Looking ahead at Iowa Wrestling

As is the case when any Iowa men’s wrestling season comes to a close, the countdown clock immediately resets for the one to follow.

In this instance, that means a little over 220 days sit between this very moment and the 2024-25 campaign – a wait that may feel a bit longer than usual given some of the disappointment and consternation surrounding both this past season and the recently concluded NCAA Championships.

A fifth-place finish at the national tournament – even amidst a jumble of teams from 2-10 that truly could’ve been spit out in just about any order after three days in Kansas City (MO) – is not the expectation at the University of Iowa.

Penn State may have set various tournament scoring records last weekend, but at least some part of that was due to Iowa (and other power players within the sport) falling well short of its usual standards.

The 72.5 points scored by 2024 NCAA runner up Cornell was the lowest mark for a second-place team dating all the way back to 1989. And in fact, to find an additional, lower runner-up tally you’d need to turn back the clock another decade-and-a-half to 1974 (the year before Iowa won its first national team title in program history).

Do the Hawkeyes (and their fanbase) want to take down the Nittany Lions? Of course.

But first and foremost, the priority simply needs to be self-improvement back to (and hopefully beyond) the Iowa standards of recent years.

Not since 2007 – Tom Brands’ first year at the helm in Iowa City – has an Iowa team scored fewer than the 67 points this latest version produced at NCAAs.

So, what’s the immediate outlook for 2024-25 in terms of returning starters, impact ‘newcomers,’ and where might Iowa look to add even more talent between now and next season?

That last notion very much bears monitoring in the coming weeks/months because for quite some time, Iowa has not been shy about supplementing its roster with transfer athletes – even before the ‘portal madness’ that has become all the rage across collegiate sports in recent years.

Since 2017, Tom Brands & Co. have ‘officially’ brought in eight wrestlers who were previously NCAA qualifiers at other schools – four of them being past All-Americans.

Six of those eight would garner at least one All-American honor as Hawkeyes (Brody Teske and Victor Voinovich III being the lone exceptions thus far – Voinovich still has two years of eligibility remaining).

Overall accolades for the eight-man group include:

• Three #1 overall seeds earned at the NCAA Championships
• Three Big Ten individual titles
• 11 All-American honors, including a pair of NCAA runner ups, two 3^rd-place finishes, two 4^th-place finishes, a 5^th-placer, two 8^th-place finishes and a pair of uncontested All-Americans from the canceled national tournament in 2020 (#1 seed Pat Lugo and #6 seed Austin DeSanto)

When Iowa has gone the transfer route to add talent it has been incredibly fruitful for the program. You’d have to imagine that will be a major source of focus again this off-season – particularly at a few key weight classes – as the Hawkeyes look to rebound from the dis-joined year that was.

Iowa also finds itself in the unique position of both losing three of its nine 2024 NCAA qualifiers while also (presumably) returning eight total athletes who’ve previously represented the Hawkeyes at the national tournament.

Such is the case with both Cobe Siebrecht and Nelson Brands – again, presumably – set to return for their final year of eligibility after being suspended all last season by the NCAA for gambling-related offenses.

But before we undertake a weight-by-weight preview of 2024-25 as things stand today, let’s first go over what Iowa is set to lose from a trio of senior starters.

Key Departures

Brody Teske (133 pounds)

• 60-26 career record, 27-13 as a Hawkeye (17-7 this season)
• Four-time NCAA qualifier, posting an 8-8 record at the national tournament

Real Woods (141 pounds)

• 85-14 career record, 43-6 as a Hawkeye (23-5 this season)
• Four-time All-American – twice for Stanford, twice at Iowa (2^nd in 2023, 4^th in 2024)

Jared Franek (157 pounds)

• 119-28 career record, 26-8 as a Hawkeye
• Two-time All-American, once for North Dakota State, once at Iowa (8^th in 2024)

Between Teske, Woods and Franek, Iowa is losing 96 victories over five combined seasons spent in the Hawkeye program.

Woods (a Stanford transfer) stepped seamlessly into the void left by Jaydin Eierman (another former transfer), giving the Hawkeyes an absolute rock in the bottom half of their lineup and a two-year national title contender at 141 pounds.

