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Bo Basset, the top-ranked recruit of the class of 2026, and former Oklahoma State wrestling star Daton Fix shared their reactions to high school prospect Jax Forrest’s victory at the 61kg US Open Men’s Freestyle title. Forrest, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2026, defeated former NCAA champion Seth Gross by a score of 19-8 in the finals.
Forrest, who lost in last year’s US Open U20 division to Seth Mendoza, made a remarkable comeback by securing victories over Nathaniel Johnson (13-0), Kyle Gollhofer (10-0), and Nahshon Garrett (10-0) in the first three US Open matches. He then defeated Ben Davino 4-0 in the semifinal and eventually went on to secure the title against Seth Gross.
Bo Bassett and Jax Forrest both attended Bishop McCort Catholic High School. However, Bassett has committed to Iowa Wrestling, and Forrest committed to Oklahoma State earlier this year. Jax Forrest recently expressed his feelings about securing a spot at Final X on Instagram and shared some moments from the US Open.
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Bo Bassett, Forrest's high school teammate, commented on the post,
"So unbelievably proud of you. You’re inspiring, Jax. God’s amazing plans are set."
Daton Fix, the former Oklahoma State wrestler, called Forrest a legend.
"Legend."
Meanwhile, Bo Bassett earned a third-place finish in the U20 US Open at 65 kg by defeating Noah Nininger. He lost in the semifinal to Luke Stanich. Bo Bassett’s younger brother, Keegan Bassett, won the U17 freestyle title at 45 kg at the 2025 US Open, earning a spot on the US World Team.
Daton Fix, a standout athlete for Oklahoma State University, ended his college career with a 21-1 record and was a four-time NCAA runner-up. At the US Open, he competed in the 61 kg division, reached the quarterfinals, but later had to withdraw due to injury.
Forrest will now head to Final X, scheduled for June 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, where he will face Vito Arujau for a spot on the National Team.
Jax Forrest opens up about becoming one of wrestling’s biggest names after the victory
After winning the US Open title, Jax Forrest spoke with Sports Illustrated about his next plans. He shared that he originally planned to compete in the U20 61 kg category but made a last-minute change.
"So, originally I was planning on just doing U20 61 KG, but I felt like I had been training really well. I talked to my parents and all of my coaches and told them how I thought I could win this weight", he said.
Forrest also spoke about his goals with the Oklahoma State Cowboys,
"My team goal for the Cowboys is to win the national title. I want to help this team become the best individuals, and then on top of that, we are going to take over as the best team in the country for a long time to come."
Jax Forrest concluded by saying he will be heading to the Pan American Championships scheduled for May 9-12 and will then prepare for Final X.
