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One of the idiosyncrasies of college athletics is that student-athletes typically have only four years of collegiate competition before either pursuing their sport professionally or moving on to other ventures. Of course, COVID and extra eligibility have thrown that traditional four-year mark for a loop these past few years. As we move farther away from the extra eligibility and more towards normalcy, more college athletes will graduate and move on. This applies to wrestling like any other sport. Today, we’ll look back at some of the collegiate stars who have graduated and moved on after the 2025 tournament. As it applies to the upcoming season, we’ll look at the wrestlers slated to replace those greats. Replace may not be the best word, because in many instances, it will be extremely difficult to replicate the production and leadership that these great wrestlers provided at their respective institutions. That being said, someone had to try! The wrestler that comes after the great one can come from a couple of different places. Sometimes coaches use the transfer portal. Other times, a stud freshman is waiting in the wings. Maybe it’s a teammate moving up or down in the lineup. And finally, it could be a previously unheralded wrestler who is eager to finally get a shot. Whatever the case, we’re discussing them today! Below, we’re going weight-by-weight and have singled out some of the notable seniors and have information on the wrestler (or wrestlers) that will replace them in the lineup: Matt Ramos: Purdue (125) The replacement(s): Ashton Jackson and/or Isaiah Quintero It’ll take a lot to replace Purdue’s first national finalist in 17 years, but Ashton Jackson and Isaiah Quintero will get the task. Jackson racked up a 21-8 record in 2024-25, but did so largely on open tournaments. He only saw action in one dual meet. Quintero went 9-6 and got a shot in one dual meet during his redshirt season. Quintero probably posted the best win of the two, beating Missouri’s probable starter Mack Mauger early in the year. Caleb Smith: Nebraska (125) The replacement: Kael Lauridsen The returning NCAA second-place team should be right in the trophy hunt again with a loaded lineup that features six returning All-Americans. One of those wrestlers looking to break through and establish himself as a potential podium threat is redshirt freshman Kael Lauridsen. Lauridsen went 6-4 last season and earned a win over NCAA qualifier Antonio Lorenzo of Oklahoma. Connor McGonagle: Virginia Tech (133) The replacement(s): Dillon Campbell and/or Aaron Seidel In our preseason rankings, Dillon Campbell made his debut at #28. He was solid last season, while redshirting, and beat the opponents you’d hope he’d beat and hung tough with the veteran competition. Campbell got the call in three duals and pushed national qualifier Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) to sudden victory in one of those contests. Look for true freshman Aaron Seidel to see some action early in the season and then the Virginia Tech staff will gauge if he’s ready. Seidel was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion and two-time Junior National freestyle finalist (1x champion). Beau Bartlett: Penn State (141) The replacement(s): Braeden Davis and/or Aaron Nagao We’ll have to see how this one plays out, but it’s likely that Penn State will have an All-American starting at 141 lbs, either way. Braeden Davis has wrestled 125 and 133 lbs his first two years in State College and appears to be moving up again. Nagao was a Big Ten finalist and a fifth-place finisher for Minnesota in 2022-23. He took some lumps and made the bloodround for Penn State in 2023-24, and then was injured and didn’t compete last season. Andrew Alirez: Northern Colorado (141) The replacement(s): KJ Evans and/or Ramon Salazar Northern Colorado’s national champion, Andrew Alirez, has moved on, so he’ll have big shoes to fill. One of those looking to replace him is KJ Evans. Evans was a highly sought-after recruit for first-year head coach Teyon Ware while he was at Oklahoma. Last year, Evans went 12-4, competing primarily in open competition. He competed at both 149 and 157 lbs last season. We’ll see if the move down in weight is