AJ Ferrari teases joining Iowa Hawkeyes for upcoming wrestling season
Former Oklahoma State wrestling national champion AJ Ferrari teased a commitment to Iowa with a tweet Wednesday.
Ferrari, who’s the eldest of three brothers, has long been rumored to end up at Iowa to continue his college wrestling career. He hasn’t wrestled officially since 2022 and most recently wrestled at the Soldier Salute Tournament back in December, going unattached.
But, he’s been training with Iowa based on his social media posts over the last few months and he posted a photo with Hawkeyes’ heavyweight Ben Keuter.
“Hawkeye Gang upper-weights are Dangerous,” Ferrari wrote on Twitter. “Name a better 2024-2025 NCAA wrestling 197 pound – 285 pound back to back duo. No Haircut Necessary; all we are focused on is training this offseason. Eat, Sleep , breathe training #hawkeyes #nationalchampions #workethic.”
Ferrari would’ve been crowned the Soldier Salute champion on December 29th, beating Iowa 197 pounder Zach Glazier in the finals. However, a scuffle after the match led to Ferrari’s disqualification.
Glazier still has a year of eligibility and went 20-4 last season for Iowa at 197 pounds. It is currently unclear how Ferrari’s potential addition would work.
Ferrari’s middle brother Anthony committed to Iowa and was training with the program. However, he went 8-1 unattached and was not listed on the official roster this season.
The youngest brother Angelo committed to Iowa in the Class of 2024 and was the No. 1 overall recruit at his weight.
AJ Ferrari won the 2021 197 pound NCAA title at Oklahoma State as a true freshman. The following season, he was 10-0 before he and cross country runner Isai Rodriguez were involved in a serious car accident.
After the wrestler was transported to the hospital for surgery, his season was over. But that wasn’t all for the controversial champion.
On July 5th, 2022, a woman filed for an emergency protective order against Ferrari after he allegedly sexually assaulted her three days earlier. By July 14th, Oklahoma State head coach John Smith confirmed he dismissed Ferrari from the program.
On August 3rd, 2022, Ferrari was charged with sexual battery in Payne County District Court. Earlier this year, on October 6th, his case was dismissed.Ferrari has a 29-1 career record in his season-plus at Oklahoma State. En route to an NCAA title as a freshman, he defeated former Michigan star Myles Amine, who went on to win a Bronze Medal at the Olympics, before taking out Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi in the 197 pound finals.