Former Rutgers wrestler Dean Peterson commits to Iowa

Former Rutgers wrestler Dean Peterson committed to Iowa following his entry to the NCAA transfer portal. He has one year of eligibility remaining. The announcement came on Instagram on Friday.

Peterson is a three-time NCAA qualifier for the Scarlet Knights, twice making it to the Blood Round. Initially, he removed Rutgers from his social media bios following the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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Soon thereafter, he put it back in, signaling everything was all good in New Jersey. However, Peterson ended up entering the portal and will spend his final season in Iowa City.

He finished 22-8 this season, falling to Northern Colorado’s Stevo Poulin 6-4 in the Blood Round. He is 59-28 in his career, all at 125 pounds.

Originally a Princeton commit, Peterson flipped to Rutgers the summer prior to his freshman year of college. A top recruit in 2022, Peterson was a two-time NJ State champion at St. John Vianney.

Iowa lands Dean Peterson in portal in latest commitment

Peterson was just the latest addition to Iowa. The wrestling room saw the acquisition of Little Rock stars Nasir Bailey and Jordan Williams.

Bailey was an All-American in 2024, the first in Little Rock program history and Williams just came in this year from Oklahoma State. Bailey was knocked off early in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, finishing in the round of 16, while Williams made the Blood Round, at 133 and 149 pounds respectively. Both guys have two years of eligibility remaining.

Where they fit in the lineup at Iowa is interesting. There’s been conversations about Bailey moving up to 141 and Williams staying at 149, filling two holes for the Hawkeyes.