InterMat Staff

Sunday appeared to be a slow news day on the wrestling front; however, two-time All-American Wyatt Hendrickson changed all that. Hendrickson has committed to finishing his career at Oklahoma State University. Aside from retention of current team members, Hendrickson’s commitment to the Cowboys is the first recruiting win of the David Taylor-era in Stillwater. Hendrickson has finished third in the nation at 285 lbs in each of the last two years for the Air Force Academy. In 2023, he was the first Air Force wrestler in 20 years to earn All-American honors. While in Colorado Springs, Hendrickson racked up two Big 12 titles and never finished lower than third in the conference. All told, Hendrickson won 97 bouts for Air Force, against only 11 losses, and earned bonus points in more than 79% of his matches during his final three years. He has twice represented the USA internationally, taking fifth at the U20 World Championships in 2021 and claiming a gold medal at the U23 World Championships last year. There was some uncertainty as to whether Hendrickson would be allowed to wrestle in 2024-25. While he has an extra year of eligibility from the COVID year, the US Government had to sign a waiver allowing him to use that additional year, rather than immediately starting his service with the Air Force. Since an athlete is unable to compete for more than four years at a service academy, Hendrickson was forced to transfer if he received his waiver and intended on using the final year of eligibility. Hendrickson initially listed Oklahoma State, along with Michigan, Missouri, and Minnesota as possible transfer destinations. While 285 lbs certainly isn’t a hole for Oklahoma State - they already have Konner Doucet on the roster - adding a wrestler of Hendrickson’s caliber is hard to pass up. Doucet was fifth in the Big 12 in each of the last two seasons and went 2-2 as the 12th seed in Kansas City. Hendrickson and Doucet did not square off in 2023-24, but the previous year Hendrickson prevailed with a 12-3 major decision.

