Anthony Knox, the wrestler at the center of controversy last year after he and his father were allegedly involved in a brawl during a high school wrestling tournament, has committed to Rutgers, according to multiple reports.
Knox is one of the most decorated high school wrestlers in New Jersey history, as he became the fifth in the sport to win four state championships.
The wrestler originally committed to Cornell during his junior year and was taking a gap year after graduating high school in the spring of 2025 when he decommitted from the Big Red in mid-December, opening the recruitment process back up.
Signs that Knox was headed to Piscataway started popping up on Tuesday night when posted an image of Tony Soprano from “The Sopranos” to his Instagram account, and, according to NJ.com, Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale wrote “BOOM” on X, which is a known phrase he uses when the program lands a notable recruit.
Knox is expected to wrestle at 125 pounds and it is believed he’ll begin his collegiate career next season, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Knox went 144-1 over his four-year high school career at St. John Vianney and was the top-ranked high school wrestler in the nation at 126 pounds.
However, Knox and his father, Anthony Knox Sr., are still facing legal repercussions stemming from the February 2025 melee at a district wrestling tournament at Collingswood High School.
The two are facing charges of simple assault-purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury for their alleged roles in the brawl. They have both pleaded not guilty.
The case was scheduled to begin this week, but was postponed until Jan. 28 after already been pushed back several times since last April with delays stemming from disputes over video evidence.
Police allege the wrestler and his father entered the bleachers to confront fans from other schools taking part in the tournament, which led to a physical altercation.
The NJSIAA, the state body tasked with overseeing high school athletics, initially disqualified Knox from the state tournament over the incident, but the Knox family sued to have him reinstated and won their case, allowing him to continue to compete.
He eventually went on to win his fourth state title during the championship tournament in Atlantic City less than a month later.
