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Yesterday, we talked about some top wrestlers returning from planned redshirts. Now, we’re going to look at notables expected back in 2025-26 after having their last season disrupted by injuries. A lot (if not most) wrestlers are dealing with some sort of ailment down the stretch and into the postseason; however, none of these wrestlers even took the mat during the postseason. Should they all return to the form they’ve demonstrated in the past, there could be a handful of national champions on this list. 1. Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) In year one for Lehigh, hometown star Ryan Crookham quickly established himself as a national title threat, despite being in a weight class that contained Vito Arujau and Daton Fix - among others. Crookham only saw action in five matches last season and won all of them. The most notable came in the Mountain Hawks dual with Penn State, where he prevailed over eventual All-American Brendan Davis, 4-1. Crookham starts the preseason ranked #3 in the country at 133 lbs; however, if healthy he can take home a title. 2. Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) In his first season at heavyweight, Yonger Bastida went 25-2 overall and was an NCAA title favorite. Unfortunately, those two losses came at the NCAA Tournament, and he failed to make the podium. Along the way, Bastida won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and posted a 10-7 win over Wyatt Hendrickson to capture a Big 12 title, among other wins. Bastida was available for two duals in 2024-25, one of which included a 7-2 victory over eventual All-American Ben Kueter of rival Iowa. Bastida starts the preseason ranked #1 at 285 lbs and is one of the favorites in a weight that is wide open for the first time in a decade. 3. Rocky Elam (Iowa State) Not only is Rocky Elam returning from injury, but he’s also doing it for a new team - Iowa State. While at Missouri, Elam claimed a pair of Big 12 titles and got on the NCAA podium four times (6,3,4,5). Elam did not compete at all during the 2024-25 campaign. In his last year of competition, Elam posted wins over Stephen Buchanan, Joey Novak x2, Jacob Cardenas, Michael Beard, and Mac Stout. He’s certainly worthy of a preseason #2 ranking and could finish higher than that, if healthy. The new backend of the Cyclone dual lineup (Elam/Bastida), will be a good ace-in-the-hole against almost anyone. 4. Ty Watters (West Virginia) As a true freshman, Ty Watters took the NCAA landscape by storm and went 30-6 and finished fourth in the nation at 149 lbs. Watters’ NCAA run included wins over Willie McDougald, Casey Swiderski, and Kyle Parco. He started the 2024-25 season on a high note with victories over eventual All-American Lachlan McNeil and Gavin Drexler en route to winning the Southeast Open. Over the next two weeks, Watters picked up two more dual wins, the second coming over 2025 All-American Sammy Alavrez (via tech fall). That proved to be Watters’ final match of the season. He’s expected back this year at 157 lbs. The top of that weight class is stacked with a handful of proven competitors; however, Watters is capable of re-establishing himself as a title threat. 5. Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) Another returning face in a new place is Taye Ghadiali, who will use his final year of eligibility competing in his home state at the University of Michigan. Ghadiali went 62-11 during his final two full seasons with Campbell and became only the second Campbell wrestler to earn All-American honors. In 2024-25, Ghadiali saw action in six duals and went 4-2. Those two losses came to Gable Steveson and Isaac Trumble. Ghadiali did earn a win over Ohio State’s Nick Feldman in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Ghadiali starts the preseason ranked #4 at 285 lbs and there’s no telling where he could get to in a Michigan/Cliff Keen Wrestling Room loaded with talented workout options at heavyweight. 6. Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) The third (wow!) wrestler on this list for Iowa State is Anthony Echemendia. Throughout his career at Iowa State, Echemendia has bounced between 141 and 149 lbs. His action in 2024-25 came at 149 lbs, but he’s expected to man the 141 lb weight class for ISU in the upcoming season. Last season, Echemendia finished fourth at the CKLV with a 9-6 loss to the eventual national champion, Ridge Lovett, in the semifinals. Though he starts the preseason ranked #6 at 141 lbs, Echemendia is capable of beating anyone at the weight. We’ll have to monitor how the weight cut appears to impact him in the early stages of the season. 7. Jore Volk (Minnesota) The final member of this list with a new singlet for 2025-26 is Jore Volk. After winning a Big 12 title and earning a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships for Wyoming, Volk has returned to his home state to wrestle for the Gophers. In 2024-25, Volk earned a pair of dual wins before downing Big 12 foe Tanner Jordan, 8-2, in the NWCA All-Star Classic. A week after the All-Star meet, Volk and the Cowboys headed to Oklahoma for a road trip with both in-state DI programs. Volk lost both matches, one of which was a sizable upset, and did not compete for the rest of the year. Volk starts the preseason ranked #8 in the country at 125 lbs. There are a lot of familiar faces from the Big 12 above him, and we’ll see how the move to the Minnesota room positively impacts him. 8. Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) During the 2023-24 season, Dylan Ragusin made the Big Ten finals and got on the NCAA podium for the first time with a fifth-place finish at 133 lbs. With bonus point wins in his first three duals last season, Ragusin looked poised to return to the All-American ranks. Those hopes took a turn in Vegas when he suffered a few uncharacteristic losses on his way to an eighth-place finish. Ragusin did not return for the rest of the season. He’ll use his last year of eligibility in 2025-26. Recently, we’ve been told that Ragusin will move up to 141 lbs, which allows Sergio Lemley to take a redshirt. His addition makes an already top-heavy 141 lb weight class even tougher. 9. Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) Despite a bunch of seniors graduating at heavyweight, we’re getting plenty of talent back from the training table as Taylor is the third 285 lber we’ve mentioned thus far. In 2024, Taylor won an EIWA title, was seeded fifth at nationals, and advanced to the NCAA Round of 12. There, he was beaten by Ghadiali in sudden victory. In the second week of the 2024-25 season, Taylor was injured at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic and lost for the year. He starts the preseason ranked #8 and is an imposing force on the back end of a tough Lehigh team. 10. Nico Provo (Stanford) Nico Provo never competed during the 2024-25 season, but there were whispers out of Palo Alto that maybe he would return at various points of the year. Ultimately, he did not. In 2023-24, Provo had a breakout performance at the CKLV, winning the 125 lb bracket with victories over Volk and Matt Ramos. Provo was not able to maintain that consistency throughout the year and finished 2-2 at the NCAA Tournament. This season, he’ll jump into an ACC weight class that features the returning national champion (Vince Robinson) and a two-time All-American (Eddie Ventresca), among others. Provo could be the spark in a young Stanford lineup that has a ton of potential. 11. Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) Yet another big man to add to the mix is Wisconsin’s Braxton Amos. One of the top prospects in the high school Class of 2020, Amos has qualified for nationals twice, but also battled multiple injuries throughout his career. Hopefully, eliminating weight-cutting will strengthen him in the higher class. We have Amos starting the preseason ranked at #17. Really, it’s a bit of a crapshoot. Amos has the talent to contend for national titles, so he might rise quickly at full health. 12. Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) One of the consistent forces in the middle of the South Dakota State lineup for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns has been Cael Swensen. Swensen advanced to the NCAA bloodround as a freshman and was third in the Big 12 as a sophomore. During his most recent season, Swensen notched wins over Joey Blaze, Paniro Johnson, Brock Mauller, and Vinny Zerban. At the same time, he’s taken his share of losses in a deep 157 lb bracket in the Big 12. Should he return to past form, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Swensen on the podium, particularly with SDSU’s history of talent development.