Ranking the Strength of Each Big 12 Weight Class

Initially, this was going to be a ranking of the Big 12’s top wrestlers, but with so many returning All-Americans, it felt too easy. To add some intrigue and discussion, I decided to rank the weight classes by how strong they were. While some of the weight classes have multiple title contenders, others appear to be a little more open and harder to predict. With that, let’s see how the Big 12 is looking this season. #10) 157 lbs 2023 All-Americans: None Ranked Wrestlers: #12 Cael Swensen (SDSU), #13 Vinny Zerban (UNC), #17 Cody Chittum (ISU), #20 Jalin Harper (OKST), #22 Jared Hill (OU), #29 RJ Weston (UNI), #30 Caleb Dowling (WVU), #31 Cam Steed (MIZ) This weight class’ strength took a big hit with the transfer of All-American Jared Franek. The top returning wrestlers Swensen and Zerban both had impressive NCAA tournaments, as they made the bloodround after first-round losses. They’ll have a chance to prove it wasn’t just one good showing this season. Jared Hill is the only other returning qualifier after a solid Big 12 tournament last season. Harper, Weston, and Steed are the projected starters after their respective schools graduated ranked starters. All three have had solid wins in the past, but will have a chance to climb the rankings. Dowling actually earned a qualifying spot last season, but saw Alex Hornfeck get the start in the postseason. Cody Chittum comes in as one of the top recruits and will battle returning starter Jason Kraisser for a chance to be an impact true freshman. While the weight class doesn’t have any All-Americans returning, it does leave the opportunity for a number of wrestlers to break out this season. #9) 125 lbs 2023 All-Americans: None Ranked Wrestlers: #9 Stevo Poulin (UNC), #16 Jore Volk (WYO), #17 Noah Surtin (MIZ), #18 Kysen Terukina (ISU), #23 Troy Spratley (OKST), #24 Tucker Owens (AF), #27 Tanner Jordan (SDSU), #28 Eli Griffin (CBU), #31 Antonio Lorenzo (OU) In one of the most volatile weight classes last season, 125 lbs saw only one Big 12 All-American in Killian Cardinale, who has since graduated. There is a surplus of talent, however, with many wrestlers appearing to be podium contenders. Poulin and Surtin are the returning Big 12 finalists, while Jore Volk was the second seed coming into the tournament. Add in the return of Kysen Terukina, and no one would be shocked to see these four on the podium. Spratley, Owens, and Griffin add to the youth and strength of this weight class. Spratley redshirted last season but has the background and flashes to quickly climb the rankings. Owens had a win over Anthony Noto last season, and Griffin majored both Nico Provo and Jore Volk. If the two can build off strong freshman seasons, they could quickly enter the All-American discussion. Similarly, Jordan and Lorenzo are returning qualifiers that are tough matches for anyone in the rankings. 125 lbs appears to be wide open from top to bottom, the only question is which Big 12 wrestlers will rise to the top in March. #8) 133 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #2 Daton Fix (OKST) Ranked Wrestlers: #17 Garrett Grice (ISU), #18 Haiden Drury (UVU), #25 Zeke Seltzer (MIZ), #26 Jace Koelzer (OU) Since Daton Fix has come onto the scene for Oklahoma State, it’s been him at the top and then a bunch of tough wrestlers typically ranked in the teens. It looks similar this season, as all of the Big 12 placers last season have either graduated, transferred, or are changing weights. Fix joins David Carr as being the potential first 5x Big 12 champs. After Daton Fix, the only returning ranked wrestler who competed last season is Jace Koelzer. He spent five years at Northern Colorado before hitting the portal to join new head coach Roger Kish at OU. Koelzer qualified in 2022 at 125 lbs. A fellow transfer, Garrett Grice was originally at UVA. Grice and Seltzer both redshirted last season and showed enough flashes last season to be in the rankings. Drury may not be a name every fan remembers, but he was a 2022 qualifier for Utah Valley after starting in 2021 for Fresno State. Drury wrestled in six matches in 2023, before ending the year due to injury. If he’s healthy, he could certainly finish higher than 18th in the rankings. While Daton Fix seems penciled in to win his fifth Big 12 title, there is still plenty of intrigue as to who else will join him there and make a name for themselves this year. #7) 149 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #5 Brock Mauller (MIZ) Ranked Wrestlers: #12 Kellyn March (NDSU), #15 Casey Swiderski (ISU), #16 Willie McDougald (OU), #28 Jordan Williams (OKST) This is another weight that looks like it could have some chaos throughout the year. Mauller returns after making the Big 12 finals and finishing 7th at NCAA’s for his third All-American finish. Big 12 champ Paniro Johnson’s season is currently in question with the ongoing gambling investigation. That opens up a spot for Casey Swiderski to bump up after a true freshman season at 141 