Franek, meanwhile, was half of a package deal of North Dakota State Bison (Michael Caliendo being the other) who arrived in Iowa City as a bit of a godsend amidst the gambling upheaval last spring/summer. What could’ve otherwise been a gaping hole in the lineup was instead filled in rock-steady fashion by a pair of would-be All-Americans (including Franek’s 8^th-place finish).

And last but not least, Teske – the lone Iowa native of the trio – finally found his way to the Hawkeye room after a multi-stop journey over the few years prior.

The former four-time state champion at Fort Dodge may not have ended his career with a much-desired spot on the podium at nationals – falling just one win shy in the Blood Round last weekend – but he unquestionably poured his heart and soul into the Iowa program, and (I believe) finished his senior season wrestling the best he ever had in the Black & Gold singlet.

All three will be missed in 2024-25.

125 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Junior) Drake Ayala – 2024 NCAA runner up, 3^rd at Big Tens, 27-5 record
• (RS Sophomore) Joey Cruz – Oklahoma transfer, posted a 7-6 record last season

Noteworthy newcomers:

• (Freshman) Keyan Hernandez – 41^st four-time state champ in Montana high school history
• (Freshman) Dru Ayala – Younger brother to current Hawkeye Drake, finished 5^th/2^nd/2^nd/3^rd in four appearances at the Iowa state tournament

Portal Probability:

• Low

There’s not a whole lot of mystery at 125 pounds entering next season.

Drake Ayala returns as the national runner up with two years of eligibility remaining – meaning less-heralded recruits like Hernandez and (Dru) Ayala should have a couple of years to develop in the room before potentially making their way into the Iowa lineup.

Aside from taking that last step up the podium at NCAAs, other goals for the junior-to-be might include A) maintaining a bit more consistency in performance after what was a preposterously up-and-down year for the entire weight class, and B) upping his bonus rate after ending 2023-24 just a hair above 50 percent (14/27 wins) in that category.

Once again, Iowa has as top tier lightweight at the front its lineup. What else is new?

133 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Senior) Cullan Schriever – 2023 Soldier Salute 3^rd-place finisher, 33-15 career record
• (RS Freshman) Kale Peterson – 2023 Soldier Salute 4^th-place finisher, 3-2 ‘attached’ record during redshirt season, 6-4 overall
• (RS Senior) Jesse Ybarra – 12-11 career record

Noteworthy newcomers:

• N/A

Portal probability:

• Medium/High

After a 2023-24 season in which Iowa’s postseason representative at this weight class wasn’t decided until quite literally the last minute (if not even a bit later than that – given Brody Teske’s #14 seed at Big Tens) I wouldn’t rule out anything regarding who might man 133 pounds for the Hawkeyes next year.

Schriever has had opportunities to seize the spot each of the past two seasons but has yet to put forth the sort of consistency and high-level wins to cement his case.

Entering his fifth year in Iowa City, the best-case scenario would be for him to put forth a Zach Glazier-like late-career surge. Of course, Schriever has a 48-match sample size of who he is and what we can likely expect from him at the Division I level.

For as unlikely as Glazier’s rise may have been this year, he only had 17 official matches on his ledger going in – and had never previously had a real chance to earn the starting job at 197 pounds while sitting behind five-time All-American Jacob Warner.

Because of all of this, perhaps more likely to emerge as the bell cow at 133 is redshirt freshman Kale Peterson.

Peterson, a three-time undefeated state champion at Greene County (IA), has some impressive national credentials to his name as well – finishing as the 61-kilogram (134.5 pounds) runner up at the 2023 US Open (Under-20 division) and coming in second at 132 pounds at the 2023 Fargo National Championships (Junior Freestyle division).

He also posted a 12-5 win at this year’s Soldier Salute over then 12^th-ranked Angelo Rini of Columbia and was even given a start at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Minnesota – losing a 6-4 match to eventual NCAA Round of 12 finisher Tyler Wells.

Peterson did also face Schriever at the Soldier Salute, dropping a low scoring 2-1 decision.

