“Hopefully this is a spark for us,” Gable Steveson said on the eve of his first day in office. First day? Well, he boasts of having stints on multiple platforms. College wrestling is one of those. For those who don’t know about him, in 2022, he left the platform to try his luck out in different realms. In the same year, he featured in WrestleMania 38. And in 2024, the Buffalo Bills signed him up for a defensive position in the NFL lineup. Yet he finds a “spark” in college wrestling while he has one year of NCAA eligibility left. Exciting to say the least!

Now consider his college wrestling camp, the Minnesota Gophers. Last season, the camp had two NCAA All-Americans. Vance Vombaur and Isaiah Salazar earned the honor. This season, the Gophers are placing high stakes on Steveson for the same accolade. A tough task for someone who has just returned to the fold after 900+ days’ break! But would it come down to the “spark” Steveson spoke about at the end? Would that “spark” help him claim that honor in his last college wrestling season? The fans would like to think in that way. But how is the man of the hour solidifying his status? 

A dominant statement came on February 7. The Indiana native won the challenge thrown by No. 4 Ohio State in the 285 weight category. The victory came through a 13-4 major decision. Also, it projected his “yet another day in the office” part. The result was Gable Steveson’s 61st straight victory. He achieved this remarkable feat with utmost modesty. The win becomes all the more admirable when we learn his opponent was Nick Feldman- the man who ended his high school wrestling journey with an impressive record of 142 wins against 17 losses!

Yes, this time there was no flexing of muscle or any hand gesture. Rather, the 24-year-old accepted the result and sat at the corner of the mat. He later shared the news of his victory on his Instagram. On Friday, the Gophers claimed a 20-17 result against the Buckeyes. For No. 7, the achievement is valuable as it might help improve the rank. Unexpectedly, the win over the Buckeyes marked the Golden Gophers’ first top-five triumph since 2022, the year when Gable competed for the final time before transitioning. Spark for the Olympian, right? 

In his next Instagram story, Gable revealed his emotions. Sharing snippets from the match, the two-time NCAA champion seemed all fired up, “Great fight!! Love the push!! Onto the next!!” Minnesota’s next wrestling match is scheduled for Sunday, against No. 28 Purdue. How will the Olympic champion show up that day? For now, fans can only speculate. But here is something to help out. 

Gable Steveson is finding his mojo despite facing questions about his decision 

Gable Steveson has aimed to find his “spark” in his last NCAA eligibility season. Right now, he is among the top three wrestlers in Gophers’ history with the longest streak of victories. But his decision to return to Minnesota in his last collegiate year raised many eyebrows. Especially after Minnesota’s loss against Nebraska this season, his decision didn’t make sense to many. But the champion wrestler remained firm on his decision to stick to the Gophers.

In fact, in his interaction with KSTP, Gable clarified, “Man, you just, um, in 2022 when I left, I just didn’t want to leave anything on the table. And I’ve tried to come back, um, once after that. And after everything, after getting through everything and finally getting back to come, coming back to the University of Minnesota, it’s just, uh, it’s a blessing in disguise.” Also, in his last college eligibility year, he has something to return to his program, “And so now, just being the older figure on the team, I like to put the pieces together for the next guy to step up and kind of take over that role.” So, Gable Steveson is right on his path to find the spark and use it to earn gold for the Golden Gophers.