Walking in the footsteps of his idol, Spencer Lee, and other juggernauts who have graced the Hawkeye wrestling program, Bo Bassett knew the standards he had to maintain. And he promised titles even before he had started the freshman campaign in 2025-26. But that journey won’t go any further after the teenager’s surprise announcement on June 22.

Deciding to decommit from Iowa, Bassett is now free to choose from any of the 4 programs he had shortlisted previously (Iowa excluded now, obviously). Or maybe it’s a completely new college that he has his eyes on. But before that, Bassett’s decision had already started to impact the wrestling world, starting with Rudis, which is connected to Bassett and Iowa Wrestling. So, here’s what’s happening.

Well, if you own a Bo Bassett Iowa hoodie, guess you will be holding a rare piece of clothing in your collection. Because, as of now, no Iowa apparel with a Bo Bassett connection is being made available by Rudis—a company valued with a yearly turnover of $72.7 Million. We came to know when X user Fred Bear Bulldog asked the following question on X on June 23: “Is the Rudis Iowa Bo swag now collector’s items? @JustinJBasch @baschamania.” Justin Basch didn’t take long to drop the answer. “Rudis has officially taken down Bo’s Iowa collection.”

So, be it the Bo Bassett × Iowa Elite Super Soft T-shirt or the Bo Bassett × Iowa Hawkeyes COOL-FEEL hoodie, Rudis has completely removed those options from their inventory. However, you can still purchase any Iowa merchandise or Bo Bassett–related items on their website, as long as Iowa and Bassett aren’t featured together in the NIL collaboration. That includes Iowa Performance Heather T-Shirts, Throwback Elite singlets, joggers, hats, and many more items. So go and check out their amazing collection and see which merch suits you as a Hawkeye fan.

We know you would have loved to add a Bo Bassett Iowa item to your set, but unfortunately, that perfect association of Rudis, Bassett, and Iowa didn’t last long enough.

The Bo Bassett, Iowa, and Rudis connection comes to an end

After narrowing down to Iowa, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Virginia Tech, the 3-time Ironman Champion committed to the Hawkeyes, hoping to emulate Olympic silver medalist and 3-time NCAA Champion Spencer Lee. But even before he had put pen to paper, Bassett was already Team Rudis. Thanks to the NIL framework, Bassett’s domination in the international circuit led Rudis Wrestling to sign him up as their brand ambassador.

And then came the perfect triangle. Iowa Wrestling partnered with Rudis for their officially licensed Hawkeyes wrestling apparel. As far as monetary benefits were concerned, figures in the range of $5 million were doing the rounds as Bassett got ready to enter the collegiate scene. One would think the Hawkeyes were the place to be for Baffert. But fate had other plans. Or rather, faith.

Bo Bassett took to Instagram to let the world know this immensely difficult decision. “After a lot of prayer and talking with my family, I’ve decided to decommit from the University of Iowa.” Continuing, he shared his faith in the divine as he made this decision. “This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a wrestler, a person, or for my faith journey … This is about finding the place God wants me to be.” Seeing the #2 national prospect in the 2026 class walk away from them is surely a big blow for Iowa.

Who do you think Bo Bassett will commit to? Let us know in the comments!