Who knows what his ceiling may be with a full offseason in the Iowa room, or if he can/will supplant the upperclassman for pole position at 133. But I’ll certainly have my eye on him.

The other route to look at is the transfer market, where I could envision Iowa being quite active if an appealing option at the weight class were to become available.

Just last off-season Iowa was in the mix for Minnesota transfer Aaron Nagao (who ultimately ended up at Penn State) with the Gopher coming off a fifth-place finish at NCAAs – and that was with Teske and Schriever still on the roster.

So, unless the coaching staff expects a notable jump from one/both of Schriever/Peterson it would not surprise me in the least to see them go after a transfer upgrade.

141 pounds

Returning:

• None

Noteworthy newcomers:

• (RS Freshman) Ryder Block – missed all of redshirt season recovering from knee surgery

Portal probability:

• Medium/High

Another weight losing a two-year postseason starter – this one the phenomenal Real Woods – you may be wondering why the Portal Probability ‘meter’ at 141 pounds isn’t setting off HIGH ALERT alarms.

No Hawkeye on the current roster with collegiate matches to their name appears to be an obvious choice to step into the role barring an unexpected bump up/cut down from someone at 133 or 149.

There’s also the burgeoning ‘tradition’ at the weight, which has been filled for the past four seasons by a pair of elite two-year transfers (Woods/Eierman).

It’s totally conceivable that Iowa goes portal diving yet again to find its next man up at 141.

My only hesitation in declaring it an absolute certainty is the existence of redshirt freshman Ryder Block.

A three-time Iowa state champ at Waverly-Shell Rock whose only defeat as a prep came in the state finals his sophomore year against current teammate Drake Ayala (whom he’d beaten earlier that season), Block was also a back-to-back Fargo National Champion (2022-23) in the Junior Freestyle division at 138 pounds.

He has an in-your-face, high-pressure style and is unafraid of wrestling through a variety of positions to put points on the board. Combine those skills with his accolades and there’s a reason Block was ranked as the 22^nd-best prospect in the Class of 2023 by FloWrestling.

Another factor that points to his ability to compete at an elite level right away is the college results already shown by a couple of his chief rivals from the 2023 class.

Block traded wins and close defeats across multiple matches with both Nasir Bailey (Arkansas Little Rock) and Tyler Kasak (Penn State) late in their high school careers, and both Bailey (fourth at 133 pounds) and Kasak (third at 149 pounds) were All-Americans as true freshmen at this year’s NCAA Championships.

I believe Block can have a similar impact in his inaugural collegiate season, there’s just two questions:

1. How is his health after tearing his ACL at National Duals last summer – an injury that caused him to miss out on competing during his redshirt season?
2. Is 141 pounds a viable option for him anymore?

Listed at 149 pounds on Iowa’s 2023-24 roster, it’s possible that Block has outgrown 141, which would’ve most closely aligned with his weight as a high school junior and senior (138). If so, then take everything I said about his prospects at 141 and transfer them over word-for-word to 149.

He’ll be roughly 16 months post-injury when this upcoming season rolls around, so barring any setbacks I expect his talent to show through somewhere at some point in 2024-25 for the Hawkeyes.

If that’s at 141, then an immediate impact transfer isn’t such a necessity at the weight. But if it’s at 149 then Iowa almost certainly needs to address 141 with outside help.

Meanwhile, a couple of previous NCAA qualifiers at 149 would suddenly have even more competition on their hands if they want to grab a spot in next year’s lineup.

149 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Junior) Caleb Rathjen – 2024 NCAA qualifier (1-2), 5^th at Big Tens, 20-7 record
• (RS Junior) Victor Voinovich III – *2023* NCAA qualifier (2-2), 2023 Soldier Salute 4^th-place finisher, 11-6 record

Noteworthy newcomers:

• (Freshman) Miguel Estrada – ranked #40 in the class of 2024 by FloWrestling (#12 at 150 pounds regardless of class), two-time California state champion

Portal probability:

• Low/Medium

Returning a pair of juniors, each of whom has previous experience at the national tournament, one might think that it would be a fairly clear-cut race for the starting spot at 149 for the Hawkeyes entering next winter.

