Top True Freshman To Watch This 2023-24 NCAA D1 Season
Top True Freshman To Watch This 2023-24 NCAA D1 Season
All the recent high school grads to keep an eye on during this upcoming 2023-24 NCAA D1 wrestling season!
A new NCAA collegiate wrestling season brings with it new speculation on which true freshman will have breakout seasons.
The recent NCAA rule that allows true-freshman to wrestle in up to five varsity events while retaining the ability to redshirt has added a little mystery to the process of projecting lineups. Coaches have more leeway to experiment with matchups and can test the waters with their first-years before officially using up a year of eligibility, which makes deciding postseason lineups in the preseason even more difficult.
We tried to stick to listing wrestlers who were in high school last season and who we think will be wrestling in this next postseason, but it's not always so simple. Not everyone is going to be wrestling in March for one reason or another, though we feel pretty confident everyone here will at least get a start or two on the varsity level. And if you think we’ve overlooked someone, please let us know!
To check out some notable names who are coming off a year of deferred eligibility, check out our redshirt report here: lightweights, middleweights, heavyweights.
To peruse the Class of 2023 Big Board, click here.
125 Pounds
Marc-Anthony McGowan, Princeton: When it comes to having big shoes to fill, McGowan is at the top of the list, as he will be following in the footsteps of Princeton legend Pat Glory, who was the Tigers’ first national champ since 1951. McGowan was #21 on the Class of 2023 Big Board and was a 2019 U17 World Champ in freestyle.
Watch scoring highlights of McGowan's victory over Ben Davino at the 2021 Walsh Ironman:
Vincent Kilkeary, Ohio State: Brendan McCrone is the projected starter right now but PA native Kilkeary, #34 on the 2023 Big Board, may force the Buckeye coaches to rip his redshirt up.
133 Pounds
Cael Hughes, Oklahoma State: Hughes would likely only make the Cowboy lineup if Daton Fix uses an Olympic redshirt this season, which we’re not expecting but is also not an impossibility.
Zan Fugitt, Wisconsin: Missouri product from powerhouse Nixa and #38 on the Big Board would have to beat redshirt freshman Nicolar Rivera for the starting job or move up to 141 and challenge Felix Lettuni to get to the postseason in his first collegiate season. Fugitt had a win over national qualifier Reece Witcraft while in high school.
141 Pounds
Mac Church, Virginia Tech: From Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Church was #29 on the 2023 Big Board and is the projected starter for the Hokies at 141.
Nasir Bailey, Little Rock: The Trojans may want to get their highest-ranked prospect in program history (#17 on the Big Board) on the mat sooner rather than later. Bailey is a Fargo, Ironman, and Illinois state champ.
Watch Nasir Bailey defeat Iowa commit Ryder Block at 2022's Who's Number One:
149 Pounds
Kannon Webster, Illinois: The Illinois native is staying home for college, and though it’s likely he’ll redshirt, the Fargo champ who was #13 on the Big Board may wrestle his way onto the Illini postseason lineup.
157 Pounds
#22 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell: As the top recruit in his class, Maryland native Shapiro was fittingly #1 on the Class of 2023 Big Board. He has earned gold medals at both the U17 and U20 world championships in freestyle (that’s very hard to do, by the way!) The sky is the limit for Shapiro, who is surrounded by some of the best practice partners imaginable in Ithaca.
Watch Meyer Shapiro win gold over Iran at the 2023 U20 World Championships:
Cody Chittum, Iowa State: While technically not on the Class of 2023 Big Board, Tennessee native Chittum also wasn't the redshirt report, so we wanted to include him here to ensure we didn't give you the impression that we didn't think Chittum would be making an immediate impact to the Cyclones this season.
Tyler Kasak, Penn State: The Nittany Lions are returning NCAA finalist Levi Haines to this weight, but Haines was a true freshman so has the ability to redshirt along with Kasak, who was #10 on the Big Board. Whoever has the best chance to score the most points at NCAA is likely who Coach Sanderson gives the postseason nod, but expect Kasak to at least get a few cracks at varsity matches thanks to the true freshmen redshirt rule.
Joey Blaze, Purdue: Though teammate Kade Law is the current projected starter, the Boilermakers will likely give Blaze, #18 on the Big Board, at least a few varsity duals this season. Kade Law and Joey Blaze would also make great names for the main characters in a buddy-cop movie, in our opinion.
165 Pounds
Nicco Ruiz, Arizona State: The Sun Devil lineup is a very tough one to break into, but Ruiz, who was #15 on the Big Board, may have the best shot of any of his first-year teammates.
174 Pounds
Brayden Thompson, Oklahoma State: Thompson is likely one of several new potential first-year starters for the Cowboys. The Illinois native was #4 on the 2023 Big Board. He also impressed at the 2022 US Open where he wrestled in the senior division and placed in the top 8, beating Mickey O'Malley and Muhamed McBryde in Vegas.
Gabe Arnold, Iowa: The Hawkeyes lineup may be the toughest to predict at the moment, but if Arnold’s services are needed this year, there are worse options to have than the #5 recruit in the country.
Rocco Welsh, Ohio State: Most likely Welsh will redshirt behind Carson Kharchla, but it’s certainly possible the second 2023 grad from Waynesburg High School on this list finds his way onto a postseason lineup.
Josh Barr, Penn State: The Nittany Lions are almost comically loaded at the middle weights between 157 and 174, but we would be remiss if we did not include Barr, the #7 recruit in his class, who, like his teammate Tyler Kasak, could wrestle his way to a starting job.
Watch Welsh and Barr wrestle at 2022' Who's Number One:
184 Pounds
Max McEnelly, Minnesota: McEnelly may redshirt behind 2023 bloodrounder Isaiah Salazar, or the 2022 U17 world bronze medalist in freestyle may wrestle his way on to the Gopher starting lineup this year. We wouldn't rule out the possibility of 197 either.
197 Pounds
Hayden Walters, Michigan: The Wolverines brought in a squad of transfers to help bolster their lineup and allow their many talented true freshmen to redshirt, however one weight where they may see one of their top recruits start is 197. Walters, a Crescent Valley High School grad from Oregon, was #31 on the 2023 Big Board.
285 Pounds
Ben Kueter, Iowa: Kueter checks in at #2 on the Class of 2023 Big Board. The Iowa City native is also a linebacker for the Hawkeye football team. The Iowa High School Athlete of the Year in 2023 and U20 World Champ in 2022 may be called on to do double duty, depending on the Hawkeyes’ needs at heavyweight this year.
Watch highlights of Kueter's gold medal performance at the 2022 U20 World Championships:
Christian Carroll, Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have a returning national qualifier Konner Doucet at this weight, so Carroll will have his work cut out for him if he’s going to make the postseason lineup. Carroll was #8 on the 2023 Big Board and made a U20 world team in both Greco and freestyle, so it would be unwise to count him out.