The transfer portal has changed the landscape of NCAA wrestling. Not only does it give us more to talk about in the off season, but coaches have had to alter their recruiting methods. This was on full display at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

This article is not an attack on any individual or program; it is just interesting data. I will never condemn any individual for transferring or a program for picking up transfers!

I would like to remind everyone that there are many reasons for an athlete to transfer such as graduating and their current institution not offering their desired graduate degree of study, or their wrestling program getting cut. It's not always just about wrestling and/or money. And even if it is, that's alright too.

Quick Facts

• 73 of the 330 national qualifiers were transfers (22.12%). This is up from 57 last year - a 5% increase.
• 20 of the 80 All-Americans were transfers (25%). This is the exact same number as last year.
• 354.5 of the 1,420 NCAA team points were scored by transfers (24.96%). This is up by 2.79% from last year.
• 34 of the 66 teams at NCAAs had at least one transfer competing (51.5%). This is a 3% increase from last year's 33 of 68 teams.
• Of the 73 transfers, 55 had their best NCAA finish (as determined by the number of NCAA team points scored) at their current institution (75%). 
  • This stat is very surface-level, doesn't provide much context, and should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, Jacob Cardenas finished 4th both last year at NCAAs for Cornell and this year for Michigan, but he scored more bonus last year, so he was counted as "no".

2025 All-Americans Who Transferred

125

2nd place - Troy Spratly (Minnesota --> Oklahoma State)

4th place - Matt Ramos (Minnesota --> Purdue)

7th place - Caleb Smith (App State --> Nebraska)

8th place - Stevo Poulin (NC State --> Northern Colorado)

133

6th place - Connor McGonagle (Lehigh --> Virginia Tech)

149

6th place - Ethan Stiles (Nebraska --> Oregon State)

7th place - Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers --> Oklahoma State --> Rider)

157

8th place - Caleb Fish (Michigan State --> Oklahoma State)

165

1st place - Mitchell Mesenbrink (California Baptist --> Penn State)

2nd place - Michael Caliendo (NDSU --> Iowa)

5th place - Terrell Barraclough (Penn State --> Utah Valley)

8th place - Cam Amine (Michigan --> Oklahoma State)

174

1st place - Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin --> Oklahoma State)

197

1st place - Stephen Buchanan (Wyoming --> Oklahoma --> Iowa)

3rd place - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State --> CSU Bakersfield)

4th place - Jacob Cardenas (Cornell --> Michigan)

285

1st place - Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force --> Oklahoma State)

5th place - Owen Trephan (NC State --> Lehigh)

6th place - Greg Kerkvliet (Ohio State --> Penn State)

7th place - Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma --> Michigan)

Wrestlers Who Went From A "Big" School To A "Small" School & Out Scored Where They Left

133: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) outscored NC State 1 to 0

141: Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) outscored Iowa 1 to DNQ and tied Oklahoma

149: Sammy Alvarez (Rider) outscored Rutgers and Oklahoma State 6.5 to 1 & 5

149: Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) outscored Michigan 1.5 to 0

197: AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield) outscored Oklahoma State 13.5 to 0

Team Points From Transfers

The following 34 teams had at least one transfer competing in Philadelphia.

Who Plays The Portal The Best?

The table below shows how teams performed in terms of points scored by transfers minus those scored by wrestlers who left. For example - Oklahoma State gets transfer points for Wyatt Hendrickson, Dean Hamiti, Troy Spratley, and Tagen Jamison but loses points from AJ Ferrari, Sammy Alvarez, and Jordan Williams.

Did Transfer Improve At Their Current Institution?

75% of the 73 transfers at NCAAs this year had their best (as determined by amount of NCAA team points scored) at their current institution. This does not include wrestlers who transferred but didn't qualify this year.

As I mentioned above, the data below is very surface-level. Also, an athlete's NCAA performance is not the only way to asses an entire season and/or gauge their value to a program.

The columns with NCAA points by year start at an athlete's earliest year on the left and then go chronologically toward the right. If viewing the following chart on a cell phone, I recommend you turn it sideways for a better view.