Following Carter Starocci’s Penn State Return, Michigan’s Cameron Amine Also Comes Back For 5th Year

The country’s collegiate wrestling fans have been treated with an unexpected gift that they’re still coming to terms with. After a disappointing run at the US Olympic Trial, the four-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci recently announced his return to Penn State for another year. But the NLWC wrestler won’t be the only one to use his extra year of eligibility as Michigan State’s Cameron Amine also eyes one last shot at the national title.

The three-time All-American wrestler has been revealed to have entered the transfer portal after spending four seasons with the Wolverines. In the 2022/23 season, Amine finished 4th in the NCAA tournament in the 165lb weight class and is currently a redshirt senior. According  to an article by FloWrestling, the Cliff Kleen wrestler followed the footsteps of his cousins, Malik and Myles Amine, to the Wolverines squad, but is now looking to end his collegiate career under a different banner as he has entered the transfer portal.

Amine entered the transfer portal on May 3, which was also the last day the wrestlers could enlist for the portal until the next season. With the latest development, Amine joins a long list of athletes who will be potentially returning for one last ride with hopes of clinching NCAA glory before hanging up their collegiate boots forever.

Amine’s 2024 NCAA run ended in the quarterfinals after being subdued by Penn State’s Micthell Mesenbrink. While his reign ended only a match shy of another All-American honor, Amine might as well be looking at another successful year to extend his 65-21 overall record in NCAA wrestling.

The transfer portal is looking to make tectonic shifts

Amine won’t be the only wrestler who will be returning to the collegiate scene to make use of the extra year of eligibility that was given to athletes whose careers were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023 NCAA champion from Northern Colorado Andrew Alirez was also recently revealed to be looking for a new camp for his final collegiate year. With Carter Starocci claiming to want to end his NCAA run on his terms and on a high note, it looks like more wrestlers are also in the mood to dictate their own terms and vying to hang their gloves at a time of their own choosing.

Gerrit Nijenhuis (174lb), the Sooners senior is another major name in the transfer portal list, while Kyle Parco (149) of Arizona State is an unexpected name that popped up on the list along with Air Force graduate Wyatt Hendrickson (285). With so many shifts waiting to happen, it remains to be seen how the nation’s top wrestling programs stack up for the next season and what their new recruits bring to the table to make their 2024/25 NCAA run a memorable one.