lbs. He struggled with health and consistency in the season but made a run at NCAA’s to make the bloodround. March was a breakout wrestler for NDSU last season, and he returns as a senior leader on a team in transition. A Southern Scuffle title showed that he can compete with the best of them and will be looking to build off last season. McDougald returns after a redshirt year and was a 2022 Big 12 finalist. He may need to battle blue chipper John Wiley, who took Paniro Johnson out last year while redshirting. Williams will be looking to make a splash after a 9-7 redshirt year that included a win over #13 Ethen Miller. This weight feels pretty open in the Big 12, but any of these names could make a run through the season and late in the year. Keep an eye out for some lineup battles as well, even with ranked wrestlers. #6) 174 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #6 Peyton Mocco (MIZ) Ranked Wrestlers: #8 Cade DeVos (SDSU), #13 Tate Picklo (OU), #21 Sam Wolf (AF), #26 Brady Conley (WVU), #29 MJ Gaitan (ISU), #31 Lance Runyon (UNI) With 2x Big 12 Champ Dustin Plott moving up to 184 lbs, there is an opportunity for multiple wrestlers to fill that space. Mocco has been a 4x conference finalist between the Big 12 and the MAC and has a chance to get his first title after finishing as an All-American last season. DeVos and Picklo may have something to say about that first after solid seasons last year.DeVos made the bloodround last year, and has wins over All-Americans in his career including Plott and Mocco. DeVos will be looking to be a 4x qualifier this season. Picklo had trouble finding his weight class last year, bouncing between 174 and 184. Once he settled into 174 though, he notched multiple ranked wins. Wolf had a breakout season last year, qualifying for the first time while injured. Conley and Gaitan both had solid redshirt seasons and will be stepping into their lineups with expectations higher than their current rankings. Runyon struggled with injuries last year and missed out on qualifying, but was a round of 16 finisher in 2022 and a 2x qualifier. It may sound like a broken record, but a number of these wrestlers could finish on the podium. Another name to look out for is Brayden Thompson. The #5 overall recruit, he’s expected to potentially be an immediate starter for Oklahoma State. #5) 141 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #9 Clay Carlson (SDSU) Ranked Wrestlers: #11 Mosha Schwartz (OU), #12 Cael Happel (UNI), #18 Zach Redding (ISU), #19 Josh Edmond (MIZ), #20 Sammy Alvarez (OKST), #25 Jordan Titus (WVU) With NCAA Champ Andrew Alirez officially taking an Olympic redshirt, this weight looks wide open. Clay Carlson had an inconsistent regular season, but turned it on late in the year to finish 5th for his second All-American finish. Schwartz struggled with injury in the postseason, but was one of the top 141lbers in the regular season. Similarly, Happel went from missing out on an At-Large bid in 2022 to a round of 16 finish in a strong 2023. All three are likely to be Big 12 title contenders and popular podium picks. Redding, Edmond, and Alvarez are both popular dark horse picks. Redding made the Big 12 finals at 133 last year and made the bloodround at NCAA’s in his second time qualifying. He had a win over #22 Cleveland Belton at 141 last year, showing that he is definitely able to compete at this weight. Edmond was a qualifier in 2022 while up at 149 lbs, but redshirted to come back to his more natural weight. He had an odd redshirt season with some losses, but made the Midlands finals to show his potential. Alvarez transferred mid-season from Rutgers, and if everything comes together for him, is absolutely a podium contender in his final year. Titus entered WVU’s lineup after a redshirt year that had me highlighting him as someone to watch. Not only did he qualify for NCAA’s, but he also had a big win over #1 (at the time) Cole Matthews. Even without Andrew Alirez, there is significant talent. The top wrestlers might spend the season trading wins/losses, but there are a number of them who could finish on the podium. #4) 184 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #1 Parker Keckeisen (UNI), #4 Dustin Plott (OKST), #5 Will Feldkamp (ISU) Ranked Wrestlers: #15 Bennett Berge (SDSU), #16 Colton Hawks (MIZ), #19 Giuseppe Hoose (OU), #25 Dennis Robin (WVU) This weight has the potential to get a title for the Big 12, with Parker Keckeisen looking to climb the top of the podium after finishing 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd. The UNI wrestler only has six losses in his career and has beaten nearly everyone not named Aaron Brooks. Plott moving up is an intriguing move, and could be related to making a run at 86kg. The 2x All-American is expected to be an immediate contender. Feldkamp finished a breakout season at Clarion with an All-American finish before hitting the portal to finish his career at ISU. If he can stay consistent, he has the skills to finish on the podium again. Berge