Earlier today, we reported on the move by Dylan Fishback to transfer back to his home state and the Ohio State Buckeyes. With another piece of the puzzle in place, it seems like a good time to check out a potential lineup for the Buckeyes in 2025-26.
In past years, Ohio State hasn’t hit the transfer portal as hard as some of their fellow college wrestling superpowers. That changes in 2025 with the addition of an All-American and two others that have been close to that status.
Those new faces, combined with existing talent, potential weight changes, and freshmen off redshirt have the Buckeyes in position to contend for an NCAA team trophy. Ohio State tied for fifth place in 2025 and, surprisingly, has only earned one NCAA team trophy in the last five tournaments. Could this be the lineup that propels Tom Ryan’s team back into the trophy mix and keeps them there? Let’s find out:
125: Nic Bouzakis/Brendan McCrone/Vinny Kilkeary
Yes, I was surprised when I heard that Nic Bouzakis to 125 lbs could be a possibility for the Buckeyes in 2025-26. We’ve got about six months until the first competition, so we’ll see if this ends up materializing into “a thing” rather than a rumor. Bouzakis has been one of the more unpredictable wrestlers in DI during his two years of official competition. At both the 2023 CKLV and the 2025 Big Ten Championships, Bouzakis lost in the opening round of the tournament and then wrestled back for third. In 2024-25, Bouzakis scored wins over four eventual All-Americans and downed four other past All-Americans. If he can make the weight, and do so on a consistent basis, he could be an interesting addition to the weight, nationally.
Of course, outside of Bouzakis, the Buckeyes have the two-headed monster of Brendan McCrone and Vinny Kilkeary. Kilkeary came in as the more heralded of the two, but McCrone has been able to wrestle away the reins for the starting role in both seasons. While McCrone pinned super freshman Luke Lilledahl in dual competition, he hasn’t been able to consistently beat those typical All-American-caliber opponents. That being said, he is probably a solid bet to return to the NCAA Tournament. Kilkeary only appeared in two events last year, but did post a win over NCAA qualifier Spencer Moore.
133: Ben Davino
The Buckeyes have a potential star-in-the-making at 133 lbs with Ben Davino who redshirted during his first year in Columbus in 2024-25. Despite being a true freshman, Davino made his presence felt immediately with a win over Bouzakis at the Clarion Open. He would end up winning 19 of his 20 bouts and eight of those victories came against national qualifiers.
Davino recently finished fourth at the US Open against Senior-level competition. He scored wins over Nico Megaludis, Daton Fix, and Austin DeSanto. The wrestling community has fallen victim to overvaluing freestyle wins by collegiate wrestlers; however, Davino has passed every hurdle presented to him and doesn’t appear to be a freestyle specialist. There will be plenty of veteran talent atop the 133 lb weight class, so maybe some tempered expectations might be in order; however, I’d expect Davino to compete with those top contenders by the time March of 2026 rolls around.
Of course, we could also see Bouzakis back at this weight and an interesting wrestle-off situation.
141: Jesse Mendez
Jesse Mendez will attempt to become only the third three-time national champion in Ohio State history - joining Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder. Mendez was one of the centerpieces of the Buckeyes top-ranked recruiting Class of 2022 and, to date, he’s been the best of the bunch. Never redshirting, Mendez was sixth at 133 lbs, as a true freshman, and then reeled off back-to-back NCAA titles at 141 lbs. In order to complete his title trifecta, Mendez might have to go through his 2025 finals opponent, Brock Hardy, multiple times.
149: Ethan Stiles
The biggest offseason acquisition for the Buckeyes has been Ethan Stiles who earned All-American honors as a freshman for Oregon State. He finished sixth in this weight class despite starting the year off the radar and up at 157 lbs. Stiles’ addition helps mitigate the loss of two-time All-American Dylan D’Emilio, the Buckeyes previous starter at this weight. D’Emilio actually defeated Stiles at the NCAA Tournament, 7-3.
Buckeye fans have to be happy for the long-term prospects of their new addition at 149 lbs. Stiles will have three years of eligibility remaining. A lot of transfer portal activity has involved graduate students seeking to use their final year of eligibility - Stiles should be able to shore up the middle of this lineup for the foreseeable future.
157: Brandon Cannon/Cody Chittum
One of the positive developments for the Buckeyes in 2024-25 was the emergence of Brandon Cannon at 157 lbs. Cannon only saw action in six duals before the postseason, but that didn’t prevent him from advancing to the finals of the Big Ten Championships as a redshirt freshman. Cannon ended up receiving the fifth seed at his first NCAA Tournament and made the bloodround before his elimination. Cannon’s bid to become an All-American was halted by Northern Colorado’s Vinny Zerban, 11-6.
