Huskers Announce New Signing Class

Lincoln-Head Coach Mark Manning and the Husker wrestling program have announced the signing of nine high school seniors who plan to enroll and compete at Nebraska beginning with the 2010-11 season.

Three of the nine signees are ranked in the InterMat Top 100, while five members of the 2009-10 class hail from the St. Louis metro area. Four have been crowned state champions at their respective high schools.

"We think have a lot of kids that are the right fit for our program, and that's what we really look at," Manning said. "We really like the guys that are coming in next year. They're going to fit it well with the group that came in last fall as we continue to build on the talent level and commitment to be a dominant program. My staff - Coach Greenfield, Coach Ersland and Coach Mester - have done an outstanding job of identifying young men and developing relationships in order to fulfill this recruiting class. It's exciting to get these young men in our program because they believe in the University of Nebraska."

2009-10 Nebraska Wrestling Signees (bold weights indicate projected college division)

Robert Kokesh - Wagner, S.D. (Wagner High School) - 165 pounds
Robert Kokesh (pronounced Koh-kish) is entering his senior season at Wagner High School with a 155-23 career record. He is rated No. 2 in the nation at 160 pounds by both WIN Magazine and TheMat.com. A two-time defending Class B state champion, Kokesh won the 2008 title at 145 pounds with a 46-1 record before a perfect 49-0 mark took him to gold in 2009 at 160 pounds. He was third as a 135-pound freshman in 2007 with a 39-4 record, while also placing third at the U.S. Folkstyle National Championships. Kokesh won the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals (145) and finished third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals (160). He is ranked No. 43 in InterMat's Top 100.

Coach Manning:
"Robert Kokesh is a blue-collar guy who we've known for a while. He really jumps out at you from a standpoint that he comes from a farming background, has a great work ethic and is a great competitor. He's a tough, hard-nosed guy that has a style that suits him well to a very successful college wrestler. We're excited about having Robert. He's a good fit for us."

Greg Amos - St. Louis, Mo. (Wentzville Holt High School) - 149 pounds
Greg Amos has won back-to-back Class 4 state championships at Wentzville High School and holds a 129-6 career record. En route to his 2009 145-pound state championship, Amos set the school record with 242 takedowns. He went 36-2 as s junior, including a title at the nationally-recognized Brute/Zac Jarzynka Sunwhile Wrestling Classic. As a freshman, Amos finished runner-up at state while compiling a 38-4 record. He is one of the top 145-pound wrestlers in the country, ranking No. 6 by Wrestling USA, eighth by WIN Magazine and 11th by InterMat. He also claimed a spot in InterMat's Top 100 (No. 84).

Coach Manning:
"Greg Amos was our first commitment back in July. He really wanted to be a part of our program and helped set the tone for our recruiting class for some other guys like Keith Surber, Dakota Magrew and Brandon Wilbourn. They're all friends, so Greg was the first one to step up and say 'I'm coming to Nebraska.' He was a big catalyst in our recruiting class. Greg's talent, ability and competitiveness is what attracted us."

Blake Meeks - Des Moines, Iowa (Roosevelt High School) - 141 pounds
Blake Meeks made a big jump in improvement last year at Roosevelt High School. After qualifying for the state tournament with a 27-1 record and finishing eighth in 2008 (130 pounds), Meeks moved to 140 pounds and claimed a runner-up finish in Class 3A last season. With a 16-3 record last year, Meeks begins his 2009-10 senior season ranked No. 2 in the state of Iowa by The Predicament. Meeks comes from a family heavily-involved in the sport of wrestling, including three brothers who have all competed at the high school or collegiate level.

Coach Manning:
"Blake Meeks committed early on in the recruiting process. We've known him and his family for a while and his high school (Des Moines Roosevelt) has come to our camps. He's well-schooled and he's gotten better every year. I think he has sought out some really good coaching and really good workout partners this past year. We're excited about Blake being part of our family."

Brandon Wilbourn - O'Fallon, Mo. (Francis Howell Central High School) - 157 pounds
Brandon Wilbourn is a three-time Class 4 state qualifier at Francis Howell Central High School. He claimed his highest state finish with a runner-up showing as a sophomore at 135 pounds, while also placing third as a freshman at 125 pounds and sixth as a junior at 145 pounds. Wilbourn was fourth at both the 2009 Super 32 Challenge and NHSCA Junior Nationals. He is a top 100 recruit by InterMat (No. 59), while ranking No. 7 in the nation at 157 pounds by The Open Mat.

