Never Too Early Lineup Look: Oklahoma

After a solid debut season for Roger Kish last season, the Sooners are looking to build off a mix of transfer portal wrestlers and long-time Sooners. Their projected lineup features potentially five seniors, giving them plenty of veterans as well. Last season, they finished 23rd with five qualifiers, finishing with one All-American in Stephen Buchanan. Since then, Buchanan has transferred to Iowa, but the Sooners stayed busy in the portal and brought in Cleveland Belton, Carter Schubert, Gaven Sax, and Bradley Hill to challenge for starting spots themselves. They have a balanced lineup with ten qualifiers as a possibility, and will be looking to continue their ascent with Coach Kish at the helm. 125lbs: Antonio Lorenzo (Senior) One of seven projected transfers in the starting lineup, Lorenzo came to the Sooners last offseason after being a two-time qualifier for Cal Poly. He didn’t compete last season, while Conrad Hendriksen battled in a chaotic 125lb weight class, but is expected to be in the lineup this year. The last time we saw him he qualified in 2023 with an 8-10 record, but with wins over wrestlers like Eli Griffin, Noah Surtin, and Nico Provo. If Lorenzo can qualify for a third time this season, that gives the Sooners an improvement from last season at this weight. 133lbs: Cleveland Belton (Senior) Another transfer, Belton comes to Norman from Oregon State, where he made the bloodround at 141 last season. Word is that he is making the descent down to 133, a weight we haven’t seen him at in college. He had an impressive season last year with an 18-9 record and wins over Mitch Moore and Tagen Jamison. He’s a bit of a wildcard at this weight class but provides more veteran presence and has plenty of upside. 141lbs: Mosha Schwartz (Senior) Heading into last season Schwartz was someone I was high on to compete for a podium spot. Unfortunately, in only his fifth match of the year, he suffered a significant injury against Jordan Titus in a dual and ended up taking a medical. Now heading into his sixth year of college, Schwartz returns as a contender in a deep weight class. The only qualifier he wrestled in his short season was Josh Edmond, who he beat in overtime. If Schwartz can return at the same level he appeared to be at, look out for him to establish himself as one to watch and make the podium. 149lbs: John Wiley (Soph.)/Willie McDougald (Junior) This weight class jumps out as a likely lineup battle that could change multiple weight classes. Wiley was a blue-chip recruit out of high school and had a big win over Paniro Johnson in 2023, but struggled at 157 last season. It sounds like he is planning on heading back to 149 and challenging two-time qualifier McDougald, who unexpectedly broke out in 2022 and made the Round of 16 at NCAA’s and the Big 12 finals. McDougald is tough defensively and seems to be able to keep himself in most matches, but struggled with consistency last season. He had wins over Jordan Williams and Ethen Miller, but some tight matches that got away from him as well. Whoever wins this spot is certainly favored to be a qualifier, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of these wrestlers make the move to challenge a young 157 wrestler either. 157lbs: Carter Schubert (RS Fresh.) Coming out of high school Schubert was a top 200 wrestler on the Big Board and spent his 2024 season redshirting at California Baptist. There he went 3-1 with unranked but quality wins over starters for Northern Colorado and Wyoming. With Picklo making the descent to 165, it looks like Schubert will make a move to 157 with the transfer of Jared Hill this offseason. There are solid true freshmen coming in with Jude Randall and Landyn Sommer, but both are expected to redshirt. If Schubert can qualify as a freshman, then the Sooners could be looking at 10 qualifiers, their most since nine in 2022. As stated earlier, I wouldn’t be surprised at the potential of either Wiley or McDougald making a move up if they aren’t the starter at 149 either. 165lbs: Tate Picklo (Junior) Coming out of high school Picklo was the top 195lb wrestler in his class and expected to be an impact upperweight for years to come. After one match as a redshirt in 2022 Picklo has had mixed results as a starter the past two seasons. He qualified in 2023 with a 21-10 record after starting the season bouncing between 174/184. Last season he came up just short of qualifying, finishing eighth at Big 12’s and going 14-14 on the year with some solid wins mixed in with head-scratching losses. With the addition of Gaven Sax, it’s looking like Picklo is making another descent down and trying his hand at 165. Picklo has a unique, exciting style with his judo background and could be an impact wrestler at this weight. 174lbs: Gaven Sax (Senior) After a breakout season last year with NDSU, Sax reunited with his former coaching staff at their new school. Sax began his career at 149 before making a jump to 174 as a sophomore, where he had a 0.500 record. His junior year changed all that, as Sax went 20-7 en route to a Big 12 finals appearance and a bloodround finish in his first NCAA tournament. He actually met up with new teammate Tate Picklo twice last season, going 1-2 against him but winning their last match by fall. In a stacked weight class in the Big 12, Sax will be a key piece for his new team in his final season. 184lbs: DJ Parker (Junior) Another former qualifier for NDSU in 2023, Parker came with Roger Kish and spent last season in redshirt. In 2023 he was a runner-up at the Southern Scuffle and showed plenty of potential to build off with close losses to wrestlers like Colton Hawks, Trey Munoz, and Travis Wittlake. He is excellent on top, and after another season of growth could be another sleeper pick for the Sooners. 197lbs: Bradley Hill (Soph.) While losing the top returning placer at this weight is tough, Coach Kish and company took advantage of the situation and found a transfer themselves in Bradley Hill. Last season, he qualified for NCAA’s with a 17-8 record at heavyweight for Iowa. His hit list included Owen Trephan, Nash Hutmacher, and a solid fifth place Big Ten finish. If he can make 197 for the Sooners, he could be a sleeper breakout pick amongst a bevy of young talent in the Big 12. 285lbs: Josh Heindselman (Senior) A stalwart for the Sooners, Heindselman is entering his final season and coming off his best year yet. A four-time qualifier, he built on a round of 16 finish in 2023 to a bloodround stop in 2024. A 24-8 record included wins over Konner Doucet, Grady Griess, and Dorian Crosby. A closer look also shows razor-close losses, including an overtime bloodround loss to Nick Feldman. While he isn’t known for barnburners, Heindselman has shown more the last two seasons with an improved bonus rate. If he can keep up his current progression rate, Heindselman has a great shot at being the Sooners first heavyweight All-American since Jake Hager in 2006.

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Never Too Early Lineup Look: Oklahoma

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