Ohio State does have options at this weight as Cody Chittum was the first wrestler to join the Buckeyes via the portal this offseason. Chittum was a 2024 Big 12 champion and has twice qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In his most recent trip, Chittum went 2-2 and missed the NCAA podium.
Chittum is available to redshirt during the 2024-25 campaign. That could provide some flexibility as he might move up to 165 lbs in the future. But, if needed immediately, Chittum is a great insurance policy.
165: Paddy Gallagher/e’Than Birden
Will this be the year that Paddy Gallagher finally gets to key in on one weight and stays there for the entire season and postseason? Gallagher has been the team player in the past and moved in between 157 and 165 based on the needs of the team. He made the NCAA tournament last season and went 0-2 at 165 lbs, but only after spending the first two months at 157 lbs.
Gallagher is now a two-time national qualifier but has yet to find the NCAA podium. With a full offseason to prepare for the 165 lb weight class, this could be his time.
Of course, Ohio State also has a promising redshirt freshman in e’Than Birden. During his redshirt season, Birden went 9-6 for the Buckeyes. His most notable win came over Illinois’ redshirt freshman Braedon Scoles who was the 11th seed at nationals and lost in the bloodround.
174: Carson Kharchla
We just got word last week that Carson Kharchla has another year of eligibility. Without him in the projections, this looked like a huge hole for the Buckeyes or, at least, a place where they might need to do some lineup shuffling.
Kharchla’s 2024-25 got off to a late start as he made his debut in late-December, but appeared to be as good as ever by winning his first 11 bouts. Kharchla stumbled a bit down the stretch and finished fourth in the B1G and went 0-2 at nationals.
The disclaimer regarding Kharchla has always been “if/when healthy.” When he is healthy, Kharchla has shown he could be a high podium threat but has battled multiple ailments throughout his collegiate career.
184: Dylan Fishback
We wrote earlier today about Fishback’s decision to transfer to Ohio State. The local kid who was deemed the #6 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 is coming back home. He’s hoping that a change of scenery and some new training partners might help him get over the hump and onto the NCAA podium. Fishback has finished in the bloodround in both of his trips to the NCAA podium.
Before Fishback’s announcement, 184 lbs wasn’t seen as a pressing need due to the presence of two-time national qualifier Ryder Rogotzke. Rogotzke had a bit of an up-and-down sophomore year as he finished 10-11 and went 0-2 in Philly. Rogotzke has long been known as someone who can end a match in an instant, but also put himself in danger. He does have a redshirt available, so Fishback could go this year and let Rogotzke simmer and grow for a year. The odds are one of the two will need to go up to 197 lbs in 2026-27.
197: Seth Shumate/Luke Geog
Last season marked the first time that Seth Shumate has been a starter for Ohio State over an extended period of time. Shumate had a strong NCAA debut going 2-2 at his first national tournament and downing a returning All-America (Isaiah Salazar) in the process. His only two losses at nationals came to the eventual champion (Stephen Buchanan) and to the eventual sixth-place finisher (Stephen Little).
Ohio State also has two-time national qualifier Luke Geog in the mix. Geog started the year with an 8-2 record and was injured in Vegas and never resurfaced. With 197 lbs clearing out significantly, whoever Ohio State sends out should be a podium threat.
285: Nick Feldman
The lynchpin of the much-ballyhooed Class of 2022 was top recruit Nick Feldman. Feldman made the B1G finals and the NCAA podium as a redshirt freshman. Feldman dealt with injuries in 2024-25 and wasn’t quite as sharp as during his freshman campaign. He wound up finishing fifth in the Big Ten and lost in the bloodround in Philly.
Like 197 lbs, heavyweight has cleared out significantly with the top three finishers all having exhausted their eligibility - along with six of the top seven. Despite the slight step back in 2024-25, if healthy Feldman should factor into the NCAA title hunt at heavyweight.
