The latest episode of FloWrestling Radio Live previewed the 2026-27 Big 12 wrestling season, highlighted teams and wrestlers to watch, predicted conference champions and covered late-breaking U23 World Championships news.

• Subscribe To FloWrestling To Watch All The Action
• What's Streaming On FloWrestling This Week? Take A Look At The Schedule
• USA Wrestling Results At The 2026 U23 World Championships

Christian Pyles, Jon Kozak and JD Rader evaluated the Big 12 from top to bottom, breaking down under-the-radar teams, freshmen and breakout candidates, must-watch duals and individual matchups before making their conference championship predictions.

Here is a look at the biggest topics from Episode 1,270 of FRL.

USA Greco-Roman Off To Rough Start At U23s

The crew opened the episode with news from the 2026 U23 World Championships in Las Vegas, noting a challenging opening day for Team USA's Greco-Roman squad.

"Greco team not doing good," Rader reported. "All five that went yesterday eliminated. So that's unfortunate news for Team USA."

New D1 Wrestling Program Announced

The panel also highlighted major college wrestling expansion news as Robert Morris University announced the addition of a Division I men's wrestling program set to begin competition in 2027-28.

Kozak noted the immediate draw for athletes looking to break into the starting lineup.

"Man, if you want to be a D1 wrestler, and you want to start, it feels like a pretty good opportunity for you," Kozak said.

FRL Breaks Down The 2026-27 Big 12 Wrestling Season

The crew turned its attention to the Big 12, noting that the conference is bringing back regular-season dual champion recognition alongside its postseason tournament title.

Rader highlighted Wyoming as a major under-the-radar team, pointing out that the Cowboys enter the year ranked No. 11 nationally despite slipping under many fans' radar. 

Pyles brought up Oklahoma as another team to monitor due to their portal additions, though he cautioned that the Sooners must translate incoming talent into postseason production.

"I think Oklahoma has the higher potential," Pyles said. "There's just a lot of talent, but turning that talent into Big 12 and NCAA production has eluded Oklahoma."

Pyles also highlighted Northern Iowa as a program that consistently punches above its weight.

"This is a team where it feels like year-in and year-out they punch above their weight," Pyles said. "A guy's going to emerge that you're not going to really expect."

The hosts identified several potential breakout wrestlers across the conference. West Virginia's Gunner Andrick and Wyoming's Luke Willochell were singled out, with Kozak calling Willochell a must-watch second-year wrestler.

"If you don't know Luke Willochell, you should watch him," Kozak said. "One of the few wrestlers to take down Marcus Blaze last year also."

Oklahoma State transfer Lorenzo Norman was also highlighted as a potential breakout candidate who could contend for a conference title.

"Unranked wrestler, Lorenzo Norman," Pyles said. "From unranked to potentially Big 12 champion, I wouldn't rule it out."

Jayden Rainey Leads Big 12 Freshmen To Watch

Oklahoma State freshman Jayden Rainey emerged as the consensus top freshman to watch in the conference.

"It would not be crazy to see Jayden Rainey top three," Kozak said. "Outside shot making the national finals."

Oklahoma State teammate Dreshaun Ross and Missouri's Seth Mendoza were also discussed as highly touted newcomers expected to make immediate noise, while Iowa State heavyweight Coby Merrill was highlighted as an intriguing prospect transitioning his elite freestyle skill set into Division I folkstyle.

Iowa State-Arizona State Headlines Must-Watch Big 12 Duals

The panel highlighted several compelling dual meets on the Big 12 slate, led by Iowa State hosting Arizona State in Ames on Jan. 10.

"Top-to-bottom really solid dual that I would say absolutely tune in to this one, Iowa State versus Arizona State, January 10th in Ames," Rader said.

Among individual matches, Sergio Vega vs Seth Mendoza was highlighted as one of the most anticipated potential showdowns due to both wrestlers' high-level scrambling abilities.

"Mendoza's a guy, he's going to get in there and he's going to scramble with you," Kozak said. "Obviously, we know Vega the same. I think that could be a really, really fun match."

Other anticipated individual clashes included Kaleb Larkin vs Lorenzo Norman, Jax Forrest vs Luke Willochell, and Coby Merrill facing elite heavyweight competition.

Oklahoma State Picked To Win Big 12 Championship

There was complete consensus among the hosts regarding the Big 12 team title, with all three selecting Oklahoma State to win the conference championship.

The race for second place generated lively debate. Missouri was selected by Kozak and Pyles as the team runner-up, while Rader backed Iowa State.

Jax Forrest was named the panel's consensus pick for Big 12 Wrestler of the Year due to his rapid point-scoring ability.

"Point scoring just comes so much more natural to Jax," Pyles noted. "He just can score in bunches."

The hosts raised several key questions that will shape the conference season, centered heavily on Oklahoma State's starting lineup battles.

"As you go through it, it's like question marks at 141, 174, 184, and heavyweight," Kozak said. "You could see a lot of different guys out there by season's end."

The panel went weight by weight with Big 12 finals predictions, discussing potential champions.

The hosts also made several bold predictions. Rader boldly predicted Sergio Vega would give up five takedowns on the season, Kozak predicted Coby Merrill to be an NCAA finalist, and Pyles predicted Oklahoma State would emerge as a legitimate national team title contender to Penn State by the end of the year.

"By the end of the year, we're talking about this team race in a very real way," Pyles said. "I just think Oklahoma State is going to contend... The Cowboys got a shot."

U23 World Championships Preview & Predictions

Looking ahead to the men's freestyle division starting Friday in Las Vegas, Kozak ran through his weight-by-weight expectations for Team USA.

"This team's going to do pretty good," Kozak predicted. "At least that's my prediction."

Kozak predicted gold medal runs for Luke Lilledahl (57 kg), Ben Davino (61 kg), Bo Bassett (65 kg), and Jayden James (74 kg), while projecting a silver medal for Aeoden Sinclair (86 kg) and bronze medals for Justin Rademacher (97 kg) and Coby Merrill (125 kg). 

The panel projected a tight team race between Team USA and Russia.

New Features Launch Across FloWrestling Platforms

The crew also highlighted new feature rollouts across FloWrestling platforms, including redesigned athlete profile pages, a simplified mobile Scorekeeper app, and a brand-new FloWrestling Spotify channel featuring full matches, documentaries, and interviews.

FRL Returns Friday

The FRL crew returns Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. ET for its second show of the week to break down the start of the U23 World Championships for men's freestyle live from Las Vegas.

Take Your Wrestling Coverage to the Next Level With NextGen Wrestling

Looking for more ways to stay connected to the sport? NextGen Wrestling brings wrestling fans closer to the action with features built for the modern wrestling community. 

Follow the latest results, keep up with athletes and teams, explore rankings and matchups, and get the information you need in one place. 

Whether you're a coach tracking your team, a wrestler following the competition or a fan keeping tabs on the season, NextGen Wrestling makes it easier to stay informed from the first whistle to the final result.

Join the Conversation on Social

• Follow us on Twitter @flowrestling.
• Follow us on Instagram @flowrestling.
• Like us on Facebook.