achievements in national prep wrestling! It has a 1 class system. If u lose 1st rd in regionals, semi state, or state, you AUTOMATICALLY ARE DONE! No wrestle backs. It happened to me my sr yr. 1st rd of semi state i lost on a questionable takedown with 1 sec left. There was no way to wrestle back to try and get 3/4 place to qualify for state. Now i will say in illinois i wrestled AA and my soph yr i wasnt a state qualifier and i beat the A 3rd placer. The AA does have a bunch of studs. Now in Ohio, they have overall the best wrestlers IMO, its just easier to be a state qualifier and placer there (which in NO means is an easy feat AT ALL).

[@dplw11]

Also, nice shout out to Andrew Howe. Moving to IN my junior yr, I never heard of him. We weighed in and he just looked like a normal guy. Nothing to worry about. Never in my life have I ever wrestled someone who pulled off moves so effortlessly. I was DOMINATED that day. At one point, midway into the 2nd period, he was trying to turn me and I thought I had excellent defense, and we were right by the coaches corner and his coach took a sip of water, put the cap back on, leaned fwd and said, "Are u done messing around yet? Hurry up and finish him already so we can move on!" Bro stacked me so hard i came off the mat and said who tf is that kid? My teammates were smiling so big and said "that's the returning state champ. He's only loss 1 match and that was in the state finals his freshman yr. Didn't want to tell u b4 the match and psych u out." Would've loved to watch a match with him (the state champ of IN) and Albert White (the AA state champ of IL the yr i left).

[@StevanMicicSRB]

IN is definitely a great wrestling state!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

We are both from Cedar Lake IN and same high school! An idol of mine growing up

[@dewaynemizzell7009]

Alabama has a couple of Fargo champs and one two time world team member. At one point Virginia Tech, NC State and Cornell all had kids from Alabama on their rosters.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

They are improving!

[@dewaynemizzell7009]

I can’t reply to you directly but yes, Alabama has a lot of kids approaching elite level, and we will get there. Both my sons were state champions and both had offers from a lot of schools. My eldest had the opportunity to wrestle at Cornell but they didn’t have a program in further education he was actually interested in.

[@fistofbuddah]

At first glance, Anyone else think this was Platinum Mike Perry .?? 😂

[@StevanMicicSRB]

😂😂😂

[@markbrandenburg]

It goes in cycles. Right before I got into college Iowa was insanely over represented considering the population of the State (1% of the population.) Chad Zaputil 118, Jason Nurre 118, Jessie Whitmer 118, Terry Brands 126, Jason Kelber, Tom Brands 134, Royce Alger, Kevin Dresser, Steve Hamilton, all the Gibbons brothers and others where all from Iowa towns and not imports like many kids from Apple Valley MN.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes agreed

[@porkchopexpress2437]

Love that Suplex shout out! Much respect to Coach Chattaev, Ermak, Rasul... Great breakdown too.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

My brothers 🫂

[@RockinLarry445]

I’m from New Jersey. Growing up wrestling was so stacked a bunch of powerhouse schools. The state tournament at Atlantic City hall every year has numerous kids going on to scholarships. A ton of good training programs probably number 2 to pa.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes!

[@marcbowen2874]

Alabama has been improving in wrestling over the last few years but you ranked it correctly.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thanks!

[@davidwentzell4256]

A lot of Alabama HS still don't have Wrestling Programs

[@CodyShelton-j1c]

Alabama had a first year D2 program and had a national champion first year having a program.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

That’s so cool!