Earlier today, we reported on the move by Dylan Fishback to transfer back to his home state and the Ohio State Buckeyes. With another piece of the puzzle in place, it seems like a good time to check out a potential lineup for the Buckeyes in 2025-26. In past years, Ohio State hasn’t hit the transfer portal as hard as some of their fellow college wrestling superpowers. That changes in 2025 with the addition of an All-American and two others that have been close to that status. Those new faces, combined with existing talent, potential weight changes, and freshmen off redshirt have the Buckeyes in position to contend for an NCAA team trophy. Ohio State tied for fifth place in 2025 and, surprisingly, has only earned one NCAA team trophy in the last five tournaments. Could this be the lineup that propels Tom Ryan’s team back into the trophy mix and keeps them there? Let’s find out: 125: Nic Bouzakis/Brendan McCrone/Vinny Kilkeary Yes, I was surprised when I heard that Nic Bouzakis to 125 lbs could be a possibility for the Buckeyes in 2025-26. We’ve got about six months until the first competition, so we’ll see if this ends up materializing into “a thing” rather than a rumor. Bouzakis has been one of the more unpredictable wrestlers in DI during his two years of official competition. At both the 2023 CKLV and the 2025 Big Ten Championships, Bouzakis lost in the opening round of the tournament and then wrestled back for third. In 2024-25, Bouzakis scored wins over four eventual All-Americans and downed four other past All-Americans. If he can make the weight, and do so on a consistent basis, he could be an interesting addition to the weight, nationally. Of course, outside of Bouzakis, the Buckeyes have the two-headed monster of Brendan McCrone and Vinny Kilkeary. Kilkeary came in as the more heralded of the two, but McCrone has been able to wrestle away the reins for the starting role in both seasons. While McCrone pinned super freshman Luke Lilledahl in dual competition, he hasn’t been able to consistently beat those typical All-American-caliber opponents. That being said, he is probably a solid bet to return to the NCAA Tournament. Kilkeary only appeared in two events last year, but did post a win over NCAA qualifier Spencer Moore. 133: Ben Davino The Buckeyes have a potential star-in-the-making at 133 lbs with Ben Davino who redshirted during his first year in Columbus in 2024-25. Despite being a true freshman, Davino made his presence felt immediately with a win over Bouzakis at the Clarion Open. He would end up winning 19 of his 20 bouts and eight of those victories came against national qualifiers. Davino recently finished fourth at the US Open against Senior-level competition. He scored wins over Nico Megaludis, Daton Fix, and Austin DeSanto. The wrestling community has fallen victim to overvaluing freestyle wins by collegiate wrestlers; however, Davino has passed every hurdle presented to him and doesn’t appear to be a freestyle specialist. There will be plenty of veteran talent atop the 133 lb weight class, so maybe some tempered expectations might be in order; however, I’d expect Davino to compete with those top contenders by the time March of 2026 rolls around. Of course, we could also see Bouzakis back at this weight and an interesting wrestle-off situation. 141: Jesse Mendez Jesse Mendez will attempt to become only the third three-time national champion in Ohio State history - joining Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder. Mendez was one of the centerpieces of the Buckeyes top-ranked recruiting Class of 2022 and, to date, he’s been the best of the bunch. Never redshirting, Mendez was sixth at 133 lbs, as a true freshman, and then reeled off back-to-back NCAA titles at 141 lbs. In order to complete his title trifecta, Mendez might have to go through his 2025 finals opponent, Brock Hardy, multiple times. 149: Ethan Stiles The biggest offseason acquisition for the Buckeyes has been Ethan Stiles who earned All-American honors as a freshman for Oregon State. He finished sixth in this weight class despite starting the year off the radar and up at 157 lbs. Stiles’ addition helps mitigate the loss of two-time All-American Dylan D’Emilio, the Buckeyes previous starter at this weight. D’Emilio actually defeated Stiles at the NCAA Tournament, 7-3. Buckeye fans have to be happy for the long-term prospects of their new addition at 149 lbs. Stiles will have three years of eligibility remaining. A lot of transfer portal activity has involved graduate students seeking to use their final year of eligibility - Stiles should be able to shore up the middle of this lineup for the foreseeable future. 157: Brandon Cannon/Cody Chittum One of the positive developments for the Buckeyes in 2024-25 was the emergence of Brandon Cannon at 157 lbs. Cannon only saw action in six duals before the postseason, but that didn’t prevent him from advancing to the finals of the Big Ten Championships as a redshirt freshman. Cannon ended up receiving the fifth seed at his first NCAA Tournament and made the bloodround before his elimination. Cannon’s bid to become an All-American was halted by Northern Colorado’s Vinny Zerban, 11-6. Ohio State does have options at this weight as Cody Chittum was the first wrestler to join the Buckeyes via the portal this offseason. Chittum was a 2024 Big 12 champion and has twice qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In his most recent trip, Chittum went 2-2 and missed the NCAA podium. Chittum is available to redshirt during the 2024-25 campaign. That could provide some flexibility as he might move up to 165 lbs in the future. But, if needed immediately, Chittum is a great insurance policy. 