A lot of talent at 74, arguably the most active out of all the others, about half of the top 10 currently listed ,5 of them have moved up or down to wrestle here. Several returning All-Americans, things will be interesting this year.
#1. Levi Haines- Hard to admit even as Iowa matmen, but give credit to where it is due. He already shut Keegan O’Toole out at the World Team Trials this year and yes it was freestyle and yes he’s moving up in weight. But he’s filled out and looks like a big 74, almost unrecognizable compared to this past season at 57. The main reason is shear momentum, he looked so confident against O’Toole and is highly expected to stay undefeated. 48-2 overall at a 96% win rate. Preseason rank of #2 with Flo and #2 with wrestlestat.
#2. Keegan O’Toole- Has to be number two and while he may have had a an off day at the World Team Trials, a rematch could look a whole lot different in folk. Keegan has seemed to struggle a lot with freestyle anyways. sWe can’t count him out, to his credit he’s a professional scrambler and exemplified great success against David Carr when he was still around, will it bring a different dynamic to a rematch? Of course it will, the real question is, will it be enough to beat Haines monstrous offense. 93-4 overall at 95 percent win rate. #1 with Flo and wrestlestat.
#3. Dean Hamiti- Even though he he lost in the blood round this past year at 65, he gave Mesenbrink some serious trouble this past march at Big Tens and at one point was up 6-1. He’s capable of scoring against the top 2, has a hell of a gas tank and has some offensive skill. Hopefully the transfer to the Dave Taylor show at Oklahoma State has taught him more to add to that offensive skill set. 81-14 overall at am 85 percent win rate. #5 with Flo and #3 with wrestlestat.
#4 Lenny Pinto- The Nebraska junior is back and is down a weight class, back at his more natural weight class of 174. He is a prefect 2-0 on the year and is currently ranked 6th by Flowrestling. In high school he was a Pennsylvania state champion and 2019 Fargo National Champion. He has quality wins over DJ Parker, Ryder Rogotzke, and Jaden Bullock.
#5 Nelson Brands- there is a case for someone up and coming at this spot, but with our bias and some rightful facts Brands belongs here. Beating out Dustin Plott twice and Isaiah Salazar once makes him 3-0 against like opponents with Bennett Berge but being at 74 changes things. Can he wrestle the same way with the weight cut. With last year off due to allegations, many believe he’s not ready to compete. After a 2-1 start this year, shaking off the bugs is to be expected. 43-20 record overall with a 68 percent win rate. Preseason rank of #5 with Flo and #10 with wrestlestat.
#6. Carson Kharchla-Carson is in his final season at Ohio State and is a returning all-american after placing 7th in 2022. He was a2x Ohio state champion, as well as an Ironman and Fargo champion with a 101-4 career record. So far in college he has a 68-15 record and has impressive wins over Cam Amine, Alex Marinelli, Alex Facundo, and Michael Caliendo.
#7. Cade Devos- Finished 5th last year at nationals with South Dakota State, very important to note they have developed him into something special. He didn’t have the flashy high school record that everyone else on this list has had and honestly fell into a slump after his dynamic freshman season. Last year turning things around going 26-3, we could expect to see something big out of him in his final year of eligibility. 107-36 overall with a 74 percent win rate. #4 with Flo and #4 with Wrestlestat.
#8. Simon Ruiz- Almost a dark horse contender coming off a 14-1 redshirt freshman year with Cornell, he could almost be higher on list solely based on riding Rocco Welsh into overtime just barely losing to him. A victory against seasoned Lennox Wolak displays that he can compete at the All American level. Is not ranked with either Flo or Wrestlestat.
#8. Lennox Wolak- Placed 6th last year at nationals, losing first to Rocco Welsh by SV then losing to Mekhi Lewis. Taking him to a 5th place match against Cade Devos whom he beat in the Semi-finals but fell short to at nationals, which gives him a perfect spot on our list. Already off to a good start this year at 2-0 pinning both Ethan Riddle and Clayton Whiting at the Mountaineer Invitational. 60-33 overall entering his final year of eligibility at a 64 percent win rate. #7 with Flo and #5 with Wrestlestat.
With a whole lot of transfers and weight shifting we will see if some of these guys wrestle better here, we believe it truly is a two man race and will be challenging for anyone outside of Haines and O’Toole to come and take this storied rematch away.