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| Max McEnelly Minnesota |
It absolutely astounds me sometimes just how good some of these wrestlers are right out of the gate. A freshman last season, and his only losses were a sudden victory to a five-time NCAA DI champion & another sudden victory to a five-time NCAA DI All-American who never finished anything lower than 3rd. McEnelly collected a silver medal at the BIG 10's last year & a bronze medal at the NCAA's but I have a feeling most of what he'll collect from now on will be gold.
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| Jaxon Smith Maryland |
I've been talking a bit about the opportunity for the University of Maryland to showcase their skills this season by having wrestlers step it up a notch & leading the way will be Jaxon Smith. 6th in the DI nation last season, the Georgia native won 24 matches last year. Thus far he has been 3rd-4th-4th in the BIG 10.
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| Silas Allred Nebraska |
Twice the bloodround in his first two seasons of collegiate wrestling, Silas Allred finally won that pivotal match last season & finished 7th in the DI nation. 22-8 on the year, he won titles at both the Navy Classic & the KSU-Holiday Invitational. He heads into '25-'26 with BIG 10 finishes of 1st-3rd-6th.
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| Rocco Welsh Penn State |
Replacing a guy like Carter Starocci on your wrestling roster, has to be one of the toughest things that that Penn State has ever had to do. They're turning to former Buckeye, Rocco Welsh who was an NCAA DI runner-up at 174 lbs in 2024. Redshirting last year, he went 15-0 winning the Lehman Open, as well as being one of the final champions of the Cleveland State Open.
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| Edmond Ruth Illinois |
R12-7th-R12, Edmond Ruth heads into '25-'26 looking to reclaim the All-American honors that he earned two seasons ago. 3rd in the BIG 10, he had both a 5-2 win over All American Jaxon Smith & a 4-3 win over All American Silas Allred.
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| Aidan Brenot North Dakota State |
Tennessee native Aidan Brenot had one heck of a strong start to his collegiate career last year, finishing one match shy of becoming an NCAA DI All American. 7th at the BIG 12's, he finished 2nd at the Southeast Open. Already a two-time Southern Scuffle place winner with finishes of 7th & 4th, he won 23 matches last season.
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| Dylan Fishback North Carolina State |
Dylan Fishback heads into the '25-'26 season having finished one match shy of being an All-American the past two years. As he looks to make the podium in March, he'll also look to win his first ACC title as he's finished runner-up there the past two seasons as well.
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| Angelo Ferrari Iowa |
I spoke earlier about how mindboggling it was last year to watch freshman Max McEnelly go toe-to-toe with both a five-time NCAA DI champion & a five-time DI All-American. Angelo Ferrari was every bit as impressive as a redshirt last year & he's bound to possibly be freshman of the year in '25-'26. I cannot wait to see the wars between him & McEnelly. Something we could potentially see as many as four times this season. (Dual, Soldier Salute, BIG 10's NCAA's). Ferrari's only loss last year was a tight 3-1 decision to five-time DI champion Carter Starocci. Upended multiple time All-American Dustin Plott 6-3 s.v. & defeated Evan Bockman 8-2.
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| Gabe Arnold Iowa |
Now, as excited as I am for Angelo Ferrari, and as much as I know it'll bother some that I say this, I have not written Gabe Arnold out of the scene yet. Many may have already cast Angelo Ferrari in the part of The Starter in Iowa's production of VARSITY POSTION: 184, but as far as JT1Wrestle is concerned, auditions are still open. Arnold is no pushover. We're talking about a guy that owns some pretty impressive wins in his own right. 2-1 tiebreaker over All American Jaxon Smith, he defeated All American D.J. Washington 4-1 & All American Silas Allred 4-3. He also owns a 5-1 win over R12'er Ed Ruth. I've been told many times over the past 23 years that I don't know what I'm talking about & I'm sure that suggesting Gabe Arnold will give Ferrari Hell for that 184 lbs spot will probably generate such comments. Good, I'm sticking by my gut.
*UPDATE* - Nevermind, Arnold is going 174.
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| Bennett Berge South Dakota State |
Bennett Berge was one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 NCAA DI national tournament, when he came back from a first-round loss to finish 4th. Last year, things didn't quite go as well, but Berge still gave us plenty of reasons to think he'll find his way back on the podium in 2026. Earning bronze medals at both CKLV & the BIG 10, Berge had a 4-2 win over All American Jaxon Smith & he defeated R12'er Aidan Brenot by scores of 21-6 & 5-4.
