Nutley's Brandon Toranzo Commits To Rutgers

Brandon Toranzo is staying put in the Garden State. The Nutley 285-pounder, who finished third in the state at that weight class in March, announced he has committed to Rutgers University to continue his wrestling career.

"I’m fired up to announce that I will be furthering my academic and athletic career at Rutgers University," said Toranzo via an Instagram post this week. "It’s been a hell of a ride to this point. I want to thank God, my family, coaches and friends for always believing in me throughout all the adversity."

"Now let’s get to work." And getting back to work is something Toranzo excels at. After suffering his first loss of the season in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA state tournament on Friday, March 1, Toranzo put that setback behind him and wrestled back to claim third place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and finish his senior season with an amazing 46-1 record. "It took a lot of guts to do what he did (wrestling back to third)," said Nutley head coach Mike DiPiano. "He beat three guys that were on the medal stand and was the only wrestler to do that at. It was a great accomplishment. A week prior, Toranzo captured the Region 3 heavyweight championship in West Orange and was named Outstanding Wrestler for his effort. Toranzo had seen his junior year come to an unceremonious end last season when he was tore his ACL in the semifinal round of the region tournament and had to forfeit his remaining matches. Toranzo used that disappointment to dedicate himself to performing at a high level this season. "It was a great feeling to win a region title after what I had went through last year," Toranzo said at the time. "Now its just a memory in the past." He finished 2023 with a 40-3 mark and was 86-4 in his two seasons wrestling at Nutley High. Toranzo will be joining a Rutgers team that went 12-5 last season and finished sixth at the Big 10 championships. The Scarlet Knights are coached by Scott Goodale, who is the winningest coach in program history. "We're very happy with his decision," said DiPiano. "Brandon took all his visits and made a great choice. He's part of one of the top five recruiting classes in the country. "Everybody in our community is very excited that we get to watch him wrestle only 30-40 minutes away.

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