2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships: Arkansas-Little Rock 174 pounder Tyler Brennan ruled ineligible

Arkansas-Little Rock 174 pounder Tyler Brennan was ruled ineligible for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, head coach Neil Erisman confirmed Wednesday. Brennan, who was set for his 5th varsity season, was considered a sixth year senior at the program.

However, following his victory in the Pac-12 finals, his eligibility was called into question. Brennan did not compete during the shortened 2021 season, which was considered a free year for all NCAA athletes.

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Brennan competed on varsity for Little Rock in 2020, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 and ‘25. The issue was raised following the conference tournaments and the NCAA deemed him ineligible after Brennan wrestled all year without issue.

“As the head coach of the Little Rock Wrestling program, I want to confirm Tyler Brennan will not participate in the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which are set to begin tomorrow in Philadelphia,” Erisman said in a statement. “Tyler was certified as eligible to compete on two separate occasions during the current academic year, with both certifications ratified by the Pac-12 Conference. His eligibility was only called into question less than a week ago, after he had competed throughout the entire season.

“Neither Tyler nor the Little Rock Department of Athletics had any indication of an issue until it was raised by league officials following a complaint from another Pac-12 institution. Upon discovery, the matter was thoroughly reviewed.”

With Brennan ineligible, the seeds below him are bumped up. He was seeded No. 29, so 30 through 33 move up one spot and Rider’s Michael Wilson, who was an alternate, is now in the tournament.

“After being declared ineligible by the Pac-12, Tyler sought to have his eligibility reinstated by appealing to the NCAA and its Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement,” Erisman said. “Despite presenting a compelling and well-supported case, the request for reinstatement was ultimately denied. Following that decision, and after carefully considering various options, Tyler and the Brennan family made the conscious choice to not pursue a legal remedy, instead prioritizing the focus on his teammates and the exceptional wrestlers competing at this national championship event.

“We are hurting for Tyler and we will continue to offer him our unwavering support. Integrity, commitment, and hard work are the pillars of our program, and Tyler embodies these values. There has never been any malicious intent in our decision to allow a stand-up wrestler to return to our program.”

Brennan was 16-8 this season and finished his Little Rock career 63-48. This was the first year he qualified for NCAAs.