Transfer Portal 2026 + Other team movements

[McScoreley]

On Flo, they said the NCAA asked USA Wrestling what criteria they should use, and followed their guidelines. AJ was an age level champ (or placer?) at some point and that qualified him. This one isn’t really on the NCAA

It's not and hopefully in 2028, this will be revised. If you are deferring eligibility in the name of the Olympics, I don't see how you can argue you are doing it without being qualified for OTT.

For the record, Alex Facundo qualified for the ORS via his former U17 medal but the difference is Facundo also qualified for 2024 OTT via Farrell and competed well at Trials.

 

[Nitlion1986]

They’ve yet to land one of these guys but if Iowa got Crookham, Garvin, and AJ they might have the #2 team

And 6 or 7 of matches in PSU dual might be hotly contested

PSU wins 125, 133 v Crookham, 149, 157, 165 with bonus v Garvin, 197
Toss-up 141 until we see who is wrestling
174, by the time we get to the match PSU will be favored
184 and Hwt.
So PSU is favored in 6 weights and probably wins 3 of the 4 toss ups.
Not all that contested.
Iowa will not beat in a dual nor finish ahead of Okie State in the tournament.

Those additions simply mean Iowa, if they wrestle a good tournament again, can win a team trophy.

 

[Str8dblz]

They have to get those three to be serious podium contenders. They won't push for 2nd regardless of who they sign this year. Also, I doubt Garvin goes to Iowa. Crookham might, but if his degree is any indicator I'd doubt it. Iowa doesn't offer anything meaningful in a graduate program for his chosen field of study. Michigan,however, does and it's a good program.

Crookham has way to many injuries and will be eggshells until he's unfortunately injured again.

 

[Misalorales]

Crookham has way to many injuries and will be eggshells until he's unfortunately injured again.

I hate this fact because he was and is so darn good. But yea, I agree. Him making it through even a light big ten schedule, tournament,and march seems unlikely.

 

[RockyChi]

PSU wins 125, 133 v Crookham, 149, 157, 165 with bonus v Garvin, 197
Toss-up 141 until we see who is wrestling
174, by the time we get to the match PSU will be favored
184 and Hwt.
So PSU is favored in 6 weights and probably wins 3 of the 4 toss ups.
Not all that contested.
Iowa will not beat in a dual nor finish ahead of Okie State in the tournament.

Those additions simply mean Iowa, if they wrestle a good tournament again, can win a team trophy.

174 - Henckel vs Arnold - Tossup; Arnold lost 4-2 Haines, 4-1 SV McNelly, AA at 197 up a few weights

141 - Bailey vs PSU - Unless this is Ono or Blaze this is a toss up

184- Welsh vs Ferrari - Tossup, Welsh beat Angelo twice in TB but Ferrari was not at 100%

HWT - Keuter vs Mirasola; Tossup

133 - Lean PSU even if Crookham

197- Barr favorite AJ - AJ might keep it close, could be OT match

149 - SVN favorite but if Ryder Block could be a contest

The above are the 6-7 that could be contested. The tossups are about as close as toss ups can be. Dual would be at home though, thus agree 3/4 toss ups might be most likely but Iowa can win 3/4

This Iowa team can sweep the upper weights 174 and up from Okie State so they would definitely be a threat for #2

 

[McScoreley]

Acknowledging folk is a different animal but Henckel and Gabe was basically deadlocked after Gabe spent a year in Iowa's room in 2024 2 years ago before Henckel made a very noticeable jump the next year.

That summer, Henckel lost (pretty handily) to Ryan Burton at Fargo. Following summer, he 10-0'ed Brock Mantanona twice and won U20 Silver (losing to a legitimate senior level wrestler on a controversial call and a cold spray break)

It'll be close, nobody scores more than 1 takedown on Gabe Arnold a match but I like our guy there

 

[Goggles Paisano]

Look at it this way. It might take 2 full seasons of AJ's antics to get TnT fired.

 

[donboy6499]

Acknowledging folk is a different animal but Henckel and Gabe was basically deadlocked after Gabe spent a year in Iowa's room in 2024 2 years ago before Henckel made a very noticeable jump the next year.

That summer, Henckel lost (pretty handily) to Ryan Burton at Fargo. Following summer, he 10-0'ed Brock Mantanona twice and won U20 Silver (losing to a legitimate senior level wrestler on a controversial call and a cold spray break)

It'll be close, nobody scores more than 1 takedown on Gabe Arnold a match but I like our guy there

Yeah my thoughts exactly.

 

[El_Jefe]

It's not and hopefully in 2028, this will be revised. If you are deferring eligibility in the name of the Olympics, I don't see how you can argue you are doing it without being qualified for OTT.

For the record, Alex Facundo qualified for the ORS via his former U17 medal but the difference is Facundo also qualified for 2024 OTT via Farrell and competed well at Trials.

This sounds great in a vacuum. When looking at Olympic Trials qualification criteria, it affects only the U17 world medalists. U20/U23 world medalists are automatically qualified for Olympic Team Trials. Same for all past Olympic medalists.

