AJ Ferrari Enters the Transfer Portal

This afternoon, 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari announced that he has entered the transfer portal. Over the weekend, Ferrari finished third in the 197 lb weight class in Philadelphia wrestling for CSU Bakersfield. 

For the year, Ferrari finished at 22-1 overall with his only loss coming in the NCAA semifinals to the eventual champion, Stephen Buchanan (Iowa). Buchanan never got a takedown but earned a 3-0 victory. For third place, Ferrari defeated the top seed and Big Ten champion Jacob Cardenas (Michigan), briefly a teammate with Ferrari at New Jersey’s Bergen Catholic. 

Over the summer, when Ferrari was in the portal after not competing in two full seasons, only CSU Bakersfield and Northern Colorado showed significant interest. With a full year of competition under his belt and a drama-free year off the mat, there will likely be more potential suitors interested in Ferrari. 

Ferrari won the 2021 national title as a true freshman and was undefeated in 2021-22 before a car accident sidelined him for the remainder of the season. After his dismissal from the Oklahoma State team, he faced multiple legal incidents. 

Ferrari is expected to have two more years of eligibility remaining. In his post announcing the move, Ferrari alluded to the fact that he might have three, but that hasn’t been confirmed. 

It will be interesting to see the market for Ferrari. Many top teams will either see their 197 lber graduate in 2025 or already have a hole at the weight. 

Ferrari is likely to be one of the biggest names in the transfer portal so his future destination will be one of the overlying storylines for the 2025 offseason.