The following is a statement from Little Rock Head Coach Neil Erisman
As the head coach of the Little Rock Wrestling program, I want to confirm that Tyler Brennan will not participate in the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which are set to begin tomorrow in Philadelphia.

Tyler was certified as eligible to compete on two separate occasions during the current academic year, with both certifications ratified by the Pac-12 Conference. His eligibility was only called into question less than a week ago, after he had competed throughout the entire season. Neither Tyler nor the Little Rock Department of Athletics had any indication of an issue until it was raised by league officials, following a complaint from another Pac-12 institution. Upon discovery, the matter was thoroughly reviewed.

After being declared ineligible by the Pac-12, Tyler sought to have his eligibility reinstated by appealing to the NCAA and its Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. Despite presenting a compelling and well-supported case, the request for reinstatement was ultimately denied. Following that decision, and after carefully considering various options, Tyler and the Brennan family made the conscious choice to not to pursue a legal remedy, instead prioritizing the focus on his teammates and the exceptional wrestlers competing at this national championship event.

We are hurting for Tyler and we will continue to offer him our unwavering support. Integrity, commitment, and hard work are the pillars of our program, and Tyler embodies these values. There has never been any malicious intent in our decision to allow a stand-up wrestler to return to our program.

Tyler has made significant personal sacrifices to remain at Little Rock this season and pursue his passion for wrestling. Ultimately, his desire has always been to compete with his teammates. We will not condone any unsportsmanlike comments or defamatory remarks directed at an innocent student-athlete who has been solely focused on pursuing his dreams.