Fort Dodge

Western Reserve Academy

St. John's

Copley

Quincy

Upper Perkiomen

Mill Valley

Cinco Ranch

Marmion Academy

Mount Lebanon

Plum

Central Dauphin East

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to May, 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 the almost two months 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. Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. Brown: Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford Cal Poly: Joel Jesuroga (149) - Iowa Cal Poly: Korbin Shepherd (133/141) - Missouri Chattanooga: Connor Strong (184) - Penn Edinboro: Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh Edinboro: Ryan Michaels (149) - Pittsburgh Edinboro: Cheaney Schoeff (133) - Indiana Franklin & Marshall: Michael Duggan (157) - Bloomsburg Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State Illinois: Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State Illinois: Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina Indiana: Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech Indiana: Angelo Rini (133) - Columbia Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley Lehigh: Rylan Rogers (174/184) - Michigan Little Rock: Branson Britten (184) - Northern Colorado Little Rock: Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State Little Rock: Jaivon Jones (149) - Northern Illinois Lock Haven: James Lledo (184) - Pittsburgh Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State Michigan State: Jay Nivison (174) - Buffalo Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State Minnesota: Cooper Flynn (125) - Virginia Tech Minnesota: Clayton Whiting (174/184) - Missouri Morgan State: Xavier Doolin (285) - Northern Colorado Morgan State: Darrien Roberts (184) - Oklahoma North Carolina: Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri North Carolina: Nolan Neves (285) - Columbia North Carolina: Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina North Dakota State: Kyle Burwick (133) - Nebraska North Dakota State: Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri North Dakota State: Devin Wasley (184) - Minnesota Northern Colorado: Clayton Ulrey (157/165) - Virginia Tech Northern Illinois: Markel Baker (125/133) - George Mason Northern Illinois: Spencer Mooberry (197) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Fernando Barreto (133) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Cleveland Belton (141) - Oregon State Oklahoma: Gaven Sax (174) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Carter Schubert (165) - California Baptist Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri Pittsburgh: Nick Babin (125) - Columbia Pittsburgh: Chase Kranitz (184) - Buffalo Pittsburgh: Evan Tallmadge (125) - Navy Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State Rutgers: Dagen Condomitti (157) - Oregon State SIU Edwardsville: Ben Lunn (141) - Minnesota SIU Edwardsville: Luke Odom (157) - Illinois SIU Edwardsville: Griffin Ray (165) - Nebraska Utah Valley: Tanner Frothinger (141) - Nebraska Virginia Tech: Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia West Virginia: Tommy Maddox (133) - Buffalo Wisconsin: Wyatt Skebba (125) - Central Michigan Wyoming: Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo This last week was unusual compared to previous ones on the transfer front. The portal has closed for the season, so there will be no more new entries unless there’s a head coaching change. Also, there weren’t any huge names that made their transfer intentions known; however, there was a lot of movement. Some of the highlights include: Jacob Joyce is a part of a rare Ivy League transfer. He comes to Brown from Stanford. Speaking of Ivy Leaguers, Connor Strong will join the Chattanooga program as a grad transfer from Penn. Strong was not a starter for the Quakers, but he did post a 12-3 record in 2022-23. Edinboro continues to revamp its lower weights with the addition of Cheaney Schoeff from Indiana. Illinois has done a good job at filling potential holes in their lineup. Danny Nini is the latest addition. He presumably competes with fellow transfer Jason Kraisser for the starting role at 157 lbs. Lehigh will add Rylan Rogers. In 2022, Rogers was the #11 overall recruit in the nation. He was injured for a portion of the 2023-24 season and then was unable to unseat Jaden Bullock in the Michigan starting lineup. Little Rock gets a solid, under-the-radar pickup, in Jaivon Jones from Northern Illinois. Jones has always been solid for the Huskies, posting winning records, but wasn’t able to get over the hump and qualify for nationals. Michigan State picks up former national qualifier Jay Nivison from Buffalo. North Carolina continues to add transfers. Their lineup could look much different from its 2023-24 iteration. The latest is heavyweight Nolan Neves a graduate transfer from Columbia. He’ll join Lion teammate Joshua Ogunsanya in Carolina Blue. There’s been a lot of movement regarding North Dakota State. They had a couple of pickups, most notably national qualifier Kyle Burwick, who comes back to his home state. Oklahoma is another team that will have a relatively new look in 2024-25. They upgraded at 133 and 141 lbs with the addition of Fernando Barreto and Cleveland Belton, respectively. Belton is likely the most notable name in this round of updates. He is a two-time national qualifier that advanced to the NCAA Round of 12 in 2024. At NCAA's, he scored wins over former Sooner Mitch Moore, Danny Pucino (Illinois), and Danny Fongaro (Indiana). New Utah Valley head coach Adam Hall got a transfer from the Big Ten in Tanner Frothinger. While redshirting at Nebraska, Frothinger amassed a 13-5 total record; however, he was 0-2 against DI competition. Technically, they don’t count as moves or transfers, but a special note should be made in favor of new Buffalo head coach Donnie Vinson. Max Elton (125) and Sam Ewing (133), both announced they would be transferring during the Bulls coaching transition and even committed to new schools. Since then, both have decided to stay in Buffalo. Portal Andrew Alirez (141) - Northern Colorado Cam Amine (165) - Michigan Cade Balestrini (149) - Bloomsburg Kaleb Burgess (149) - Buffalo Charlie Darracott (165) - Stanford Devon Dawson (285) - North Dakota State Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Max Hale (184) - Penn Wyatt Hendrickson (285) - Air Force Nathan Higley (149) - George Mason Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma Hunter Mays (165) - Lehigh Peter Ming (285) - Stanford Jack Nies (149) - American Kyle Parco (149) - Arizona State Isaiah Powe (141) - Chattanooga Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa Chris Rivera (141) - Campbell Justin Rivera (149) - Campbell Ethan Stiles (157) - Nebraska

Friday afternoon saw two college wrestling heavyweights announce changes to their respective coaching staffs. Both happened to involve Penn State alums. With Jimmy Kennedy heading to Stillwater for a spot on new coach David Taylor’s staff at Oklahoma State, the Nittany Lions had a vacancy on their staff. Cael Sanderson didn’t have to look far to find Kennedy’s replacement. Two-time NCAA champion Nick Lee will remain in State College and officially join the Penn State staff. Lee was a world team member last year at 65 kg and recently fell in the Olympic Trials finals to fellow Penn State alum Zain Retherford. Lee traveled to Turkey with Retherford to help him qualify the weight for the 2024 Olympic Games. Lee was 116-13 across five seasons during his competitive career with the Nittany Lions. He earned NCAA All-American honors in each of his four NCAA Tournaments - placing fifth twice and finishing his career with back-to-back titles at 141 lbs. Lee also was a three-time Big Ten finalist, who won his lone title during his final campaign. Sanderson announced the hire on the “Strong and Grateful” podcast with Nittany Lions broadcaster Jeff Byers. The other coaching announcement was in reference to the staff that Taylor is assembling at Oklahoma State. He’ll bring in former teammate, Bryan Pearsall, as the team's recruiting coordinator. Pearsall comes to Oklahoma State after spending the last seven years on staff as an associate head coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his stint at Penn, Pearsall also coached at Army West Point and the Rutgers’ Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club. While at Penn, Pearsall was a key figure in the recruiting efforts that landed ranked classes in each of the last three years (2023 - #20; 2022 - #18, 2021 - #23). Those strong recruiting classes were a part of Pearsall was a national qualifier for Penn State in 2013 after finishing fifth in the Big Ten at 141 lbs.

