The MSU wrestling team added another state champion to its 2002-03 recruiting class this week.
Michael Escobedo of Lake Central High in Crown Point, Ind., signed with the Spartans on Monday. Escobedo is a two-time Indiana state champion in the 152-pound weight class.
“We obviously expect him to come in and contribute right away,” Spartan assistant coach Roger Chandler said. “His talent level speaks for itself.”
Escobedo said he spent a lot of time with Chandler during his weekend visit in April.
“I don’t know what sold me really, it was a bit of everything I think,” Escobedo said. “I got along with everybody and they spent a lot of time with me.
“The campus is beautiful, and huge. It’s exciting.”
Chandler said Escobedo will be redshirted when he arrives on campus, but added the incoming freshman will still contribute right away.
Escobedo will be expected to contribute in the same way redshirt freshman Nick Simmons did this past season - Simmons wrestled in open events, winning four, and compiling a 25-3 record. He also provided depth in practice.
Escobedo joins Andy Simmons, Tony Greathouse and Jon Wimberley in the Spartans’ recruiting class.
Andy Simmons, Nick’s younger brother, is a four-time Michigan state champion. At Williamston High, he amassed a 219-0 career record, including a 57-0 senior year in the 140-pound weight class. Andy Simmons holds the national high school record for consecutive wins.
Greathouse also won a Michigan state championship his senior year at Mason High. He finished 51-3 in his senior year in the 119-pound weight class.
Wimberley, a Fort Lauderdale native, rounds out the class as the Florida state champion at 152 pounds.
Chandler said the wrestlers’ projected weight classes at MSU are uncertain.
“You never know what’s going to happen once a kid get into a college program,” he said. “We’ll see what happens after a year in the weight room.”
Escobedo said he looks forward to coming to campus and joining the team in the fall.
“It’s a great program,” he said. “That’s why I signed.”
