197 looks really good this year with some additions 6 out of the 8 guys on our list made All American last year, could just as easily mention AJ Ferrari as number 7 being that he hasn’t wrestled in a few years. and is a 2021 national champion.
#1. Stephen Buchanan- We think the only scenario working against Buchanan winning it all is the transfer to Iowa. We have seen a lot of guys come into Iowa on a sweetheart deal and underperform. More of the middle weights and lighter weights have competitive back ups with Patrick Kennedy and Caleb Rathjen, not so much at 97. We all know Iowa likes to train hard, will it affect Buchanan who’s not used to the pace? His success this year already tells otherwise, knocking out Trey Munoz who was ranked 4th and has now moved down a slot to #5. He is our pick for a title win this year. 88-25 overall at 77 percent. Preseason rank of #1 with Flo and #1 with wrestlestat.
#2. AJ Ferrari- with the exception of an injury in 2022 he’s only seen 3 collegiate matches since then. Pure conjecture but he puts out a lot of videos in the gym, in a lot of these videos we see him wearing multiple braces indicating that he may be a couple steps behind from his last title win. Do we believe that to be 100 percent truth? No, he’ll still come out and more than likely get into the title round again. he has beaten Stephen Buchanan 3 times, but the last win was in December of 2021. That’s a long time ago, so we definitely do not have the same Buchanan, Ferrari is going to have to come up and re-earn his reputation again. 31-1 overall at 96 percent. Preseason rank of #4 with Flo and #5 with wrestlestat.
#3. Jacob Cardenas- making the infamous Ivy League transfer for one final year of eligibility, Cardenas has a pretty solid career behind him grabbing 2x AA honors and 3x qualifier bids. Leaving a trail of destruction although there is one name on the backside of our list that he couldn’t seem to figure out. Michael Beard has beaten him 3-1, but with a transfer to Michigan he can kind of avoid him. Same goes for his rivalry against Rocky Elam, who he probably won’t see until the National Tournament. 70-22 overall record at 76 percent. Preseason rank of #2 with Flo and #2 with wrestlestat.
#4. Trey Munoz- the move up to 97 has turned a lot of heads, especially Ferrari who will at some point have to face him and Stephen Little so the Pac-12 Is heating up a bit. Some are saying that he’s capable of taking a title this year, we have already gotten some insight in his dual debut against Buchanan losing 9-5. If he has a dynamic year here and continues to improve we anticipate a re-match against Buchanan. Former 3X Pac-12 Champion, looks to do the same this year. 86-18 overall record at 82 percent. Had a preseason rank of #4 with Flo at 84 and #3 with wrestlestat at 97.
#5. Rocky Elam- it’s rare to see someone stay at the same school for five years, a 4X AA who has continually gotten better each year with a blight last year finishing 6th. He’s always been a solid guy, we hope to see a final re-match against Cardenas at nationals where he sits 1-2 in the rivalry. 69-17 overall record at a 80 percent win rate. Preseason rank of #3 with Flo and #4 with wrestlestat.
#6. Josh Barr- At the will of Starocci, almost forced to go up 97 as a sacrifice to the demands of Carter, we almost wonder how he feels about this personally. Impressive redshirt freshman year last season, our only reserve was the level of competition. Yes he’s at Penn but his highest ranked opponent last year was Jacob Nolan at #39. So we’ll be interested to see how he fairs against top 10 opponents. 14-0 with a perfect win rate. Recently lost a wrestle off against teammate Lucas Cochran, although the starter is far from decided, we still expect to see Barr earn the nod. Not ranked with Flo and a #19 with wrestlestat.
#7. Stephen Little- had some quality wins last year finishing out nationals with a win against Michael Beard, had an SV win against Zach Glazier. He’ll have to prove that he can compete within the top 5 after getting majored by Buchanan in the 2nd round of nationals. 37-8 Record overall at 82 percent. Preseason rank of #5 with Flo and #6 with wrestlestat.
#8. Michael Beard- Has already come in to 2025 8-0 terrorizing the back half of the list and finishing the Journeyman Classic with a big win against Zach Braunagel who was ranked #8. Had a tough nationals last year getting majored by Buchanan but did beat him a few years ago. Finishing with a loss by decision to Stephen Little, but he’s already on a streak this year and if he continues, he has the ability to push into the top 5. 90-20 record overall at an 82 percent win rate. Preseason rank of #7 with Flo and #7 with wrestlestat.
Overall we like our list, most people are debating the title between Buchanan and Ferrari but can’t count out Josh Barr who we haven’t seen against a top 10 guy or Trey Munoz who will face Ferrari at some point this year. 197 is definitely more exciting this year than it was last season.