The 2023-24 NCAA D1 Heavyweight Redshirt Report
The 2023-24 NCAA D1 Heavyweight Redshirt Report
Here are some of the heavyweight wrestlers we didn't see last season to keep an eye on during the upcoming season.
Below is a partial list of NCAA D1 heavyweight wrestlers (184, 197, 285) who are returning and will contest for a varsity spot after an interval of at least one year.
Lightweight Redshirt Report
Middleweight Redshirt Report
184 Pounds
Rylan Rogers: Michigan, Freshman
2022-23 record: 13-5
Rogers had eight bonus-point wins as a redshirt but went 0-2 in varsity duals late in the season. He takes over for graduating four-time NCAA qualifier Matt Finesilver.
Jonathan Loew: Cornell, Senior
2022-23 record: 7-4
Loew returns after missing most of last year with an injury. Loew finished eighth at the 2022 NCAA Tournament after compiling a 30-8 record with wins over Zac Braunagel, John Poznanski, Isaiah Salazar, and Hunter Bolen.
Bennett Berge: South Dakota State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 11-5
Cade King is a returning national qualifier but Berge is the front-runner. He was 11-5 last season but he wrestled tough competition and has the potential to be a factor at this weight.
Dylan Fishback: North Carolina State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 15-6
Fishback replaces Hayden Hidlay who moved up to 197 pounds. He arrived at North Carolina State as one of the top high school wrestlers in the country, so this is his opportunity to take over a weight that was occupied by one of the best wrestlers in program history.
Seth Shumate: Ohio State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 12-2
Shumate had a solid redshirt year losing only at 197 pounds to Luke Geog and Nick Willham. True freshman Ryder Rogotzke will contend for this spot but Shumate is the front-runner entering this season.
James Rowley: Purdue, Freshman
2022-23 record: 8-8
Rowley transferred from Wisconsin where he was .500 during his true freshman season. He posted a 1-3 record during four varsity duals. The Corvallis, Oregon, native won a silver medal at the 2021 U17 World Championships at 80 kg.
Jonathan Loew won 12-5 over Princeton's Travis Stefanik during the finals of the 2022 EIWA Championships
197 Pounds
Stephen Buchanan: Oklahoma, Junior
2022-23 record: 0-0
Buchanan transferred from Wyoming where he was a two-time All-American, placing eighth in 2021 and third in 2022. His last college match was a 1-0 victory over Missouri’s Rocky Elam at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
John Poznanski: Rutgers, Sophomore
2022-23 record: 8-1
Poznanski redshirted last season after a fourth-place finish at nationals in 2021 and a Round of 16 appearance in 2022. He is moving up to 197 pounds after spending his first three seasons at 184.
Kolby Franklin: Iowa, Freshman
2022-23 record: 15-6
This weight is up in the air for Iowa following the departure of four-time national place winner Jacob Warner. Franklin is in contention with Zach Glazier for the spot following his redshirt season. He fell to Wisconsin’s Braxton Amos, 4-0, during his lone varsity dual.
Ben Smith: Cleveland State, Senior
2022-23 record: 10-1
Smith returns for his senior campaign after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2021 and 2022. He wrestled in three open during his redshirt season.
Stephen Little: Little Rock, Freshman
2022-23 record: 14-4
Little is ranked #18 after a solid redshirt season. He went 5-1 in varsity duals, including a 7-5 win over #14 Nick Stemmet of Stanford.
Mac Stout: Freshman, Pittsburgh
2022-23 record: 8-4
Stout lost a pair of close matches at Midlands but will be a solid piece of the line-up for the Panthers this season.
Wyatt Voelker: Freshman, Northern Iowa
2022-23 record: 15-4
Voelker went 0-2 when he was used late in the season for varsity duals but the Panthers are optimistic about what he can do. He was in a medal match at the 2023 U20 Greco-Roman World Championships.
Stephen Buchanan won 4-0 over Missouri's Rocky Elam during the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA Championships
285 Pounds
Dayton Pitzer: Pittsburgh, Freshman
2022-23 record: 7-3
Pitzer will be a factor at heavyweight this season after going 3-2 in varsity duals. He reached the 2022 Midlands finals with wins over returning national finalist Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State and All-American Trent Hilger of Wisconsin. The Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, native enters the season ranked eighth.
Luke Luffman: Illinois, Senior
2022-23 record: 0-0
Luffman didn’t compete during his redshirt season but returns as a two-time national qualifier with a pair of wins at the NCAA Championships.
Luke Rasmussen: South Dakota State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 10-6
Rasmussen and senior Bowen McConville will battle for this spot. Either will fill a void left by AJ Nevills, who went 2-2 at the NCAA Championships.
Nick Feldman: Ohio State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 0-0
Although he didn't wrestle any college matches during his redshirt season, Feldman arrived at Ohio State as one of the top high school prospects in the country. He placed fifth at the 2022 U20 World Championships and first at the U20 Pan-Am Championships.