Competing with Penn State and Oklahoma State, Iowa Wrestling Faces Major Setback During Recruitment Season

The NCAA wrestling scene still hasn’t settled down from all the titular shifts it has experienced in recent weeks. As a new season dawns upon us, all the country’s top programs are scurrying to make the most of the transfer portal. With eyes on making the 2024-25 season a better one than the last, the Iowa wrestling program has eyes set on recruiting the best talents from around the country. With names like AJ Ferrari hinting at taking up the black and golden stripes for the upcoming season, things are looking bright. But not everything goes according to plan.

The Hawkeyes boast one of the most stacked rosters in the NCAA circuit. With 21 national titles, Iowa’s wrestling evokes a sense of reverence that can be matched by only a few. And yet, with Penn State’s recent dominance, the Hawkeyes have become all but a side character in Cael Sanderson’s canon. While the program sought to bring a change to the situation, an unexpected snag might hinder their chance to clinch the national title this time too.

Iowa wrestling faces a roadblock

Pat Mineo, founder of The Wrestling Room, posted on X early in the morning of June 25 about how Tom Brands attempted to add one of the best wrestling prospects in the country: Matt Ramos, the 2023 NCAA runner-up. With Drake Ayala, one of the program’s biggest stars, bumping up a weight class, Iowa needed to fill the void in the 125lb bracket. However, Brands & Co. was in for a surprise. “With Drake Ayala expected to move up to 133, Iowa just made a big offer to 125 lber. Matt Ramos (Purdue)… He declined,” reads the caption of the post.

The Boilermaker star Ramos is also the 2022 US Open champ, making him a formidable force, and understandably, and having him in the ranks could help a program like Iowa significantly to overcome its recent slump. For the wrestling connoisseur, the implication of this unexpected can send a tingle down the spine. Considering how Iowa’s two biggest opponents flexing their muscles, this could well be the final nail in the coffin.

Hawkeyes’ foes are busy beefing up

For obvious reasons, Penn State is the team to beat right now. Under Cael Sanderson’s able leadership, the NLWC wrestlers have been reigning over the national scene with an iron fist that hasn’t been experienced previously. Stars like Carter Starocci, Aaron Nagao, Beau Bartlett, and Greg Kerkvliet are only some of the names who make Penn State the juggernaut it is today. Naturally, Iowa’s headache is acute.

On the other hand, Olympic gold medalist, and Penn State alum, David Taylor, recently moved to Oklahoma State as the Cowboys’ new head coach. Since then, OSU has also been projected as a team to watch out for next season. Now that Iowa has been denied recruiting a promising star, only time will tell if Brands can chance upon the secret ingredient that will allow his boys to hold their ground against their opponents next season. What are Iowa’s chances according to you? Tell us below!