Edinboro University announced on Thursday the hiring of A.J. Schopp as their new assistant wrestling coach. Schopp, a 2014 Edinboro graduate, was a three-time All-American for the Fighting Scots and is returning to his alma mater after coaching stints at South Dakota State and Purdue.

He’s coming HOME❗️

Please welcome @GoldSchopping back to the 814!

AJ was a 3x All-American for Edinboro in 2013, 2014, and 2015. #BoroBuilt pic.twitter.com/IvfJoyxzhN

— Edinboro Wrestling (@BoroWrestling1) May 9, 2024

Check out the full release from the Edinboro Athletic Department below:

Edinboro, Pa. – A.J. Schopp claimed three All-American honors while wearing a singlet at Edinboro and now will return to the Fighting Scot program as the top assistant on the coaching staff.

 Schopp has spent that last six seasons on the coaching staff at Purdue mentoring numerous standouts and national qualifiers including 2023 NCAA Runner-Up Matt Ramos, two-time Big Ten Championship 125-pound runner-up Devin Schroder, 2018 NCAA Round of 12 qualifier Luke Welch, two-time national qualifier Ben Thornton and 2021 NCAA qualifier Jacob Rundell.

Prior to his time with the Boilermakers, Schopp spent two seasons as an assistant at South Dakota State. He helped South Dakota State to their first-ever Big 12 Conference Championship and the programs first Division I All-Americans in Seth Gross and Alex Kocer.

In his two seasons with the Jackrabbits, South Dakota State posted a 28-11 dual record, qualified 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, had 11 Academic All-Big 12 selections and had eight NWCA All-Academic honorees.

Schopp also mentored Gross in freestyle, coaching him to a UWW National Championship and a spot on the U.S. Junior World Freestyle Team in 2016.

At Edinboro, Schopp was consistently among the country's elite wrestlers at 133 pounds. He was known for dominance on top and scoring bonus points. 

Schopp was a four-time NCAA qualifier, earning three All-American honors, and was a three-time Easter Wrestling League Champion. 

In 2013 and 2014, Schopp placed fourth at the NCAA Championships. In 2015, he posted hist best finish winning seven straight matches after being upended in the first round to place-third. He earned the Gorriaran Award for the most falls in the least amount of time with four pins in 11:53 during wrestlebacks. The Fighting Scots third-place team finish is still the best in program history at the Division I Championships. 

You can find Schopp's name all over the Fighting Scot record book as he holds the second-best win percentage in school history at .887 and his 133 career wins ranks sixth. His 67 falls are still the most in program history and each of his four seasons are inside the Top-20 for falls in a season.

What They Are Saying

"This is a very exciting announcement for Edinboro Wrestling and the entire Pennsylvania wrestling community. Welcoming AJ back to Edinboro is truly a game changer for our program.  As a student athlete and now as an experienced coach, AJ embodies professionalism, high standards and good old fashion hard work towards success. We are all familiar with his wrestling success at Edinboro and the leadership he displayed to help Edinboro Wrestling to new heights, but as a coach AJ has spent the last 9 years coaching some of the best light weights in the country and we look forward to him doing the same here in the coming years." 

-Matt Hill, Head Wrestling Coach Edinboro

"The return of AJ Schopp is huge for Edinboro Wrestling! Not only does he bring a wealth of experience, but AJ is also one of the best to ever wrestle at Edinboro. Matt couldn't have hired a better coach."

-Tim Flynn, Head Coach West Virginia University

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome former All-American AJ Schopp and his family back to the Boro! Our student-athletes and wrestling program will benefit greatly from A.J.'s passion, expertise and excellence in coaching!"

-Katherine Robbins, Director of Athletics Edinboro