Having true freshmen start in the first year of a DI wrestling career isn’t a new phenomenon. However, true freshmen have never been as equipped to compete and win right out of the gate as they are in this era.
A fact I love to break out is that from 1981-2002, there was only one true freshman who won a DI title (Pat Smith - 1990). Two more occurred in 2003 and 2006. Since 2010, we’ve had six (Dake, Cox, Hall, Diakomihalis, Lee, Ferrari). There were also true freshmen who finished up as NCAA runners-up since 2010.
Another point of data to consider about true freshmen, particularly in 2025, is that there were two wrestlers who made the Senior World team in freestyle before ever setting foot on campus as a college freshman. The point being, not only do these freshmen have the potential to win national titles, but they could do so right away.
Here are the highest-ranked true freshmen that we expect to start for the 2025-26 season. Any by start, we mean wrestle for the majority of the season and into the postseason. The new-ish freshman redshirt rules allow coaches to get true freshmen a taste of duals or top tournaments and still retain redshirt status. We’re not looking for those wrestlers today, just the ones that are most likely to wrestle in Cleveland in 2026.

#1 PJ Duke (Penn State)
#2 Marcus Blaze (Penn State)
We’ll lump both of the Penn State studs together. Penn State is typically very tight-lipped about lineup-related decisions and this year is no exception. Penn State has options at both weights, in which PJ Duke and Marcus Blaze are slotted at in 2025-26 (133/Blaze and 157/Duke). If Blaze doesn’t go, it would be Japanese star Masanosuke Ono. With a Senior world title under Ono’s belt already, he’s legit, but is he ready for folkstyle in the Big Ten? The U20 world champion, Blaze, might be better equipped to wrestle right out of the chute in year one.
Duke has two-time NCAA third-place finisher Tyler Kasak ahead of him at 157 lbs. Could he beat Kasak in year one? Duke has passed every test thus far (Senior World Team Trials, U20 World Championship, and a Senior World appearance). Kasak already has moved up from 141-149 in the middle of year one. He went from 149 to 157 in between his first and second years in State College. Could he be ready to move up again? Or perhaps, this is the only time we’ll see Duke at 157 lbs?
Obviously, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered between now and November, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that both Duke and Blaze could be in the lineup for Penn State immediately.

#3 Ladarion Lockett (Oklahoma State)
This is one that we’re pretty sure is happening - Ladarion Lockett in year one for the Cowboys. Lockett is a hometown kid and has been around the OSU program for years. He knows what to expect and is prepared. Lockett also has the goods and the resume, to boot. He is a U17 world champion and U20 world silver medalist. Lockett has two Super 32 belts and two Ironman titles.
He slots in perfectly for Oklahoma State at 165 lbs. This is a weight class that featured both returning national finalists from 2025, but aside from them, it isn’t the deepest bracket. That means Lockett could make an immediate impact. Should Oklahoma State and Iowa both advance to the semis of the National Duals Invitational, we could see a matchup between Lockett and national finalist Michael Caliendo in the first couple of weeks of the season.

#11 Seth Mendoza (Missouri)
With three-time national qualifier Josh Edmond ready to move up to the 149 lb weight class, it looks like there’s an opening at 141 lbs for Mizzou. True freshman Seth Mendoza is expected to step in and handle duties at 141 lbs right away. Mendoza has placed highly at virtually every big-time event on the high school wrestling calendar. He participated in two Who’s #1 events. His senior year included a finals appearance in Junior freestyle in Fargo, along with the Super 32 and Ironman. Mendoza was also in the UWW U17 finals twice in his career.
Mendoza was the centerpiece of a Tigers Class of 2025 that was ranked fifth in the nation by InterMat. Missouri was in the top ten at the NCAA Tournament every year between 2015-23. They missed out on the mark the last two years. He and redshirt freshman Aeoden Sinclair will likely lead a new generation of Mizzou stars in 2025-26.
141 lbs figures to be a tough weight class with starpower and depth. I could see Mendoza taking some lumps early, but figuring things out and making an impact in the postseason.