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| Ian Bush West Virginia |
A Southeast Open champion last year & 5th at the Midlands, NCAA DI qualifier Ian Bush won 21 matches on the year. One of which was a 12-0 major decision over R12'er Aidan Brenot.
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| Jared McGill Edinboro |
It's been a trying time for the Fighting Scots as of late, but one of the highlights has been Jared McGill who earned NCAA DI qualification this past season. 3rd at the Michigan State Open, he was the MAC runner-up.
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| Isaac Dean Iowa State |
An MAC champion last year, Isaac Dean will now test himself amongst BIG 12 competition as he heads west from Lawrence Township to Ames. Also 5th at CKLV, he does have a 2-1 decision over All American Jaxon Smith on his belt.
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| Nando Villaescusa Iowa State |
You'd think with the trouble Iowa State went through in bringing in Isaac Dean, it'd be a said & done thing. Perhaps it is, but I can't help by wonder what exactly will happen in the wrestle-off when he meets Nando Villaescusa. Tall & lanky, he used his leverage to upend R12'er Aiden Brenot last year 9-6.
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| Eddie Neitenbach Wyoming |
4th in the BIG 12 last year, Eddie Neitenbach was one match shy of earning a top 8 finish at CKLV.
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| Shane Cartenega-Walsh Rutgers |
SCW won 23 matches last year in route to NCAA DI qualification. 8th at the BIG 10's, he was 2nd at the Midlands.
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| T.J. McDonnell Oregon State |
Talk about getting hot at the right time. 8-15 on the year, T.J. McDonnell must have had a shot of whatever Frankenstein gave his monster, because he came A-L-I-V-E at the PAC-12 championships, winning a title. McDonnell also had a 9-6 win over R12'er Aidan Brenot.
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| Malachi Duvall George Mason |
20 wins on the season, the Patriot heads into '25-'26 with MAC finishes of 1st & 3rd.
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| Nick Fine Columbia |
15 wins on the season, Nick Fine finished 3rd in the Ivy League.
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| Kole Mulhauser Princeton |
An NCAA DI qualifier for the Tigers last season, Kole Mulhauser won 15 matches last year & finished 4th in the Ivy League.
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| T.J. Stewart Not Sure Yet |
Many questions still left unanswered as we approach '25-'26. One of those questions is where does T.J. Stewart end up? The other question is, once he does end up somewhere, how does he do? It's an interesting case. Stewart was an All-American in 2024, with a 7th place finish. Last year he barely finished .500, failing to qualify for the NCAA championships. Let's keep in mind that the Hokies had a similar situation with Eddie Ventresca. Ventresca was 7th in the DI nation in 2023, finishing with a 2-7 record in 2024. He came back stronger than ever in 2025, finishing 5th in the DI nation. Wouldn't it be spectacular & a testimony if they could do the same with Stewart in 2026? Not saying that he's still hat V.T., I do not know. What I do know is that if the T.J. Stewart of 2024, makes a comeback in 2026, we have someone to seriously watch out for.
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| Braxton Lewis VMI |
Braxton Lewis will actually be redshirting this season, but I'll tell you a reason to keep an eye on him if he enters any opens this season. It's been a while since VMI has crowned a SOCON champion, and he strikes me as possibly their next in 2027. 26 wins on the season last year.
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| Aeoden Sinclair Missouri |
In a weight class with great wealth in youthful talent, consider Aeoden Sinclair amongst the treasure. Only a freshman this season, he showed us as a redshirt last year, he too is ready for the big time. A 16-10 win over Zac Braunagel, he defeated Isaiah Salazar 5-3.
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| Dom Solis Maryland |
17 wins on the season last year, Dom Solis heads into '25-'26 looking to earn NCAA DI qualification he last earned in 2022.
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| Jersey Robb Oklahoma State |
A backup to Dustin Plott in '24-'25, Jersey Robb went 12-2 last year, winning the Michigan State open.
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| Zack Ryder Oklahoma State |
Here I thought as we approach the beginning of the Sanderson Vs Taylor era, that Zack Ryder would be Penn State's answer to the ginormous crater left by the absence of Carter Starocci. Turns out PSU had other plans. Now, another of the incredible freshman in this weight class, he will compete for the Cowboys. As he contends with Jersey Robb for the starting spot, Ryder won both the Black Knight Open, as well as the Southern Scuffle. Among his wins? 4:06 fall over T.J. Stewart, 9-2 over D.J. Parker, 4-2 over Brian Soldano & 4-1 over Shane Cartenega-Walsh.