[@IsaacGill-rz9qo]

Thanks for taking a photo with me at the High School yesterday!!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yo got it💪

[@KN-wb6un]

Michigan's top recruits go to other states often. For example Casey Swiderski to Iowa State, Braden Davis to Penn State, Alex Facundo to Penn State & Josh Barr to Penn State more recently.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes exactly

[@MrAbc123ohyea]

I moved from southern Illinois to Pennsylvania at the end of elementary school. Went from 4th in the state to not qualifying for state. I think Illinois definitely deserves props for their international style success but it isn’t as deep as PA. I went to a good highschool for it and 10 of the 14 starters on my team wrestled in college at some level. The culture is just different.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

PA is top

[@richarddavis5289]

Southern Illinois, isn’t the same as the Chicago area though. Chicago area has some excellent teams. But yes PA is undoubtedly the best wrestling state. So many good teams driving up the competition. Every week is like a national meet it seems in PA

[@MrAbc123ohyea]

@@richarddavis5289 I totally agree, oak park, tinley park, etc all dominated most of the teams down south. We had purler close by so the serious kids of my area were all very legit. I think the top level talent is the same, but there are just more solid guys in pa because more people start wrestling at a younger age.

[@AndreBland]

VA is way better than DC in wrestling! And I know this for a fact as someone from Virginia. The 757 dominates Virginia wrestling, that’s Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, etc. Every single wrestler that came out of Virginia that dominated at NCAAs came from the 757. Christiansburg by VA Tech is the second strongest area. DC literally gets demolished by the rest of VA.

[@jackstoves149]

I was coached by a Fargo champ from Great Bridge high school. Wrestled at ODU. Coached me in Alabama and he was incredible. Wrestled him live for dozens of hours in high school and never once took him down and i was one of the best kids in the state at the time.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Got it! How do they compare to Maryland? Just curious haha

[@AndreBland]

@ when I grew up wrestling, for elementary school and middle school, Maryland would wreck Virginia, although Virginia had more top ranked teams and seemed to have more national place winners. At the Mason Dixon tourney, VA and MD would go back and forth, but I recall Maryland doing a bit better. But for high school, Virginia ranked higher. I also lived in Arizona and found Virginia to be much tougher than Arizona. But Maryland was tough. I think it’s cuz of the vicinity to NJ, PA, OH, and NY. I do feel Virginia is a bit weaker nowadays than back in the day just cuz there used to be 3 divisions, but now there are 7 which watered down the competition. And a lot of the coaches have passed away. The Granby roll came out of Virginia at Granby High School too. I’d probably put MD in front of VA just cuz it was super close when I wrestled, but VA is a tad weaker than it once was.

[@sethredman5804]

SWVA destroys the 757 in VA.

[@AndreBland]

@ no it doesn’t. Just because there is 7 divisions now doesn’t mean SW destroys. When there were 3 divisions, you’d clearly see the 757 being the toughest. Jason Bryant is the announcer for the Olympics for wrestling. He’s from the 757. When we had our regional tournament here, they would literally announce that it’s the toughest region in the entire state. People that wouldn’t even make it to states would beat people that placed in states because they came from an easier region. 757 would crush the SW and it wouldn’t be close. Much like the comment above says, Great Bridge is one of many top tier 757 schools. Christiansburg is the ONLY top tier SW school. And just cuz these people place in states in some weak ass division since there are 7 now doesn’t make it better. But who am I? Only a guy that wrestled from elementary school through D1 and grew up wrestling with some of the people that dominated in NCAAs like Brian Stith, Bubba Jenkins, Daniel Frishkorn. But you wouldn’t know about that.

[@nathanmiller9250]

Thanls for doin this...Pa💪🔨

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Hammers!

[@ShaneLallkisson]

goat wrestling content creator imo

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thank you!

[@nastyn8295]

Spot on bro!

[@BrodyWrestles]

From Maryland love your stuff

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thank you!

