Transfer Portal Update (4/11/2024)

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to April, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. 

Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. Couple that with the extra year of eligibility doled out by the NCAA in the aftermath of the COVID years and you have a wild combination. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. 

In just a week and a half since the NCAA finals, there have already been some huge names that have gone into the portal. Some have already announced their new homes, while others are still being courted. 

The first list of wrestlers we’ve listed have already publicly committed to a new transfer destination. That new school is listed first, along with their projected weight, followed by their former school. 

Below them are notable wrestlers that have gone into the transfer portal. It is not a comprehensive list. Some (like Jacob Cardenas and Lennox Wolak) knew they were graduating and were unable to continue competing at their Ivy League schools and went into the portal before the season started. Others have just submitted their names. 

Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. 

Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State

Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley

Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo

Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell

Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State

Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State

North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina

Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State

Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin

Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri

Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State

Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia

Wednesday saw a pair of prominent national qualifiers announce their transfer destinations and other quality wrestlers enter the portal. 

First, we had Evan Bockman, a three-time national qualifier for Utah Valley choosing to stay in the Big 12 and finish his career at Iowa State. The move makes sense as Bockman fits a weight of need for the Cyclones. 197 lbs was the only weight in which Iowa State did not qualify for nationals this year. 

In each of his last two appearances at NCAA’s, Bockman went 1-2. This year, he scored a slight upset in the opening round with a 2-2 win in riding time tiebreakers over #13 Levi Hopkins. Bockman has managed to post a 19-9 record in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. 

This will be his second transfer as Bockman started his career at California Baptist. It appears as if he’s received a waiver for a seventh year of eligibility; as he did not compete at all during the 2019-20 campaign due to injury. 

Minnesota also got stronger via the portal on Wednesday. The Gophers lost All-American Michael Blockhus to graduation at 157 lbs, but have a very strong replacement in former Appalachian State wrestler Tommy Askey. Askey has twice qualified for nationals after winning the SoCon championship. 

This year, Askey shocked the field in a loaded 157 lb weight class by advancing to the Round of 12. Along the way, Askey recorded wins over #14 Cody Chittum (Iowa State; via major decision) and #11 Brayton Lee (Indiana). He was stopped from getting on the NCAA podium after a 9-4 loss to #8 Peyton Robb (Nebraska). 

Askey finished the year with a sparkling 25-7 record. Looking deeper into his results, all seven losses came to wrestlers who ended up on the NCAA podium or had in the past. During his career at Appalachian State, Askey amassed a 61-25 record. 

Since Askey did not compete attached in the 2021-22 season, he appears to have two years of eligibility remaining for the Gophers. 

On the other end of the portal, a top-50 recruit from the Class of 2023 entered on Wednesday as Ethan Stiles of Nebraska had his name entered. Stiles went 15-3 while redshirting at 157 lbs for the Cornhuskers in 2023-24. He saw action in three duals and went 1-2 in that setting, though the two losses came to NCAA runner-up Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) and national qualifier Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern). Just a year ago, Stiles was named the #43 overall prospect on the strength of an Ironman title and a fifth-place Junior freestyle finish in Fargo. 

Another NCAA qualifier was added to the portal in Oklahoma’s Jared Hill. Hill has qualified for nationals in each of the last two seasons after placing sixth at 157 lbs in the Big 12. Hill was 34-26 during his two years of official competition for the Sooners. 

Portal

Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri

Connor Brady (165) - Virginia Tech

Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh

Caleb Coyle (133) - Oregon State

Dorian Crosby (285) - Bucknell

Charlie Darracott (165) - Stanford

Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State

Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg

Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech

Max Hale (184) - Penn 

Nathan Higley (149) - George Mason

Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma

Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford

Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State

Carson Martinson (165) - Iowa

Carter Martinson (157) - Iowa

Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh

Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo

Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri

Kyle Mosher (165) - Columbia

Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina

Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State

Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa

Chris Rivera (141) - Campbell

Justin Rivera (149) - Campbell

Rylan Rogers (184) - Michigan

Korbin Shepherd (133) - Missouri

Yaraslau Slavikouski (285) - Rutgers

Ethan Stiles (157) - Nebraska

Clayton Ulrey (157) - Virginia Tech