When a sport that is closer to the heart than others, such as NCAA wrestling, is in the offseason and removed from the limelight, it can often feel like time stands still. 

Luckily, we are on the cusp of a new D1 wrestling adventure, like a proverbial Tom Sawyer. What were once distant early warnings are now signals at our doorsteps. It's time to jump in your red barchetta and RUSH to your tv screens, computers and mobile phones to read our preview of the 197-pound weight class for the 2023-24 NCAA D1 wrestling season. 

Other weight class previews: 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184

First Things First

The weight class loses one champ from 2023 but gains another. Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi is out of eligibility having finished his NCAA career on top. However, even though 2023’s 197 champ won’t repeat, last year’s 184-pound champ, Aaron Brooks, is bumping up in search of his fourth title.

Watch highlights of Brooks' 2023 NCAA finals match:

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All-Americans Trent Hidlay and John Poznanzki are joining Brooks by bulking up a weight class. Stephen Buchanan returns from a redshirt season to add fuel to the 197-pound fire. 

The question is, will these additional hammers add order or chaos to what was one of the wildest weight classes of last season? 

Returning All-Americans

197 Pound Rankings

#1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State: 1st 2021, 1st 2022, 1st 2023, and the #3 seed in 2020 (all at 184). 

One of the biggest names and most powerful forces in college wrestling moves up a weight. Maryland native Aaron Brooks will also be attempting to make the Paris Olympic team at 86kg so don't be surprised if he peppers in some freestyle competition this season (Olympic Team Trials are April 19-20, about a month after NCAAs). Brooks has a 2017 U17 gold and a 2018 U20 silver medal already and will be attempting to secure a third age-level medal at the U23 World Championships in late October. 

#2 Tanner Sloan, South Dakota State: 2nd 2023 and a four-time NCAA qualifier. 

Sloan had a breakout season in 2023, making the podium for the first time on his third trip to the Big Dance (he also qualified for the 2020 tournament as the 11 seed). Additionally, the Iowa native has a silver medal from the 2022 U23 World Championships. 

Watch Sloan win in the semifinals of the 2023 NCAAs:

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#3 Stephen Buchanan, Oklahoma: 3rd 2022, 8th 2021. 

Buchanan was one of the biggest names to transfer before the 2023 season, going from Wyoming, where he was a three-time qualifier and two-time All-American, to Oklahoma, where he spent one season redshirting. Buchanan wrestled no collegiate matches while redshirting but had a phenomenal 2021-22 season, where he placed third and only lost 3 bouts. 

#4 Rocky Elam, Missouri 5th 2021, 4th 2022, 3rd 2023. 

Rocky Elam has established himself as one of Mizzou's most consistent performers. The junior from Kansas City, Missouri also has an opportunity to place 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st, due to the extra year of eligibility afforded to athletes who competed in 2021, although we're confident he'd prefer to skip that runner-up placement and go right to the top of the podium. Rocky also won a gold medal at the 2021 U20 World Championships in freestyle.

#5 Trent Hidlay, NC State 2nd 2021, 5th 2022, 4th 2023 (all at 184) and the #5 seed in 2020.

Hoagie Hidlay has been one of the most electric wrestlers since his days as a high school wrestler in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Trent has been raising the roof for the past five seasons, qualifying for the NCAA tournament four times and making the podium the last three years. Hidlay is now in his final year of eligibility in Raleigh. He also has two age-level medals from UWW World Championships. 

Watch a clip of Hidlay making the semifinals at the last NCAA Tournament: 

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#7 Jacob Cardenas, Cornell: 8th 2023. 

Cardenas finally made the podium in 2023, after a grey shirt year in 2020, a canceled season due to the Ivy League and covid in 2021, and a year where he qualified for the NCAA Tournament but fell short of the podium in 2022. The New Jersey native is in his final year of eligibility at Cornell (due to Ivy League rules) but has another year of NCAA eligibility, which explains his current status in the transfer portal. Jacob also medaled at the 2022 U23 World Championships with a silver. 

#9 Michael Beard, Lehigh: 7th 2021. Beard placed 7th for Penn State in 2021, then missed out on the postseason as Max Dean got the nod in 2022 for the Nittany Lions. Beard then transferred to Lehigh and made it to the bloodround last season. The Malvern prep grad still has two years of eligibility remaining for the Mountain Hawks. 

Watch Beard defeat Max Dean in a Lehigh dual meet from last season:

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#11 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State: 6th 2022. 

Now in his sixth season in Columbus, Hoffman has established himself as the regular 197 pound for the Buckeyes after several years of bouncing from 184 to 285 and then back down to 197. The Pennsylvania native will look to improve on last year's performance where he went 1-2 at the NCAAs. Like many of his peers, Hoffman has a UWW age-level world medal, winning bronze at U17s in 2017. 

#13 John Poznanski, Rutgers: 4th 2021.

Poz burst onto the NCAA scene as a true freshmen, placing fourth on the podium in 2021. The New Jersey native only made it to the round of 16 in 2022 before redshirting in 2023. Poznanski spent the offseason bulking up and still has three years of eligibility remaining. 

Even More Contenders

#6 Silas Allred, Nebraska

Allred got to double-redshirt, by differing eligibility in 2021, when everyone got a free pass, and again 2022. In 2023 he came as close to making the podium as possible, losing in the bloodround after beating eventual seventh-placer and 2022 NCAA champ Max Dean in the second round. Allred's only losses at the tournament were to first-place Bonaccorsi and fifth-place Warner. Allred also defeated Dean at Big Tens. The Indiana native has three more years of eligibility remaining. 

