I always love doing these.  If only to see how much changes from predictions in preseason to later in the year.  Guys you're SURE will break out falter, and dudes you never saw coming turn out to be hammers.  I'll be way off on some of these, but some I feel really good about.  Enjoy these for what they are: 1 guys predictions.

125
1. Jesse Delgado-Illinois
2. Nahshon Garrett-Cornell
3. Thomas Gilman-Iowa
4. Alan Waters-Missouri
5. Nathan Tomasello-Ohio State
6. Joey Dance-Virginia Tech
7. Dylan Peters-Northern Iowa
8. Jordan Conaway-Penn State

Round of 12: Ryan Taylor-Wisconsin, Tyler Cox-Wyoming, David Terao-American, Josh Martinez-Air Force

Pretty standard. I just trust Delgado to find a way in March. Garrett might be as good, but Delgado is a puzzle Nahshon is yet to solve. Despite getting in clean on several occasions he couldn’t put Delgado down for 2. It feels like these two are the class of the weight, though I still feel Waters and Gilman are tier 1 guys, capable of beating Delgado/Garrett on a given day.

I really don’t see anybody penetrating the top 4. Even Tomasello, who I’m especially high on. I think he’s kind of on an island like Tyler Wilps was last year at 174. Better than the guys behind him, but unable to knock off the guys in front of him. He’s going to have a great Freshman season.  I didn’t know what to make of Joey Dance. I don’t think he’s in the top 4 conversation, as silly as that sounds considering he was 4th last year. I’d love to be wrong here, but I’m expecting him to come back down to Earth a bit. I feel great about Peters at 7, but from 8 on I’m not as sure.

I’m believing the hype out of PSU that Conaway is going to be very good. He’s got some great wins historically and is finally down at the weight where he belongs. I think he places this year. Taylor, Cox, Terao and Martinez are about as salty as a group you can find for round of 12. All of these guys have AA pedigrees and multiple wins over All Americans.

I didn’t include Josh Rodriguez of NDSU, but he could be a guy who makes a big splash here as well. He was my first guy off the list.


133
1. AJ Schopp-Edinboro
2. Mason Beckman-Lehigh
3. Chris Dardanes-Minnesota
4. Johnni DiJulius-Ohio State
5. Cory Clark-Iowa
6. Cody Brewer-Oklahoma
7. Jimmy Gulibon-Penn State
8. Zane Richards-Illinois

Round of 12: Earl Hall-Iowa State, Nick Soto-UTC, George DiCamillo-Virginia, Jesse Thielke-Wisconsin

I really think any of the top 3 on a given day can win in. Yes including Chris Dardanes. He’s been there with Schopp before, and while AJ stylistically is a nightmare matchup, I think on a given day he can hang with him. I just think AJ brings the most points to the table. He can score on his feet and his advantage on top is tremendous. He was 30 seconds away from the Finals last year and likely a title as he had success earlier against Graff. We are darn near talking about the returning NCAA Champion AJ Schopp which really speaks to the strength of the weight last year considering he was 4th.

So I’m going AJ, despite the fact that I have strong belief in both Mason and Chris. Beyond those guys I’m not sure I put anybody else in that title contending realm. DiJulius may surprise you this high, but it shouldn’t. This weight from 4 and beyond isn’t great.  He’s had his way with Brewer and has beaten Colon and Gulibon as well. This is a very interchangeable group.

Placing Cory Clark was a real challenge. He lost some of the luster he had heading into his Freshman year where he had wins over Delgado, Patterson, Sprenkle. He struggled with consistency, was in and out of the lineup but managed to find his way onto the podium. It’s possible he’s a guy with upside to crash the top 4. Going up a weight should help him produce a more consistent product.

Brewer has shown he can put it together in March but it feels like he’s just going to be a 6-8 type of guy for his career. He hasn’t shown tremendous improvement to this point but he is a tough SOB. Gulibon was tough to place as well. Some may think he’s not really in the AA conversation, some others could think him being behind Clark is laughable. I don’t really know, I just believe in his talent and PSU’s ability to help guys get it together. He finds his way onto the podium this year.

