In 2023, Kollin Rath had been a top recruit most of his career and was coming off his first state title in Pennsylvania. Recruiting opened the summer of his junior season on June 15th, and he spent most of the day fielding calls from elite college coaches. One that was notably absent was the Missouri Tigers; a team that hadn’t seen a recruit from Pennsylvania since 2007.
The young prospect’s career began years before he was a blue chip recruit however, starting wrestling when he was just six years old. Initially he preferred football, telling me his love for wrestling came later. He started to like it more in 3rd grade after making the state finals, then fully fell in love with the sport after winning a title in 6th grade.
“That opened my eyes to what more there is and what else I can do,” said Rath. That moment eventually led to bigger results like placing at NHSCA Middle School Nationals and becoming a finalist at Super 32 in middle school.
Once he started high school, a bigger opportunity opened up: training with Chance Marsteller. An all-time high school great from Pennsylvania, Marsteller is now a former World team member and a contender for Senior world teams.
“He had a spot open on his team at a dual and he just asked me, ‘You want to wrestle?’” says Rath. He had trained at his club in middle school a few times but after that dual, Rath started going to the club more and it took off from there.
His freshman year was a preview to his talent with a 3rd place finish at state. It was a year of growth for Rath, saying that knowing the big names in his weight class shook his confidence. Specifically, Mac Church, a returning state champ himself who beat him 3-1 at state and was highly ranked.
That experience flipped a switch for Rath, with him saying “I just trusted my training. I knew my coaches trusted me and I trusted myself. […] I have what it takes to do it.” That belief and trust spurred back-to-back title runs, including bumping up to avenge his loss to Church his sophomore year.
Rath’s hitlist includes names like Mac Church (Virginia Tech), Pierson Manville (Arizona State), Jaxon Joy (Cornell), Colin Gaj (Virginia Tech), and Will Denny (NC State). Those are all just NCAA qualifiers at their respective schools, not even including all the other wins over wrestlers now on D1 rosters. Gaj was an All-American in 2026, while Jaxon Joy and Will Denny were both bloodrounders.
Rath committed during that junior season, just before the regular season kicked off. It wasn’t a typical recruiting journey initially, however. Fast forward a month from that opening day, and Rath was still waiting on a call from the 573 area code. He had heard good things about Associate HC Kendric Maple and seen them compete at different events. That competition left an impact on the blue chip recruit to the point that he made first contact. They joke about it now, but Rath sent Coach Maple an email asking about the long wait and lack of contact.
“He’s like, there’s a rumor you don’t really want to leave the East Coast.” Rath corrected that quickly and took a visit to Columbia shortly thereafter. Mizzou became the standard Rath compared other schools to, leading Rath to feel confident about committing.
As far as what separated the Tigers, Rath said, “The coaching staff was a big one. I felt like they would be there for me when I was low, when I was high, and just make sure that I’m the best wrestler and the best person I can be.” The warm temperatures compared to Pennsylvania also helped him find a love for the midwest and Columbia.
The culture of Tiger Style stood out, along with some of the other recruits. He says that there were discussions of knowing that if they all come here it could be something special. That class included other standouts like Seth Mendoza, Dom Bambinelli, Danny Heiser, Sampson Stillwell, Hank Benter, David Gleason, and Peyton Westpfahl.
Rath’s commitment has spurred more recruiting from the east coast as well. The Tigers have brought a number of high profile recruits from Pennsylvania on visits, and saw a commitment from three-time Massachusetts state champ Yandel Morales this season.
After committing to Mizzou and winning a state title his junior year, Rath elected to do the Elite Acceletor Program, where young athletes can go and train in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center. There, he trained with Sampson Stillwell and waas coached by Mizzou legend J’Den Cox. It was there he got to see senior level wrestlers and world team members come and not only train but learn about their recovery, diet, and sleep regiments.
He also got his first taste of college wrestling, competing in and winning the Bob Smith Open. He went 4-0 with three wins over Division 1 wrestlers, including a tight 9-8 win in the finals. While it wasn’t filled with hammers, Rath says that it gave him confidence heading into this season knowing that he has competed against college opponents before.
Rath is a bit under the radar coming into this season and one of the main reasons is an injury that kept him off the mat his entire freshman season. In that time, he says he kept busy learning and even helping coach a youth club with now Director of Operations Jarrett Jacques. Coaching helped open his eyes to different positions and he and Coach Jacques spent all winter getting one-on-one time to work through positions and technique.
He’s still making his way back to 100% but has been working hard and getting back to speed. He says he spends a lot of time working with Coach Jacques, J Conway, and David Gleason. Rath and Gleason are expected to battle for the 157 spot this season, but have built a strong camaraderie and time in the room bouncing ideas about different positions and moves.
When asked to describe his style Rath says, “It’s going to be in your face, constantly moving, just not letting you know where I’m going to be next and finding where you’re not going to be. […] Just kind of start letting myself flow and making you catch up to me.”
His hard nosed style gave him success in high school, and seeing his previous opponents have college success has only given him more confidence. Despite that, he holds himself to a high standard, saying “I want to be the best, so I know I have to do more than what they’re doing.” Hearing that echoes the Tiger Style culture, with the One More pillar showing through.
Rath is expected to compete for the 157lb spot this season, and is a favorite at this point in the season. He is a part of a young exciting group of wrestlers who are all looking forward to elevating the competitiveness of the team and climbing back to consistent top ten finishes and more for the Tigers. Look for him to make a statement this season and, while it’s not set in stone, keep an ear out for “House of the Rising Sun” as he comes out in a Mizzou singlet.