The country’s collegiate wrestling circuit has undergone tectonic shifts over the past months. As the new season beckons, the nation’s top programs have been scurrying to secure the best talents, and no other move has attracted as much controversy as Olympic gold medalist David Taylor’s announcement to join OSU as head coach. However, the Iowa Hawkeyes are also refusing to leave things to sheer luck.

Only weeks ago, rumors sparked across the wrestling fraternity when Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez hinted at moving to Iowa for his final season. While that didn’t pan out ultimately, it seems like the Hawkeyes have other ways to compensate for missing out on recruiting the 2023 NCAA champion.

A recent couple of X posts by Justin Basch have shared news of the latest addition to the Iowa fleet. According to one post, the 2023 All-American Nelson Brands will be returning to his old camp for one final season. “Iowa’s Nelson Brands gets his medical exemption, will get one more year with the Hawkeyes.” informs Basch’s post. Brands competes in the 174lb weight class and is expected to be one of the biggest hurdles on Penn State’s Carter Starocci’s way to his fifth NCAA title.

Nelson has his admirers inside his own locker room as well as fans outside. Fellow 174-pounder Gabe Arnold once noted how competing alongside Brands can be a great motivation as the former said, “It’s just great having an All-American in the room that happened to be at 174… a guy that sometimes beats the piss out of me. It’s just great to have that guy in the room.” Hold your heart! That is not all.

Arizona’s 149-pounder Kyle Parco was also one of the biggest names that appeared on this year’s transfer portal. Basch’s other post elaborates that the graduate student will be headed to Hawkeye Central for the upcoming NCAA D1 season as well. “The Iowa @Hawks_Wrestling program lands 4x All-American Kyle Parco from the Transfer Portal.” reads the caption of the post.

With so many changes within the wrestling fraternity, it waits to be seen if the new season comes with enough thill to satiate the most passionate fans across the country. But for the Hawkeyes, things are looking promising, especially with the chance of proving their worth definitively against David Taylor and his new squad.

Iowa Hawkeyes looking to trounce their foes this season

The Hawkeyes had a pretty good run at this year’s national championship, albeit missing out on any major team achievements on the podium. However, that doesn’t mean they are lacing any talent. With names like Drake Ayala, Gabe Arnold, Real Woods, and Caleb Rathjen, it’s beyond any doubt that the Hawkeyes pose one of the most stacked rosters in the country. If that wasn’t all, rumors of AJ Ferrari joining their ranks swept Iowa fans off their feet.

The 197-pounder’s career has been tumultuous, to say the least, ever since his antics at last year’s Solider Salute where he was disqualified even after winning because of his behavior on the mat after winning. However, Ferrari never stopped training at Iowa, and if he actually joins the team, he could easily become the one to tip the scales in the Hawkeyes’ favor.

On the other hand, David Taylor’s move to Oklahoma, after his hopes of defending the Olympic gold in Paris, were cut short by Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks, drew the irk of many NLWC fans in the country. And yet, Taylor remains determined to make the most of the opportunity at hand. Oklahoma also holds more wins over Penn State than the other way around, making their clashes a treat for the fans. While OSU doesn’t have many national celebrity wrestlers, the team continues to dish out formidable performances every time on the mat.

Now, it waits to be seen if, in the upcoming year, the Hawkeyes can manage to usurp Penn State and OSU’s elite status with the latest additions to the attacking roster.