Minnesota returns four All-Americans and nine national qualifiers to a team that tied Ohio State for fifth at the 2025 NCAA Championships. It was the highest national finish for head coach Brandon Eggum as he enters his 10th season. 

Eggum secured All-Americans Jore Volk (Wyoming) and Chris Cannon (Northwestern) from the transfer portal after losing Cooper Flynn (125) and Tyler Wells (133) to the transfer portal, and Tommy Askey (157), Isaiah Salazar (197), and Gable Steveson (285) to graduation. 

“The landscape is changing,” Eggum said. “We lost some guys to the portal and picked a few up that we needed. Some of the young guys in the lineup continue to grow and get better. 

“(Last year was about) utilizing the assistants to the best of their abilities. The assistant coaches did a lot of work with these guys. I can’t say enough positive things about them. We looked at the qualities of our recruits and they were the right type of people.

“It was a fun year because we had 10 guys competing who went out there every time to give it their very best. It was a combination of talent and the right type of people. It was a fun season for us. Our goal was to be higher than fifth but I was proud of their effort all year long. We lost some close ones. We won some close ones. Our guys battled every time out there so it was a fun year for our fans and the coaching staff.”

The 2025-26 Golden Gophers will miss the star power of Gable Steveson, but Eggum has five wrestlers who have competed at the age-level World Championships, including 184-pounder Max McEnelly, who is the pre-season favorite at 184 pounds. 

“There are changes all over and there are some super teams picking guys up,” Eggum said. “It’s easy to look around the country and see there are a lot of quality teams out there. We feel good about the guys we have. We’re going to have guys fighting for spots. There are some young guys who will be in the line-up that have had good springs and summers. 

“We have a lot of belief that if we stay healthy, it should be a solid year for us. Picking up Jore at 125 was a nice assist. Losing Wells but getting Cannon is an awesome fit. Getting some leadership from guys who have proved themselves, I think should be a fun season for Gopher fans.”

Max McEnelly posted an impressive quarterfinal win at the 2025 NCAA Championships

2025-26 Minnesota Overview

Head coach: Brandon Eggum (10th season)

Assistants: Luke Becker, Zach Sanders, Michael Kemerer

2025 NCAA tournament finish: T5th

2025 NCAA tournament record: 21-17

2025 NCAA tournament points: 51.5

2025 Big Ten tournament finish: 4th

2025 dual record: 10-2 (6-2 Big Ten)

Returning national qualifiers: 9 (Jore Volk, Chris Cannon, Vance Vombaur, Drew Roberts, Andrew Sparks, Blaine Brenner, Clayton Whiting, Max McEnelly, Bennett Tabor)

Returning All-Americans: 4 (Jore Volk, Chris Cannon, Vance Vombaur, Max McEnelly)

Key Transfers: Jore Volk (Wyoming), Chris Cannon (Northwestern)

Last NCAA champion: Gable Steveson (2022)

Highest NCAA team finish: 1st (2001, 2002, 2007)

Highest NCAA team finish under Eggum: 5th (2025)

Most national placers in a season under Eggum: 4 (2017, 2019)

Probable Minnesota Lineup

125: Jore Volk, JR, 2-2
Volk returns home after two seasons at Wyoming. The 2022 U17 World champion took a medical redshirt after finishing seventh at the 2024 NCAA Championships. This weight is wide open for the Golden Gopher junior to make a splash. 

Eggum on 125: “We have an in-state guy coming back. We watched Jore as a kid growing up and we watched him in college. We know he’s a title threat. We’re getting time this summer to work with him and get to know him a little bit more. We’ve enjoyed having him around. He’s going to be a big part of our team, and he’s going to be a great leader. He’s the right guy to start us off for duals.”

133: Chris Cannon, SR, 5-9
Cannon enters his seventh college season and will complete his eligibility at Minnesota after stints at Northwestern and Michigan. The Oceanport, New Jersey, native finished seventh at the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Championships and fifth at the 2021 U23 World Championships. 

Eggum on 133: “Chris was up at 141 last year, and now he’s dropped to 133 for us. This is his final year, and he wants to go down, so it’s the right spot for him. We’ve seen him compete at the highest level. He’s a two-time All-American already, and he wanted to finish up here. It’s the perfect fit for us, with timing and what we needed. We’re excited to bring him on board.”

141: Vance Vombaur, SR, 26-7
Vombaur finished eighth at the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Championships and will be a key piece of Eggum’s line-up. He won half his matches by bonus points last season and is seeking a higher spot on the podium. The Greeley, Colorado, native took eventual national champion Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) to the brink with a 6-5 TB loss during the dual, but fell to him 17-5 at the NCAA Championships. He can be a title threat if he closes the gap on the top tier wrestlers at the weight. 

