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We like to say that young wrestlers today are more ready to compete as true freshmen than ever before and it’s a phrase that rings true with every passing year. That’s what makes the recruiting Class of 2024 so unusual. Despite being headlined by future stars, only one of the top-30 recruits wrestled in the collegiate postseason. All others were kept in redshirt. A likely reason for this is that these recruits signed with traditional power programs that didn’t necessarily “need” them in year one. Also, with the transfer portal used more than ever, it might be a good idea to get a veteran stopgap while your prized recruit gets a year of seasoning. Whatever the case, #1 Luke Lilledahl was the only top 30 recruit from the Class of 2024 to compete in the postseason. Of course, Lilledahl went on to take third at nationals, won the US Open, and is heading to Final X - so the Nittany Lion staff made the right class there. With the rest of these top recruits outside the spotlight, kept in redshirt, it seemed like a good time to check in on these heralded recruits and see how their redshirt year went - along with any freestyle results that have occurred in the interim. #2 Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State) It was a successful redshirt season for Cody Merrill who racked up a 12-2 record and lost to the eventual national champion (Stephen Buchanan) 2-0 and 4-2 to a U20 world medalist (Justin Rademacher). Merrill didn’t “just” wrestle close matches against good competition, he managed to post some solid wins, as well. One was at the expense of All-American and Big Ten champion Isaiah Salazar. His collegiate debut featured him winning the Michigan State Open and defeating two eventual national qualifiers - he had four wins over qualifiers on the year. Merrill also made the finals of the U20 Open at 92 kg. #3 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri) With Mizzou reeling from injuries to returning 184 lb starter Colton Hawks and four-time 197 lb All-American, Rocky Elam, Aeoden Sinclair took one for the team and filled in as needed in between the two weights while maintaining his redshirt status. At the Soldier Salute, Sinclair also notched a win over the returning All-American Salazar. Up from his ideal 184 lbs, Sinclair won a 16-10 shootout with veteran Danny Braunagel a month into his tenure in Columbia. Overall, he was 8-4, but half of those losses came to wrestlers who have been NCAA finalists. At the Open, Sinclair showed his competitiveness and talent by making the finals of the U20 Open at 86 kg and the Senior Open at 92 kg. With Hawks back for Missouri, he is expected to move up to 197 lbs and Sinclair will be able to compete at 184 lbs. #4 Ben Davino (Ohio State) We’ve written about Davino a couple of times just within the past few weeks because he was one of the more impressive young wrestlers at the US Open. Competing at the Senior level, Davino beat NCAA champion Nico Megaludis, world medalist Daton Fix, and multi-time All-American Austin DeSanto. During his redshirt season, Davino rolled to a 19-1 record and topped eight national qualifiers - one of which was his teammate and NCAA bloodround finisher Nic Bouzakis. Davino’s presence might mean that Bouzakis will drop to 125 lbs for the Buckeyes in 2025-26. #5 Connor Mirasola (Penn State) At some point in the preseason, some thought that Connor Mirasola might be “the guy” for Penn State in 2024-25 at 197 lbs. An early season de-facto wrestle-off at the Black Knight Invitational showed that Josh Barr would be more than able to handle those duties, despite being ideally a 197 lber. Mirasola only competed once after the Black Knight Invite and it was when he captured a Southern Scuffle title. Mirasola racked up bonus points in four of his five bouts and took down two eventual national qualifiers. All told, Mirasola went 8-1 during his redshirt season. At the U20 Open, Mirasola claimed a title with a 5-1 win over Merrill. Before the finals, he also notched a dominating 11-0 win over Virginia Tech’s Sonny Sasso. With his success at 197 lbs in 2024-25, one would assume that Josh Barr stays at the weight which makes Mirasola’s immediate and long-term status as a starter unclear. #6 Zack Ryder (Penn State) Another piece of Penn State’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class was three-time age group world medalist Zack Ryder. Ryder lived up to his ranking with a perfect 8-0 record and titles at the Black Knight Invite and the Southern Scuffle. Half of Ryder’s eight wins came against wrestlers that either had or would go on to make the NCAA Tournament. Things got complicated this offseason when 2024 NCAA finalist Rocco Welsh transferred into Penn State and was