Steveson qualified for 2024 Olympic Trials the day he medaled at 2021 Olympics. So "must qualify for Trials" wouldn't have affected him.

And if Ferrari had merely waited 1 more year to get his world medal, then he could spend his Olympic Shirt year in Soi Cowboy in Bangkok and show up at Trials, as long as he somehow passed the skin check.

 

[Walkon86]

Iowa State Bigman Daniel Herrera (our U23 representative) has entered the portal. Given he traveled overseas with seven Penn Staters and no doubt formed relationships…would he consider PSU…even though he might not start? He would add great depth and be a great workout partner for Cole and push each other?

 

[F7Mello]

"One or two years left"?????

Just wants to let everyone know he can count up to two, for schools requiring academic eligibility

 

[El_Jefe]

Iowa State Bigman Daniel Herrera (our U23 representative) has entered the portal. Given he traveled overseas with seven Penn Staters and no doubt formed relationships…would he consider PSU…even though he might not start? He would add great depth and be a great workout partner for Cole and push each other?

Never say never but I don't see it. He's leaving ISU because he wants to start, but incoming freshman Coby Merrill beat him 10-1 this year.

Also, he has 3 yrs left. We already have 3 HWTs with 3+ yrs left (Mirasola, Bundy, Brown). And we'll be likely going after a HWT in the 2028 class (Hoare or Hazelett) which means we'd have 4 in the 2029 season. With the 30-man limit, I don't see us having 4 guys anchored to one weight. Somebody gets left out.

As far as pushing Cole goes ... again, he lost 10-1 to a HS kid. And he wasn't great in his year as a starter, (22-15, 0-2 at NCAAs). I'm not sure how hard he pushes Cole in a room including Cael, Snyder, and Varner.

 

[Walkon86]

Never say never but I don't see it. He's leaving ISU because he wants to start, but incoming freshman Coby Merrill beat him 10-1 this year.

Also, he has 3 yrs left. We already have 3 HWTs with 3+ yrs left (Mirasola, Bundy, Brown). And we'll be likely going after a HWT in the 2028 class (Hoare or Hazelett) which means we'd have 4 in the 2029 season. With the 30-man limit, I don't see us having 4 guys anchored to one weight. Somebody gets left out.

As far as pushing Cole goes ... again, he lost 10-1 to a HS kid. And he wasn't great in his year as a starter, (22-15, 0-2 at NCAAs). I'm not sure how hard he pushes Cole in a room including Cael, Snyder, and Varner.

Cael is 46, Varner is 39 and Synder who isn’t that big a person, is 30.
Brown is a 215lber. But the rest of your comment seem right on.

 

[RockyChi]

Acknowledging folk is a different animal but Henckel and Gabe was basically deadlocked after Gabe spent a year in Iowa's room in 2024 2 years ago before Henckel made a very noticeable jump the next year.

That summer, Henckel lost (pretty handily) to Ryan Burton at Fargo. Following summer, he 10-0'ed Brock Mantanona twice and won U20 Silver (losing to a legitimate senior level wrestler on a controversial call and a cold spray break)

It'll be close, nobody scores more than 1 takedown on Gabe Arnold a match but I like our guy there

It’s labeled a toss up so it’s reasonable to think he will win. That said there’s already some anticipation of level jumping already built in to make this a toss up. In folk, so far his most highly regarded victory is 7-3 victory over Nick Fine, a 32 seed NQ.

 

[El_Jefe]

Cael is 46, Varner is 39 and Synder who isn’t that big a person, is 30.
Brown is a 215lber. But the rest of your comment seem right on.

Brown's HS weight is irrelevant for a college roster. He's a college HWT.

 

[jstross]

Brown's HS weight is irrelevant for a college roster. He's a college HWT.

He's got the frame to be plenty big enough in a few years when he's needed.

 

[tullfan68]

They’ve yet to land one of these guys but if Iowa got Crookham, Garvin, and AJ they might have the #2 team

And 6 or 7 of matches in PSU dual might be hotly contested

LOL doesn't matter who they get there not winning ,how many will be ranked higher than PSU GUYS?

 

[RockyChi]

LOL doesn't matter who they get there not winning ,how many will be ranked higher than PSU GUYS?

I provided a detailed post on the dual matchups so you should do the counting yourself

And in case you think I highlighted them as a threat to PSU, I did not. Always read carefully.

 

[tullfan68]

I provided a detailed post on the dual matchups so you should do the counting yourself

And in case you think I highlighted them as a threat to PSU, I did not. Always read carefully.

LOL I didn't say anything like that!just said they won't win!

 

[GregPickel]

 

[PSU Mike]

Gee maybe a doctor can sign off on next year being an injury year too, then he can take another ORS in ‘28 and defer his last year until ‘29.

 

[GregPickel]

Gee maybe a doctor can sign off on next year being an injury year too, then he can take another ORS in ‘28 and defer his last year until ‘29.

Ha, yeah, "if the paperwork gets done correctly" was an interesting line.

 

[coastfan]

Is academically ineligible still a thing?

I remember when athletes had to reach certain academic benchmarks. I never read about it anymore.