Zane is someone I flirted with having really high, yet I settled with 8. That’s how fluid I believe these last 5 spots are.  Him breaking through to the top 5 should surprise nobody. DiCamillo and Thielke are 2 guys with major chips on their shoulder that I think could make big time noise, but until I see that improvement, I’m not going to blindly predict it.

141
1. Logan Stieber-Ohio State
2. Mitchell Port-Edinboro
3. Nick Dardanes-Minnesota
4. Stephen Dutton-Michigan
5. Chris Mecate-Old Dominion
6. Anthony Ashnault-Rutgers
7. Mark Grey-Cornell
8. Edgar Bright-Pittsburgh

Round of 12: Todd Preston-Harvard, Lavion Mayes-Missouri, Josh Dziewa-Iowa, Anthony Collica-Oklahoma State

Logan’s getting it done. Put him on the list. 4 time NCAA Champ. You kinda feel for a guy like Port who is amazing, but that’s how it goes at this level. I think Port is head and shoulders ahead of the field this year especially with Zain presumably redshirting (though we don’t have that confirmed, it’s my guess). I felt Mitchell was the toughest matchup for Logan last year, but we never got to see it.  I'm glad we will this year.

I think Dardanes, Dutton, Mecate and Ashnault are all relatively interchangeable. It’s possible Dardanes is much more effective down a weight, but he’s still going to struggle with the better top wrestlers. I think Mecate and the ODU staff will figure out how to get Chris on point by NCAA’s. He’s faltered the last two years at the big dance. I think he gets it together and is clicking at the big show. Anthony Ashnault probably could go a little higher. His RS season wasn’t great, but his University performance blew me away. He could be a top 3 contender. This is more of a hedge, I admit.

Rob Koll said in his newsletter that Mark Grey would place.   Last year Coach Koll told me Gabe Dean was going to be a monster, so I listen to him. You should too. Edgar probably has the most talent of anybody left. I think he will be more ready for the rigor of the D1 season after finding out first hand how tough it can be.

If Anthony Collica makes 141 again, wow. He could go far, I’m just curious how effective he can be here for another year. He’s another hedge on my part. He could be much higher.

149
1. Hunter Stieber-Ohio State
2. Jason Tsirtsis-Northwestern
3. Devin Carter-Virginia Tech
4. Drake Houdashelt-Missouri
5. Josh Kindig-Oklahoma State
6. Jake Sueflohn-Nebraska
7. Chris Villalonga-Cornell
8. Dave Habat-Edinboro

Round of 12: Zack Beitz-Penn State, Mike Racciato-Pittsburgh, Lenny Richardson-Old Dominion, Tywan Claxton-Ohio

I’ve been telling anyone who would listen 149 last year was not great. Rampant inconsistency was not a sign of depth in this case, it was a sign that the weight was full of pretty good wrestlers, but possibly none great. I think Hunter will be the class of this weight, but I admit I worry about his NCAA shortcomings of the past. He fell to Port two years ago after dominating him historically. If Hunter can keep his head and open up I’m not sure point for point he can be beaten. However, a guy like Jason Tsirtsis who has gotten it done, who has amazing match managing ability and timely scoring is the likely safe bet. I’m just going with my gut here.

This is actually a pretty amazing top 4. On a given day I’m not sure you could count any of them out. It felt like Houdashelt peaked a little early last year. He was the best guy for most of the season having beaten Kindig a handful of times as well as Maple.  Devin Carter is a warrior.  I hope he can stay healthy this final year.  A guy like Hunter Stieber is a very difficult matchup for Devin.  Anyone else I think he's got a great chance against.  

Maybe I’ll just be late to the party on Josh Kindig. His NCAA tournament didn’t really convince me he was on another level.  He beat Jake Sueflohn, Scott Sakaguchi and Mitch Minotti to make the finals.  Sorry for not being completely enamored.  He’s a stud. He’s always been a stud. His athleticism and skills have never been the question with Josh.  . Perhaps he turns it up a notch and remains in that top tier. He was banged up coming into last season maybe a full healthy season and we’ll see Kindig contend. I’m not sure that’s the case.

