2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
#25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
#24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
#23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
#22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
#21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
#20 - Trent Hidlay (NC State)
#19 - Stevan Micic (Michigan)
#18 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
#17 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
#16 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
#15 - Mason Parris (Michigan)
#14 - Shane Griffith (Stanford)
Next up is…
#13 AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
Weight: 197 lbs
Year: Freshman
Career Record: 20-1
Hometown: Allen, Texas
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA Champion, 2021 Big 12 Champion
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #1 at 197 lbs
The charismatic, talented #1 prospect in the loaded high school Class of 2020, AJ Ferrari, inked with Oklahoma State and immediately looked like the Cowboy's answer at 197 lbs. With 2021 being a free year, it was all the more reason for head coach John Smith to let his top signee get a crack at the starting role.
Early returns showed that this was a wise decision and Ferrari seized the starting gig. In his first outing, Ferrari turned in major decision wins over opponents from Chattanooga and Oregon State. A week later, he did even better with a pair of technical falls at Little Rock. It wouldn't be until Ferrari's sixth collegiate match where he was held to a regular decision.
In early February, we got a glimpse of where Ferrari may fit in nationally. To that point, his high-scoring affairs came against unranked competition. In the Cowboys Bedlam Dual, Ferrari grinded out a 3-2 win over Sooner veteran Jake Woodley, a fixture in the top-20.
A week later, Ferrari suffered what ended up being his only collegiate loss, to date, a 3-2 setback to West Virginia's Noah Adams. That was by no means a “bad loss†as Adams was the defending Big 12 champion and finished the 2019-20 campaign unbeaten. He would close the regular season with another win over Woodley.
At the Big 12 Championships. Ferrari had to contend with perhaps the conference's deepest weight class. The Cowboy freshman prevailed by downing two eventual All-Americans, Woodley and Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming), as well as a Round of 12 finisher (Tanner Sloan - South Dakota State).
Ferrari's 15-1 record and a Big 12 title were good enough to warrant the #4 seed at his first NCAA Tournament.
After a first-round tech fall, the path got a lot tougher with a second meeting against Sloan. Ferrari got by and into the quarterfinals by pitching a 5-0 shutout. Next up was a clash with Iowa and Jacob Warner in the quarters. Ferrari got by in a razor-thin 3-2 win, which locked up All-American status.
In the semifinals, Ferrari was paired with the 197 lb bracket's top seed, Myles Amine (Michigan). The highly decorated international star was stunned by the upstart freshman in a 5-1 match. Afterwards, Ferrari cut an incredible promo that mentioned his 665 deadlift.
The heavy-lifting wasn't over, though, as Ferrari still needed to get by #6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) to claim an NCAA title. That ended up coming to fruition as Ferrari controlled the Pitt start in a 4-2 win.
With his win, Ferrari became the first Oklahoma State freshman to win a national championship since Jake Rosholt did so in 2003. The last true freshman to win one for the Cowboys was Pat Smith in 1990.
Strengths: While some may scoff at Ferrari's larger-than-life personality, his belief in himself and his mental toughness is hard to top. Even in a sport with confident, tough individuals all over the place. Ferrari caught the eye of the wrestling public early in his freshman year with his assortment of low-leg attacks, something not as commonplace at 197 lbs. While he lit the scoreboards up early, it was his riding ability and mat savvy that won a national title. Again, those are intangible traits that you don't typically see in true freshmen against high-quality competition.
2021-22 Outlook: It goes without saying, but a true freshman who won a national title, well...he'll be in the mix for the remainder of his career. Ferrari will have to contend with a loaded Big 12 weight class, along with some other contenders nationally that were not in his 2021 class. #4 Max Dean (Penn State), #6 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), #7 Pat Brucki (Michigan). One concern is Ferrari's health. He suffered a foot injury at NCAA's and it has lingered into the fall.
2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
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