More and more, wrestlers from all corners of the country are realizing it’s good to be a Hokie.

Virginia Tech’s popularity – and subsequently its success – has been on the rise and coach Tony Robie thinks it’s progressing every year.

The Hokies, fresh off an ACC title and a top-10 NCAA finish, have the #2-ranked recruiting class for 2026 and currently sit at #2 for 2027. The Class of 2026 haul includes top-ranked 150-pounder Bo Bassett of Bishop McCort in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. 

“I think I've seen that for the last 20 years,” Robie said when asked about the program’s growth and evolving prominence. “So it's progressing every year. I think the excitement around the program right now is at a really high level. Obviously, when you have a guy like Bo Bassett coming in, that creates another level of excitement and notoriety that he brings. And we're not gonna pretend that's not the case. 

“So, yeah, we've had a lot of people who are getting involved, who want to get involved, who are excited about the future and what we have coming in, and the direction things are going. We're certainly excited about that. I think we'll have good crowds in the next couple years and, hopefully, we follow that with our performance as well.”

Looking Ahead

The program made the decision to redshirt three-time All-America and NCAA champ Caleb Henson this season. Given that only Maryland transfer Ethen Miller – who should return to the lineup in January – is departing, it seemed like the thing to do.

“I think when you look at what we have returning next year, that certainly influenced the decision right now,” Robie said. “Ethen is really the only guy that I think will make an impact on our team this year, at least in the starting lineup, who will be graduating. 

“We have a lot of depth in that 149-157 area. I think it just kind of made sense for us to do that this year. Obviously, not having Caleb is not ideal, but it allows him to take on a role as a coach a little bit, helping these young guys.”

Henson is still being Henson, according to Robie. 

“Obviously, he’s still training really, really hard, but to maybe shift a little bit of his focus to the team, too,” Robie said. “He's got a great wrestling mind and he's going to be a heck of a coach. That's kind of a piece of the puzzle, not that that's the reason we did this, but I think it's certainly going to impact some of these young guys in their development and hopefully line things up really strong for next year.”

A Slower-Paced December

The Hokies tried to schedule a home dual in December but struck out, Robie said, so various Tech wrestlers will compete in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Patriot Open, as well as a few guys going to the Midlands and the Southern Scuffle.

“It is what it is,” Robie said. “We came out of the gate pretty hard with our schedule. And I think if you look at the match count for our guys, it's pretty high for this point of the season. I think it's good for these guys to wrestle one more time this semester. 

Tech is 4-2 after a win over Bucknell and a 3-2 performance in the National Duals Invitational with wins over Wyoming, N.C. State and Illinois, and a pair of losses to Minnesota.

Robie is sending six wrestlers to this weekend’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational: Drew Gorman (141), Dillon Campbell (133), Collin Gaj (157), Mac Church (165), Ben Weader (165) and Parker Ferrell (285). Another crew will compete at George Mason in the Patriot Open.

Aces Among New Faces

Along with six redshirt freshmen, Robie has seven true freshmen and three transfers in the VT room.

“The freshman class is outstanding,” Robie said about Ryan Burton (174) Mitchell Faglioni (157), Gaj (157), Gorman (141), Noah Nininger (149), Weader (165) and Aaron Seidel (133).

“I think it's the best we've ever had, mostly from a maturity standpoint, and just in terms of their love for the sport of wrestling is at a really, really high level. Their work ethic, their commitment, their talent level is high. Those guys are doing a great job and have really raised the level of intensity in our room and have brought a lot of great things to the program.

 “All of our transfers have fit in well; they're doing an outstanding job. They work really hard, fit our culture and we couldn't be happier with those guys,” he said.

Early Improvement

Robie thought the trip to Tulsa for the Duals will pay off at season’s end.

“I thought our guys competed well in the first four matches at the National Duals,” he said. “I didn't think we competed great in our last match against Minnesota, but overall, I felt like there was progress in a lot of places. That's kind of what the season is about is making adjustments. 

“And I was especially pleased with Sonny Sasso (197) and Jimmy Mullen (285) and the adjustments that they were able to make going from Bucknell to the National Duals, and then even moving forward from there.”

Robie called the Duals a first-class event.

“Paycom (the event sponsor) did a great job. It was really well run. It was professional. Everybody was treated really well. I thought it was a great event,” he said. 

“I think it's close to duplicating the NCAA Championships. Obviously, you can't duplicate the NCAA Championships, and it wasn't the same as that, but it was good. We were happy with it. We were glad to be a part of it. And I think it's going to help us down the road when we get to the nationals this year.”

Robie Feeling Fine

Robie underwent surgery last spring to donate a kidney to longtime friend Norm Latona, whose two sons, Dom and Sam, an All-American, wrestled for Robie. Sam was Robie’s first recruit in 2017.

“The decision wasn't difficult, I'll say that much,” Robie said. “The procedure and the process wasn't easy, but Norm’s doing great. I actually talked to him yesterday for quite a while. So he's doing really, really well. I think it's very gratifying to know where he was at and where he is now and how much it's impacted his life. So, that part of it is certainly rewarding from my standpoint.”

As for Robie, he said if he’s not 100 percent, he’s very close. 

“It took a little while to get there, and the first couple days and couple weeks and couple months were pretty difficult and challenging,” he said. “At the end of the day, that part of it for me was temporary. In the long term, I don't think it's going to have a negative impact on my life, so the rewarding part of it is pretty great.”