PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers wrestling unveiled its 2024 signing day class. Andrew Barbosa (Riverside, Calif.), Nate Blanchette (Methuen, Mass.), Ryan Ford (Mahwah, N.J.), Conner Harer (Montgomery, Pa.) and Alex Nini (Allentown, N.J.) all signed letters of intent and are eligible to compete for the Scarlet Knights beginning in 2024-25.
 
The five future student athletes comprise the No. 13 2024 signing class in the country, according to FloWrestling. Harer (No. 24), Nini (No. 45) and Blanchette (No. 53) all reside within the top 100 nationally.
 

Andrew Barbosa
Hometown: Riverside, California
High School: Palm Desert
Projected Collegiate Weight: 157
 
Prior to Rutgers: Standout scholastic wrestler at Palm Desert … pegged the No. 19 overall prospect at 145 pounds by MatScouts … delivered a first-place finish at the CIF SS Boys Ford Masters championship competing at 145 pounds … helped Palm Desert to a sixth-place team finish at the 2023 CIF state championships … finished sixth in California at 145 pounds … also finished first at the CIF SS Boys Individual Eastern Division tournament.

 
Nate Blanchette
Hometown: Methuen, Massachusetts
High School: Central Catholic
Projected Collegiate Weight: 174/184
 
Prior to Rutgers: 2023 Massachusetts 182-pound state champion … 2023 NHSCA Junior 170-pound title winner … two-time New England champion … the No. 53 overall signee in the country and No. 4 high school wrestling at his weight class nationally by FloWrestling … went 47-0 during the dual meet season in 2023 en route to his state title.

 
Ryan Ford
Hometown: Mahwah, New Jersey
High School: Bergen Catholic
Projected Collegiate Weight: 149
 
Prior to Rutgers: Three-time NJSIAA medal winner and two-time top four finisher in the state for Bergen Catholic … finished fourth at 144 pounds in 2023 … also placed seventh at 132 pounds in 2022 and third at 113 in 2021 … two-time region and district champion … owns 60 career victories … helped Bergen Catholic to finish as the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the state in 2022.

 
Conner Harer
Hometown: Montgomery, Pennsylvania
High School: Montgomery
Projected Collegiate Weight: 165
 
Prior to Rutgers: One of the top middleweight signees in the country out of Montgomery … two-time PIAA Class AA champion … 2023 NHSCA Junior National Champion … has posted a scholastic record of 136-5, with four of those losses coming as a freshman … No. 24 overall recruit in the country and No. 8 wrestler at 160 pounds by FloWrestling … went 49-1 as a junior en route to his second PIAA Class AA state title … is 96-1 in his past two high school seasons … won the 152-pound title at the National High School Coaches Association Junior Nationals in Virginia Beach.


Alex Nini
Hometown: Allentown, New Jersey
High School: Christian Brothers Academy
Projected Collegiate Weight: 133
 
Prior to Rutgers: Three-time NJSIAA medal winner and two-time top four finisher in the state at CBA … two-time district and region champion … went 21-2 en route to district and region titles at 138 pounds, finishing third in the state in 2023 … collected 25 wins, district and region titles and finished fourth in the state at 120 pounds in 2022 … finished eighth in the state at 113 pounds during freshman season in 2021 … finished fifth at the Cadet World Championships in 2022 … competed for Team Italy at the Cadet World Championships … No. 45 overall prospect in the country and No. 9 in his weight class by FloWrestling … brother of current Rutgers wrestler Sebastiano Nini.