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AJ Ferrari announces commitment to Nebraska

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•06/07/25•

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AJ Ferrari announces commitment to Nebraska
AJ Ferrari on Instagram

AJ Ferrari announced his commitment to Nebraska for the 2025-26 season. Previously, the former Cal State Bakersfield product was committed to North Carolina, but his admission into the university was reportedly denied.

An article written by The Daily Tar Heel seemed to denounce Ferrari’s commitment UNC upon his announcement in April, a few years after a sexual assault charge, with the charges eventually being dismissed. Now, Ferrari has fully moved on to his next school with this commitment.

Ferrari still has two years of eligibility and plugs in as an instant national title contender in 2026. He finished in 3rd place at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

“You know, a lot of people would just rush and go chase the big dollar signs and just rush towards getting the biggest deal money wise,” Ferrari said on FloWrestling. “But for me, it was bigger than any type of monetary value. It was a camaraderie of people where I feel like I fit in. I like the coaching staff. They’re Christians, they’re God fearing men, and I know that this team will be a team where I will be able to be in the future, and I will be able to fit in and be like minded with the same type of mindset, trying to chase a mind like Christ.”

Ferrari teased that he could finally go up to heavyweight since he walks around at 235 pounds, give or take. Currently, Nebraska has Camden McDanel at 197, who took 8th as a true freshman last season to become an All-American, and Harley Andrews at heavyweight. Andrews has two years of eligibility left, but no redshirt available.

His youngest brother, Angelo, is expected to be in title contention (184 pounds) in 2026, coming out of redshirt during his freshman season at Iowa. His middle brother, Anthony, wrestled at Long Island University this past season before transferring to Morgan State.

Ever the showman, Ferrari was back at the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years. After winning it all as a true freshman for Oklahoma State in 2021, a car accident and controversy off the mat followed during his sophomore campaign, where he had already reached double-digit wins.

After leaving the school post-2022, Ferrari did not wrestle collegiately again until this past season. That’s when he wrestled out west in his return, only losing in the NCAA semifinals.

Following time away from school, and a brief moment where he might join his brother at Iowa, Ferrari found himself in Cali this year. While the door was seemingly open for him to transfer again, he embraced Cal State Bakersfield all season long.

“I think it’s growing at a great rate, excited for the future of wrestling and wrestling is growing and going to take over sports in the future,” Ferrari said of the sport in general, particularly being at a non-Power Four institution. “I think we need to embrace big personalities like myself, big matches. And I think at the end of the day growing our sport is going to be key to have good personalities that show themselves.”

Ferrari is 50-2 in his career, with his only losses coming to 2025 NCAA champion Stephen Buchanan, who won it for Iowa this year, and former West Virginia wrestler Noah Adams. Ferrari was just a freshman in 2021 when he lost that match 3-2.