Lately, we’ve talked a lot about coaching changes and transfers, so let’s get back into actually wrestling results. With David Taylor’s hiring, plenty was made about the potential for Oklahoma State to consistently challenge or win NCAA team titles again. That begs the question, how does Oklahoma State stack up to the rest of college wrestling’s superpowers? To look at Oklahoma State and how they compare, we have to look at everyone else too. So today, we’ve looked at NCAA team performance by schools over the past ten NCAA Tournaments (2014-2024). In case you forgot, there wasn’t one in 2020 and All-American totals below do not include those wrestlers named All-Americans by the NWCA. There are plenty of ways to measure team performance at the NCAA Tournament and we’ve noted a few; however, the primary one is average team points per year. Schools have been sorta in accordance with that number. There are other important numbers that help you judge a team’s performance listed after the team points. Number one may be self-explanatory, but it gets interesting after that: 1. Penn State: Average of 128.5 Team Points; 8 NCAA Team titles, 9 NCAA Team Trophies, 32 NCAA Champions, 67 All-Americans - High Finish (1), Low Finish (6) 2. Iowa: Average of 86.6 Team Points, 1 NCAA Team title, 8 NCAA Team Trophies, 7 NCAA Champions, 56 All-Americans - High Finish (1), Low Finish (5) 3. Ohio State: Average of 80.8 Team Points, 1 NCAA Team title, 6 NCAA Team Trophies, 10 NCAA Champions, 45 All-Americans - High Finish (1), Low Finish (13) 4. Oklahoma State: Average of 70.6 Team Points, 5 NCAA Team Trophies, 7 NCAA Champions, 45 NCAA All-Americans - High Finish (2), Low Finish (18) 5. Cornell: Average of 62.6 Team Points, 2 NCAA Team Trophies, 9 NCAA Champions, 32 All-Americans (Only appeared in 9 NCAA Tournaments in this span) - High Finish (2), Low Finish (8) 6. Missouri: Average of 62.6 Team Points, 1 NCAA Team Trophy, 6 NCAA Champions, 37 All-Americans - High Finish (4), Low Finish (14) 7. Michigan: Average of 62.3 Team Points, 3 NCAA Team Trophies, 2 NCAA Champions, 40 All-Americans - High Finish (2), Low Finish (17) 8. Virginia Tech: Average of 55 Team Points, 1 NCAA Team Trophy, 2 NCAA Champions, 39 All-Americans - High Finish (4), Low Finish (15) 9. Nebraska: Average of 53 Team Points, 35 All-Americans - High Finish (5), Low Finish (12) 10. Minnesota: Average of 49.8 Team Points, 1 NCAA Team Trophy, 2 NCAA Champions, 33 All-Americans - High Finish (2), Low Finish (22) 11. NC State: Average of 45.9 Team Points, 1 NCAA Team Trophy, 3 NCAA Champions, 23 All-Americans - High Finish (4), Low Finish (19) 12. Arizona State: Average of 40.8 Team Points, 2 NCAA Team Trophies, 3 NCAA Champions, 27 All-Americans - High Finish (4), Low Finish (58) 13. Iowa State:Average of 34.2 Team Points, 3 NCAA Champions, 20 All-Americans - High Finish (4), Low Finish (57) 14. Lehigh: Average of 31 Team Points, 1 NCAA Champion, 22 All-Americans - High Finish (12), Low Finish (31) 15. Illinois: Average of 30 Team Points, 3 NCAA Champions, 16 All-Americans - High Finish (9), Low Finish (38) 16. Northern Iowa: Average of 27.4 Team Points, 2 NCAA Champions, 13 All-Americans - High Finish (13), Low Finish (34) 17. Rutgers: Average of 26.6 Team Points, 2 NCAA Champions, 17 All-Americans - High Finish (9), Low Finish (34) 18. Wisconsin: Average of 26.5 Team Points, 19 All-Americans - High Finish (13), Low Finish (23) 19. Northwestern: Average of 26.3 Team Points, 2 NCAA Champions, 16 All-Americans - High Finish (6), Low Finish (50) 20. North Carolina: Average of 22.6 Team Points, 2 NCAA Champions, 16 All-Americans - High Finish (12), Low Finish (41)