Coach Manning:
"Brandon committed right after Greg (Amos). We were watching him for a while. We really like his athleticism and he fits in character-wise with our program. He's a good-natured, young man who is real athletic and really excited to come to Nebraska. His best days are ahead of him. Once Brandon comes into our wrestling room, he will be challenged and that will only help him develop quicker."

Matt Dwyer - Rockton, Ill. (Hononegah High School) - 197 pounds
Matt Dwyer holds a 139-19 record through three seasons at Hononegah High School. He is a three-time Class 2A state qualifier, including back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 2008 and 2009. In 2007, Dwyer set the Northern Illinois Conference freshman conference record with 47 victories. InterMat ranks Dwyer as the seventh-best high school senior in the state of Illinois. Matt is the younger brother of current Husker All-American, Stephen Dwyer.

Coach Manning:
"Matt Dwyer is another guy who has the same characteristics as his brother, Stephen. He's also a lot like Robert Kokesh because he's a tough, hard-nosed, gritty guy. He's bigger than his brother and he'll probably be at 197 for us. He's wrestled lower weight classes and he's grown each year in high school so he knows how to wrestle like a lightweight but still bring it. We're excited about having Matt join our program. Matt is a high-motor guy who we'll really like having at Nebraska."

Cody Magrew - Wentzville, Mo. (Timberland High School) - 165/174 pounds
Cody Magrew went 41-3 en route to winning the 2009 Class 3 state championship at Timberline High School at 145 pounds. Magrew took third at both the 2007 Missouri freestyle state tournament and 2008 U.S. Folkstyle National Championships. He also finished fourth at the 2007 Missouri greco state tournament. InterMat has tabbed Magrew as the 14th-best high school prospect at 160 pounds, while USA Magazine has ranks Magrew 16th.

Coach Manning:
"Cody Magrew is a young man who had a great desire to be at Nebraska and be part of our program. He sees himself as having a very successful college wrestling career. His desire, along with his talent and ability will allow him to have great success as a Husker. Cody's commitment to his was big because his friendships with Brandon (Wilbourn), Keith (Surber) and Greg (Amos) will allow each of them to feed off each other as ultimate competitors."

Keith Surber - O'Fallon, Ill. (O'Fallon High School) - 133 pounds
Keith Surber is a three-time state qualifier at O'Fallon High School with back-to-back third-place finishes at 112 pounds and 119 pounds. Surber was 44-2 last season and holds a 130-8 career record. He was named the Belleville News Democrat Wrestler of the Year in 2009, a season that included a third-place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and a fourth-place showing at the 2009 Super 32 Challenge. He was also runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Surber is ranked No. 15 in the nation at 125 pounds by WIN Magazine.

Coach Manning:
"We're really enthused about Keith because he is a tremendous student-athlete. He comes in with high academic standards. He could have gone to a number of Ivy League schools, but he understands that he not only wants a great education, but also wants to be part of a great program. Keith is an endless worker. He is always trying to learn and develop himself into a better wrestler, and that is why his best days are yet to come."

Chad Stroh - Holyoke, Colo. (Holyoke High School) - 133/141 pounds
Chad Stroh has claimed back-to-back Class 2A state championships at for Holyoke High School. A three-time state qualifier, Stroh won his first state title at 119 pounds before claiming last year's 125-pound gold medal. He had a dominant 42-1 junior season that helped him gain 2009 Denver Post All-Colorado Team honors. As a freshman, he finished runner-up at state at 112 pounds. Stroh is ranked No. 22 at 125 pounds by USA Wrestling.

Coach Manning:
"Chad Stroh is another high-character, high-academic guy who we've known for 2-3 years. His sister goes to school here and he's came to our camp the last three summers. We've known him on and off the mat and we really wanted him to come to Nebraska. He's really made a great sacrifice because he had a lot of different opportunities but decided to be a Husker. He's a great fit for our team."

Ryne Harris - Belleville, Ill. (Althoff Catholic High School) - 125 pounds
Ryne Harris has posted a 115-26 career record for Althoff Catholic High School. He is a three-time Class 2A state qualifier and claimed his best finish in 2009 when he placed third at 112 pounds. The 40-4 season that included two tournament titles helped Harris earn Belleville News Democrat First-Team honors. Harris' father, Dave, is the former wrestling coach at Althoff Catholic High School and helped coach current Husker assistant Mike Greenfield during his prep career.

Coach Manning:
"Ryne Harris is a guy that we really like. He's been up here a couple times this fall. He really likes our program and he had opportunities to go to smaller schools, but he really wanted to come to Nebraska and be a part of our program. He sees a great opportunity for himself to fit in at 125 pounds in the future because he's not going be bigger than that. There's a good opportunity for Ryne to wrestle for us as he develops as a college wrestler."