Andrew Alirez, the 141-pound NCAA Champion in 2023, has entered the transfer portal. Alirez has one year of eligibility remaining after spending the last 5 years at Northern Colorado. This past season, Alirez didn't compete in college competition but chose to take an Olympic redshirt and focus on freestyle. Alirez had a successful year on the senior level at 65 kg winning the 2023 Senior Nationals with victories over Beau Bartlett, Alec Pantaleo, and Austin DeSanto. However, Alirez fell just short at the Olympic Trials when he lost in the semi-finals to Nick Lee in a high-scoring, 11-9 match.

SEE EVERYONE IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL HERE

What Weight Will Andrew Alirez Wrestle Next Year

Alirez hasn't announced his intentions yet for his weight class in the 2024-25 season but he will likely wrestle either 141 pounds or 149 pounds. Regardless of what weight class Alirez chooses to wrestle, he will be an NCAA title contender, and several compelling matchups will be in store for him. At 141 pounds, returning NCAA Champion Jesse Mendez will likely return to defend his title along with All-Americans Beau Bartlett, Brock Hardy, Anthony Echemendia, Lachlan McNeil, Ryan Jack, and Vance Vombaur. At 149 pounds, 2024 NCAA Champion Caleb Henson should return to the field accompanied by 2024 All-Americans Ty Watters, Kyle Parco, Ridge Lovett, Casey Swiderski, and either Tyler Kasak or 2023 All-American Shayne Van Ness.

Andrew Alirez's college destination and weight class choice will be one of the biggest stories to follow this off-season. Wherever he ends up, Alirez has big-time point-scoring potential at the NCAA Tournament and will be a welcome addition to any program. 

Andrew Alirez's win over Real Woods in the 2023 NCAA Finals:

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