[@BrodyWrestles]

@ np man congrats on all your achievements btw

[@nitrox1613]

I swear Illinois dosent get much praise even though it’s one of hardest states 🤔. I always hear people talk about Ohio, New Jersey, and PA.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

I think it does actually! They win Fargo every year

[@almarro5643]

I don't really know how other states run high school wrestling but when you said "NY has a few classes" that's very true. In New York, high schools are divided into 11 sections that range across the state. For example, I wrestled for section 3 which is Central New York but section 11 is Suffolk County on Long Island. We also have different divisions in wrestling between divisions 1 and 2 which varies on enrollment size. A LOT of division 1 schools are downstate schools because the population is a lot more dense compared to our section. Usually what most people consider "upstate" (even though we are central) usually range in class D-AA (D being a very very small school and AA being more populated. Most everyone in NY agrees based on stats alone that down state (especially sections 8 and 11 which are both Nassau and Suffolk counties on long Island) has the best wrestling period. Some CNY schools are pretty tough. I'd say the toughest small school right now is "Tioga" out of the Sohthern Tier of NY which is section 4 but I still think most division 1 long Island schools would probably beat them. I also think that downstate has a tournament to get into states called "Counties" compared to us in the CNY region. We have the class tournament and if we do good there, we go to sectionals and if we take 1st or 2nd at sectionals, we go to states. Overall, agree with what you said. Lots of tough wrestlers from New York!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

That's a great breakdown of how wrestling is run in NY! Thanks for sharing.

[@Flag2flag]

As a kid from bama this is accurate lmao I wrestled since a good state champ as kid and all American at southeastern regionals and Dixie nationals I went with Georgia national team to indiana to a national tourney and got waxed by every kid except Wyoming lol it really opened my eyes to how bad our wrestling is compared to the rest of the country

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yeah it’s a different level!

[@dinocollins720]

Overlooked wrestling hubs? I have one. I graduated in Wyoming same year as Bryce Meredith, he won light weight wrestler of the year I won upper weight. When we were younger in USA wrestling Bryce, Bo Nickal, David Taylor were all originally from Wyoming and competing in WY! Additionally, around that same year Rulon Gardner (also WY Native) won the Olympics. Don’t sleep on WY! We also have the lowest population of any state!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

You right!

[@jbedwards1871]

Good video and quite accurate. New York could be higher. I didn’t know that Indiana was better than Maryland or Michigan. But Stevan lays a good case for that. Idaho is tough considering the small population. No depth though.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Could def have put NY higher but thank you!

[@Lykitysplit]

Ohios wrestling culture produces some amazing wrestlers like DT, lance and Collin Palmer, J jaggers.. even guys that went on to the ufc like Cody garbrandt…the list goes on and on. I was lucky to compete with some of these guys being in my area. Hell my sectional tournament in highschool was stacked with guys that became 4x all Americans. I joined the military instead but it’s Pretty wild the amount of high level guys that come out of Ohio.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Ohio is an amazing wrestling state! 🔥

[@Lykitysplit]

@ I’m so thankful that I was born here and experienced wrestling in Ohio.

[@justinflott5133]

@@Lykitysplit - Logan Steiber, Dustin Schlatter, C.P. Schlatter, Chris Phillips, David Carr, Rocky Jordan, Tyler Warner, Steve Luke, Mike Miller, Chris Hahn, Nathan Tomasello, Dean Heil, Alex Marinelli, Kaleb Romero, Mitch Moore…. The list goes on…..

[@Lykitysplit]

@ CP was my class. I wrestled Chris Hahn multiple times. He was in my sectional. So was Rocco caponi who was also a 4x all American in D1. Ohio is full of hammers

[@justinflott5133]

@ - I was on the Stark county all star team multiple times with Dustin Schlatter, Chris Hahn, and Steve Luke. Loaded class.

[@charliemoore1218]

Perrysburg mentioned! The Blaze brothers are super talented and that program is always insane.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

the blaze bros

[@dangerpowers4582]

The one thing Illinois has struggled with in the last couple of decades is the production - or lack there of - NCAA champions. It seems like there have been 20 finalists in the last 20 years, but only about 5 NCAA champions. As for Indiana, I think there can be arguments made about putting them in S tier. I believe Wisconsin, South Dakota, and especially NY are not getting enough love.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Agreed!!

