Mark Manning on Ridge Lovett winning NCAA title: 'That's what you coach for'

Nebraska head coach Mark Manning saw it all with Ridge Lovett, who was a Husker through and through. The 2025 NCAA champion finally climbed the mountaintop after falling short a few times in his career.

Lovett finished the season 24-2 and in first place at 149 pounds, beating 2024 champ Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) 1-0 in the finals. Lovett previously took 6th last season and 2nd back in 2022.

But throughout his six years at Nebraska, he learned a lot through adversity under Manning. It paid off in the biggest way possible.

“Ridge is a leader, and I knew when we recruited him that he was a leader of men,” Manning told On3. “He’s a leader because of his work ethic, his determination, how he carries himself, his confidence, you know, he’s not cocky, he’s confident. And there’s a big difference. And I think Ridge is, you know, his swag just really rubs off on the other guys on our team and you know, Brock Hardy brings a different aspect than Ridge, but they’re both amazing leaders, and they’re about the team.” 

Manning made it clear he saw the difference in his guys’ development over the summer. Settling wasn’t on Lovett or other’s agendas. It was exceeding expectations.

“Their goal over the summer was, hey, we’re a trophy team, and we should be challenging for a national championship,” Manning said. “You know, that’s their attitude and seeing Ridge accomplish what he did, you know, one, he won the Big Ten, and then (he) went on and won a national title, and we knew he was capable last year. 

“Those are the moments, that’s what you coach for. Seeing young men overcome disappointment and learning from the past and (moving) forward. I mean, just really happy for Ridge. And you know now he wants to be a world champion, and that’s going to be another challenge, and that’s another commitment, and then it’s another jump that he’s excited about. And that’s what, that’s what wrestling is about.”

Lovett finished his career 99-21, per WrestleStat. He was a five-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American, finishing as the 2025 NCAA champion.

Manning and crew are going to run back six of their eight All-Americans for the 2025-26 season. Nebraska finished 2nd at NCAAs, a historic finish with 117 team points. The Huskers established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, once again, moving forward.