SO LONG, FAREWELL: Justin Mejia Spurns Hawkeyes, Will Attend Illinois

Just a couple of months ago, it was reported that Justin Mejia would not be attending to the University of Illinois due to an application error, and would instead be attending the University of Iowa. Flash-forward two months, and well, it appears as though he’s flipped back to the Fighting Illini.

The story has been confirmed by IAwrestle, and when reached for comment, Mejia and his family told them that it’s a “Long story.”

This continues a long saga of back and forth between Mejia, Iowa, and Illinois. Mejia originally committed to the Hawkeyes in 2014 and announced he was de-committing in July 2016, when he flipped his commitment to Illinois. Just a couple months ago, word got out that due to an application error, he would no longer be attending Illinois and that he had reopened his recruitment. Just a month after former Illinois assistant coach Mark Perry made the move to Iowa to become the head honcho for Hawkeye Wrestling Club, Mejia decided he would be attending Iowa in the fall. And in what appears to be the end of this whirlwind saga, Mejia has flipped back. Talk about a wild ride.

Mejia was the #42 overall wrestler in the class of 2017, and ranked #4 at 126 pounds. He was expected to make the move to 133 pounds, as Spencer Lee is poised to wrestle at 125 for Iowa.

It’s not the end of the world for the Hawkeyes, as they have some pretty good talent at the lower weights, but it’s never a great thing to lose a top recruit. Even though Mejia stated he’d be coming to Iowa, there was still a bit of skepticism in some parts after he had spurned Iowa before, and it turns out those beliefs weren’t without merit.

IAwrestle will be updating the story as they receive more. Until then, there can only be skepticism on what constitutes a “long story.”