Then again, if I’m Tom Brands that’s not going to stop me from weighing my options if another candidate were to emerge (either internally or externally).

Caleb Rathjen climbed into the top 10 of the national rankings for a while last season, earning the #3 seed at Big Tens and the #13 seed at NCAAs.

However, he’d also finish below seed at both tournaments (5^th at Big Tens and a quick 1-2 exit at NCAAs).

It’s also worth noting that each of his biggest wins – 11-8 in sudden victory over Penn State’s #10 Tyler Kasak at the dual and 11-5 over #10 Dylan D’Emilio of Ohio State at Big Tens – were followed up by decisive losses in their later rematches.

I do like what Rathjen brings to the table, which he showed in various wins during 2023-24 – including one over his teammate Voinovich at the Soldier Salute (6-3) – but was it enough to stake his claim to this spot heading into next season? That I’m not so sure of.

Meanwhile, as recently as a few months ago many were assuming that Voinovich would seize the job at 149 after coming into the program as a previous NCAA qualifier at Oklahoma State.

That never really happened, as the redshirt sophomore was competitive – though never ultimately victorious – against the top competition he faced during his first year in Iowa City.

Both juniors-to-be, I’m not ruling out a decisive jump being made by either of these two candidates this offseason. But, as I detailed in my breakdown of 141 pounds, Ryder Block could throw his name into the mix here as well.

Or, Brands could look to the transfer market once again, either to find a definitive solution at the weight or to simply add even more competition to the room in hopes of spurring someone on to seize the role.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Also waiting in the hopper, true freshman Miguel Estrada will join the Hawkeyes after a sterling prep career in one of the preeminent wrestling states in America.

He was a two-time California (single class) state champion, compiling multiple wins over other nationally ranked opponents during his career at Frontier High School.

I think Estrada is a bit undervalued, especially after shoulder/ankle injuries limited his mat time dating back to last summer.

To me, he very much looks like a guy who could be a factor at 149/157 pounds in a year or two, and I’m excited to see what kind of opportunities he gets during a (presumed) redshirt season to test himself against D1 competition.

157 pounds

Returning:

• (6^th-year Senior) Cobe Siebrecht – *2023* NCAA qualifier (1-2), 7^th at Big Tens, 21-11 career record
• (RS Sophomore) Carter Martinson – 12-5 record across three open tournaments

Noteworthy newcomers:

• Kael Voinovich – younger brother to current Hawkeye Victor, ranked #19 at 157 pounds, 2024 Iowa state champion for Iowa City High
• Joseph Kennedy – younger brother to current Hawkeye Patrick, twice a top-three finisher at the Minnesota state championships (2^nd in 2023, 3^rd in 2024)

Portal probability:

• Medium

The first spot at which Iowa both loses and ‘gains’ a former starter, 157 pounds will see the return of Cobe Siebrecht – the biggest surprise in the Iowa lineup two years ago.

For those who may have somehow forgotten, he’s the guy who does stuff like this:

An NCAA qualifier in 2023, earning the #14 seed, Siebrecht has a scrambly, big-move style unique to the Iowa room. He’s also someone who emerged from relative obscurity to nab the spot at 157 pounds following the graduation of long-time stalwart Kaleb Young.

Because of that steady track of improvement, I think we could see a version of him in 2024-25 multiple levels above that of his last appearance in an Iowa singlet (March of 2023).

Behind Siebrecht, a pair of newcomers with familial ties to the current roster will join the fray.

At least based on recruiting rankings, it would be a surprise if either Kael Voinovich or Joseph Kennedy made a significant impact for Iowa during their first couple of years on campus. That’s not to rule it out entirely, but it would be an outlier.

It’s also why I’ve listed the Portal Probability as ‘medium’ for 157.

This will be Siebrecht’s last year of eligibility, so unless the Iowa staff feels it already has a ready-made replacement for 2025-26 lined up, there may be motivation to bring in some outside help. The problem is, with all transfers now granted immediate eligibility you’re far less likely to get a high-quality athlete to come and sit for a year behind an incumbent starter.