#29 Emmitt Sherlock (Virginia)
Emmitt Sherlock is one of the highest-ranked recruits to sign with the University of Virginia over the last decade. He rose up the recruiting rankings after winning the UWW U17 Trials in both styles in 2024. Sherlock competed in both styles at the U17 World Championships and ended competing in a bronze medal match in freestyle.
Though he went up in weight and wrestled at 190 lbs in the 2025 National Prep finals, 174 lbs is Sherlock’s collegiate weight - at least for now. In the offseason, Virginia picked up NCAA qualifier Dom Baker, who has wrestled at 165 lbs, but intends on moving up and redshirting. They also have a couple of other veterans in the mix for the spot (Michael Murphy/Mason Stefanelli); however, there’s a chance that Sherlock stands out and earns a starting role.
174 lbs will be a hard weight to break through in the ACC in 2025-26. Even with an All-American, Matty Singleton (NC State), the members of the weight class took turns beating up on each other. The bulk of them return and five are ranked in the top 20. I’m sure the UVA staff will have plenty of early opportunities to test Sherlock’s readiness before ACC dual season rolls around.

#42 Caedyn Ricciardi (Navy)
Sometimes we’ll see Navy recruits go to the Prep School before enrolling at the Academy, but Caedyn Ricciardi is going straight to Annapolis. Ricciardi was a four-time New Jersey state medalist, three-time finalist, and two-time champion. He also made the finals of the Beast on three occasions and won as a senior.
Ricciardi will fit in well for Navy at 141 lbs, as they’re looking to replace All-American and two-time EIWA champion Josh Koderhandt. There isn’t another 141 lber who immediately jumps out ahead of Ricciardi, at this point.
Ricciardi already has a little bit of experience on the collegiate level. Last year, he entered and won the East Stroudsburg Open. Two of his three wins came via major decision against opponents from the EIWA.
We mentioned above that the 141 lb class will be hard to break through during this upcoming season. The EIWA will have four returning national qualifiers expected at this weight, led by All-American and U20 world champion Luke Stanich (Lehigh).

#58 Gauge Botero (Michigan)
When lineups were submitted for the National Duals Invitational, one of the interesting tidbits of information we noticed was that All-American Dylan Ragusin was slated to move up from 133 to 141 lbs. That leaves a big opening at 133 lbs. That’s where Gauge Botero could come in for the Wolverines.
Botero was a five-time Fargo All-American, capped off by a Junior freestyle title at 120 lbs in 2024. He also placed highly at most of the notable national-level tournaments and competed for one of the top teams in the nation - Faith Christian in Pennsylvania. Botero finished in Pennsylvania with a state title and two finals appearances, among his four times on the podium.
Michigan’s other options at 133 lbs are Wilfred Tanefeu and Teddy Flores. The Wolverine staff might implore a similar strategy they used last season when they gave Brock Mantanona a lot of mat time early, but ultimately kept him in redshirt. We’ll see, maybe Botero forces their hand.

The verdict is still out on the following wrestlers. They have the potential to come in and win matches in year one, but they might have a veteran blocking their way (or not!).
#6 Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State), #15 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech), #35 Carson Thomas (Indiana), #38 Lane Foard (Wyoming)