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| Brayden Thompson Oklahoma State |
A two-way race for the starting spot at Oklahoma State? No sir, this rodeo is going to be a triple-threat. 2024 NCAA DI qualifier Brayden Thompson, who won the RENO tournament of champions last year, also throws his hat in the ring.
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| Adrian Cramer Central Michigan |
Winning 16 matches last season, Adrian Cramer was the runner-up at both the Michigan State Open & the Keystone Classic. He was 8th at the Midlands.
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| Jaden Bullock Virginia Tech |
Another reason why I'm leaning towards the idea that T.J. Stewart is no longer at Virginia Tech, is because of the arrival of Michigan transfer Jaden Bullock. An NCAA DI qualifier in 2024, Bullock has been 6th & 8th the past two Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitationals.
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| James Rowley Purdue |
Injured for the majority of '24-'25, James Rowley went 10-3 last year coming within a match of medaling at CKLV.
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| Daschle Lamer Oregon State |
Another wrestler who finished one match shy of CKLV placement last year, Daschle Lamer was the PAC-12 runner-up last year. While he'll remain in the PAC-12, he's going to compete for Oregon State this year. Owned a 10-0 major decision over T.J. Stewart.
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| Nathan Haas California Baptist |
13 wins on the season, we have yet another R12'er from the CKLV championships. 6th at the Midlands, Nathan Haas had both a 7-2 victory over Ian Bush, as well as an 8-7 decision over All American D.J. Washington.
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| Brian Soldano Oklahoma |
The closer we get to '25-'26, the more I realize that Cradlezone has reason to be excited about the future of Sooner wrestling. Rutgers transfer Brian Soldano fills in nicely at 184 lbs. An NCAA DI qualifier in 2023 && 2024 he was 4th in last year's Midlands. Had a 7:59 fall over R12'er Ed Ruth & a 12-11 decision over Ian Bush.
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| Will Ebert Binghamton |
When the end of the regular season approaches us, I'm often left in bewilderment by who is selected as an at large/wildcard bid & who isn't. As far as who wasn't, I was surprised that Will Ebert wasn't chosen last year. I'm sure Billy Baldwin agrees with me. A 4-3 win over All-American Jaxon Smith, he also defeated R12'er Ed Ruth 2-0. 17 wins in total.
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| Mikey Squires Binghamton |
As Ebert looks to find the NCAA DI qualification that eluded him last year, he'll first have to rediscover the varsity position as Princeton transfer Mikey Squires challenges for the position. 12 wins on the season had both a 3-0 decision over Shane Cartenega-Welsh & a 7-4 decision over Max Hale.
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| James Conway F&M |
In the long & traditional history over Franklin & Marshall wrestling, I've commented numerous amounts of times throughout these previews that I believe this could be one of the best seasons of Diplomat wrestling ever. James Conway is yet another reason I stand by that belief. An NCAA DI qualifier in 2024, he redshirted in 2025. A two-time Lehman Open runner-up, he had an 8-5 decision over Nick Fine & a 4-1 s.v. over Isaac Dean.
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| Brock Mantanona Michigan |
Competing at 165 lbs last year as a redshirt, it's difficult to say how Brock Mantanona will do at 184 lbs this year. If anything like brother Beau, it's likely very well. I have mentioned the incredible amount of youthful talent in this weight class, right?
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| Abe Wojciekiewicz Stanford |
Abe Wojciekiewicz will fill in for Nick Stemmet, who has now graduated. Wojciekiewicz was one match shy of placing at last year's Midlands.
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| A.J. Heeg Northern Colorado |
A.J. Heeg had his ups and downs last year, but among his ups being a Southern Scuffle champion stuck at as most impressive. A 14-6 major over Gavin Kane, he also defeated Devan Hendricks 4-1.
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| Marcus Murabito North Carolina |
Stepping in to the 184 lbs for the Tar Heels this season will be Marcus Murabito, who in being a backup for Gavin Kane last season placed 6th at the Southern Scuffle.
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| Jake Gilfoil Army |
11 wins on the season last year, Jake Gilfoil was 8th at the Southern Scuffle.
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| Sam Goin Indiana |
One match shy of a top 8 finish at last year's Midlands, Sam Goin had a 4-2 decision over Nathan Haas.
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| J.D. Perez Northwestern |
Just caught wind that J.D. Perez will be competing for Northwestern this season. Perez was a dominate force within the NAIA for four seasons, collecting All-Amercian finishes of 5th-6th-3rd-1st at the national tournament. Now it's time for the New Mexico native to see what he can do in Division I.