That said, next off-season 157 could be a primary target for Iowa in the transfer portal unless one of its younger middleweights emerges to seize the spot (a la Cobe Siebrecht).

165 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Junior) Michael Caliendo – 2024 NCAA 4^th-place finisher, 3^rd at Big Tens, 28-6 record
• (RS Sophomore) Drake Rhodes – 16-5 record across four open tournaments

Noteworthy newcomers:

• Brady Benham – 46^th four-time state champ in Oklahoma high school history

Portal probability:

• Low

Another easy call when it comes to 2024-25, Caliendo was everything Iowa could have hoped for last season after transferring in from North Dakota State.

His explosiveness and diversity of attacks stand out both in the Iowa room and across the national landscape.

All six of his defeats came against wrestlers seeded fifth or higher at the 2024 national tournament, including once to the eventual champion David Carr (Iowa State), three times to runner-up Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) and another to #1 seed Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), who’d beat Caliendo by a 12-8 score last weekend for third place.

The only question is whether he may get another internal challenge from teammate Patrick Kennedy – whom we’ll cover more in just a second – after besting PK for the 165-pound spot this season in a pseudo-wrestle off at the Soldier Salute (7-3).

As far as newcomers go, Brady Benham has certainly proven himself to be a winner at the high school level. What his collegiate ceiling might be remains to be seen, but he’ll have two years to develop in the room behind Caliendo before we’re likely to find out.

174 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Junior) Patrick Kennedy – 2024 NCAA qualifier (R12), 5^th at Big Tens, 41-14 career record (165/174 pounds)
• (RS Freshman) Gabe Arnold – 2023 Soldier Salute champ, 8-1 ‘attached’ record during redshirt season, 12-1 overall (174/184 pounds)
• (7^th-year Senior) Nelson Brands – *2023* NCAA 5^th-place finisher (174 pounds), 5^th at Big Tens, 37-19 career record (174/184 pounds)

Noteworthy newcomers:

• (Freshman) Angelo Ferrari – ranked as the #2 pound-for-pound recruit in the country (#1 at 165 pounds), 2024 Texas state champion at 175 pounds

Portal probability:

• Low

The single-most fascinating weight for next year’s Hawkeyes, 174 pounds projects to be chock full of both high-caliber veterans and dynamic young talent – at least as things stand today.

Two previous multi-time NCAA qualifiers return in Patrick Kennedy and Nelson Brands, which by itself would be a huge boon for the Iowa staff.

However, Gabe Arnold also enters the mix following a redshirt season during which he notched wins over three past/eventual All-Americans, including one up at 184 pounds.

His only defeat of the season was to 184-pound NCAA runner up Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) by a 5-1 decision at the dual down in Stillwater.

Arnold is dynamic, explosive, technically sound and already a fan-favorite personality after just 13 college matches.

Between these three, I believe Iowa has both its 174 and 184-pound starters for next season – the catch being, which two and at which weight?

Kennedy had been a 165-pounder for his entire Hawkeye career before bumping up this year following a loss to Caliendo at the Soldier Salute. His best weight is still probably 165.

Brands has bounced between 174 and 184 throughout his career, though his appearances (and one postseason) at the higher of those two weights was largely a move to benefit Iowa’s overall lineup as Michael Kemerer had 174 on lockdown.

Brands was never considered full-sized at 184, and last competed for Iowa at 174 pounds in 2023, finishing fifth at NCAAs for his first-ever All-American honor.

Meanwhile, Arnold has articulated several times that not only is his ideal weight 174 pounds, but even being as rocked-up as he is, at just five-foot-seven he’s not even particularly big for 174, much less 184.

All of this leads me to believe that one of two scenarios plays out going forward:

1. Arnold or Brands voluntarily elects to bump up (as best as possible) to 184 this off-season with the other staying at 174 and potentially competing with Kennedy for the starting spot (assuming he doesn’t go back down to 165 to challenge Caliendo).
2. Arnold/Brands/Kennedy all ‘wrestle off’ at 165/174 sometime between next preseason and the 2024 Soldier Salute tournament with things shaking out from there.

