A number of wrestlers have changed addresses and it will be interesting to see what kind of an impact it has during the 2018-19 season.
The Iowa Hawkeyes, with most of their lineup returning from the team that placed third at the 2018 NCAA tournament, appear to have benefited as much as anyone.
Iowa picked up a pair of key transfers in Austin DeSanto and Jason Renteria. Both wrestlers still have three years of eligibility left at the collegiate level.
Below is my list of 10 transfers to watch in college wrestling during the upcoming season.
Willie Miklus (Photo/Shane Epping)1. Willie Miklus (Iowa State)
A three-time All-American for Missouri, he has transferred to Iowa State to be closer to home. Miklus, from the Des Moines area, excelled for a strong Missouri program that was difficult for him to walk away from. His move to Iowa State provides a huge boost for second-year ISU coach Kevin Dresser and his program. He should be in the national title chase at 197 pounds and he can model the way for younger athletes in the Cyclone room to follow.
Austin DeSanto (Photo/Juan Garcia)2. Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
DeSanto looked like a strong contender for high All-American honors as a Drexel freshman after an impressive early season run that included a lopsided victory over eventual NCAA runner-up Stevan Micic of Michigan. DeSanto struggled late in the season and lost his composure during a loss to Micic at the NCAAs. If DeSanto can return to his aggressive, attacking style and wrestle at a high pace, he has a chance to be an outstanding wrestler. He won 30 matches at 133 pounds as a freshman and fell one win short of reaching the All-American podium. He also owns a win over his new teammate, 2018 NCAA champion Spencer Lee, in the Pennsylvania state finals in 2017. DeSanto has a huge upside. He needs to forget about any unsportsmanlike antics and just stick to wrestling hard like he has shown he is capable of doing.
3. Sa'Derian Perry (Old Dominion)
Perry became Eastern Michigan's first All-American in 20 years and then he had to change schools when the wrestling program was dropped. Perry made a big impression at the 2018 NCAA tournament at 141 pounds. He knocked off No. 9 seed Josh Alber of Northern Iowa and No. 11 Michael Carr of Illinois en route to placing eighth at the national tournament in Cleveland. He wrestles an entertaining, quick-striking style. He won a career-high 18 matches last season for EMU and has two years of eligibility remaining.
4. Justin Oliver (North Carolina State)
The Wolfpack, coming off a historic fourth-place tie with Michigan at NCAAs, received another boost when Oliver transferred from Central Michigan to N.C. State for his final season. Oliver placed seventh at the 2016 national tournament at 149 pounds as a freshman before falling one win short of All-American honors the past two seasons. He is 10-6 in three trips to nationals. He was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally last season and will add a strong veteran presence to a team that already is very good.
Zeke Moisey (Photo/WVU Athletics)5. Zeke Moisey (Nebraska)
It wasn't that long ago when Moisey went on a memorable run by stunning virtually everyone to reach the NCAA finals as a West Virginia freshman in 2015. Moisey virtually disappeared after that before resurfacing last season to place eighth at 125 pounds for the Mountaineers. With the departure of Sammie Henson, his coach at West Virginia, Moisey now has a golden opportunity to finish strong as a Cornhusker. Moisey's best success has come when he's been aggressive right off the first whistle and has kept the pressure on his opponents.
6. Sean Russell (Minnesota)
The Golden Gophers picked up a key addition when Russell transferred in after spending the past four seasons at Edinboro. Russell has won 97 career matches. He transferred after his coach, Tim Flynn, departed for West Virginia. He placed seventh at the 2017 national meet at 125 pounds for Edinboro. Russell is another proven performer who is expected to make a significant impact during his final collegiate season.
Connor Schram (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)7. Connor Schram (Lehigh)
Schram returns to his home state to complete his collegiate career after a successful run at Stanford. Schram placed eighth at 125 pounds at the 2016 NCAA tournament for the Cardinal. He actually defeated Lehigh's Darian Cruz in the second round of NCAAs that season before Cruz won a national title the following year. Schram was granted a sixth year of eligibility after suffering a knee injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this past season. He joins a strong Lehigh program that has returned to prominence.
Kanen Storr wrestling Bryce Meredith at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)8. Kanen Storr (Michigan)
Storr started his career at Iowa State and was in the Cyclone lineup this past season before returning to his home state to wrestle for the Wolverines. Storr was 15-7 at 141 pounds for ISU this past season. He joins a Michigan program that won a trophy after finishing in a tie for fourth at the NCAA tournament. He is a gifted young wrestler who could thrive in a strong room where he can train with a two-time All-American in Micic.
9. Jason Renteria (Iowa)
Renteria was a top high school prospect coming out of the tradition-rich Oak Park River Forest program in Illinois. He originally committed to Iowa before he signed with the University of Nebraska. Renteria wrestled as a true freshman for the Huskers, placing fifth at Big Tens to qualify for the NCAA meet at 133 pounds. Renteria failed to make weight at NCAAs before announcing in June he was transferring to Iowa, where he will have three years left. With Lee, DeSanto and Renteria around for at least the next three seasons, the Hawkeyes will be set in the lightest weight classes. DeSanto or Renteria likely will have to move to 141 at some point.
10. Gary Wayne Harding (North Carolina)
Harding was an NCAA qualifier for Oklahoma State in 2016 and 2017, finishing a combined 2-4 at the national tournament at 133 pounds. Harding wasn't able to crack the loaded Cowboy lineup last year and heads to Chapel Hill for his final collegiate season. Harding can train with two-time World Team member and past NCAA champion Tony Ramos in the Tar Heel room.
Craig Sesker has written about wrestling for more than three decades. He's covered three Olympic Games and is a two-time national wrestling writer of the year.
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