[@richarddavis5289]

Illinois is certainly better than Indiana in wrestling as a whole. Fargo is basically Illinois and Pennsylvania. But Indiana should be S tier as well

[@dangerpowers4582]

@richarddavis5289 I agree, but Indiana has had a national champion 4 yrs in a row, and they'll probably have one again, but historically, Illinois is better. I'd honestly put Oklahoma in S tier as well. They've produced a lot of multiple time NCAA champions and world and Olympic medalists.

[@richarddavis5289]

@@dangerpowers4582 Indiana is also a fantastic wrestling state! I agree 💯. Their top wrestlers can compete with anyone.

[@rawbfish9355]

Jeff Blatnic was a Greco world champion from New York.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Cool!

[@ayoungmansrambles3779]

Great video also I would say West Virginia's East Coast or the south regionally and culturally

[@GrahamScherer-ft2lf]

With Indiana only having 1 class, its really hard just to get to semi state. I've met really skilled wrestlers who don't even place at semi state because they have to wrestle the best schools in the state like Brownsburg, Crownpoint, and Avon while they're from way smaller schools.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Agreed! IMO they need to fix state qualification system, especially with losing Friday night = no placement

[@andrewkennedy-9912]

@@StevanMicicSRB Stevan, if you start to make noise, and get together with some other notables, IHSAA may actually listen.

[@richarddavis5289]

Crown Point the last several years has put Indiana on the National scene. Now you add in Brownsburg to the mix. and Indiana is looking stout!

[@awsome.ws_likedubbleewsletter]

as a wrestler in georgia i am offended and think we should be in a tier bc we have southern comfort and we take care of our opponents from up north (even tho we can't get matches)

[@StevanMicicSRB]

😂😂😂 I’m dead

[@awsome.ws_likedubbleewsletter]

well just know that our weakness is when y'all ain't fed (is this a tactic to make sure y'all don't make weight? idkkkk)

[@rhirschey]

Caleb Henson is the first D1 champ from GA…ever. Welcome to the club…

[@amarz2792]

Texas being B tier makes me happy honestly grew up wrestling in Texas Seen the landscape change dramatically we can break into A tier if we can get at least a D1 program it’s a shame that its growth was stunted when it was banned in the 1970s then Coming back in the 90s

[@StevanMicicSRB]

It’s on the come up !

[@kczcb4697]

Do Texas,a&m, or the other d1 schools have wrestling programs? Honest question, not being a jerk.

[@amarz2792]

@ no tarlenton state has a NAIA program

[@tpl117]

North Carolina definitely has some good college programs but also a lot of really good under the radar wrestlers. Just from recent memory Jonathan Milner a one-time NC state champ, was a 2x All-American at App State. Mike Macchiavello same thing and went on to be National Champ at NC State. Also Dremiel Byers one of USA's greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers ever was an NC native.

[@jmaoa1999]

As someone who wrestled in H.S in Massachusetts I always thought I was decent until I visited some cousins in PA and realized our best guy wouldn’t podium there 😢😂 MA is growing tho, huge boom in women’s wrestling as well

[@StevanMicicSRB]

They are on the rise!

[@psmith6166]

I know this conversation can go round and round without end, I'm always surprised by the much less celebrated output of Utah. They produce a fair bit of high end talent for being way outside of the hotspot regions.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes agreed

[@rawbfish9355]

New York used to be only have one champion per weight class. They had 4 categories of schools. But at sectionals all four categories wrestled each other and whoever came out on top went to state. But it may have changed. That was in the 1970s.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

🔥💪

[@Vintage_Bottega]

Can you do all the different states styles or what there relatively known for in wrestling I always hear things like Oklahoma style or Iowa style could you elaborate for me

[@StevanMicicSRB]

That would be a cool idea

[@JonSmith-oy4bi]

Oregon deserves to be be in the mid-west tier, no higher and no lower, it’s just right

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes

[@L-R_285]

Hey Stevan! It’s the big guy that was at the camp in liberty. The one Dylan trains, I was wondering your opinion on wrestling in Washington because you put it in the tier list at west mid which is completely fair but do you think wrestling over here is starting to catch up or could possibly catch up with the big states?

