2020-21 NCAA D1 Pretend Preseason Rankings

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The NCAA has decided not to grant winter sport athletes another year of eligibility. These preseason rankings, however, have been assembled presupposing that those extra years were granted and that everyone elected to return and compete. We had to make a bunch of other assumptions too since it's April and all sorts of speculative lineup decisions have yet to be hypothetically made. So best not to take these too seriously, even though it would be incredibly cool if it happened. But no, only in our dreams. As real as it may seem, it will only occur in our dreams.

It was a year of young heavyweights in 2020, except for Tanner Hall, who will be twenty-eight by next March. But he will wrestle at NCAAs in the season that only exists in our dreams. Zach Elam will also be back, but he was taking a redshirt so we don't have to imagine that, we can watch it happen in real life. 

Also getting his first varsity matches next season is Greg Kerkvliet, who had to sit out last season after transferring from Ohio State to Penn State after the season started. 

Josh Hokit will have to put his budding NFL career on hold to wrestle another season with the Bulldogs. Demetrius Thomas will also get a chance to be an NCAA D1 All-American for the first time. We can also add Lewis Fernandes, who spent last season grey-shirting with the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club but will now attempt to become the first heavyweight All-American in Cornell program history. 

Questions or comments? Hit me up at @SpeyWrestle on Twitter or email me at Andrew.Spey@flosports.tv!

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