tabbed to go 184 lbs. Shortly after Welsh’s arrival, Ryder went into the transfer portal and reunited with David Taylor at Oklahoma State. Ryder is expected to start for the Cowboys at 184 lbs, though he’ll get a challenge from incumbents Brayden Thompson and Jersey Robb. #7 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) While Angelo Ferrari got a handful of matches in open tournaments, the bulk of his experience during the 2024-25 campaign came from the pressure cooker that was Iowa’s three biggest duals. Ferrari kept his redshirt status but suited up against Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Penn State. While five-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci was responsible for Ferrari’s only loss in the Penn State dual, the veteran wasn’t able to do much against the rookie in a 3-1 win. Ferrari’s sudden victory win over 2024 NCAA runner-up Dustin Plott was one of the most exciting individual matches of the year and was a deciding factor in Iowa’s win over the Cowboys. With Ferrari, Ryder, and Sinclair - along with Welsh, Max McEnelly, and others, 184 lbs is set to be very fun for the next three years as all these young contenders are redshirt freshmen or sophomores. #8 Joseph Sealey (Penn State) We didn’t see much of Joseph Sealey during the 2024-25 regular season. He appeared in two dual meets for the Nittany Lions and suffered losses in both. One was against the eventual Big Ten runner-up, Brandon Cannon, and the other was against non-qualifier Jason Kraisser. If there was any cause for concern, those may have been alleviated by Sealey’s recent showing at the U20 Open. He ran roughshod over his half of the bracket with five techs on his way to the finals. There he met Oklahoma State signee Ladarion Lockett and dropped a 5-2 bout. At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be a 2025-26 spot for Sealey in the Nittany Lion lineup; however, they could redshirt Tyler Kasak and give Sealey a chance at 157 lbs. #9 Koy Hopke (Minnesota) If we didn’t see “much” of Joseph Sealey in 2024-25, we didn’t see anything from Koy Hopke as he did not take the mat during the collegiate season. He did make an appearance at the U20 Open and gave Gopher fans a hint of what to expect from their heavyweight of the future. In Vegas, Hopke had a pair of dominating wins before a 9-0 loss to Coby Merrill. Hopke regrouped and had a furious rush to third place that included four straight wins. In the process, he beat Iowa recruit Michael Mocco before pinning Cornell recruit Rocco Dellagatta for third. Minnesota still has veteran Bennett Tabor on their roster; however, you’d expect Hopke to be in close competition with him for the starting role in 2025-26. #10 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) In the preseason, word spread that Beau Mantanona suffered a severe knee injury and was likely to miss the season. Replacing him at 165 lbs was his younger brother, Brock. The younger Mantanona got off to a good start with wins over national qualifiers in his first two duals and a seventh-place showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. As luck would have it, Beau’s injury was not as serious as the Michigan staff once thought and Brock was kept in redshirt while Beau resumed his duties as the starter. Also in Vegas, at the U20 Open, Brock made the 79 kg finals after five straight tech falls. In the championship match, he suffered a 12-8 loss to Penn State recruit Will Henckel. Competing at 79 kg might signal that Brock intends on going 174 lbs for the Wolverines in 2025-26. If so, that would fill a huge need for Michigan. #11 Aden Valencia (Stanford) At a glance, Aden Valencia’s 3-3 record in 2024-25 might raise some concerns, but looking into the matches themselves tells a different story. Valencia went on the road in his collegiate debut and won back-to-back matches against Iowa/Iowa State. He was Stanford’s entry at 141 lbs at the CKLV but went 0-2. That 0-2 was more a function of upsets in the bracket rather than a bad showing from Valencia. One of those losses came in sudden victory to an eventual All-American (Cael Happel) and the other was 2-0 to an eventual Round of 12 finisher (Sergio Lemley). In Valencia’s two other dual appearances, he knocked off Ivy League runner-up Eligh Rivera and moved up two weight classes to meet NC State All-American Ed Scott at 157 lbs. Valencia has never been shy about seeking older competition. That was the case at the US Open as he wrestled in the Senior division. Valencia ended up in third and posted two wins over 2023 NCAA runner-up Real Woods. He also pushed the eventual champion Joey McKenna to the brink before falling, 9-6. Valencia is registered to compete at the Senior level at the forthcoming World Team Trials.