Report: Oklahoma State wrestler Brayden Thompson to remain with program, not transfer

Oklahoma State wrestler Brayden Thompson will reportedly remain with the team after previous reports indicated he would enter the transfer portal. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed Thompson was not in the transfer portal as of Sunday.

The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo reported Thompson met with Oklahoma State and will stay with the team in 2025-26. Earlier this week, Thompson was set to go in the portal following the addition of former Penn State wrestler Zack Ryder.

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Both Thompson and Ryder are listed at 184 pounds for the 2025-26 roster and ranked in the top 20 at the weight, per WrestleStat’s algorithm. Ryder left Penn State following the Nittany Lions landing 2024 NCAA finalist Rocco Welsh (Ohio State) via the transfer portal earlier this month.

Thompson went 12-11 as a true freshman for Oklahoma State in 2023-24, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. While unattached this past season, moving up from 174 to 184, Thompson went 9-0 wrestling at the Bob Smith Open and Reno TOC.

The lineup logjam going into next season will be very interesting if Alex Facundo, another Penn State transfer, goes 174 next season. It would leave two spots for Ryder, Thompson and Cody Merrill at 184 and 197. 

While Colin Young is the projected starter at 165, there’s a possibility Facundo could go down there, leaving 174 open. Thompson would be a more likely candidate to drop considering his experience at the weight a little over a season ago.
Still, everything is to-be-determined, especially with Thompson reportedly back in the fold. Oklahoma State added a lot via the transfer portal this cycle, including 2024 NCAA champion Richie Figueroa (Arizona State).

Figueroa is 46-9 in his career, including a 14-0 season as a redshirt freshman before he even cracked the lineup. He went 15-5 in 2023-24, winning the title over Iowa’s Drake Ayala in Kansas City at 125 pounds.

This year, Figueroa was a popular pick to repeat as champion, but lost to Rutgers’ Dean Peterson in the second round by fall. Then in his first wrestleback match, Figueroa lost to UNI’s Trever Anderson 17-8 and was eliminated.

A 17-4 season for Figueroa came up empty in the end. But with his expected move to Oklahoma State, the Cowboys reloaded with portal additions following a 3rd place finish at NCAAs.

The Cowboys’ lineup looks loaded again. Let’s take a look, per WrestleStat.

125: Troy Spratley
133: Richie Figueroa/Cael Hughes
141: Tagen Jamison
149: Casey Swiderski (Iowa State transfer)/Carter Young
157: Teague Travis
165: Colin Young/Ladarion Lockett (top ranked freshman)
174: Alex Facundo (Penn State transfer)
184: Zack Ryder (Penn State transfer)/Brayden Thompson
197: Cody Merrill
285: Konner Doucet