Tom Brands addresses if Iowa will use Angelo Ferrari or Gabe Arnold in postseason

No. 3 Iowa’s thrilling victory over No. 2 Oklahoma State was highlighted by freshman Angelo Ferrari’s win at 184 pounds and it cause more questions.

Gabe Arnold, Iowa’s regular starter at the weight, was originally projected to wrestle Sunday. However when Iowa announced its lineup ahead of the dual, Ferrari was announced as the starter against No. 3 Dustin Plott.

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With a win in overtime, many asked if Ferrari should be the guy over Arnold in the postseason in a couple of weeks. Head coach Tom Brands addressed those questions, kind of answering the situation.

“I mean here’s the thing, I never talk about this stuff,” Brands said after the match. “Why would I start now? Why would I start now? We love Angelo Ferrari, we love Gabe Arnold. We love ‘em both. We’re going to put the guy on the mat that makes the most sense. We’re going to put the guy on the mat that makes the most sense, all things considered.”

Iowa's Sensational true freshman Angelo Ferrari takes down Oklahoma State’s #3 Dustin Plott in sudden vicotry OT in front of a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena! pic.twitter.com/OJisAL7f4u

— Saturday Night Lights (@WrestlingSNL) February 24, 2025

Plott, who only has six losses over the last two years, five of them coming to UNI’s Parker Keckeisen including in last year’s NCAA final, was stunned by Ferrari’s low leg attacks late in the match and then in sudden victory.

The win for Ferrari essentially clinched the dual for Iowa since 197 pounder Stephen Buchanan rolled to a win prior to heavyweight. Iowa handed Oklahoma State its only loss of the year.

As far as if Ferrari should start over Arnold for the Big Ten Tournament, it’s an interesting question. Ferrari is 10-1 in his first season, only losing 3-1 to four-time NCAA champion Carter Starroci (Penn State). Arnold is 13-2 this year, only losing in sudden victory to Minnesota’s Max McEnelly and Nebraska’s Silas Allred, both top 10 guys.

Arnold is ranked No. 8 in the country and likely gets the No. 4 seed at Big Tens in less than  two weeks. As Brian Reinhardt pointed out, Ferrari only wrestled in one Big Ten dual so he would not earn an allocation if he was named the starter.

Because of this, Ferrari would be the bottom seed in the 14-man bracket, albeit a dangerous one. He used his final date Sunday without burning a year of eligibility, so the likely plan is to keep the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2024 in redshirt. 

The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled for March 8th and 9th at Northwestern.