[@snowhero9]

Washington youth wrestling is great.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

You guys will grow and are on the come up! Love the state and the youth programs, it will take some time 💪

[@enochmcdonald3178]

I live in Oklahoma. I’ve lived here the majority of my life, and I currently coach youth wrestling here. It’s really not that great. If you want to see some really tough wrestlers go to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, California, and now more than ever we seen a bunch of killers coming out of Florida.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

OK has great wrestling culture still!

[@Bigmingo]

New York actually only has 2 classes but great video nonetheless

[@petertseperkas1343]

And for the longest time NY had only 1 division, not sure when they split into 2 but it can’t be more than 20-25 years.

[@kellyslaterstowel]

NJ is the best! Jk its Pennsylvania but one thing I like to consider is population. NJ has 9 million people but Pennsylvania has 13. And California....40 million which is about the same or slightly more than all of Canada AND 14 million more than the entire continent of Australia. And while were speaking geography when the heck did Massachusetts become part of the south? Its called the Boston tea party Stefan, look it up! I know I'm yapping but I'm looking forward to more technique break-downs from you and your pops. World champs in everything we do!

[@kellyslaterstowel]

Stevan***. Apologies. Dang autocorrect.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

@@kellyslaterstowel didn’t mean to put Massachusetts in the south 😭 but it’s south of Canada, YEEHAW 🇨🇦 🤠

[@ChrisSeta]

Good list, but you are the first person I have ever seen place Illinois ahead of Ohio which is the only flaw I believe.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

A lot of Chicago kids would disagree with you there😂 but thanks

[@curtcoleman6265]

Would like to see the rankings adjusted for population size.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Good idea but probably a little too analytical for me 😂

[@tripplevan]

good video, but i think oklahoma is s tier. did you see how many kids from oklahoma were in the ironman finals? also, okst is probably gonna get second this year, and the majority of their roster are kids from their home state.

[@normanhuntley5747]

Not in this discussion but, would like to hear you're opinion on WW new guidelines that are under discussion for guys wrestling for countries they don't live in. Might make an interesting take from you especially! Not at all a hater,but you're opinion on a video would be awesome!:thanks

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yeah I think it’s a great video !!

[@harris11776]

Looks good. South-wise, not sure I agree with Florida being ranked higher than Georgia. In the southeast, GA probably the hardest to be a state champ (in the larger public school classes)

[@davidfredrick]

Wisconsin.... he mentions Askren (WI academy) for Chicagoland, then turns around and puts them at B tier. Honestly not trying to pull a Homer but we had multiple tournaments where WI hs kids topped IL kids last year. Realistically an A teir state on the lower end, upper B tier if not. The Greco is really rising. If we could get an Askren at UW we would retain a lot more talent and it would be top of A bottom of S but Askren is WAY TO CONSERVATIVE for Madison WI. Let's not forget UW division 3 colleges turn out a few all Americans every year.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

@@davidfredrick yeah I slipped up on that one my bad haha Wisconsin def on the rise!

[@competitivewrestling4217]

Could you do something comparing the popularity and competition level of Judo to wrestling? Even if it takes some research, you are in a spot to contact people you've met and get answers like that. I believe Judo may be done in more countries, but they typically do not have many matches per year. Comparing the pros and cons of freestyle to folkstyle? That would get you some views. And lastly I'm dying to know what the junior scene in places like Japan, Iran, Russia, and India are like. Which have wrestling in the school system? How many matches per year? Tournaments or duals? In the US it's amazing how much experience you can get as a kid.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Forsure this is a great idea!