- Little Rock Wrestling Head Coach Neil Erisman

The miles are run, the hay is in the barn, and so on and so forth. The greatest event in collegiate athletics kicks off in Philly on Thursday. The ACC has a record number in the brackets, sending 46 wrestlers to the big show. For the most part, seeding went as expected--there were a couple glaring exceptions to that in my eyes - mainly with Nick Hamilton at 165 and Lorenzo Norman at 174…but nothing can be done now except outperform the seed. The ACC is in a good spot coming into the tournament and there is a real possibility of a team trophy coming back to the conference. Let’s take a look at how the morning session shapes up on Thursday. 
125
#3 Eddie Ventresca (VT) v #30 Gylon Sims (CIT) 
#4 Vince Robinson (NCST) v #29 Joey Cruz (IOWA) 
#14 Spencer Moore (UNC) v #19 Cooper Flynn (MINN) 
#24 Nick Babin (PITT) v #9 Caleb Smith (NEB) 
#26 Keyveon Roller (UVA) v #7 Troy Spratley (OKST)
Big, big early match for Spencer Moore. He will square off with former ACC foe Cooper Flynn. Moore is 0-2 in his career against Flynn, but I like the matchup for Moore. Eddie Ventresca and Vince Robinson will both be expected to take care of business with their 3 and 4 seeds, while Nick Babin and Keyveon Roller will have an uphill battle against Caleb Smith and Troy Spratley, respectively. 
133
#6 Connor McGonagle (VT) v #27 Ethan Berginc (ARMY) 
#12 Ethan Oakley (UNC) v #21 Angelo Rini (IND) 
#13 Tyler Knox (STAN) v #20 Blake Boarman (CHAT)
#26 Kai Orine (NCST) v #7 Nic Bouzakis (OHST) 
There are some absolute fire matchups at this weight in the opening round--there are no easy matchups, even for 6-seed Connor McGonagle. I like all four of the ACC guys to get through, including a big early “upset” from Kai Orine. Orine has proved in his time in Raleigh that he is always a threat in the NCAA tournament; I don’t expect that to be any different this year. 
141
#11 Dylan Cedeno (UVA) v #22 Jordan Soriano (DREX) 
#12 Sam Latona (VT) v #21 Dylan Chappell (BUCK) 
#24 Jason Miranda (STAN) v #9 Jacob Frost (ISU) 
#29 Jayden Scott (UNC) v #4 Josh Koderhandt (NAVY)
#30 Briar Priest (PITT) v #3 Jesse Mendez (OHST)
Tough weight for the ACC here but I like the matchups for Dylan Cedeno and Sam Latona. Miranda, Scott, and Priest all have decent paths on the backside of the bracket 
149
#1 Caleb Henson (VT) v #33 Teague Travis (OKST) or #32 Wynton Denkins (CAMP)
#6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) v #27 Kaden Cassidy (GMU)
#17 Jaden Abas (STAN) v #16 Trae McDaneil (ARMY) 
#20 Koy Buesgens (NCST) v #13 Dylan D’Emilio (OHST) 
#29 Jack Gioffre (UVA) v #4 Paniro Johnson (ISU) 
Caleb Henson will begin his NCAA title defense against the winner of the pigtail match - I would guess he will see a well-rested Teague Travis. I like most of the matchups in the opening round for the ACC and think there is a real chance for a couple big upsets. I think McNeil takes care of his first-round match and Abas wins the coin flip 16/17 match. Buesgens will have a tough test, as will Gioffre. That being said…I like the style matchup of Jack Gioffre against Paniro Johnson; Gioffre has a big gas tank and has won several big matches late - which could test Johnson who has shown vulnerability late. 
157
#4 Rafael Hipolito (VT) v #29 Jimmy Harrington (HARV) 
#22 Ed Scott (NCST) v #11 Matty Bianchi (UALR) 
#24 Dylan Evans (PITT) v #9 Tommy Askey (MINN) 
#25 Sonny Santiago (UNC) v #8 Joey Blaze (PUR)
#27 Grigor Cholakyan (STAN) v #6 Ryder Downey (UNI) 
This was another weight where seeding wasn’t friendly to the ACC, but it is what it is. I love Hipolito’s first-round match and think it is the start of a deep run in the tournament for him. I also like Ed Scott’s matchup, even if he isn’t favored on paper. Evans, Santiago, and Cholakyan will face a tough slate of matches and will need some upsets along the way to get to the podium. 
165
#7 Hunter Garvin (STAN) v #26 Paddy Gallagher (OHST) 
#25 Nick Hamilton (UVA) v #8 Cam Amine (OKST) 
#28 Mac Church (VT) v #5 Julian Ramirez (CORN)
#29 Derek Fields (NCST) v #4 Terrell Barraclaugh (UVU) 
I’ve been complaining about this seed since they came out, but Nick Hamilton at 25 is criminal. That being said, I have him winning his opening-round match with an upset over Cam Amine. Hunter Garvin will have a tough match from the sixth seed against Paddy Gallagher, but I think he gets it done. Mac Church and Derek Fields will face top five seeds to open and will have a rough road to navigate. 
174 
#14 Matty Singleton (NCST) v #19 Jared Simma (UNI) 
#15 Luca Augustine (PITT) v #18 Gavin Sax (OKLA) 
#16 Lorenzo Norman (STAN) v #17 Sergio Desiante (CHAT) 
#21 Josh Ogunsanya (UNC) v #12 Myles Takats (BUCK) 
#24 Lennox Wolak (VT) v #9 Carson Kharchla (OHST)
This could be a big weight for the ACC. I really like how this bracket shapes up, even with Ogunsanya and Wolak getting low seeds. I like the matchups up and down this weight - Ogunsanya will face a tough Myles Takats and Lennox Wolak will need to replicate his performance from last NCAAs to knock off Carson Kharchla. I think we see at least four move through to the second round. 
184
#9 Reece Heller (PITT) v #24 Devin Hendricks (BELL) 
#15 Dylan Fishback (NCST) v #18 Maximus Hale (PENN) 
#17 Gavin Kane (UNC) v #16 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RUT) 
Small group here for the ACC, but I like the setup for the conference. All three of these guys have looked strong in the back half of the season and have favorable matchups. I think we see all three win in the opening round and pick up some important momentum. 
197
#6 Mac Stout (PITT) v #27 Mikey Dellagatta (COR) 
#17 Nick Stemmet (STAN) v #16 Evan Bates (NW)
#19 Andy Smith (VT) #14 Zach Glazier (SDSU)
See notes from 184. This is a similar setup for the conference and I expect a similar result. Mac Stout has been on an absolute tear and I think he continues that throughout the tournament. Nick Stemmet looked great at ACCs and I like his matchup. Andy Smith is capable of making the podium, but he will need to show his best form to make that happen. 
285
#7 Isaac Trumble (NCST) v #26 Peter Ming (STAN)
#10 Dayton Pitzer (PITT) v #23 Daniel Bucknavich (CSU) 
#11 Jimmy Mullen (VT) v #22 Brady Colbert (ARMY)
# 27 Connor Barket (DUKE) v #6 Josh Heindselman (MICH)
We made it all the way to the final weight before we got an ACC v ACC matchup with Isaac Trumble facing Peter Ming. Trumble was a top-5 heavyweight but was clearly hobbled at the ACC tournament, so his health at this tournament will be a big thing to watch. If we have a healthy Trumble, I think we see wins from him, Pitzer, and Mullen in the opening round. Barket will have a tough test in Heindselman but it is definitely a winnable match for him.

This week the crew talks about some of the things they have heard pertaining to the Tyler Brennan situation and they go weight-by-weight and make their picks for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.