Iowa wrestling roster and season forecast

However, there are still a few key battles to be resolved for a team aiming for stardom in 2025. The Hawkeyes brought in three high-profile transfers – Kyle Parco, Jacori Teemer and Stephen Buchanan – all of whom have All-America honors after multiple title aspirations.

There's a lot of emphasis on how they all got here, especially after Buchanan and Teemer arrived this fall. However, as Iowa head coach Tom Brands explained, all of these additions were within the rules since Buchanan and Teemer had good academic standings and chose to enroll at Iowa with no contact between the coaches until they chose Iowa were admitted to school and began classes.

From there, adding the two was a no-brainer.

“Really anyone with good academic standing who is making all the progress toward a degree can go anywhere at any time. “The rules have become very liberal as a result,” said Brands. “To answer your question, there are many ways to transition. There are many ways to skin a cat. I can tell you that we are open to this if certain personnel meet our cadre requirements. I don't have an opinion about whether this is good or not, good for athletics or not. The more people want to be here, the better.

Behind those three and returning players like Drake Ayala and Michael Caliendo, the Hawkeyes have a roster that should be well-equipped for podium finishes and a fight for the team trophy. Below is what this lineup could look like and what fans should expect this year. Iowa begins its season at Oregon State on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT.

2024-25 Iowa wrestling roster prediction

• 125 pounds – Kale Petersen/Joey Cruz
• 133 pounds – Drake Ayala
• 141 pounds – Ryder Block/Cullan Schriever
• 149 pounds – Kyle Parco
• 157 pounds – Jacori Teemer
• 165 pounds – Michael Caliendo
• 174 pounds – Gabe Arnold/Nelson Brands/Patrick Kennedy
• 184 pounds – Gabe Arnold/Nelson Brands
• 197 pounds – Stephan Buchanan
• 285 pounds – Ben Kueter

Iowa Wrestling's Ryder Block opens up about overcoming injuries

Iowa Wrestling's Ryder Block battles injuries and gets the starting position at 141 pounds

At 125, Petersen is currently on his way down, recovering from a cruciate ligament and meniscus injury and surgery. In 2022, his junior year of high school, he wrestled at 120 pounds but has been listed at 133/141 since arriving in Iowa.

Petersen said he feels good at the weight, but if 125 becomes unmanageable at any point, Cruz is there and will likely face Oregon State while Petersen recovers from that injury. Brands said Petersen is close to being ready and needs to keep up.

The reason 125 is up for grabs is Ayala's move to 133 after reaching the 125 NCAA finals. Despite the difficulty of the class, he should be a senior All-American.

At 141, Block appears to be the frontrunner. The three-time Waverly-Shell Rock state champion and two-time Fargo champion is coming off an injury but has all the tools to make an impact. Monitor veteran Schriever, who is currently chasing Block, will also fight here, but Brands says Block needs to seize the opportunity after securing the spot so far.

“Hey, take your chance now, stud,” Brands said of Block. “Don’t look back. Don’t turn this into a quarterback controversy.”

At 149 and 157, Arizona State transfers Parco and Teemer came to Iowa hoping to win national titles in their final seasons. Teemer is the title favorite at 157, while Parco is a four-time All-American and, on paper, has a plethora of top-notch wrestlers ahead of him. After them, Caliendo is the second-ranked wrestler in the country at 165 after his first season as a Hawkeye. This trio of transfers will be a huge blow to the NCAAs as they look to overtake the rest of the field and catch up to Penn State.

Iowa Wrestling Interview with Gabe Arnold at Media Day

Iowa Wrestling's Gabe Arnold on the position battles at 174, why he believes everything will work out

The biggest question for this lineup is 174 and 184. Arnold, Nelson Brands and Kennedy have all indicated that 174 is where they want to be. Arnold and Brands also competed at 184. Kennedy is also listed at 165 and could challenge Caliendo again.

Against Oregon State, Nelson Brands will be at 174 and Arnold will be at 184, but Tom Brands said that contest is still ongoing. Arnold laughs a little at the idea of ​​a controversy between the four.

“Everything will work itself out,” said Arnold. “Whether it’s the coaches, the boys or us. I think the man upstairs works in a strange, strange way. I think things will work out the way they’re supposed to.”

Internally, Angelo Ferrari, aged 184, has attracted attention as a highly talented newcomer in this group. Given the recent history of how the Hawkeyes have handled first-year wrestlers, he is expected to redshirt.

Rounding out the lineup is a national title contender in Stephan Buchanan at 197, Flowrestling's No. 1 weight. Former junior world champion Ben Kueter is a heavyweight. Kueter's development is of great importance to the Hawkeyes, as his NCAA score has the greatest chance of fluctuating given his performance level and lack of college experience to date.

Iowa Wrestling Media Day Interview with Nelson Brands

Iowa wrestling's Nelson Brands describes the emotions leading up to his final college season

Iowa wrestling season forecast

Add in three multiple All-Americans, two of whom are preseason national title favorites, and you clearly have one goal in mind: winning a national team title.

In many years this squad could be enough for this. Six All-Americans are on the roster, with several emerging talents like Kueter, Arnold and Block set to break through.

But with Penn State returning several top-tier title contenders and a room full of talent after breaking the NCAA team scoring record, it's a tough mountain to climb. Still, the Hawkeyes should be in for a good year after missing several milestones in 2024.

Forecast: Runner-up at NCAAs, eight All-Americans.

Iowa Wrestling Media Day Interview with Stephen Buchanan

Iowa Wrestling's Stephen Buchanan on his arrival to Iowa and what he noticed about the team's culture when he arrived

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.