Fireworks were not the only thing “booming” this Fourth of July. Coach Goodale took to Twitter on our Nation’s birthday to let the RU faithful know he received a verbal commitment from a future Scarlet Knight.
Max Hermes, a 2023 prospect out of Ohio, gave his commitment to Rutgers wrestling on Monday. Hermes attends Milan Edison High School, where he will be a senior this fall.
Hermes has quietly flown under the radar, despite having a dominant high school career thus far. His career record is 170 – 9, which includes a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020, where there was no state tournament.
In the two attempts Hermes had at the state tournament, he excelled on both occasions. He was the 2021 state champion at 106-lbs. Hermes followed that up with another state title this past season at 113-lbs, where he pinned his opponent in the final in the first period.
As told by one source, Hermes was described to TKR as a “life-long 125-lber” who can be a good long-term option down low for Rutgers.
Hermes is a well-rounded wrestler, who has a good foundation to become a very solid college wrestler. He is very consistent with attacking both sides of the body. If his single leg is not working, he will attack the opposite leg with a high crotch. Hermes is also very good at snapping to a front-head, and scoring off go-behinds.
On top, Hermes has a style that will transition very well to college. He will switch back-and-forth between a bulldog ride and a cross-wrist ride. He is comfortable staying out to the side, and keeping his opponent on the mat for long periods of time.
Hermes does not have the star-power name of some recruits, but he has bounced in-and-out of the national rankings over the past year, and could very well become a fixture there this upcoming season. He definitely has some things he needs to cleanup when he gets into a Division One room, but that is par for the course.
By the time Hermes is on campus, Dylan Shawver will only have two years of eligibility remaining. That is the perfect amount of time for the coaching staff to polish Hermes up, and have him ready for the big leagues once Shawver graduates. This may not be the high-profile pick-up some fans are looking for, but it is a very nice get with a lot of potential and a high ceiling.
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