Olympic and NCAA champion Gable Steveson (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The 2021-22 college wrestling season officially began this week, and already, people are counting down the days until the NCAA Championships at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
For the record, the big dance isn't for another 153 days, and unlike last season, which was marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, we're going to get a full six months of wrestling this winter, starting on the first day of November all the way through March.
That's exciting for wrestling fans all over the country -- especially those who follow the Big Ten Conference.
As such, we begin our '21-22 season coverage with this:
The Big Ten from the Big Ten.
We picked the 10 best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the Big Ten. The selections were based on overall wrestling résumés, past accomplishments, and future potential. Not all schools are represented. Some have multiple picks. We listed them alphabetically by last name. All records and stats were pulled from our friends at WrestleStat.
Hopefully you recognize all of these names - and if not, you will by March.
Myles Amine, Michigan
Myles Amine's credentials are among the best in all of college wrestling, and he will lead a Wolverine team that has plenty of firepower this season.
He's a four-time All-American - three times at 174, then again at 197 last year - and each time, he's finished in the top-four: 4th in 2017, 3rd in 2018, 3rd in 2019, then 3rd again in 2021. (His five career losses at the NCAA Championships have only come to guys who have won it: Zahid Valencia (three times), Mark Hall, and AJ Ferrari.)
Amine is also an Olympic bronze medalist at 86 kilograms, finishing with a 3-1 record in Tokyo last August. His only loss came to David Taylor, the eventual gold-medalist. He represented San Marino at the Olympic Games, and became their first-ever wrestling Olympic medalist. He's also a two-time medalist at the European Championships.
Braxton Amos, Wisconsin
Yes, we're including a true freshman here, because Braxton Amos is not your normal true freshman.
Amos was an Olympic Trials qualifier in both men's freestyle and Greco-Roman last spring. Then he made the Olympic Trials finals in Greco-Roman. Then he made the Junior world team in both styles, and came home with two medals - and men's freestyle world title, and a Greco bronze medal.
There are sky-high expectations for his first NCAA season, especially with a Badger program that is very quickly on the upswing. He's going to be a wrestler to watch not just this season, but in the years ahead.
Aaron Brooks, Penn State
Aaron Brooks is one of the many talented Penn State wrestlers, and when he's fully healthy, he might be the best of them.
He is a two-time Big Ten champion and a reigning NCAA champion. He's previously won a Junior world silver medal and a Cadet world title. He's 29-1 in two seasons with the Nittany Lions, with 14 bonus-point wins.
Brooks will likely be the favorite to repeat at 184 again this season, but could see Myles Amine as many as three times this season - in the January dual, at the Big Ten Championships, and the NCAA Championships. Those matches will be must-watch.
Jaydin Eierman, Iowa
Jaydin Eierman is one of the most electric competitors in college wrestling.
He is one of many wrestlers taking advantage of the relief year granted by COVID-19. He's already a four-time All-American, taking fifth, fourth and third at 141 pounds with Mizzou, then reaching the NCAA finals last year with the Hawkeyes. He's also a Big Ten champion and, last spring, a U.S. Senior men's freestyle national champion.
Eierman boasts a career record of 103-15 with 46 career pins, meaning he records a pin about 45% of the time, which is a staggering rate. He is a dynamic top wrestler who can lock up a cradle from literally anywhere.
Nick Lee, Penn State
Nick Lee has been as steady and consistent of a wrestler as there's been in college wrestling the last few years.
He's now a three-time All-American, and the reigning national champion at 141 pounds. He took third at the U.S. Olympic Trials last spring, where he beat Nahshon Garrett, Zain Retherford and Yianni Diakomihalis all in a row by a combined 38-14.
Nick Lee is another star wrestler for the Nittany Lions with a 97-13 career record. Of the 13 career losses, seven have been by two points or fewer, and four have been by a single point. Of his 97 career wins, 74 have come with bonus points, a rate of 76.3%.
Spencer Lee, Iowa
Spencer Lee has an opportunity to go down as one of the best ever.
He is a three-time NCAA champion, the last of which with two torn ACLs, and is a two-time Hodge Trophy winner. He's won 35 matches in a row dating back to 2019, and has outscored his opponents by a combined 430-40 during that span. He is 75-5 overall during his Hawkeye career, with a staggering 64 bonus-point wins, good for 85.3%.
