Recruiting Wars:  The early signing period has come to a halt, and while three of the top programs in the country, Iowa State, Cornell and Minnesota, stocked up on some great recruits, Virginia Tech, led by new head coach Tom Brands, has slipped in with one of the top recruiting classes of the year. That class will be led by Michigan's Brent Metcalf.    But the overall top recruiting ranking is still up for grabs, especially since blue-chipper Troy Nickerson of New York did not sign in the early period. He seems to be leaning towards Minnesota or Cornell. With not signing early, he may be attempting to apply for Early Decision at Cornell, which can be done outside of a signing period.      This Eagle is not endangered:  The American University turn-around may be coming sooner than many expected. Head coach Mark Cody, with the help of a couple of transfers, has turned this program into a solid competitor this year. American has yet to send a wrestler to the NCAA Tournament in Mark Cody's two-year tenure, but that may change dramatically in his third year.    This weekend, at the Keystone Classic, American wrestlers Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov (157), Dan Waters (174) and Josh Glenn (184) all won titles. Three other Eagles placed in the top six. This at a tournament that featured EIWA rivals Penn and Brown.      Les is more:  Everyone knows that the top heavyweight in the country is Oklahoma State's Steve Mocco. But what about the second best heavyweight in the country?    It could be Nebraska-Omaha junior Les Sigman, a two-time NCAA Division II champion. Sigman plowed through some solid competition to get to the finals of the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha on Saturday. In the finals, he lost to Mocco 12-3.    But as good as Sigman is, don't be shocked to see a lot of Division I programs make a push to get him to transfer at the end of this season. He could have a major impact for a team looking to get to the top of the NCAA ladder next year.       Hawkeye Nation:  Iowa fans are anxious to see how this year's team, with only one returning All-American, will compete on a national level. Even with a lot of inexperience in this lineup, the Hawkeyes showed that they are poised for another solid run.    At the Kaufman-Brand Open, Iowa saw seven wrestlers place in the top three of the tournament, including two champions. This without All-American Paul Bradley, who was preparing for Monday night's All-Star Classic.    With a solid young nucleus in place, and a new coaching staff with a new attitude, expect this Hawkeye team to mold and gel into a title contender in two years.      Defending Champs:  Nine wrestlers came into this season with an NCAA title on their trophy mantle. All nine wrestlers are undefeated through the first three weeks of the season, though none have faced a stiff challenge yet.    Those title holders coming into this year are Ryan Bertin of Michigan (157), Matt Gentry of Stanford (157), Greg Jones of West Virginia (184), Travis Lee of Cornell (133), Troy Letters of Lehigh (165), Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State (174), Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State (197) and Teyon Ware of Oklahoma (141).      This Week:  On Friday, one day after most likely sharing Thanksgiving dinner, brothers Tom and Terry Brands will see their teams battle in Chattanooga, Tenn. Tom is a first-year head coach at Virginia Tech and Terry has seen dramatic improvements while in his third season at UTC.    Arizona State travels to Iowa this weekend to take on the Hawkeyes on Saturday and Iowa State on Sunday.    Also on Saturday, Wisconsin will host Northern Iowa and Nebraska will host Virginia in two holiday weekend marquee matchups. Lock Haven will host its annual Mat Town USA Invitational on Saturday as well.