Eggum on 141: “Vance is already a two-time All-American with two years left with a chance to become a four-time All-American. He’s an amazing leader and one of the fan favorites here because he’s fun to watch, he’s hard to finish on, he’s goofy, he scrambles, he’s high energy, he pushes the pace, attacks, and he’s good in all three positions. He’s been a great part of this team.” 

149: Drew Roberts, SR, 14-9
Roberts qualified for the 2024 NCAA Championships but didn’t qualify last season. He faced many of the nation’s top wrestlers during a tough Big Ten schedule, going 6-6 in duals. 

Eggum on 149: “We’re hoping this is a breakthrough year for Drew. He’s put a lot of time in this spring. For us to have another great year, we need to have a guy like Drew to step up. He’s been a national qualifier a couple of times so he’s right there. He just has to take that next step.”

157: Charlie Millard, FR, 13-2
Millard had a solid redshirt season, notching a 10-3 win over South Dakota State’s Cobe Siebrecht when he was used during a dual. He lost to Northwestern’s Trevor Chumbley, 6-5, on Feb. 23 before Chumbley finished fourth at the NCAA Championships. 

Eggum on 157: “If you watched him last year, he has some good wins. He’s a great folkstyle wrestler. Great in all positions. Good gas tank. Scores a lot of points. Great scrambler. Really, really tough on top. For a redshirt to come out and pick up some wins for us, he’s a good competitor. 

165: Andrew Sparks, SR, 24-9 or Blaine Brenner, SR, 10-5
Minnesota has two quality options here, led by four-time national qualifier Andrew Sparks, who is seeking his first trip to the podium. He is 3-8 at the NCAA Championships. Brenner will push for the spot after qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Championships, when Sparks was a 174.

Eggum on 165: “Sparks has been in the hunt with some of the best guys. I thought last year was the most composed I’ve seen him as an athlete. Coming out of high school, he was fairly new to wrestling. He had only wrestled for a few years. I feel like his best year is ahead of him. 

“Blaine has had some good results. His frame and his body has grown since we recruited him. It’s crazy to see the change in his body. He continues to get bigger and stronger. He’ll definitely be fighting for that spot.”

174: Clayton Whiting, JR, 18-12 or Ethan Riddle, SO, 16-6
Whiting was the starter all of last season and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Riddle will battle for the spot after competing in six open tournaments last season. 

Eggum on 174: “We have a good battle between Clayton and Riddle. Riddle missed his entire redshirt year with a knee injury. We’ve seen a lot of growth out of him. I thought Clayton showed a lot of growth from the beginning of the season. Those two will battle for that spot at 174. That’s one people are excited about to see who comes out on top.”

184: Max McEnelly, SO, 25-2
As a freshman, McEnelly finished third behind NCAA champions Carter Starocci (Penn State) and Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) — taking both to sudden victory in the postseason. He won 19 of his 25 matches by bonus points and is the pre-season favorite at 184 pounds. A 2022 U17 World bronze medalist, McEnelly will represent the United States at the 2025 U20 World Championships. 

Eggum on 184: “He had a phenomenal freshman year, and he just made a U20 World Team. He scores a lot of points with an amazing mindset and belief in himself, and then he goes out and wins. His mat wrestling is one of the biggest areas of growth I’ve seen since coming into the program. He was a two-sport athlete. He played football half the year and wrestled the other half. He’s starting to make some real gains now that he’s focused on wrestling. He still has a high ceiling. He’s a winner.” 

197: Gavin Nelson, SO, 10-0 or Gabe Nagel, SR, 9-3
Nelson finished fifth at the 2021 U17 World Championships and won the 2025 U23 National Championships. He won three early opens but was sidelined with an injury. Nagel wrestled in one varsity dual, dropping a 7-1 match to Purdue’s Ben Vanadia. 

Eggum on 197: “We’ll have some guys battling for this spot. Nagel has been there but Gavin has had a good summer. He won the U23 National Championships. He was undefeated in opens but was injured and didn’t get to compete the second half of the season. We’re excited to watch him develop. Those guys will be battling. Nagel is consistent and will fight for that spot.”

285: Koy Hopke, FR, 0-0 or Bennett Tabor, SR, 11-5
No one is Gable Steveson, but Hopke is a 2022 U17 World champion with upside. Tabor was behind Steveson but qualified for the 2024 NCAA Championships before Steveson returned for the 2025 season. 

Eggum on 285: “We have a couple of good heavyweights. Koy Hopke made the U17 World Team. He had a good Vegas and U20s. He’s a strong competitor, and I think he will battle Tabor for that spot. Tabor has been a starter for us in the past. He was Gable (Steveson’s) backup last year, but he’s had some good results and has shown he can compete with some of the top heavyweights. He’s going to be fighting for that spot. It’s too close to call between these two. Whoever takes that spot can score points for us.”