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Iowa State

Former Missouri 4x All-American Rocky Elam commits to Iowa State

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•04/08/25•

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Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Missouri four-time All-American wrestler Rocky Elam announced his commitment to Iowa State. He made the decision official Tuesday on Baschamania.

Elam did not wrestle this past season, instead utilizing a medical redshirt. He is 69-17 in his career, finishing 5th, 4th, 3rd and 6th at the NCAA Tournament from 2021-24.

Initially, Elam’s future was uncertain following an injury. But, he elected to wrestle his final season and explored his options in the portal, finding a new home.

“Yeah, so I’ll be finishing my final year at Iowa State University,” Elam said. “Really excited. And, you know, you know, hope to win a national title for the Clones, and just excited to get out there and work with everybody”

His older brother Zach, a two-time All-American for Missouri, recently completed his college career. Zach Elam signed on with the Scarlet Knight Wrestling Club to train for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The SKWC is housed by Rutgers.

“I think any regular person would be done right now with the injuries I’ve had,” Elam said. “But I just, I don’t know, I think the Lord’s put a great love in my heart for wrestling and for whatever reason, it just it keeps me going. And you know, whether it’s going to be in, you know, competition, or, you know, coaching moving forward after this year, when I’m done, I don’t know. But I still have that love and that passion for wrestling.

“So the idea to be done crossed my mind just solely from the fact that my body, you know, sometimes it limits you when you have that many injuries. But, you know, I feel like, like I said, I have the heart for it. I have the passion, the desire, more than I’ve ever had.”

Rutgers would’ve also been a logical fit at 197 pounds, reuniting him with his brother in the training room and filling in a weight that saw 2021 All-American John Poznanski vacate. PJ Casale is the projected starter as of now going into 2025-26.

Michigan and Iowa were other logical fits as both teams saw the departure of grad seniors Jacob Cardenas and Stephen Buchanan, respectively. Buchanan was the 2025 NCAA champion while Cardenas finished 4th.