Yonger Bastida (right) wrestling at the Junior World Championships in 2019 (Photo/Kadir Caliskan, United World Wrestling)Every year there are wrestlers who begin the NCAA season unranked and finish as All-Americans. Sometimes wrestlers begin the season as backups before earning a spot in the lineup and eventually place on the podium in March.
Here's a look at five unranked potential All-Americans.
Yonger Bastida (Iowa State, 197)
Bastida, a native of Cuba, won a silver medal at the 2019 Junior World Championships in freestyle. He has notched wins in his freestyle career over the likes of NCAA champion Kyven Gadson, two-time-All-American Hayden Zillmer and three-time NCAA qualifier Blaize Cabell. There is no denying Bastida's talent, but his success in college wrestling in 2021 will depend on how quickly he can adapt to a wrestling style (folkstyle) that is foreign to him. The 197-pound freshman might be able to win a lot matches on his feet, but will likely have to learn to ride and get off the bottom in competitive matches. In addition, Bastida still has to earn the starting spot in the Cyclone lineup over two-time NCAA qualifier Marcus Coleman. The two are expected to wrestle off for the spot soon. Both looked strong in the Iowa State wrestle-offs held Dec. 23. Bastida recorded a 9-1 win over true freshman Cody Fisher. He had four takedowns and over four minutes of riding time. Coleman rolled to a 16-2 major decision over Hunter DeJong.
Anthony Echemendia battled two-time world medalist James Green at the RTC Cup (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)Anthony Echemendia (Ohio State, 141)
Like Bastida, Echemendia is an immensely talented freestyle wrestler from Cuba. He has more folkstyle experience than Bastida having competed as a high school senior in Arizona. Echemendia posted a perfect 52-0 record and won a state championship in 2019. After initially committing to Iowa State, Echemendia landed in Columbus and is expected to compete for the Buckeyes at 141 pounds. After a long layoff, Echemendia faced Evan Henderson in FloWrestling's event on Nov. 14 and lost 8-3. He then competed with the Ohio RTC at the RTC Cup in Cincinnati, where he lost by technical superiority to James Green in his only match. Echemendia has the talent to compete with the nation's best college wrestlers right out of the gate. He has put himself in a strong position to succeed with access to excellent coaching and training partners at Ohio State. Echemendia and Sammy Sasso could provide a dynamic one-two punch in the middle of Ohio State's lineup for years to come.
A.J. Ferrari (Photo/Oklahoma State Athletics)A.J. Ferrari (Oklahoma State, 197)
Ferrari was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2020 when he committed to Oklahoma State in the fall of 2019. The supremely confident Texan is expected to step into the Cowboy lineup as a true freshman at 197 pounds. After finishing his high school career with a record of 96-1, Ferrari competed in the UWW Junior Nationals in November, winning the 92-kilogram title in dominant fashion. He went 4-0 and outscored his opponents 37-1. Ferrari has the skills -- along with world-class coaching and top training partners -- to make an immediate impact in college wrestling. He will face some formidable opponents in the Big 12 Conference before his first postseason. Seven of the nation's top-20 197-pounders, including No. 1-ranked Noah Adams of West Virginia, are in the Big 12.
Nelson Brands defeated Iowa State's Sam Colbray last season (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Luns.com)Nelson Brands (Iowa, 184)
Iowa's Nelson Brands, the son of two-time world champion and Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands, had a strong start to his redshirt freshman campaign in 2019-20. Brands opened his season with wins over 2020 NCAA qualifiers Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga and Sam Colbray of Iowa State. He went 2-2 at the Midlands Championships, taking losses to Zac Braunagel and teammate Cash Wilcke. The Hawkeyes had a logjam at 184 pounds last season with Austin Assad, Brands and Wilcke all vying for the spot. Eventually Assad took control of the spot and placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic berth to the NCAAs. Brands and Assad faced off in freestyle at the HWC Showdown Open on Nov. 1, with Brands earning a 9-0 shutout. Brands followed it up with a runner-up finish at U23 Nationals in mid-November, losing in the 79-kilogram finals to three-time All-American David McFadden. If Brands is able to earn a spot in the Hawkeye lineup, look for him to vie for All-America honors.
Codi Russell is a two-time NCAA qualifier (Photo/App State Sports)Codi Russell (Appalachian State, 125)
Codi Russell, the younger brother of All-American Sean Russell, is a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2019 SoCon champion. He spent the first three seasons of his career at 133 pounds but has made the move down to 125 pounds for his senior campaign. He enters the season unranked but could enter the rankings early in the season and climb quickly if he starts hot.
Five more unranked wrestlers to watch:
Gabriel Tagg (North Carolina, 133)
Yahya Thomas (Northwestern, 149)
Requir Van der Merwe (Stanford, 157)
Austin Kraisser (Campbell, 165)
Rocky Elam (Missouri, 197)
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