[@asaprocklee1904]

Damn Idaho over Washington is crazy😂

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Must be some heavy beef b/t those states

[@trevormcguire6984]

​​​@StevanMicicSRB I came here to say the same. Not a lot of beef. Just way higher #s and proof in results. Don't be sleeping just because the college level is criminally non existent. Hopefully that's changing soon

[@bbb12973]

Gable Steveson is originally from the region (Indiana)

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes I know we grew up together in the region #219

[@RobertSmith-so8nk]

Gable is a heavyweight with lightweight moves!

[@GarrettRailing]

Pretty solid list. Don't sleep on Georgia though. They're up and coming. (I am not from Georgia).

[@StevanMicicSRB]

You are absolutely right!

[@chriswalker9161]

GA is on the rise we just had a ncaa champ and two people in super 32 finals

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Definitely!

[@StCDUB]

In New York there were 2 divisions for wrestling granted when I wrestled it was many years ago. Also the depth is insane in New York. NYC has 8 million population. There's also several large cities Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany. Another thought we have a ton of D3 wrestling a few NJCCA, and of course Cornell. Think of guys like Kyle Dake

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Agreed

[@samcarp7815]

Massachusetts should be east coast mid, also they are the best state in New England for wrestling

[@StevanMicicSRB]

That’s where I meant to put them, whoops 😅

[@zekehernandez2397]

Ayyy Illinois getting its respect 😤

[@StevanMicicSRB]

🔥🔥🔥

[@pudblumpkin]

Very good list, only thing worth arguing is more of a geography aspect, and that is Massachusetts has to be east coast mid, not south mid.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

ik i didnt mean to put it there, obvi its in new england lol but thanks

[@opietaylor5778]

Oklahoma baby. Our kids will be streaming live tomorrow on flowrestking

[@StevanMicicSRB]

🔥🔥

[@Kuduloka]

Boise is where I grew up (sadly I didn't wrestle; got into it due to BJJ). Can't help but feel I missed out on a lot out there. But I moved out to Indiana a few years ago for work. 🤞 my sons want to wrestle out here.

[@samuelwstone]

You knew what you were doing putting PA in B with that thumbnail 😂

[@StevanMicicSRB]

hahahaha

[@Inflightmuzik]

I think most will agree with these ranking in general 💯

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Thanks man!

[@raa4975]

As someone not from the us I wanted to ask are these states where the best wrestlers come from or where the best colleges are? Do you get top quality wrestlers from places like alabama and louisiana, or do they just not have strong wrestling cultures in those states?

[@Cavcurlz]

I didn’t even realize this was Stevan micic’s channel I didn’t know you were on YT 😭

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Where you been sleeping at bro 💤😴🛌

[@colepapen8754]

Delaware is underated, my HS was 3rd in the nation in 08. In my junior year, we were 22nd in 12. Our rival has been around the top ten a few times in the 10s as well. Also hold the beast of the east there

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes forreal

[@colepapen8754]

@StevanMicicSRB the size does fool people. The only thing is all the good wrestlers try to get to 1 of 3 schools so the live wrestling we'd have in the wrestling room was always intense but it affects the optics when you look from a bigger picture.

[@WilliamsWrestlin]

Would love your opinion on a tie tier list. Collar tie vs inside tie etc

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Oooooh great idea!! 🤔

[@WilliamsWrestlin]

Absolutely. I believe it will help other wrestlers think about what ties they want to develop their system and score off their preferred ties. ​@@StevanMicicSRB

[@365grit]

I think an overall objective assessment but would have probably put Washington over Texas and put Washington in the B tier.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Is Washington better than Texas? 🤔 they finished 28th at Fargo last year and Texas finished 16th. Not that that matters much but you think they would win in a dual ?