Nobody’s got more quality wins without an NCAA placement in the entire D1 landscape than Jake Sueflohn. I think he gets it done this year. Same for Chris Villalonga. He had a bad moment against Sakaguchi and it cost him his tournament. I think he gets it together this year. Habat put it all together last year with a great NCAA tournament. His season was mired with inconsistency and I think he comes back down to Earth a bit. Could be way off here and Habat could get it done again and land in the top 5.

157
1. James Green-Nebraska
2. Dylan Ness-Minnesota
3. Ian Miller-Kent State
4. Chance Marsteller-Oklahoma State
5. Brian Realbuto-Cornell
6. Nick Brascetta-Virginia Tech
7. Isaiah Martinez-Illinois
8. Josh Demas-Ohio State,

Round of 12: Anthony Perrotti-Rutgers, Dylan Alton-Penn State, Austin Matthews-Edinboro, Mitch Minotti-Lehigh

I felt all last year James Green was the guy to beat at 157, and I think I still feel that way. Though he fell to Ness, I still think he’ll get it together and win it all. He’s the most polished guy from neutral with the most varied skill set. He’s one of a few guys who can win it all. Dylan is never out of any match, ever. I just think Green’s game is more sustainable for an entire tournament.

I will say that it’s possible Dylan Ness gets reduced too much as a big move, funk guy. He can win matches straight up and has shown he can for some time. See his NCAA semi for an example. Ian Miller is another interesting guy. He’s certainly within that title contending realm and his University National performance put him as a potential favorite coming into this year. I wonder about his consistency. He’s a stud with the ability to not just beat, but embarrass really good wrestlers. However, he follows up great wins with subpar performances relative to his skill set.

There’s a lot of “ifs” associated with Chance Marsteller. If he’s healthy, if he can cut the weight right, if they wrestle him this year. I really think he’s going to be very good right away. I think his game will translate well, he’s got the handfighting, he’s got the power, he’s got the offense. I look for a big year out of Chance where top for may not be the ceiling.

I’m a little weary of Realbuto coming off his knee injury, so I held him back a bit. He’s another guy with some consistency issues but man he was on fire at NCAA’s before shredding his knee. He’s another guy with definite top 3 potential.

I think the next tier starts here with Brascetta. I’m not sure he will be able to slide into that top 5, but I also think he’s ahead of the rest. Look for a nice year out of Nick. I’ve only heard good things about I-Mar coming into this year. Look for him to have a solid Freshman campaign with an AA finish. Demas is another wildcard, but his wins are undeniable. Ian Miller, DSJ, Alton, etc. He’s brawled and beaten with some of the best. This weight doesn’t have many elite top wrestlers, and that’s a very good thing for the mat-challenged Demas. If it’s a takedown contest he’s as dangerous as anyone from his feet.

I feel like any of the round of 12 guys could place and I wouldn’t bat an eye. Minotti being out til January is kind of a bummer and made me a bit hesitant to have him duplicate his Freshman success.  

165
1. Alex Dieringer-Oklahoma State
2. Bo Jordan-Ohio State
3. Nick Sulzer-Virginia
4. Nick Moore-Iowa
5. Mike Moreno-Iowa State
6. Isaac Jordan-Wisconsin
7. Taylor Massa-Michigan
8. Dylan Palacio-Cornell

Round of 12: Corey Mock-UTC, Taylor Walsh-Indiana, Pierce Harger-Northwestern, Cooper Moore-UNI

I’ve changed my mind about 10 times with Bo Jordan. Part of me wanted to go all in and pick him to win. I just think Dieringer presents some problems specifically troubling to Bo and Nick Sulzer for that matter. His hips are so strong and his positioning so solid I wonder if Bo and Nick can get the necessary TD against him. Dieringer has proven to be next to impossible to ride. While Bo is great on top I’m not sure he’s riding Dieringer. Don’t know for sure though. I think Bo and Sulzer could be interchangeable. I went with Bo on a hunch. Willie Saylor thinks I’m crazy thinking Sulzer would lose to Bo, but I just told him to stick to high school!   Sulzer is a physical beast able to finish shots from extended position.  However, I worry about the ramifications of that against the hips of Dieringer and even Bo Jo.  We'll see one of them at the All Star. 

