NCAA Penalizes Iowa State Wrestling for Recruiting Infractions

Ames, IA— Iowa State’s wrestling program has been placed on probation and handed multiple penalties after the NCAA determined that impermissible recruiting contact was made with two transfer prospects, including one athlete who had not yet entered the Transfer Portal.

The Division I Committee on Infractions approved a negotiated resolution between Iowa State and NCAA enforcement officials, concluding an investigation into recruiting activity involving Chris Perry, an assistant coach with the Cyclone Regional Training Center.

According to the NCAA, the case began after Iowa State’s then-head wrestling coach communicated with the head coach of another university who was leaving his position. During that conversation, the Iowa State coach expressed interest in two of the coach’s student-athletes.

Perry later contacted both wrestlers while working with the Cyclone Regional Training Center, where Iowa State’s head wrestling coach also served as head coach of the training center team.

One of the athletes had not yet entered the Transfer Portal when Perry began communicating with him. Perry called the wrestler twice and sent 14 text messages, according to the NCAA. Those messages included requests for transcripts, information about potential revenue-sharing payments and cost-of-attendance figures, as well as an explanation of how the athlete could request a “do not contact” designation after entering the portal.

Perry also communicated with the second athlete and provided him with a commitment graphic to use on social media once he committed to Iowa State.

Both athletes eventually committed to Iowa State on the same day they entered the Transfer Portal. During interviews with NCAA enforcement staff, both identified Perry as their first point of contact with Iowa State and the primary recruiter involved in their recruitment.

Although Perry was not employed by Iowa State, the NCAA determined that he was acting in an individual capacity to represent the school’s interests in recruiting the athletes. That resulted in Perry being classified as a booster under NCAA rules, making his contact with the prospects impermissible. The communications that occurred before one athlete entered the Transfer Portal were also classified as tampering.

The NCAA did not find the Iowa State head coach responsible for the recruiting violations. Perry reported to the coach through his role at the regional training center, but he was not a member of Iowa State’s wrestling staff and did not report to the coach in an institutional capacity. Investigators also determined that the head coach was unaware Perry’s conversations with the athletes involved recruiting them to Iowa State rather than to the regional training center.

Despite that finding, Iowa State and NCAA enforcement officials agreed that a suspension for the head coach was appropriate. The coach, who now serves as Iowa State’s director of men’s and women’s wrestling, will serve a 10% suspension during the 2026-27 academic year, which amounts to two contests.

Iowa State will serve one year of probation and pay a $25,000 fine, along with an additional penalty equal to 0.5% of the wrestling program’s budget. The university will also be prohibited from conducting recruiting communications with transfers for one week during the notification-of-transfer windows in both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years.

In addition, Iowa State must disassociate from the involved booster for two years.

The penalties were classified as Level II-mitigated sanctions and were reached through the NCAA’s negotiated resolution process. Under that process, the university, enforcement staff and other involved parties agree on the violations and proposed penalties before the Committee on Infractions reviews the agreement.

The committee approved the resolution and praised Iowa State for its handling of the case, specifically citing the university’s decision to accept significant penalties and impose additional recruiting restrictions. The panel also highlighted the school’s decision to suspend the head coach even though investigators did not find a head-coach-responsibility violation.

The negotiated resolution cannot be appealed and does not establish precedent for future NCAA infractions cases.

The sanctions come as Iowa State and other college wrestling programs continue to navigate an increasingly important transfer market, where recruiting communication can play a significant role in roster construction. Iowa State has acknowledged the findings and said it will strengthen its internal compliance measures following the investigation