an issue. Another option for Ware is Ramon Salazar, a transfer from Oklahoma State. Salazar went 6-9 last season at 149 lbs. Ridge Lovett: Nebraska (149) The replacement: Chance Lamer Nebraska had to go to the transfer portal to find a replacement for 2025 NCAA champion Ridge Lovett. That ended up being Chance Lamer, a two-time NCAA Round of 12 finisher for Cal Poly and Michigan. With his time at Michigan, moving to the Big Ten shouldn’t be as big a deal and a culture shock, as it is for others from a smaller conference. Dylan D’Emilio: Ohio State (149) The replacement: Ethan Stiles For the most part, Ohio State used the transfer portal less than most of the power programs. They jumped in this offseason and picked up a replacement for two-time All-American Dylan D’Emilio. That wrestler is Ethan Stiles, who fell to D’Emilio in the NCAA quarterfinals. Stiles rebounded and found a place on the podium for Oregon State. He’ll have three years of eligibility going forward, so it’s a great pickup for Tom Ryan and company. Peyton Hall: West Virginia (165) The replacement: Shawn Taylor and/or Sasha Gavronsky It looks like WVU will give both redshirt freshman Shawn Taylor and sophomore Sasha Gavronsky a shot at locking down the starting role at 165 lbs. Taylor was the #54 overall recruit in the high school Class of 2024. He went 13-5 in open tournaments and the five losses came against the five best wrestlers he faced. Gavronsky spent a lot of time in the West Virginia dual lineup at 157 lbs last season. He had four dual wins for the Mountaineers and went 2-2 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Terrell Barraclough: Utah Valley (165) The replacement: Ryker Fuller and more? Terrell Barraclough came in and made the NCAA podium for Adam Hall’s new coaching staff in year one. Moving up from 165 lbs in an attempt to replace Barraclough is Ryker Fullmer. Fullmer went 10-15 last year and was UVU’s entry at the Big 12 Championships. Utah Valley also might turn to one of two true freshmen, Keegan Goeas or Zyon Trujillo. Dean Hamiti: Oklahoma State (174) The replacement: Alex Facundo The Cowboys have the potential for a very high-caliber replacement for 2025 NCAA champion Dean Hamiti. Their most likely starter at the weight is Penn State transfer Alex Facundo. The loaded Nittany Lion lineup squeezed the two-time Cadet world medalist Facundo out of a spot. A change of scenery, combined with help from David Taylor, could help Facundo develop into a high AA threat. Keegan O’Toole: Missouri (174) The replacement: Cam Steed The Tigers don’t have to look far to find a replacement for their two-time national champion Keegan O’Toole. Cam Steed was a smart pickup as a recruit outside of the top 100. In his first year as a full-time starter, Steed racked up a 19-7 record, made the Big 12 finals, and finished seventh in the nation. While racking up the kind of number that O’Toole did might be hard to duplicate, Mizzou knows they have a proven replacement in Steed. Cade DeVos: South Dakota State (174) The replacement: Moses Espinoza-Owens Two-time All-American Cade DeVos started his career at 157 lbs and eventually jumped up to 174, without spending time at 165. His replacement, Moses Espinoza-Owens, could make the same jump in 2025-26. Espinoza-Owens went 14-13 last season at 157 lbs and saw plenty of action in duals. In one of those dual appearances, Espinoza-Owens posted a win over former MAC champion and NCAA Round of 12 finisher Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan). Carter Starocci: Penn State (184) The replacement: Rocco Welsh The wrestler who will take over for five-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci is the same one that Starocci defeated for his fourth title - Rocco Welsh. After making the national finals in 2024, as a true freshman, Welsh redshirted and moved up to 184 lbs for Ohio State. Welsh had a perfect redshirt season with three different tournament titles. In the offseason, he made the surprising move to Penn State. Parker Keckeisen: Northern Iowa (184) The replacement: CJ Walrath The tall task of replacing an NCAA champion and five-time All-American belongs to sophomore CJ Walrath. Because of Keckeisen’s durability, Walrath has yet to see action in a dual meet. He did win the