#8 Jaxon Smith, Maryland

Smith also made a splash in his first varsity season. The Georgia native was felled in the NCAA round of 12 by Max Dean after receiving the #11 seed. Smith also placed fifth at the 2022 U20 World Championship. 

Watch Smith defeat Zac Braunagel at last season's Tiger Style Invite:

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#10 Luke Surber, Oklahoma State

Now in his fourth season in Stillwater, Surber has been a valuable piece of the Cowboy puzzle over the last two years. Surber bumped up to heavyweight and made the NCAAs as a freshman, then leaned down to 197 last year and made the Round of 16. 

#12 Evan Bockman, Utah Valley

Bockman has qualified for the last two NCAA seasons, where he won double-digit victories for the Wolverines. Bockman is in his final year of eligibility after spending three years at California Baptist to start his collegiate career. 

Here’s Who Won’t Be In The Weight Next Season

The aforementioned Bonaccori is out of eligibility, as is four-time All-American and five-time national qualifier Jacob Warner of Iowa. 

Rider's Ethan Laird, who made the podium last year on his fourth and final attempt, and 2022 champ and four-time AA Max Dean, are also both out of eligibility as well. 

Former Cal Poly Mustang and current Penn State Nittany Lion Bernie Truax is moving back down to 184, where he wrestled in 2022. Truax has placed fourth at the last three NCAA tourneys. Meanwhile, Iowa State's Yonger Bastida is moving up to heavyweight. 

NC State's Isaac Trumble, Illinois's Zac Braunagel, and Wisconsin's Braxton Amos would all appear in the 197lb rankings if they weren't all planning on taking redshirts this season. 

Sleepers & Landmines

Luke Stout and Mac Stout, #15 and #16 of Princeton and Pittsburgh, respectively. 

These Pennsylvania natives have two NCAA qualifications (both by Luke) and six years of eligibility remaining. They are also brothers if you haven't already guessed.  

#23 Ben Smith, Cleveland State

Smith is a two-time NCAA qualifier heading into his final year of eligibility after a 10-1 record while on redshirt.

#24 Anthony Montalvo, Arizona State

A blue chip recruit coming out of high school (#33 on the Class of 2018 Big Board), injuries have hampered Montalvo's collegiate career. He hasn't had a complete season since 2020 when he qualified for the NCAA tournament as a redshirt freshman with a 23-5 record. The California native could be a podium threat if he's healthy and ready to go this season. 

Owen Pentz, Nebraska

A three-time qualifier for North Dakota State, the recent addition to the Husker squad is as dangerous a competitor as you can find in the NCAA. Despite being unranked, over the course of his career, Pentz has wins over All-Americans Yonger Bastida, Ethan Laird, Jake Woodley, Stephen Buchanan, and Eric Schultz.

Watch Pentz win in the semifinals of the 2023 Southern Scuffle over All-American Ethan Laird:

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New Kids On The Block

Which of these freshmen have the right stuff, baby?

Kolby Franklin, Iowa

The Hawkeye lineup is difficult to predict at the moment but it looks very likely that redshirt freshman and Wyoming Sem grad Kolby Franklin will be the primary starter, replacing Iowa stalwart Jacob Warner at 197. 

Wyatt Voelker, Northern Iowa

Voelker showed tremendous promise during his true freshman campaign, wrestling in three tournaments and two duals (thus being able to retain his redshirt status) and notching a victory over Kolby Franklin along the way. The Panther was also on the 2023 U20 world team where he placed fifth in Greco-Roman.

Stephen Little, Little Rock

The appropriately Stephen Little of Sturgis, Kentucky had an impressive redshirt season with multiple wins over national qualifiers. 

Hayden Walters, Michigan

There's a good chance the #31 ranked recruit in the class of 2023 redshirts this season, but even if he doesn't wrestle in the postseason, don't be surprised if Coach Bormet utilizes Walters for his full allotment of five varsity competitions that will allow him to retain his redshirt

Watch Walters win a belt at the 2022 Super 32 Challenge:

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Will AJ Ferrari Return As Well?

He might! Sorry, but that’s the best analysis anyone can provide at the moment. It’s doubtful anyone at Iowa or even the Ferrari family knows for certain what the future holds at this point. The only thing we can say is that the 2021 national champ could potentially be in a black and gold Iowa singlet in 2024 with three years of eligibility remaining. 

A potential Brooks vs Ferrari matchup needs no additional hype. So stay tuned, we’ll see it when we see it!

The Bottom Line

This is no fly by night weight class. This division was a pleasant surprise that produced some of the most fun storylines of 2023, and by all accounts, 2024 should be even better. 

This just may be the most exhilarating division in the NCAA. Many are calling it the Cadillac of weights. So lower your power windows and enjoy the moving pictures as these 197-pounders roll the bones on a season that could keep us entertained until the year 2112. 

Predictions

1. Aaron Brooks, Penn State
2. Stephen Buchanan, Wyoming
3. Tanner Sloan, South Dakota State
4. Trent Hidlay, NC State
5. Rocky Elam, Missouri
6. Jacon Cardenas, Cornell
7. Silas Allred, Nebraska
8. John Poznanski, Rutgers

This weight class is loaded, so bint dint of numbers there will be some former All-Americans left on the outside looking in. There will also be some UWW age-level medalist left off the NCAA podium as well. 

While no one is unbeatable in this gnarly bracket, Brooks is still a heavy favorite to win his third NCAA title. Beyond that, it's difficult to feel too confident about any placements.