and Hawks are two wrestlers that have big expectations this season. Berge was a top recruit and a 2x Junior World medalist. He redshirted last season with an 11-5 record but did have a win over Hawks. After winning the starting role, Hawks had a strong finish to the year by making the round of 16 at NCAA’s with a win over All-American Gavin Kane. If he can wrestle to his potential, Hawks is someone that could surprise many. Hoose and Robin are veteran wrestlers looking to make an impact for their schools this year. Hoose was at Buffalo, but after qualifying for the first time last season is expected to start for the Sooners in his senior year. Robin qualified for WVU in 2022 at 174, and had a solid redshirt season last year with a 24-9 record at 184. Similar to 133, there seems to be an obvious pick to win the Big 12 and make the NCAA podium. But with multiple returning All-Americans, there are multiple names that could surprise people throughout the season. #3) 285 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #2 Wyatt Hendrickson (AF), #5 Zach Elam (MIZ) Ranked Wrestlers: #7 Yonger Bastida (ISU), #12 Tyrell Gordon (UNI), #14 Josh Heindselman (OU), #18 Konner Doucet (OKST), #24 Michael Wolfgram (WVU) One of the Big 12’s more underrated weights, it’s led by one of the most exciting Division I wrestlers in Wyatt Hendrickson. After finishing 3rd last season, he’s one of the top title contenders in 2024. He had his best season last year with an 85% bonus rate that included 17 falls. Elam returns after making the podium for the first time as well after multiple bloodround finishes. He and Hendrickson had a barnburner match in the NCAA quarterfinals. Bastida is moving up to heavyweight after an injury-marred 2023. He was an All-American at 197 in 2022, and has the athleticism that could translate very well to heavyweight. He showed that last year with a 4-2 decision over Cornell’s #11 Lewis Fernandes at National Duals in a huge match for Iowa State. Gordon, Heindselman, Doucet, and Wolfgram appear to be in a group of wrestlers that can compete with top wrestlers but haven’t gotten a big win just yet. That could definitely change this season. Another true freshman could make an impact here, as #2 overall recruit Christian Carroll could force himself into the Oklahoma State lineup. If he is able to beat out Konner Doucet, then he is likely putting his name into the podium conversation immediately. #2) 197 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #3 Tanner Sloan (SDSU), #4 Rocky Elam (MIZ) Ranked Wrestlers: #2 Stephen Buchanan (OU), #13 Luke Surber (OKST), #17 Evan Bockman (UVU), #23 Wyatt Voelker (UNI), #26 Julien Broderson (ISU), #28 Austin Cooley (WVU) One of the Big 12’s best weights is only getting better with former Wyoming wrestler Stephen Buchanan returning. After placing 3rd in 2022 he redshirted with a transfer to OU last season. With wins over 2023’s Big 12 finalists Sloan and Elam, Buchanan is an immediate title contender this season. Luke Surber made the round of 16 last season, but a regular season win over Rocky Elam showed that he can compete with the best. With another season at 197lbs, he is a dark horse to make a big jump to the podium. Bockman, Broderson, and Cooley represent some veterans from their respective schools who will be looking to make a big impact. On the other end, Voelker is coming off a redshirt year that saw a 15-4 record and a U20 World Championships 5th place finish in Greco. With the amount of talent distribution here, the Big 12 is sure to make a serious national impact. Aaron Brooks moving up could be one of the most impactful weight changes in the NCAA this year, but the Big 12 looks like it could have several wrestlers looking to challenge him. #1) 165 lbs 2023 All-Americans: #1 Keegan O’Toole (MIZ), #2 David Carr (ISU), #6 Izzak Olejnik (OKST) Ranked Wrestlers: #9 Peyton Hall (WVU), #17 Gerrit Nijenhuis (OU), #20 Tanner Cook (SDSU), #28 Giano Petrucelli (AF), #32 Jack Thomsen (UNI) One of the top weight classes in the country is reflected in the Big 12, with the duo of O’Toole and Carr expected to be battling for the national title again. The weight class lost Mikey Caliendo to the Big Ten, but brought in returning All-American Izzak Olejnik. Add in a healthy 2022 All-American Peyton Hall and there is definite strength at the top. The weight class is rounded out by wrestlers Nijenhuis and Cook, two wrestlers who will be looking to make the jump this season after solid years. Petrucelli and Thomsen are new faces to the rankings this season, but will be looking to make an impact throughout the year as well. O’Toole and Carr are the jewels of this weight class nationally and in the conference in one of the best rivalries in years. If some of the other wrestlers can take jumps as well, this weight should be well represented by Big 12 wrestlers at NCAA’s.

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Ranking the Strength of Each Big 12 Weight Class

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