ACC Breakout Candidates for the 2024-25 Season

Though it seems the COVID years have extended eligibility indefinitely for many, we saw the departure of several ACC stars after last season. The strength and depth of many programs have also led to additional exodus via the transfer portal. We’ll take a look today at a couple wrestlers from each school that we could see breakthrough this season. These are all wrestlers who I can see making a jump to the next level for them--be that qualifying for NCAAs, making the podium at NCAAs, or seeing them wrestling on Saturday night in Philly. Duke Connor Barket has been named a captain for the season and has embraced the leadership role within the program. He had an up-and-down season finishing with a 17-14 record. I trust that with the run of success that Coach Lanham and Coach Erikson have had with the heavyweights in Raleigh, we could see another standout in the making. Vincent Lee is one of the bigger recruits for the Blue Devils in recent years. He was a New Jersey State Champion at 215 last season and we could see him starting for Duke at 184 as a true freshman this year. North Carolina Spencer Moore has been a solid starter at the bottom weight for the Tar Heels for two years, notching several ranked wins. He was small as a true freshman but has grown into the weight well. He will come into this season with a veteran mentality and will be well-situated in a pretty deep weight in the conference. Sonny Santiago was one of the biggest surprises for the Tar Heels last season. He finally settled at 157 after bouncing between 149 and 165, and the consistency was good for him. He picked up a huge win over Ed Scott and was an ACC Finalist, qualifying for his first NCAA Tournament. NC State Matty Singleton came to Raleigh as a highly-rated recruit out of Georgia. He started his freshman season at 165, which was not an optimal weight for him. He finished at 10-7 on the year and was 2-1 in ACC duals. He competed in one tournament at 184 during his redshirt season and went 3-0. Singleton will step in at 174 this year and will be a threat for an ACC title. Isaac Trumble used his redshirt year to hit the weight room and make the ascent to 285; the Nebraska native was a two-time NCAA qualifier at 197. He had a very productive redshirt year, earning a U23 World Title at 97kg, then followed that up with a Midlands title at 285 and finished the freestyle season with a runner-up finish at the Olympic Team Trials. Trumble has already shown how dangerous he can be at 285 and should immediately be considered a podium contender. Pittsburgh Luca Augustine has been on the edge of breaking through for the past two seasons when he was a two-time NCAA qualifier. He is 30-18 in his two years as a starter and doesn’t really have any “bad” losses. Coach Gavin has been speaking very highly of his offseason and I like his trajectory and how he lines up in the weight within the conference. Mac Stout is another wrestler that the coaching staff has highlighted as making big gains in the offseason. He had a strong freshman season going 22-8 and finishing 1-2 at the NCAA tournament. Five of his losses last season were to All-Americans with his final loss in sudden victory to John Poznanski. With the graduation of Trent Hidlay, 197 will be a highly competitive weight in the ACC and Stout is well-positioned to fight for the title. Stanford Nico Provo has put up two 20-win seasons and qualified for the NCAA tournament in both of his seasons as a starter. He will transition into the new conference in a solid weight class, but has the goods to establish himself in the top tier quickly. Nick Stemmet has steadily improved in his time in Palo Alto and is a three-time NCAA qualifier. He will be looking to break through to end his career on the podium in Philly. He had a strong season last year finishing at 31-10 overall and 1-2 at the NCAA tournament. I’m interested to see how he fares in the new conference competition. Virginia Marlon Yarbrough announced himself to the country last year with wins over All-Americans Sam Latona and Aaron Nagao and found himself in a dogfight with Nasir Bailey at NCAAs. Yarbrough made big strides last season and is in position to break through to wrestling on Saturday in Philly. The lightweights coming out of the Cavalier room could really surprise some people this year. Jack Gioffre is another of those lightweights who is primed to make some big gains this season. Jack and his twin brother Michael were both big recruits out of Buchanan, with both winning California State Championships their senior year. Jack was 14-7 last season--like a large chunk of the UVA lineup, he missed extended time due to injuries. He has looked great and healthy through the postseason and will be in contention for an ACC title. Virginia Tech Rafael Hipolito may be the only wrestler in the country who could take over a weight from Bryce Andonian and be able to match his freakish athletic ability and big-move potential. Hipolito is still growing his wrestling arsenal - which is a scary thought. After spending his early years earning world titles in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he transitioned to wrestling during his sophomore year in high school. He was 11-4 in his freshman season, including a 1-1 record in ACC duals. Keep a close eye on Hipolito, his potential is through the roof. Connor McGonagle is the lone transfer to make this list but he has a load of potential in his final year in Blacksburg. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Lehigh at 141 but had his best season at 133 in 2022-2023. He was 12-3 overall but was injured at the EIWA tournament and turned down his third NCAA qualifying berth. He wrestled now-teammate Sam Latona at the NWCA All-Star Classic last year, winning 7-5 in tiebreakers in a great battle between the two. With Latona making the move up to 141, McGonagle will play a big role in the team success of the Hokies at 133.

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ACC Breakout Candidates for the 2024-25 Season

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