[@365grit]

First of all, love your videos. We just moved from Liberty Lake and my son was the first athlete and State Champ out of Liberty Launch Academy where Dylan is at. I placed Washington higher because they finished significantly higher in both Freestyle and Greco National Duals at 16U and also in Junior Greco duals (but that one was closer) but TX did finish one place higher in Junior freestyle duals. At end of day, I think it’s close but I, after being out there and part of coaching staff would go with WA. We are now back in Midwest and in MN now.

[@nickmcclellan9623]

Great video! I will say that I think you gave Nevada too much credit. Oklahoma and Virginia have too many divisions. Shoot, there are more girls wrestling at the HS level in Texas than boys at the HS level in Oklahoma. Let that sink in for a moment. I agree that the 1 division for State is awesome! I agree with you that Iowa isn’t all that impressive either. Keep it up!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@nickmcclellan9623]

@StevanMicicSRB You're very welcome! This is a great video and very informative. There are a lot of people who don't travel around the country to wrestle different competition.

[@genghiskhan7041]

Oklahoma used to be a premier wrestling state about on par with California.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yes!

[@CodyShelton-j1c]

Why would you make rankings if you have no idea about the states. Alabama has had multiple D1 All Americans the last few years with guys popping up everywhere in D1 starting lineups. Alabama has also had Fargo winners, runner ups and multiple All Americans. Alabama currently has guys wrestling at Penn State, West point, Northern Iowa, NC state, Northern Colorado, App State , Virginia Tech and many more. Alabama is definitely on the rise be on the look out for Cory Land and Mason Ellis in the future.

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Just bc it was fun! Haha AL I had no idea, I’ll do more thorough research next time, appreciate the info!

[@mikeshaw3082]

Vito Aurujau, Kyle Dake, Nick Gwizdowski and Yianni are all from New York . No depth?

[@StevanMicicSRB]

They are def strong at the top but by “depth” I’m speaking about the number 2,3,4, etc. definitely could have ranked NY higher tho

[@vrrtvrrt5700]

Don’t sleep on Nevada 👀 a lot of studs coming up in HS level

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Agreed!! They on the rise 📈

[@aantoine5819]

Troy Nickerson, Yianni, Vito, Teemer, Dake, PJ Duke, 6 D1 teams and only B tier for NY? Crazy

[@djmaddox8385]

That’s what I’m saying throw in catrabone u Michigan commit Mcdougald Oklahoma starter Jesse dellavecchia nys runner up to Vito NCAA finalist Jp O’Connor NCAA champ Leo deluca Iowa commit Stephen dutton ncaa all American Dylan palacio NCAA AA Crumpler Michigan state starter Nic bouzakis tosu Stevo poulin unc Greg diaka Cornell Max gallagher u23 team Jordan Titus wvu Zach Redding Iowa state Realbuto brothers Tommy asky Minnesota Jon loew Cornell AA Jayden Scott unc Zack Ryder Troy spratley osu Anthony Noto AA lockhaven Guiseppe hoose Drexel Cory day Binghamton List goes on

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Yeah i def could have put NY in S tier my bad b

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Alright alright ya got me

[@petertseperkas1343]

@@djmaddox8385Jesse Jantzen too! NCAA champ for Harvard!!

[@djmaddox8385]

@@StevanMicicSRB for sure dope videos to bro

[@AbdullahShabir-n7y]

Can you do a video on chip whip counter and maybe show it working in wrestling/wrestlers who use it

[@StevanMicicSRB]

Possibly yes!

[@AbdullahShabir-n7y]

The way you broke down the Ono Snapdown was the best explanation on the technique I’d seen! Keep up the great work

[@Kreamykermit]

As a Washington wrestler, I’m crying 😭😭

[@StevanMicicSRB]

You gotta prove me wrong 💪

[@Kreamykermit]

@@StevanMicicSRB shoot I got you 🤙🏽

[@PDaddy44]

Don’t even have to watch. Keystone State by far!

[@StevanMicicSRB]

EZ #1