BVU Open last season and majored the eventual SoCon champion, Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine), at the Soldier Salute. Walrath starts the preseason ranked #31 in the nation. Dustin Plott: Oklahoma State (184) The replacement: Zack Ryder Shortly after Rocco Welsh moved to Penn State, Zack Ryder entered the transfer portal and reunited with David Taylor in Stillwater. Just two years ago, the three-time age group world medalist, Ryder, was deemed one of the top four recruits in the nation. He’ll have four years of eligibility remaining for the Cowboys. Ryder was perfect during his redshirt season, winning the Black Knight Invite and the Southern Scuffle. Chris Foca: Cornell (184) The replacement: Christian Hansen Initially, it looked like 2025 NCAA qualifier Mikey Dellagatta would be the guy here for Cornell; however, he’s been lost for the year due to an injury. In steps veteran Christian Hansen. Through his first three years with Cornell, Hansen has amassed a 25-14 record, though he’s only participated in two duals (and won one of them, against Ohio State). Hansen also won his pool at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic last season. Stephen Buchanan: Iowa (197) The replacement: Massoma Endene Iowa got creative in its attempt to replace 2025 NCAA champion Stephen Buchanan. They found another national champion. Three-time DIII champion Massoma Endene of Wartburg. Endene was expected to transfer to Wisconsin last season, but returned to Wartburg and won his third title. I’d expect a small adjustment period for Endene with the level of competition, but he should adjust and do well for the Hawkeyes. Jacob Cardenas: Michigan (197) The replacement: Hayden Walters The Wolverines had a Big Ten champion and All-American at 197 lbs in Jacob Cardenas. He’ll give way to Hayden Walters, a former #51 overall recruit for Michigan. Walters did not compete at all during his first year in Ann Arbor and then went 13-5 last year as a redshirt freshman. During Walters’ run through the Bobby Kauffman Open, he notched a win over the eventual MAC champion, Brock Zurawski (Rider). Wyatt Hendrickson: Oklahoma State (285) The replacement: Konner Doucet Oklahoma State already has a proven replacement for national champion Wyatt Hendrickson in-house. Two-time national qualifier, Konner Doucet, still has a year of eligibility remaining. In 2024, Doucet won a pair of bouts at the NCAA Tournament. Last year, he went 5-0 and got a dual win filling in for Hendrickson against the Air Force Academy. Gable Steveson: Minnesota (285) The replacement(s): Bennett Tabor and/or Koy Hopke We’re pretty sure Gable Steveson is out of eligibility. For real, this time! With Steveson out of the equation, the logical pick is former national qualifier Bennett Tabor. He starts the preseason ranked #25 in the country. The X factor is Koy Hopke, the #9 overall recruit in the Class of 2024. Hopke was a U17 world champion and a champion at each age group in Fargo. He didn’t compete at all in the 2024-25 regular season, so we don’t have much info to rely on. He did wrestle at the Open and took third at 125 kg in the U20 division, so he could be a threat to Tabor. Cohlton Schultz: Arizona State (285) The replacement: David Szuba Arizona State had to turn to the portal to get instant help at heavyweight. In steps 2024 MAC champion David Szuba. Szuba redshirted in 2024-25 and went 12-1 for Rider, winning a pair of open tournaments along the way. He also managed to put points on the board, tallying bonus points in nearly 70% of his appearances. One of Szuba’s potential replacements is his younger brother, Ben, a freshman for the Sun Devils. Greg Kerkvliet: Penn State (285) The replacement: Cole Mirasola Another mainstay near the top of the heavyweight weight class for the last five years has been national champion Greg Kerkvliet. Penn State already had his successor in-house, as they’ll turn to Cole Mirasola. Mirasola has made the last two U20 world team and earned a bronze medal in 2025. In 2024-25, Mirasola won the Black Knight Invite and the Southern Scuffle, downing three NCAA qualifiers along the way. He also made two dual appearances, but lost both to All-American contenders Nick Feldman (Ohio State) and Luke Luffman (Illinois).