2021 NCAA All-American and Junior World Champion Rocky Elam (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)
Next is…
#46 Rocky Elam (Missouri)
Weight: 197 lbs
Year: Freshman
Career Record: 17-2
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 5th Place, 2021 MAC Champion
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #5 at 197 lbs
For a few years now, MatScouts founder Willie Saylor has beat the drum that Rocky Elam is the most overlooked wrestler in the Class of 2020. Even as the #9 overall wrestler in his senior class, Elam certainly did not receive the national attention that others of his caliber received. That may be partially because he spent his senior year at the Olympic Training Center as part of USA Wrestling's Elite Accelerator Program. As a senior, Rocky signed with Missouri to join his brother, Zach, already a starter at 285 lbs for the Tigers.
After a year at Missouri and his offseason exploits, it's safe to say that Elam is probably a household name for even casual collegiate fans.
Since the 2021 season was a "free year" in terms of eligibility for collegiate athletes, many freshman wrestlers were able to dip their toes into the waters to see if they could cut it at the next level. Right away, we noticed that Elam belonged in the Tiger's starting lineup.
Elam's first collegiate competition saw him down returning NCAA qualifier Landon Pelham (Central Michigan), 7-3. He also got a win via injury default over another returning qualifier, Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming).
For the most part, Elam wasn't tested by any top-level competition for the remainder of the regular season. In his second competition of the season, Elam edged Iowa State's Cuban newcomer Yonger Bastida by a point. The rest of his regular-season wins came with bonus points.
The MAC Championships proved to be little more of a challenge than the regular season as he picked up four wins and none of which were particularly close. In the finals, he took out Ben Smith (Cleveland State) by a 10-4 margin.
An 11-0 record for Elam was good enough to give him the seventh seed at his first NCAA Tournament. In round one, Elam ran into a buzzsaw, the underranked #26 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma). Jake prevailed 4-1 and would eventually make the NCAA semis.
While many freshmen who suffered an upset in the first round of the national tournament would have been content to pack it in, Elam took the opposite approach and began his trek through the backside of the bracket. He picked up a major decision win in the first wrestleback match, which set up a meeting with #9 Noah Adams (West Virginia). The previous year, Adams was undefeated and earned the second seed at the ill-fated 2020 NCAA Tournament. Elam was able to get back Adams, 4-3, with his most significant win of the year to date.
Continuing his run through the consis, Elam majored the #2 seed Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 12-3. That assured him a spot in the Round of 12 against #3 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State). Again, Elam blew out a higher-seeded opponent as he majored Norfleet, 9-1.
Once he clinched All-American status, Elam shut out Penn State's Michael Beard, 5-0. He suffered his second loss of the tournament 8-6 in sudden victory, as he gave Myles Amine (Michigan) all he could handle before losing. The silver lining was that Elam fell into the fifth-place match against Woodley. This time it was all in favor of the Tiger freshman as he claimed fifth with a 9-3 win over Woodley.
Elam's first national tournament saw him pick up wins over three of the top nine seeds in the country, avenge his first loss, and end up on the wrong side of a nailbiter against an eventual Olympic bronze medalist.
Though the majority of these rankings are based on collegiate results, we'd be remiss not to mention the offseason that Elam put together. He made the Junior World Team in freestyle at 92 kg after wins over promising freshmen, Luke Surber (Oklahoma State), Isaac Trumble (NC State), and Zach Glazier (Iowa).
At the World Championships in Ufa, Russia, Elam used a late takedown over his Iranian opponent to win a Junior World gold medal.
Strengths: Rocky has a tall, muscular frame that is ideal for 197 lbs. That length allows him to keep most competitors at bay and thwart offensive attacks. While he has a deep arsenal himself, his best shot is the sweep single to the left leg. When it's crunch time, like the world finals, that's what Elam resorts to. He also has the ability to build up nicely and readjust if he finds himself overextended on a leg attack. As he grows, I'd expect more scoring on the mat, as well.
2021-22 Outlook: Ahead of Elam in the preseason NCAA rankings are a national champion (AJ Ferrari) and two finalists (Nino Bonaccorsi and Max Dean). It's not unreasonable to think that with a full year in the Tiger room and fresh off the physical and emotional development that comes with winning at the world level, Elam could take the next step and challenge Ferrari and crew for a collegiate title. With Mizzou moving into the Big 12 (for wrestling purposes), he should have multiple shots at Ferrari before getting to Detroit. Their weight class will be extremely tough with three others in the preseason top-11 (Woodley, Tanner Sloan, Buchanan).
2021 NCAA All-American and Junior World Champion Rocky Elam (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
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