The 125-pound class appears to be wide open following the graduation of three wrestlers who reached the NCAA tournament finals at least once. Most notable is Iowa’s three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee who transcended the sport with his masterful top game and his ability to score points in bunches. 

Princeton’s Pat Glory — a 2023 NCAA champion — is also gone, as is 2021 national finalist Brandon Courtney of Arizona State. That leaves six returning All-Americans and a lengthy list of promising wrestlers vying for the top spot at the lightest college weight class. 

Purdue’s Matt Ramos entered the 2023 NCAA tournament as the #4 seed and pinned Lee in the semifinals before falling to Glory, 4-1, in the championship match. Ramos was the first Boilermaker to reach the finals since Chris Fleeger in 2006. He can become Purdue’s fourth individual NCAA champion and the first since Charlie Jones won a title in 1991. 

Arizona State’s Richie Figueroa might have something to say after a 14-0 redshirt freshman season that included a 3-2 win over Ramos in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Returning All-Americans Anthony Noto, Eddie Ventresca, Patrick, McKee, Michael DeAugustino, Eric Barnett, and Brandon Kaylor will also play a factor as the season unfolds. 

Returning 2023 All-Americans
Matt Ramos (Purdue) — 2nd
Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) — 4th
Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) — 7th

Past All-Americans
Patrick McKee (Minnesota) — 3rd in 2021, 5th in 2022
Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) — 4th in 2022
Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) — 8th in 2021, 7th in 2022
Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) — 8th in 2022

Key Departures
Spencer Lee (Iowa)
Pat Glory (Princeton)
Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
Liam Cronin (Nebraska)
Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)

Returning From Redshirt
Drake Ayala (Iowa)
Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State)
Jakob Camacho (NC State)
Robert Howard (Penn State)
Spencer Moore (North Carolina)
Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh)
Brendan McCrone (Ohio State)

The Favorite: Matt Ramos (Purdue)

Despite a loss to Figueroa at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, Ramos enters as the favorite to win following a 35-5 record last season. The Lockport, Illinois, native showed his resolve in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament when he was down 7-6 but pulled out a reversal with five seconds remaining for a thrilling 8-7 win.

The win pushed Ramos into the semifinals, which was Purdue’s first national place winner during the Tony Ersland coaching era. Ramos proved himself last season, but he’ll have to replicate some of those gritty wins during his junior campaign. He won his first three matches at the NCAA Championships by one point before securing the fall over Lee, where he was behind 7-5 with 33 seconds remaining. 

Matt Ramos secured a fall over Spencer Lee during the semifinals of the 2023 NCAA Championships

Title Contenders

Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
Richie Figueroa (Arizona State)

Noto had a breakout season following early losses to Tucker Owens (Air Forces) and Malik Heinselman (Ohio State). He fell by a major decision to Lee in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals before reeling off three straight wins to reach the consolation finals. The Lima, New York, native fell to Courtney in sudden victory to place fourth.

Figueroa is the wrestler to watch after an undefeated season as Courtney’s backup. His win over Ramos and his title at CKLV prove he belongs with the 125-pound elite. He entered college as a top prospect with experience at three age-level World Championships, including Cadet silver in 2018. 

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Watch Figueroa defeat Ramos during the 2022 CKLV finals

The Balanced 125-pound Field

Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech)
Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)
Michael DeAugustino (Michigan)
Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State)
Jakob Camacho (NC State)
Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado)
Dean Peterson (Rutgers)
Brett Ungar (Cornell) 

The 125-pound class is difficult to predict based on past results. Don’t expect anyone to enter the NCAA Championships undefeated.

Eddie Ventresca is an example of what could happen. He entered the NCAA tournament seeded 27th but finished seventh with close wins over Poulin, McKee, Barnett, and Cardinale and close losses to Nebraska’s Liam Cronin and Courtney. 

That proves the gap is narrow between the first and second tier of wrestlers — at least for this season. 

McKee has placed third and fifth but hasn’t made it out of the second round of the NCAA Championships — yet. He’s definitely a factor to place, but can he make a deep run on the front side of the bracket?

DeAugustino — a fourth-place finisher at NCAAs in 2022 — transferred from Northwestern to Michigan following a 10-9 season. He went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships but posted a 9-1 win over Ramos — the favorite this season — at the Big Ten Championships. Will he make gains with his new team? 

Barnett notched top-eight finishes in 2021 and 2022 and reached the Round of 12 in 2023. Will he find the podium again during his senior season? Kaylor finished eighth at nationals in 2022 but went 1-2 in 2023. Will he become an All-American again? 

Camacho, Poulin, Peterson, and Ungar have reached the Round of 12. Can they win one more match to finish in the top eight?

There are more questions than answers when the season begins. 

Ventresca finished seventh at the 2023 NCAA Championships as the 27 seed

Sleepers And Dark Horses

Drake Ayala (Iowa)
Noah Surtin (Missouri)
Jore Volk (Wyoming)

It’s hard to call anyone a sleeper in this field but keep an eye on Ayala, Smith, Surtin, and Volk. Ayala started as a true freshman for the Hawkeyes during the 2022 season when Lee left the line-up with an injury. There’s no telling when he will be in the line-up, but Ayala will play a crucial role for the Hawkeyes this season. 

Surtin has a few nice wins and has been competitive with several of the top names in the field. Missouri has a balanced line-up so a podium finish from Surtin could be what the Tigers need. Volk qualified for the NCAA Championships as a true freshman after winning the 2022 U20 World Championships. He still has an upside and could be a factor as the season unfolds. 

Pre-season 125-pound Predictions

Expect these predictions to blow up as the season transpires. No one is safe and there is no clear front-runner. Figueroa might have the biggest say in this weight class. His explosive offense will be a problem for everyone he faces. Don't be surprised if every wrestler in the field has multiple losses entering the postseason. 

Full 125-pound predictions
1. Matt Ramos (Purdue)
2. Richie Figueroa (Arizona State)
3. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
4. Michael DeAugustino (Michigan)
5. Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
6. Jakob Camacho (NC State)
7. Brett Ungar (Cornell)
8. Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech)