Summer months mean the hot stove season for NCAA D1 college wrestling. And while we're in the midst of freestyle, with Final X just around the corner, there is still plenty of news to catch up on from the transfer portal. 

Now, there are a lot of rules involving the transfer portal, more and more every day, in fact. There are also courts, lawsuits, and rulings that continue to reshape the landscape.

I cannot tell you how everything is going to play out or what the rules will be going forward. The people who might be able to do that wear pinstripe suits and charge $1,000 an hour for their time and expertise, whereas I am but a humble newsletter blogger.

What I do know, however, is that our very own Jon Kozak has been admirably keeping track of every transfer in his aptly named Transfer Tracker, which allows us to see which new singlets so many high-caliber competitors will don in the 2026-27 NCAA Division I wrestling season. 

We won't be covering every athlete who entered the transfer portal in this article, so check the link if you think we overlooked anyone. 

Biggest Names Still on the Market

AJ Ferrari

The mercurial 2021 NCAA champion and three-time All-American has stated that he will likely compete at 197 pounds next season and will make an announcement regarding his next destination in "the next couple of weeks." It will be AJ's fourth program since he started his career in Stillwater.

Ferrari also placed third in 2025 for Cal State Bakersfield at 197 and sixth last season at heavyweight for Nebraska. AJ's brother, Angelo, also placed sixth last season for the Iowa Hawkeyes at 184 pounds, and AJ has stated that he would like to wrestle on the same team as his younger sibling. Ferrari previously committed to Iowa in 2023, though he ultimately never matriculated in Iowa City.

Meyer Shapiro

The Maryland native is on the move after reaching the podium three times for Cornell. Shapiro placed third, fifth, and eighth over the last three seasons for the Big Red, all at 157 pounds.

Shapiro started last season ranked fourth in the nation and remained in the top 10 throughout the year.

Watch Shapiro record a tech-fall at Journeymen's National Collegiate Duals:

Biggest Pickups So Far

Vincent Robinson

Nebraska got excellent value out of the transfer portal last season by adding All-Americans Chance Lamer at 149 and AJ Ferrari at heavyweight. Lamer is out of eligibility and Ferrari is back in the transfer portal, but the Huskers stayed active this offseason with the addition of 2025 NCAA champion and 2026 fourth-place finisher Vincent Robinson, who comes to Lincoln by way of NC State.

Robinson has two years of eligibility remaining and is the presumed starter at 125 pounds after Kael Lauridsen manned the position last season.

Ryan Crookham

Injuries have snake-bitten Ryan Crookham over the last two years. The Lehigh graduate was kept off the mat during the postseason in each of the last two seasons. But when he wrestled for the Mountain Hawks as a redshirt freshman, the blue-chip recruit showed what he was capable of by finishing third at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Crookham, a Lehigh Valley native, now has two years of eligibility left and will presumably take over the 133-pound starting spot for the Hawkeyes following the graduation of NCAA finalist Drake Ayala.

Anthony Echemendia

Cuban native Anthony Echemendia has taken perhaps the most circuitous path to Lincoln, Nebraska, of any Cornhusker wrestler in Big Red history. But now, after two years at Ohio State and three seasons at Iowa State, including two All-American finishes (fifth at 141 pounds in 2024 and sixth at 141 pounds in 2026), Echemendia is ready to run out of the tunnel for Nebraska at 149 pounds in the 2026-27 season.

Watch Echemendia win a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title: 

Bennett Berge

2022 U20 silver medalist and 2023 U23 bronze medalist Bennett Berge elected to enter the transfer portal after three varsity seasons at South Dakota State. The high-water mark of Berge's career in Brookings came during his freshman season, when the Minnesota native placed fourth at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Berge will have the opportunity to match or exceed that finish at Oklahoma State in 2026-27. The Cowboys also have Lorenzo Norman, Alex Facundo, Zack Ryder (who placed eighth at 184 pounds at the 2026 NCAAs), and true freshman Michael White, all of whom could factor into the lineup at 184. A "good" problem for head coach David Taylor to contend with.

Zan Fugitt

Fugitt placed fourth at the NCAA Championships as a freshman for Wisconsin in 2025, then took a redshirt season before going 1-2 at the national tournament during his sophomore campaign.

He'll have at least two seasons of eligibility remaining for Missouri, depending on how the pending "5-for-5" rule shakes out. Doesn’t ask us if that’s happening, high paid lawyers have to figure that one out, not humble and grateful wrestling bloggers. 

Jaxon Smith

Grad transfer and Georgia native Jaxon Smith has one year of eligibility left. He qualified for each of the last three NCAA Championships and placed sixth in 2025, the highest finish of his career. Ohio State will get one year of his services.

Smith may cut down to 174 pounds to allow Dylan Fishback to continue manning the 184-pound spot. Smith wrestled at 197 during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Paddy Gallagher

Does the 2026 eighth-place All-American at 165 pounds have another year of eligibility left? If so, he'll be a great pickup for any program looking for a proven middleweight.

Massoma Endene

Endene had a brief, though volcanic, first semester at Iowa that saw him rocket to the top ten of the national rankings. Endene spent a redshirt season at Iowa Lakes Community College before reeling off three straight NCAA DIII titles at Wartburg. His last collegiate match, however, was in November of 2025, providing Endene with one more year of eligibility and big upside potential at 197 for whoever snaps him up.

Watch Endene pick up a pinfall at National Duals Invitational: 

The Wolf of Wall Street "I'm Not Leaving" Group

Despite being a reprehensible criminal, Jordan Belfort still inspired a memorable scene in the Golden Globe-nominated film by Martin Scorsese, which we have referenced to allude to a trio of Stanford wrestlers who entered the transfer portal but opted to continue their academic and athletic careers at the institution to which they originally committed. 

Hunter Garvin

The Iowa native who earned All-American honors for the Cardinal in 2024 (sixth) and 2025 (also sixth) entered the portal before deciding to return to the comfy confines of Palo Alto.

Watch Hunter Garvin earn the dub at the NWCA All-Star Classic: 

Tyler Knox

Another two-time All-American: eighth in 2025 at 133 pounds and sixth in 2026 at the same weight? That's right. The Bay Stater is not leaving Pal Alto and has two years of eligibility left. 

Nico Provo

The leadoff man for the Cardinal is also staying home. The Stanford, Connecticut, native is returning to Stanford to defend his spot at 125 pounds and try to improve upon his third-place finish in 2026.

Lorenzo Norman 

Norman was not part of that group. The New Jersey native is on his way to Stillwater to try to break into the loaded Cowboy lineup. Norman is a grad transfer who qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2025.

Where To, Jordan Williams?

Oklahoma native Jordan Williams placed at both the U.S. Open and the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Was it enough to get him back onto the Iowa Hawkeyes roster? He had Iowa coaches in his corner, which is strong evidence that he's returning to Iowa City, though at the time of the publication of this article, Williams was still in the transfer portal. Which means the transfer portal is not done dispensing updates. Stay tuned for more news!