I think the best case for Iowa would probably be for Brands to build his body as best as possible to 184 pounds this off-season.

First, he’s had success there before, even as a younger wrestler who would’ve been far more undersized at the weight class back then as opposed to now – entering his seventh year of college.

Second, and in relation to that last note, we’ve seen across the collegiate wrestling landscape how athletes – particularly older ones – have benefited from going up in weight as their careers progressed. Not undertaking the repeated, physical grind that comes with cutting substantial weight on a regular basis has seemed to keep them just as productive (and more importantly, healthier) despite the jump in weight class.

Seven years of college wrestling is a tough enough grind on the mind and body. If you’re a 25-year-old Nelson Brands, why not make your (final) final year all about training, technique, and competition rather than adding in the extra element of focus on keeping your weight down?

On the flip side, this move would allow the 19-year-old Arnold to stay at his ideal weight (and presumed long-term home) – a weight at which he’d likely be an immediate title contender entering 2024-25, assuming he beats out Kennedy, who may or may not end up vying for the spot as well.

SO MANY PERMUTATIONS.

And as if that weren’t enough, the latest addition to the Iowa program in this weight range just so happens to be one of the most accomplished recruits in school history – one Angelo Ferrari.

Though certainly talented enough to compete right away at the D1 level, given all of Iowa’s options it feels as though the most likely course of action is to redshirt Ferrari.

Beyond helping to clear up what is a bit of a logjam for the Hawkeyes, the redshirt year could also give the Texas native time to add weight for a 2025-26 debut that from a lineup perspective would probably most ideally come at 184 pounds.

Ferrari has competed (and won) against the very best at the high school level between 165 and 174 pounds, but when you look at his long, lanky frame one can easily project him adding the size to become a full-feed 184-pounder in pretty short order.

And again, going back to Gabe Arnold – who does not appear to have much room for physical growth left – Ferrari jumping up to 184 would set Iowa up to have three full years with the two of them manning those upper weights – a scary proposition for any opponent, including Penn State.

184 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Sophomore) Aiden Riggins – 2024 Big Ten 10^th-place finisher, 12-13 record

Noteworthy newcomers:

• None

Portal probability:

• Low/Medium

I kept 184 pounds separate for the sake of formatting, but if we’re being honest, pretty much everything you’d need to know was already covered in my novel-esque breakdown of 174.

Another wrestler who is worth mentioning, however, is Aiden Riggins – who selflessly took on the role for Iowa despite facing a massive size disadvantage versus nearly everyone he stepped onto the mat against.

Listed as a 157/165-pounder on this year’s roster, I could very much envision him making a far greater impact in the Hawkeye lineup in years to come – this time against opponents who actually occupy his own physical weight class.

Regarding possible transfer additions, based on what I view as both the natural short-term solution and succession plans at 174/184 it feels unlikely that Iowa would pour resources into bringing aboard an outsider of note at either weight.

Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong.

197 pounds

Returning:

• (6^th-year Senior) Zach Glazier – 2024 NCAA qualifier (1-2), 2^nd at Big Tens, 25-4 record
• (RS Sophomore) Kolby Franklin – posted an 8-4 record during 2022-23 redshirt season, did not compete in 2023-24

Noteworthy newcomers:

• None

Portal probability:

• Low/Medium

Not dissimilar to 157 pounds, at 197 Iowa returns an unexpected late bloomer in Zach Glazier.

After waiting his turn for four years, Glazier had one of the biggest breakthrough seasons in recent memory, going 24-2 and entering NCAAs as the #7 seed with his only defeats coming against eventual four-time national champion Aaron Brooks (Penn State).

A 1-2 showing at the national tournament, during which he appeared to wrestle tighter and less confidently than he had all season long, may have soured a few folks on his prospects entering next season – which Glazier confirmed to Flo’s Andy Hamilton about a week ago that he did intend to return for.