165: Paddy Gallagher/e’Than Birden Will this be the year that Paddy Gallagher finally gets to key in on one weight and stays there for the entire season and postseason? Gallagher has been the team player in the past and moved in between 157 and 165 based on the needs of the team. He made the NCAA tournament last season and went 0-2 at 165 lbs, but only after spending the first two months at 157 lbs. Gallagher is now a two-time national qualifier but has yet to find the NCAA podium. With a full offseason to prepare for the 165 lb weight class, this could be his time. Of course, Ohio State also has a promising redshirt freshman in e’Than Birden. During his redshirt season, Birden went 9-6 for the Buckeyes. His most notable win came over Illinois’ redshirt freshman Braedon Scoles who was the 11th seed at nationals and lost in the bloodround. 174: Carson Kharchla We just got word last week that Carson Kharchla has another year of eligibility. Without him in the projections, this looked like a huge hole for the Buckeyes or, at least, a place where they might need to do some lineup shuffling. Kharchla’s 2024-25 got off to a late start as he made his debut in late-December, but appeared to be as good as ever by winning his first 11 bouts. Kharchla stumbled a bit down the stretch and finished fourth in the B1G and went 0-2 at nationals. The disclaimer regarding Kharchla has always been “if/when healthy.” When he is healthy, Kharchla has shown he could be a high podium threat but has battled multiple ailments throughout his collegiate career. 184: Dylan Fishback We wrote earlier today about Fishback’s decision to transfer to Ohio State. The local kid who was deemed the #6 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 is coming back home. He’s hoping that a change of scenery and some new training partners might help him get over the hump and onto the NCAA podium. Fishback has finished in the bloodround in both of his trips to the NCAA podium. Before Fishback’s announcement, 184 lbs wasn’t seen as a pressing need due to the presence of two-time national qualifier Ryder Rogotzke. Rogotzke had a bit of an up-and-down sophomore year as he finished 10-11 and went 0-2 in Philly. Rogotzke has long been known as someone who can end a match in an instant, but also put himself in danger. He does have a redshirt available, so Fishback could go this year and let Rogotzke simmer and grow for a year. The odds are one of the two will need to go up to 197 lbs in 2026-27. 197: Seth Shumate/Luke Geog Last season marked the first time that Seth Shumate has been a starter for Ohio State over an extended period of time. Shumate had a strong NCAA debut going 2-2 at his first national tournament and downing a returning All-America (Isaiah Salazar) in the process. His only two losses at nationals came to the eventual champion (Stephen Buchanan) and to the eventual sixth-place finisher (Stephen Little). Ohio State also has two-time national qualifier Luke Geog in the mix. Geog started the year with an 8-2 record and was injured in Vegas and never resurfaced. With 197 lbs clearing out significantly, whoever Ohio State sends out should be a podium threat. 285: Nick Feldman The lynchpin of the much-ballyhooed Class of 2022 was top recruit Nick Feldman. Feldman made the B1G finals and the NCAA podium as a redshirt freshman. Feldman dealt with injuries in 2024-25 and wasn’t quite as sharp as during his freshman campaign. He wound up finishing fifth in the Big Ten and lost in the bloodround in Philly. Like 197 lbs, heavyweight has cleared out significantly with the top three finishers all having exhausted their eligibility - along with six of the top seven. Despite the slight step back in 2024-25, if healthy Feldman should factor into the NCAA title hunt at heavyweight.
On Sunday evening, Ohio State received word that one of their home state’s best recent products was coming home to wrestle for the Buckeyes. Two-time NCAA qualifier Dylan Fishback announced yesterday that he intends to transfer from NC State to Ohio State. Fishback redshirted during his initial campaign in Raleigh and then jumped right into the NC State starting lineup at 184 lbs. He has finished as an ACC runner-up in both years of competition. Fishback also has been a match shy of All-American honors in both seasons, as well. His 2024-25 campaign came to an end with a 4-0 loss to Nebraska’s Silas Allred in the bloodround. For the year, Fishback went 16-8 with wins over past All-Americans and conference rivals - Gavin Kane (North Carolina) and TJ Stewart (Virginia Tech). His two-year mark for NC State was 36-17. With Fishback in the fold, the Ohio State staff could redshirt returning 184 lb starter Ryder Rogotzke and one of them could move up to 197 lbs in the 2026-27 season. In years past, Ohio State hasn’t been as aggressive in the transfer portal as other national powers; however, that’s changed in the offseason of 2025. Tom Ryan’s team has added All-American Ethan Stiles at 149, and 2024 Big 12 champion Cody Chittum at 157 lbs before getting Fishback. Barring head coaching changes, the portal has closed down for the offseason. There are still some notable names that can take as long as they need to announce a transfer destination - just no others can enter.
Sussex Central
Shawsheen Tech
Tampa Jesuit
Arvada
Liberty
Loyola Academy
Kingwood Park
Broken Arrow
Comal Pieper
Argyle
Lexington via Carl Albert College
Laurel
Enterprise