The 2017-18 NCAA wrestling season is officially underway, which means it's time to start rolling out our weight class previews.

The 133 weight class graduated some serious firepower last summer, with four-time All-American and NCAA champion Cory Clark headlining the group. Multiple-time AAs Zane Richards, Eric Montoya, and Earl Hall also ran out of eligibility last season. Last year's third-place finisher, Nathan Tomasello, is dropping down to 125 pounds -- at least for the postseason -- but four other All-Americans return and one 125-pound placer is bumping up, so the weight will still have plenty of talent to entertain throughout the year.

Our 125-pound preview is here.

For our previews, we'll run down the top contenders, then make some way-too-early All-American and bloodround predictions and include an explanation.

Check out our 133 preview from last year.

Title Contenders

Seth Gross, South Dakota State
Stevan Micic, Michigan
Kaid Brock, Oklahoma State

Check out two of our contenders, Gross and Brock, going at it in a dual meet in Stillwater last season in the video below. 


The top tier of 133 is as tough as they come. Seth Gross, Kaid Brock, and Stevan Micic all separated themselves from the rest of the pack last season, especially with their performances in St. Louis. 

Brock first made a name for himself on the collegiate level when he pinned the reigning 133-pound champ, Cody Brewer, in less than a minute during his true freshman campaign in December 2015. An injury prevented Brock from competing in the postseason, but he picked up right where he left off last season, handing Cory Clark one of his only three losses during his championship senior season. 

Micic proved his mettle in the 2017 postseason, placing third in the Big Ten Tournament and fourth at the NCAAs. Gross, however, had a breakout season for the ages. A round of 12 finisher up at 141 in 2016, Gross dropped to 133 last season and nearly ran the table. His only two losses on the season were an overtime nail-biter to Eric Montoya at Midlands and a 4-3 decision to Clark in the NCAA finals. 

Spey's Spredictions

1: Seth Gross, South Dakota State
2: ​Kaid Brock, Oklahoma State
3: Stevan Micic, Michigan
4: Mitch McKee, Minnesota
5: Scott Parker, Lehigh
6: Luke Pletcher, Ohio State
7: John Erneste, Missouri
8: Jack Mueller, Virginia
R12: Scott Delvecchio, Rutgers
R12: Bryan Lantry, Buffalo
R12: Dom Forys, Pittsburgh
R12: Dylan Duncan, Illinois

Gross' great leap forward last season makes him my insanely early preseason pick to win it all. He is an otherworldly scrambler and down at 133 he has the strength and length to compete with anyone. Gross also owns a 3-0 record against Brock, his intra-conference rival and chief challenger.

Brock has enough explosive power to crash the party and could be in a better mental state now that he's been able to increase his bow hunting time. Micic may also upset the final order in Cleveland. Despite taking a few more losses throughout the season, he has a win over Brock in last season's NCAA consolation semifinals. Although I picked Brock to finish ahead of Micic in March, I've been wrong before. 

I also may be a tad high on Mitch McKee. The Minnesota sophomore took a whopping 20 losses last season, but 15 of those were to All-Americans. McKee had one of the toughest seasons of any wrestler in recent memory. That kind of experience as a true freshman will be invaluable, and I'm predicting a big jump this year from him.

Scotty Parker has been a consistent performer, qualifying for the NCAA tournament as a true frosh in 2015 before taking a redshirt and then sneaking onto the podium in St. Louis. I think he'll continue his steady improvement and climb a few steps higher in Cleveland. 

Luke Pletcher and John Erneste are two guys who I expect to move up in the rankings as the season progresses. Pletcher is a blue-chip recruit who spent last season above his natural weight class and still earned a No. 12 seed at the NCAAs. Erneste has some terrific wins on his resume, and I think the junior from Missouri puts together a signature season to make the final eight. 

Check out Erneste getting the better of McKee in the fifth-place match of the 2017 Southern Scuffle in the video below. 


Jack Mueller surprised a lot of people with his seminal run at last year's tournament. Now up a weight class, he could very well do it again. That would ensure the native Texan out-places my prediction, which in fact would not be that surprising. 

Bryan Lantry, Scott DelVecchio, and Dom Forys have all been to the bloodround before. Lantry will have one more crack at making the podium after this year, but its the last opportunity for Forys and DelVecchio. Both those seniors are incredibly tough, and I would be thrilled to take another loss in my predictions and see them earn All-American honors. 

Lastly, Dylan Duncan is my 133-pound freshman to watch. The Illinois native had a very solid redshirt campaign, going 16-5 with no bad losses on the year. Keep an eye on him, as I think he can do some damage this season. 

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