The end of August means the start of school, and it also means the offseason will soon give way to October and the official start of practice.

The beautiful thing about college wrestling is that all debates are settled at the end of the season with the NCAA tournament, and then arguments for next season begin all over again. Part of that conversation is always, "Who will place and win next year? Who will be back to place higher or defend their title?"

Returning All-Americans: 125 Pounds | 133 Pounds

Next up in our series of returning All-Americans is 141 pounds, where we again are making some guesses about guys going up in weight. Anthony Ashnault and Tommy Thorn left no guesswork, as they are for sure moving up in weight. All signs also point to Matthew Kolodzik heading up to 149, but the difficult ones are Kaid Brock and Tariq Wilson. The Cowboy junior and Wolfpack sophomore will appear below for now.

This weight returns a national champ and eight All-Americans, three of whom have placed twice. There seems to be a clear pecking order at the top, but 141 will once again be one of the deepest weights in the country.

Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell: 1, ?, ?, ?

This is the second time in history that two true freshmen won national titles in the same year, and both are back to defend their crowns. We already covered Spencer Lee in the 125lb returning AAs, and now at 141 we start with the one and only Yianni. He duplicated Kyle Dake's feat of winning an NCAA title as Cornell's 141-pounder the year after he graduated high school, and we all know how Dake's career turned out. 

But repeats are not guaranteed, especially with Jaydin Eierman and Joey McKenna back again this year. The last three true freshman champs (Mark Hall, Myles Martin, and J'Den Cox) did not repeat.

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Joey McKenna, Ohio State: 3, DNP, 3, ?

While injuries have forced Yianni to miss three straight years of Junior world team trials, McKenna spent this summer winning the U.S. Open and making it to Final X. Since transferring to Ohio State from Stanford, McKenna won a U23 world bronze medal and placed third at NCAAs, the same spot on the podium he took as a freshman at Stanford. McKenna and Yianni did not match up last year, but we could get a trilogy this year: CKLV in December, the February 22nd dual in Ithaca to end the regular season, and then at NCAAs in Pittsburgh.

Tariq Wilson, NC State: 3, ?, ?, ?

Wilson took full advantage of his Ohio roots, wrestling the best he had all season in getting third at NCAAs in Cleveland, including very nearly knocking off Seth Gross. His 24-2 takedown advantage at the national tournament seemed like less of a fluke and more like a breakout performance upon which to build. Hopefully, the injury that knocked him out of U23 Trials does not linger into the season.

Jaydin Eierman, Missouri: 5, 4, ?, ?

On FRL 300, we received a listener question about potential dark horses for the Hodge. The only one I could come up with was Eierman, in part because of his pinning and big move potential, and also because he now has wins over the last five years of champs at this weight. Now, Eierman would also have to get through McKenna, who he lost to in the third-place match at NCAAs and in the Open finals.

Nick Lee, Penn State: 5, ?, ?, ?

Although Nick Lee was a blue-chip recruit already, it appears spending his senior year in Happy Valley paid dividends for the Nittany Lions. The Indiana native was an offensive dynamo last year, able to beat just about anyone on his feet. But his is an interesting case for Penn State, who had a fifth placer as a true freshman 141 in Zain Retherford in 2014. But in all likelihood, Lee's not redshirting and growing into the 149lb buzzsaw that Zain became. But can Lee reach the heights of some of the other recent Nittany Lions, all of whom got the benefit of a redshirt?

Kaid Brock, Oklahoma State: 5, 5, ?, ?

Brock was not included in the list of returning AAs at 133 because we're operating under the assumption he's moving up to 141. Brock is one of the nation's most exciting wrestlers, and even with the embarrassment of riches the Cowboys have at the lower weights, it's hard to picture him on the bench. But 133 or 141, Brock will continue to be a fan favorite in Stillwater as he shucks his way to another All-American honor.

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Chad Red, Nebraska: 7, ?, ?, ?

Quite a few blue-chip high school recruits coming through last season. Red was #8 on the 2016 Big Board but came into Cleveland unseeded with nearly 10 losses. However, he stuck two-time defending champ Dean Heil in the bloodround to make up for a couple defeats during the season to guys who didn't place. He beat Lee in high school and was considered a better prospect coming out, so it's not difficult to picture Red moving up a couple spots on the podium.

Sa'Derian Perry, Old Dominion: DNQ, 8, ?, ?

What a wild ride it's been for Perry. He walked into NCAAs with a losing record, and then had the tournament of his life to become Eastern Michigan's first placer in almost 20 years. Then, the EMU administration unceremoniously and unprofessionally dropped the wrestling program. But the community in our sport rallied around him and the other former Eagles, with Perry finding a new home at Old Dominion. I don't think there would be many upset to see him stick it to his former school and place again this season in Pittsburgh.