Big drop off after 3, but I think Moore is squarely at 4. Nick has wins over Caldwell, Moreno, Massa, Harger, Zilverberg and more.  I have no explanation for what happened to him at NCAA's last year, but I don't expect it again.  Moreno has been consistently good here and I think he keeps it up and goes out a very under the radar 3 time AA. Isaac Jordan was great as a Freshman, but I wonder how he adjusts up a weight. He’s got the skills to be a top 4 guy, but I want to see him up at 65 first. Taylor Massa has top 4 potential as well.  He is a physical beast.  I worry that he doesn’t have a massive variety of attacks, but he’s good on top and darn hard to score on. I’m excited to see his development from his True Freshman season.

Dylan Palacio is a personal favorite. He’s such an athletic freak, he’s playing for Cornell’s soccer team right now. He obviously could be higher, but it’s a crowded list of guys very close in ability level from 4 on. So someone pretty good has to be 8th.

174
1. Logan Storley-Minnesota
2. Robert Kokesh-Nebraska
3. Matt Brown-Penn State
4. Mike Evans-Iowa
5. Tyler Wilps-Pittsburgh
6. Kyle Crutchmer-Oklahoma State
7. Zach Epperly-Virginia Tech
8. Tanner Weatherman-Iowa State

Round of 12: Cody Walters-Ohio, Blaise Butler-Virginia, Hayden Zilmer-ND State, Caleb Marsh-Kent State

The last year of this fearsome foursome. I’m going to miss it, I can’t lie. If you can look me in the eye and tell me with full confidence who’s going to win this weight, I’ll call you a liar. Any of the top 4 can and has beaten the other. It’s whoever is hottest on a given day. I think Storley has been the most consistent among the 4. Kokesh could be, but he’s struggled with Storley historically. So I don’t know, I’m going Storley.  

Tyler Wilps is on his own island it seems. Probably won’t break through the top 4, but won’t be beaten by any guys behind him.

That being said, Kyle Crutchmer is a true x-factor. Offense for days and finally down at his natural weight, he could be a real force at this weight. I like Epperly a lot. He’s got a nice variety of attacks and works well attacking both sides. He’s got a shot at placing. I think he’s got a touch more upside than Weatherman, which is why I have him at 7. I hedged on Blaise Butler a bit, he could be a force at 74, or just more of the same from a year ago. Keep an eye on him though, he’s darn good.

184
1. Gabe Dean-Cornell
2. Nate Brown-Lehigh
3. Jack Dechow-Old Dominion
4. Max Thomusseit-Pittsburgh
5. Lorenzo Thomas-Penn
6. Dominic Abounader-Michigan
7. Brett Pfarr-Minnesota
8. Sammy Brooks-Iowa

Round of 12: Tim Dudley-Nebraska, Ophir Bernstein-Brown, Kenny Courts-Ohio State, Taylor Meeks-Oregon State

I’m not sure who pushes Gabe Dean this year. Nate Brown gave him a fight last year. Dechow lost only by one at NCAA’s, but I just see Dean continuing to improve.   Look at his development in Freestyle alone.  From 3rd at FILA Jrs to 3rd on EARF.  His game is so complete, his pace is so insane and he’s so tough that I just can’t pick against him.

I think there’s a lot of people with a legit claim at the #2 spot, but I am really high on Nate Brown. He had a really good redshirt season beating Lorenzo Thomas a few times and Tech falled Ophir Bernstein. I think 2-4 are really close. I think guys like Abounader, Pfarr and Brooks could have the upside to go much higher, but they haven’t been terribly consistent to this point. They have the talent to do it big.

197
1. J’den Cox-Missouri
2. Kyle Snyder-Ohio State
3. Morgan McIntosh-Penn State
4. Scott Schiller-Minnesota
5. Kyven Gadson-Iowa State
6. Conner Hartmann-Duke
7. Nathan Burak-Iowa
8. Andrew Campolattano-Rutgers

Round of 12: Nick Bonaccorsi-PIttsburgh, Braden Atwood, Purdue, Phil Wellington-Ohio, Austin Schafer-Oklahoma State

I really wanted to go all in on Kyle Snyder. Just couldn’t do it. I think J’den presents the kind of problems defensively that we’ve seen hinder a guy like Snyder. Kyle’s head outside shout is lethal, but I wonder if someone with the tremendous hips like J’den has will give him fits. I could see him really frustrating Kyle from Neutral.   We'll get an early preview, thankfully when the two teams dual! 