There were a bevy of notable announcements on the recruiting front this weekend, so it seemed like the proper way to catch all of these was in a stand-alone article. One that required immediate attention was #11 Antonio Mills flipping from Missouri to Ohio State. We discussed that situation last night.
Rutgers seemed to get the ball rolling with a pair of Malvern Prep juniors committing to Scott Goodale’s team. #31 Lukas Zalota and #40 Justin Farnsworth fill needs at both ends of the lineup for the Scarlet Knights. Farnsworth at 125 lbs and Zalota at heavyweight. Zalota didn’t compete in the high school postseason, but did place top five at the Ironman, Beast of the East, and Powerade as a sophomore at 285 lbs. Farnsworth was a Fargo Junior freestyle finalist this summer, a couple of months after placing seventh at the UWW U17 Trials. He was a finalist at the Ironman and Beast competitions during his last high school season.
Iowa State got one of the best upperweight prospects in the Class of 2027 with a commitment from Jimmy Mastny. Mastny moved up from 157 to 190 lbs as a sophomore and still took home his second Illinois state title. Earlier in the high school season, he was third at the Ironman, and a few months ago, he was fourth in Junior Greco in Fargo. Barring a growth spurt that makes him a college heavyweight, Mastny would be a great fit at the hard-to-find 197 lb weight class. His verbal gives Iowa State two top 100 juniors thus far (joining #66 Roman Stewart - Liberty, MO).
North Carolina won a battle royal from ACC schools for a commitment from #54 junior Steel Meyers (Allen, TX). Before visiting and committing to UNC, Meyers also took visits to NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Meyers has placed at the NHSCA grade level tournament twice, making the finals of the sophomore tournament. He is the fourth junior to give UNC a verbal commitment and the second in the top 100.
Nico DeSalvo was the first wrestler from the Class of 2027 to make a commitment, but recently announced he is reopening his recruiting after initially verballing to Minnesota. DeSalvo recently committed to Arizona State. He made his choice after visiting Tempe and the University of Illinois. DeSalvo is a two-time Iowa 3A state champion for traditional power Southeast Polk. He was also a 16U freestyle All-American in Fargo in 2023. DeSalvo should be at 125 for at least a few years for the Sun Devils.
Army had a massive recruiting weekend with verbal from both members of the Junior and Senior Big Board, along with another junior and one more that has yet to publicly announce. New York DII state champion and Fargo 16U All-American Maverick Beckwith (Norwich, NY) is currently ranked #129 in the Class of 2027. Powerade placer and Fargo 16U Greco All-American Titus Norman (Baylor School, TN) is ranked #197 in the Class of 2026. The other junior to commit to West Point is DII fourth-place finisher Ryker Cox (Coxsackie-Athens, NY).
Looking at the current senior class, California Baptist got a commitment from one of the top available wrestlers, Kalob Ybarra (Pomona, CO). Ybarra is a two-time Colorado state champion and has placed top six at the Doc Buchanan twice, along with All-American honors in Greco at Fargo Juniors and UWW U17’s. He’s currently ranked 15th in the nation at 165 lbs.

For all of InterMat’s commitments from the Class of 2026: Click Here
For all of InterMat’s commitments from the Class of 2027: Click Here

A day after earning a 7-6 victory in the 126 lb weight class over New Jersey’s Paul Kenny at the Who’s #1 event, Antonio Mills (Athens Christian, GA) has changed his college commitment. Mills was previously committed to Missouri; however, he took to social media to announce  that he flipped to Ohio State.
In addition to his win at Who’s #1, Mills has won NHSCA Junior Nationals and Fargo’s Junior freestyle national championships in 2025. It marked the third time that Mills has won the NHSCA age group tournament.
Next on the agenda for Mills is the Super 32. He is registered at 126 lbs. Mills has placed three times in Greensboro (2nd, 7th, 8th), but is looking for an elusive championship belt.
With Mills’ addition, Ohio State now has commitments from three of the top 11 prospects in the Class of 2026. Mills is #11. He joins #8 Adam Waters (PA) and #9 Dom Munaretto (IL).
Though he’s currently at 126 lbs, Mills projects at 133 or 141 lbs at the next level. At this point, the Buckeyes do not have a clear-cut successor for two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez. They do have young talent at 133 lbs as Ben Davino is coming off redshirt and could be the frontrunner at the position.
Mills entered the week ranked first in the nation at 126 lbs and maintains his ranking.