Rutgers Wrestling lands 2020 commit Connor O’Neill

Either the cannon at “HighPoint.com” Stadium went off or Scott Goodale let out another BOOM!

Yup, it was Goodale.

Connor O’Neill of DePaul Catholic High School became the latest commit for Rutgers Wrestling as he will join the 2020 class. O’Neill, who finished second at the Cadet Freestyle National Tournament in Fargo back in July, becomes the first commit of 2020 and could start a line of younger wrestlers to join the program while having a lot of high school wrestling to go.

According to FloWrestling, O’Neill is currently ranked No. 13 at 160 pounds nationally among high schoolers and projects as a 165 pounder in college.

O’Neill stressed his relationship with assistant coach Joe Pollard, who runs the Scarlet Knight Wrestling Club, as a big reason why he decided to join a budding powerhouse.

“I’ve been training at SKWC since the sixth grade,” O’Neill said. “Coach Pollard has been like a father figure to me and the RTC (Regional Training Center) with Coach (Reece) Humphrey has been great. I love the coaching staff and it feels like home. Top 10 team in the country and 15 minutes away, you can’t beat that.”

In addition to being a Fargo finalist, O’Neill was also a Sophomore National finalist while capturing a region title and two district titles in his first two years of high school. He once again credited Pollard and Humphrey for getting him ready for Fargo.

“It really helped me get ready for the high school season and my college career all at once,” O’Neill said. “Going to Rutgers just felt like the right choice.”

As far as the school itself, O’Neill left two words:

“Go Knights.”