It has been an eventful opening month to the 2024-2025 NCAA Division I college wrestling season. Let's look at the five biggest stories of November in NCAA Division I wrestling.
When Penn State's Carter Starocci announced that he would be moving up to 184 pounds this season in search of a historic fifth NCAA title, wrestling fans across the country eagerly anticipated him matching up with returning NCAA champion Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa. Wrestling fans didn't have to wait long for the matchup to happen. The two returning champs faced off on Nov. 16 at the NWCA All-Star Classic in State College. After a scoreless first period, the two wrestlers traded escapes in the second third periods to knot the score at 1-1 and send the match to sudden victory (overtime). With just under a minute remaining in sudden victory, Starocci fired off single leg attack and converted it to a takedown for a 4-1 victory. The two wrestlers will not meet again in the regular season. Many expect Round 2 to happen in the finals of the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, where Keckeisen could become the answer to a trivia question if he can put a halt to Starocci's run at five NCAA titles.
On Nov. 12, Gable Steveson, arguably the most dominant college heavyweight wrestler ever (only heavyweight to win two Dan Hodge trophies), announced that he will be returning to college wrestling for one final season. The University of Minnesota heavyweight won an Olympic gold medal in 2021 before winning his second NCAA title in March of 2022. At the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Steveson left his shoes on the mat, signaling his retirement from college wrestling, before transitioning to professional wrestling with the WWE. Steveson was released by the WWE in May of 2024. He then made an attempt at professional football, despite never playing football, and signed with the Buffalo Bills. Steveson was released by the Bills before the start of the NFL season. Now he is back competing in a sport that he has dominated. Steveson appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show this week and discussed his journey and what wrestling fans can expect this season. "Heavyweight wrestling needs a person like me," Steveson said on the show. "I feel like this is the best time to do it, especially in the NCAA. They need a guy who is going to go out there and dominate, get a lot of points and get the crowd riled up. I think that's what I bring. I can't wait to showcase the new Gable Steveson to a lot of people."
If the NCAA awarded a Comeback Wrestler of the Year award, Ohio State's Sammy Sasso would be the prohibitive betting favorite to win the award. Sasso has overcome long odds to get back on a wrestling mat and compete for one of the nation's top program in the nation's premier wrestling conference. Sasso was shot in the abdomen in August of 2023 when two teens attempted to steal his vehicle. After a long road to recovery, Sasso returned to the Ohio State wrestling room and eventually competition. After a 20-month absence from the sport, Sasso competed for Ohio State at 165 pounds, two weight classes above his last competition weight, in a dual meet against Chattanooga on Nov. 15. Sasso picked up a 12-6 win over Jackson Hurst in his return. Ohio State head wrestling coach Tom Ryan had high praise for Sasso. "Tonight was amazing," Ryan said after the match. "It was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed, and that was Sammy Sasso's return to the mat. His will, his determination, just seeing him out there … embracing what he loves so much was fantastic."
David Taylor's college coaching career at Oklahoma State could not have started much better. Taylor guided the Cowboys to a dominant 38-6 victory over an upstart Utah Valley team in his college coaching debut on Nov. 15. Two days later, Oklahoma State crushed No. 20 Oregon State 36-3. "It was a challenging trip for our guys for the first matches of the season to be away twice," Taylor said of Oklahoma State's opening weekend. Based on the scores, the weekend didn't appear to be too "challenging" for Taylor and Cowboys. The season is still young early but the early returns on Taylor as a college wrestling coach look good.
A.J. Ferrari has been a polarizing figure in college wrestling ever since he stepped on the mat for Oklahoma State in 2021. Ferrari, a Texas native, is a showman. He's a brash, ultra-confident wrestler who competes with an aggressive, attacking style. While his loud personality is not for everyone, his wrestling talent is undeniable. Ferrari won a national title as a true freshman at 197 pounds in 2021. However, a series of events prevented him from competing at the NCAAs from 2022 to 2024. Last year he moved to Iowa City and nearly joined the Iowa wrestling team but ultimately left after a much-publicized, controversial match at Iowa's Solider Salute wrestling event in December. Now he has a new home at CSU Bakersfield. Ferrari shined in his debut at CSU Bakersfield, picking up a 22-6 technical fall in his first match against Utah Valley's Kael Bennie before shutting out three-time NCAA qualifier Nick Stemmet of Stanford 5-0 in his second match. Ferrari, who uses the handle "Mr. Fast Twitch" on social media, posted the following on X after his victories, "As expected, Mr. Fast Twitch dominated every position, every second - silencing the Haters and Doubters."