Maybe I’m high on McIntosh (again). Shoot I picked him to win last year, so maybe I’m coming back down to Earth? He doesn’t matchup well with guys like Cox or Gadson, but I think he could wind up 3rd as I think he matches up well with Schiller.   Schiller owns Gadson historically.  I didn’t know what to make of Conner Hartmann. He really came out of nowhere last year with a number of odd losses. However, when I watched him at NCAA’s he truly looked the part. This weight is not extremely deep, and if Conner stays the course, I don’t see why he doesn’t place again. Burak seems to slot in nicely at 7, and Camp is a wildcard at the 8 spot. He’s got the talent, but we won’t be seeing him until 2nd semester. Will he be able to get in the swing of things by then?

Of the guys not mentioned, I’m most interested in seeing how Elliot Riddick develops. He could be an emerging talent at this weight.

285
1. Nick Gwiazdowski-NC State
2. Adam Coon-Michigan
3. Mike McMullan-Northwestern
4. Bobby Telford-Iowa
5. Connor Medbery-Wisconsin
6. Austin Marsden-Oklahoma State
7. Amarveer Dhesi-Oregon State
8. Billy Smith-Rutgers

Round of 12: Jon Gingrich-PSU, Adam Fager-Utah Valley, Ty Walz-Virginia Tech, Nick Tavanello-Ohio State

Can’t wait to watch the top 3 in this weight. Gwiaz was great on the biggest stage. The crazy thing with him is that he is possibly still improving. He was only a Sophomore last year.  I think he’s a great combination of athleticism and technique. He’s put on some more size through the years, which has helped him for sure. He and McMullan are extremely similar from a stylistic standpoint and the fact that they are both amazing athletes with varied attacks.  Conversely, Coon fits the mold of a heavyweight a bit more stereotypically.  I like the way he moves for his size and is able to use his length tremendously well. Coon is good enough to win a title. That is for certain. The question is can he keep it together late in the season?

Telford has beaten many of the best guys, but I really question whether he can eek out 1 point wins 2-3 matches in a row. That’s what he has to do to win the tournament. He is often too comfortable just battling in ties instead of attacking. He’s hard as heck to score on, but guys aren’t going to be suckered into bad shots, at least not anymore.

I feel for a guy like Connor Medbery. Lost last year to Tony Nelson and Mike McMullan, so he didn’t place. Rough draw. He gets it done this year and places. He’s a great athlete, good offense and consistent.  Marsden put it together late, and I think that confidence lands him on the podium again, though I’m not sure he can wind up much higher than this.

Amar Dhesi may be a stretch here. I just feel like at some point he’s going to figure out Folkstlye well enough to place. He did fair last year.  I think he’ll learn, evolve and improve. His attacks are great in Freestyle, he needs to learn to trust them in Folk.  This weight really runs out of the elite guys after around 6. Smith is a wildcard, but he’s a good athlete and I think he’ll make some more strides and place this year. However, this could be about 10 different guys and you really can’t be surprised.

Team
1. Ohio State
2. Minnesota
3. Iowa
4. Oklahoma State
5. Cornell
6. Nebraska
7. Missouri
8. Penn State
9. Michigan
10. Edinboro
11. Virginia Tech
12. Lehigh
13. Pittsburgh
14. Illinois
15. Northwestern
16. Iowa State
17. Old Dominion
18. Wisconsin
19. Rutgers
20. NC State


If it goes down close to how I have it, it’s Ohio State and it’s not close. That’s putting a lot of stock in a lot of young/unproven(at this level) guys. I’m erring on the side of ridiculous talent over experience. Let’s see how it pans out.

Oklahoma State is a real wildcard with Klimara back.  There are so many potential options with their lineup, that they are very hard to predict right now.  Also, I don't know what Iowa is going to bring to the table at 149 and 157.  If they get AA production somehow there, obviously there shot at contention improves.  However, I don't see that.   Minnesota is hindered by having holes at 125 and 165 this year.  They need Kroells and Short to be very good right away to contend.