Henson Announces a Trio of Signees for 2018
December 04, 2017 01:30 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team will add three newcomers to the 2018 squad, as coach Sammie Henson officially announced his recruiting class on Thursday. Jackson Henson (Morgantown, West Virginia), Emille (DJ) Shannon (Belleville, Illinois) and Matthew Liberato (Florham Park, New Jersey) signed National Letters of Intent earlier this month as part of National Signing Day and will join the Mountaineers next season.
"We are really excited about this year's signing class," said Henson, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the Mountaineers. "DJ and Matt gives us more depth at 174 pounds. They both bring a much-needed piece to the puzzle for us to succeed at a high level. Then to have my son come in and be the future at 141, it's great.
"All three guys want to compete at the next level, and when you bring in that type of mindset, it's going to make great strides for our program. The intensity and leadership qualities that each one of them bring to the room is going to be a huge asset for this team moving forward."
Hailing from Morgantown, Henson ranks No. 11 in the nation at 132 pounds. The son of Sammie and Stephanie, Henson is a two-time West Virginia state champion at that weight. He also placed first at the Cliff Keen USAW Preseason National Championship two years in a row (2015-16) and was named a FloWrestling National All-American in 2017. Henson has topped a trio of ranked wrestlers throughout his high school career, defeating a wrestler ranked as high as fifth in the nation. He is slated to compete at 141 pounds at the collegiate level with intentions to major in multi-disciplinary studies.
"I chose West Virginia because I grew up around the system," Henson said. "I have seen people that have been successful using the system at every level."
Ranked No. 3 in the nation at 170 pounds, Shannon joins the Mountaineers out of Belleville, Illinois, and Christians Brothers College High. The son of Emille and Raychael, Shannon is a two-time Missouri state champion at that weight. He won a gold medal last season at the Illinois Freestyle State Championship to go along with five first-place finishes in 2014, most notably claiming gold at the IKWF State Championships. Shannon is slated to wrestle at 174 pounds for WVU, which he chose over Iowa State, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio State.
"I chose WVU because both the coaches and team saw a lot in me," Shannon said. "They believe I can do what it takes to become the best in college wrestling. WVU really felt like home. As soon as I got done with my visit, I knew it was where I wanted to be."
Liberato hails from Florham Park, New Jersey, where he is a team captain at Hanover Park High under the direction of Tyler Branham. Liberato is a two-time district finalist at 170 pounds. He was named the district champion as a junior, advancing to the round of 16 at the New Jersey state championship. Liberato, who is slated to wrestle at 165/174 pounds for West Virginia, also advanced to the round of 12 at the 2017 Beast of the East. The son of Michael and Antionette, Liberato intends to major in exercise physiology.
"Becoming a Mountaineer was a dream come true," Liberato said. "Between the coaching staff instilling in the wrestlers to believe and realizing I have a goal of winning a team title along with a national title, I knew this was the place for me."
West Virginia returns to Morgantown for a dual against Pitt on Saturday, Dec. 9. Prior to the match, the Mountaineers will put on a free youth clinic open to any and all entrants in eighth grade and below. All participants are admitted free, with the match set to begin at 2 p.m. A registration form can be found at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"We are really excited about this year's signing class," said Henson, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the Mountaineers. "DJ and Matt gives us more depth at 174 pounds. They both bring a much-needed piece to the puzzle for us to succeed at a high level. Then to have my son come in and be the future at 141, it's great.
"All three guys want to compete at the next level, and when you bring in that type of mindset, it's going to make great strides for our program. The intensity and leadership qualities that each one of them bring to the room is going to be a huge asset for this team moving forward."
Hailing from Morgantown, Henson ranks No. 11 in the nation at 132 pounds. The son of Sammie and Stephanie, Henson is a two-time West Virginia state champion at that weight. He also placed first at the Cliff Keen USAW Preseason National Championship two years in a row (2015-16) and was named a FloWrestling National All-American in 2017. Henson has topped a trio of ranked wrestlers throughout his high school career, defeating a wrestler ranked as high as fifth in the nation. He is slated to compete at 141 pounds at the collegiate level with intentions to major in multi-disciplinary studies.
"I chose West Virginia because I grew up around the system," Henson said. "I have seen people that have been successful using the system at every level."
Ranked No. 3 in the nation at 170 pounds, Shannon joins the Mountaineers out of Belleville, Illinois, and Christians Brothers College High. The son of Emille and Raychael, Shannon is a two-time Missouri state champion at that weight. He won a gold medal last season at the Illinois Freestyle State Championship to go along with five first-place finishes in 2014, most notably claiming gold at the IKWF State Championships. Shannon is slated to wrestle at 174 pounds for WVU, which he chose over Iowa State, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio State.
"I chose WVU because both the coaches and team saw a lot in me," Shannon said. "They believe I can do what it takes to become the best in college wrestling. WVU really felt like home. As soon as I got done with my visit, I knew it was where I wanted to be."
Liberato hails from Florham Park, New Jersey, where he is a team captain at Hanover Park High under the direction of Tyler Branham. Liberato is a two-time district finalist at 170 pounds. He was named the district champion as a junior, advancing to the round of 16 at the New Jersey state championship. Liberato, who is slated to wrestle at 165/174 pounds for West Virginia, also advanced to the round of 12 at the 2017 Beast of the East. The son of Michael and Antionette, Liberato intends to major in exercise physiology.
"Becoming a Mountaineer was a dream come true," Liberato said. "Between the coaching staff instilling in the wrestlers to believe and realizing I have a goal of winning a team title along with a national title, I knew this was the place for me."
West Virginia returns to Morgantown for a dual against Pitt on Saturday, Dec. 9. Prior to the match, the Mountaineers will put on a free youth clinic open to any and all entrants in eighth grade and below. All participants are admitted free, with the match set to begin at 2 p.m. A registration form can be found at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
You Can Never Have Too Many Headlocks
Wednesday, April 01
WRES: NCAA Championships Hype Video
Wednesday, March 18
2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championships Hype
Thursday, March 05
WRES: 2026 Senior Recognition Ceremony
Tuesday, February 10