I'm curious how so many kids, in all sports, can go from school to school and maintain eligibility for 6/7 years without a degree.

Penn State has a DT football transfer who will be in his eighth year since he started college.

 

[RockyChi]

LOL I didn't say anything like that!just said they won't win!

And clearly if I say PSU wins 3/4 of toss ups and every other match I’m not saying Iowa is a threat to PSU either

Some people should actively contribute to the forum. Others should just read and lurk. You probably fall into the second.

LOL, as you like to say

 

[CentexLion]

At first, I thought this was one of those cut-and-paste videos or an AI generated one. It cuts from Manning to two dudes at one table in an empty room. Secondly, I'm surprised that Manning didn't "coach speak" and say AJ is no longer on the team, and I won't answer anything more. But then he goes and conjectures on eligibility and a doctor sign-off will be needed, plus a knee injury that will require surgery soon. Just seemed weird. And I still am no fan of Manning. Waiting for someone to yell "Mark Manning Sit Down!!"

 

[GregPickel]

At first, I thought this was one of those cut-and-paste videos or an AI generated one. It cuts from Manning to two dudes at one table in an empty room. Secondly, I'm surprised that Manning didn't "coach speak" and say AJ is no longer on the team, and I won't answer anything more. But then he goes and conjectures on eligibility and a doctor sign-off will be needed, plus a knee injury that will require surgery soon. Just seemed weird. And I still am no fan of Manning. Waiting for someone to yell "Mark Manning Sit Down!!"

Ha, nah, I checked in to verify it was real.

As for the setup in the room: I'd assume most of the people were in the back plugged into the mult box to ensure good audio, and the two guys up front probably had someone else from their shop doing that, hence the setup. I also saw a TV reporter doing a standup afterward in the football practice facility, which tells me they held it in the usual football media room, which has more tables setup for a bigger turnout, I'd guess.

 

[BigFella235]

A possible under the radar landing spot for Herrera could be ASU.

Szuba is graduating, one of their freshman heavy’s is transferring, and they’ve got seven consecutive seasons of their HWT’s earning AA honors.

I’d have to imagine Herrera would take a long look at ASU if they came calling given it meets his criteria of starting right away and they can give him a chance to maximize his talent

 

[GregPickel]

 

[Matter7172]

If his name were AJ Ferrari, he'd have 6 or 7 years remaining.

 

[Hotshoe]

He sucks as a person, but he’s still a top 5 (at worst top 10) wrestler at his weight class., how about Arizona State?

God no, we've had enough issues losing talent, we don't need him.

 

[Junglekat]

I have no idea why, but something is screaming Virginia Tech to me.

 

[Hotshoe]

Penn State has a DT football transfer who will be in his eighth year since he started college.

Siale!

 

[Hotshoe]

I have no idea why, but something is screaming Virginia Tech to me.

Nebraska?

 

[vhsalum]

Nebraska?

yes

 

[Shifty15]

Seems to be lots of activity coming out of NC State?

 

[APrimusHokie]

I have no idea why, but something is screaming Virginia Tech to me.

Why would we need him?

 

[McScoreley]

I acknowledge Norman has a high ceiling and we should trust in Cael (especially after initial doubts about the Welsh/Ryder trade) but literally nothing about it makes sense unless Henckel is literally saying he's bored and wants the competition.

Another main difference is Welsh was a former finalist (say what you want about his path, he gave up one regulation takedown the entire year, to Carter) and we've learned Ryder was injured. Norman has one trip to NCAAs, he did have an impressive match against O'Toole but also finished 1-2.

 

[paleryder]

And clearly if I say PSU wins 3/4 of toss ups and every other match I’m not saying Iowa is a threat to PSU either

Some people should actively contribute to the forum. Others should just read and lurk. You probably fall into the second.

LOL, as you like to say

Sometimes it helps to know and understand a person's backstory. TF has an undying passion for PSU wrestling. And yes, he can sometimes be a handful and his posts are rather confusing at times but here's what you dont know about TF:
He's a decorated Vietnam combat vet that survived a hell on earth. And unless you were there,it's indescribable. Imagine surviving that and come home and learn years later that you've been dealt the "Orange Death".
Each day that I see a post from TF I take comfort in knowing that he's survived to fight another day. Might I suggest you put him on ignore??

Thanks,
Have a great day

 

[donboy6499]

And clearly if I say PSU wins 3/4 of toss ups and every other match I’m not saying Iowa is a threat to PSU either

Some people should actively contribute to the forum. Others should just read and lurk. You probably fall into the second.

LOL, as you like to say

Yuck, none of this is that serious.

 

[Misalorales]

I acknowledge Norman has a high ceiling and we should trust in Cael (especially after initial doubts about the Welsh/Ryder trade) but literally nothing about it makes sense unless Henckel is literally saying he's bored and wants the competition.

Another main difference is Welsh was a former finalist (say what you want about his path, he gave up one regulation takedown the entire year, to Carter) and we've learned Ryder was injured. Norman has one trip to NCAAs, he did have an impressive match against O'Toole but also finished 1-2.

What am I missing? Is lorenzo norman to PSU a rumor or something?