Lee also won a U.S. Senior men's freestyle national title in 2019, and is expected to be a major contender for world and Olympic gold medals in the future. He's previously won three age-level world championships, and is largely credited with Iowa's return back to the top of Division I wrestling.
If he never wrestled another college match, he'd still be an all-timer. Thankfully for all of us, he's got one more season in Iowa's all-black Nike singlet.
Mason Parris, Michigan
Mason Parris is another key piece of Michigan's high-powered lineup, and has very quickly grown into one of the best heavyweights on the planet, too.
He is a two-time Big Ten finalist, and the reigning NCAA runner-up. He's previously won a Junior world title, finished third at the U.S. Olympic Trials last spring, and, most recently, made the finals of the Senior men's freestyle world team trials. Not bad.
Parris is 72-12 in his Michigan career, and three of those losses have come over the last two seasons, all against Minnesota's Gable Steveson (more on him in a second). More impressive, of his 72 wins, 49 have included bonus points, including 30 career pins.
Sammy Sasso, Ohio State
Sammy Sasso is on pace for an all-time wrestling career for Ohio State.
He is a reigning NCAA finalist and returning Big Ten champion. He is 40-4 overall in his career, and his losses have come against Austin O'Connor, Pat Lugo, Brayton Lee, and that wild first-period pin against Brent Moore. He also reached the Big Ten finals in his redshirt freshman year, and also won a UWW Junior men's freestyle national title.
Sasso is the face of the Buckeye program right now, and one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country. He will be the heavy favorite to win 149 pounds in the Big Ten, and will be one of many gunning for Yianni on the national stage come March.
Carter Starocci, Penn State
Carter Starocci became a redshirt freshman national champ for the Nittany Lions last season and has only gotten better since then.
He went 14-2 last season, made the Big Ten finals, then won an NCAA title - and that's after a perfect 19-0 redshirt season wherein he won the Southern Scuffle. In September, he won five-straight matches to finish third at the Senior men's freestyle world team trials, wherein he beat Chance Marsteller, Evan Wick and Jason Nolf.
Of his 14 wins last season, Starocci actually went 4-0 in overtime matches, including a 3-1 win over Iowa's Michael Kemerer to win the NCAA title. That's some insane mental fortitude for a guy in his first varsity season. He's going to be a force for years to come.
Gable Steveson, Minnesota
Did you really think we'd leave out Gable Steveson, the guy that won literally everything last year?
In 2021, he won a Big Ten title, an NCAA title, the Hodge Trophy, the Olympic Trials, the Pan-American Championship, and the Olympics, all in the span of eight months. From the start of the 2021 NCAA season through the end of the Tokyo Games, he won 30 consecutive matches by a combined 343-71. Insane.
Steveson is 67-2 overall in his three years with the Gophers, and is riding a 34-match winning streak into his senior season. He will soon leave wrestling behind for greater pastures, so enjoy him this year while you still can.
The Next 10
Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State: A returning national champion, two-time All-American, Big Ten champion, and generally one of the most exciting wrestlers in college wrestling.
Tony Cassioppi, Iowa: The third-best heavyweight in the country, behind Gable and Parris. A returning All-American, a U.S. Senior men's freestyle national finalist, and U23 world team member.
Ryan Deakin, Northwestern: A two-time All-American, returning Big Ten champ, past Junior world silver, and recent Senior world team trials finalist. Also probably the biggest 157-pounder on the planet.
Austin DeSanto, Iowa: A two-time All-American since transferring to Iowa from Drexel, and wrestles at an insane pace that leads to some insane takedown stats.
Michael Kemerer, Iowa: A three-time All-American and returning NCAA finalist and Big Ten champ. A steady, senior leader for the Hawkeyes.
Mikey Labriola, Nebraska: A two-time All-American for the Huskers who is maybe under-appreciated because he's only ever reached the national quarterfinals.
Stevan Micic, Michigan: Another reason Michigan's lineup is all kinds of intriguing this season. A three-time All-American, past NCAA finalist, Olympic Games participant, and two-time European medalist.
John Poznanski, Rutgers: All-American as a true freshman last season, taking fourth at 184 pounds, which is the highest NCAA finish for a true freshman in program history.
Chad Red, Nebraska: Another under-appreciated Husker wrestler, a three-time All-American. Only two other wrestlers in program history were four-time NCAA All-Americans: James Green and Brian Snyder.
Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers: A three-time All-American at two different weights (125 and 141), a two-time Big Ten champ at two different weights (125 and 133), and recently finished eighth in the world at 65-kg.
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