Sonny Amato commits to Rutgers, stays home in New Jersey
The two-time New Jersey state champion picked the Scarlet Knights after visiting campus.
Sonny Amato, class of 2027 out of Rumson-Fair Haven, verbally committed to Rutgers. The two-time New Jersey state champion is ranked No. 6 at 150 pounds by MatScouts and No. 18 on the MatScouts Big Board, per The College Wrestling Report, which said Amato announced on Instagram. InterMat called him the top available senior in the class.
Nick Kosko and Justin Basch both posted the news, with Basch framing it as a home state win for the Scarlet Knights and calling the pickup a big one. Kosko confirmed the MatScouts ranking and the two state titles.
Pat Mineo had also posted that Amato was on campus at Rutgers on a visit, though no source dates that visit relative to the commitment.
Why it matters
Rutgers keeps one of the best seniors in the country in state, and does it at a weight where the Scarlet Knights get a MatScouts top ten kid rather than watching him leave New Jersey. InterMat's framing is the part that stings for everyone else recruiting him, since by their read there was nobody better still on the board.
What is next
A verbal is a verbal, so the signing is the next box to check. Nobody has reported a projected college weight for Amato, and nothing in the announcements addressed a redshirt plan.
The sources do not say which other schools were in his final group, and no coach or program statement has been posted beyond the commitment itself.
2x NJ State Champ is staying home!
Rutgers got a verbal commitment from the top available senior - 2x NJ state champion Sonny Amato