However, I’m of the opinion that what we saw was a case of some intense nerves getting to a young man in his long awaited, first-ever NCAA appearance – not some referendum on his overall abilities as a wrestler, which were put on display to great success for four entire months against Division I competition leading up to last weekend.

With Glazier holding things down for one final season, things beyond that are far less certain.

No other Hawkeye competed in a match at 197 pounds in 2023-24, so again, much like 157 this could be a weight at which Iowa goes hard after a top end transfer this time next year.

285 pounds

Returning:

• (RS Sophomore) Bradley Hill – 2024 NCAA qualifier (1-2), 5^th at Big Tens, 21-9 record
• (RS Freshman) Ben Kueter – posted a 3-1 record during his redshirt season, including a 5-1 road win over #11 Konnor Doucet (Oklahoma State)

Noteworthy newcomers:

• None

Portal probability:

• Low

The tenth and final weight of the bunch somehow manages to continue the themes of intrigue and multiple capable options that we’ve seen across much of the prospective 2024-25 Iowa lineup thus far.

Bradley Hill returns as an NCAA qualifier who far exceeded the expectations that may have existed for the Bettendorf (IA) native at this time a year ago.

A 195-pounder in his senior year of high school, Hill is still physically growing into a Division I heavyweight, and I believe considerable room for improvement remains in relation to both his overall frame and technical abilities.

After upsetting a two-time ACC champion (#8 Owen Trephan of North Carolina State) in his first-ever NCAA match, Iowa could do much worse than relying upon the sophomore-to-be at the back end of its lineup next season.

Of course, there’s also the (well-founded) belief that the Hawkeyes have a superstar in waiting at 285 pounds – his name being Ben Kueter.

By now, everyone knows the gist of Kueter’s two-sport ambitions in Iowa City. And because of both that, and the eventual decision to redshirt him, we only got a four-match tease of the former Under-20 World Champion this past season.

Not that I wasn’t already convinced, but the flashes I saw from him in terms of mat awareness/execution – including a 5-1 road win over #11 Konner Doucet (Oklahoma State) in front of nearly 14-thousand fans at a sold-out Gallagher-Iba Arena – lead me to believe that Kueter’s ceiling in this sport remains about as limitless as ever, particularly as he continues to add size for the heavyweight division.

Prior to this postseason run, Tom Brands mentioned at a press conference that part of the thought process behind redshirting the likes of Kueter (and Arnold) was because he and his staff envision even greater things for them in the four years to come than even the considerable heights they may have very well been capable of reaching as true freshman this past season.

And though the combined responsibilities of football and wrestling will leave plenty questioning whether he can succeed and/or excel at either one, much less both, I’ll remain firmly in the camp of believing Ben Kueter can do pretty much whatever he sets his mind to.

So, as it pertains to his prospects for the 2024-25 college wrestling season – especially at a weight class in which many of the top recent performers have exhausted their eligibility – I’m not about to rule anything out, including national title contention.

He’s Ben Kueter.

What else do you really need to know?

Short time

Everyone check your pulse – are you still breathing after this absurdly lengthy lookahead?

I certainly hope so.

To wrap things up, I fully believe Iowa will have an improved team come 2024-25.

Just how improved remains to be seen, particularly until we see how the transfer portal shakes out at a couple of key weights that the Hawkeyes could very much be in the market for.

That said, reinserting pieces like Cobe Siebrecht and Nelson Brands while unleashing a Gabe Arnold and a Ben Kueter is plenty enough reason for optimism.

Add that to returning stalwarts Ayala, Caliendo and Glazier and you’ve got the backbone of a high-powered lineup in both dual and tournament formats.

Which new and/or veteran pieces might step forward at 133/141/149 appears to be the biggest question – or if they’ll be bypassed altogether by additions from the aforementioned transfer portal.

I know the performance last season didn’t meet the expectations of Iowa fans – and it certainly didn’t meet those within the program itself.

Even so, it’s quite conceivable that folks could be singing a far different tune this time next year.

So please, stay tuned this off-season as we watch/discuss how this next Hawkeye team all comes together.

Wrestling never stops, so neither will I.

…Other than right now.

(I think I’m going to be done for today if that’s alright with you guys.)