Hawkeye fans are still a long five months from wrestling season, but possible lineups are fresh in the air. With heavyweight Sam Stoll’s gunshot wound, rumored weight changes, and new faces in the mix, Tom Brands’ lineup may be a surprise come November.
But November isn’t March. And March certainly isn’t July, so there is plenty of time for the cards to unfold.
Looking at Brands’ top five weights — 165, 174, 184, 197, and 285 — some things seem set in stone. All-American Alex Marinelli is likely to fill Iowa’s 165-pound spot again. Stoll is likely to heal by the season and make another push for All-American status at heavyweight.
Brands and Company have been given another weapon this year with the addition of Jacob Warner. Warner, who shone during his redshirt his first year on campus, will likely take over the 197-pound spot in the lineup. He posted a 15-4 record while wrestling unattached and knocked off Missouri’s then-third-ranked Willie Miklus at the at the Lindenwood Open.
The move would push junior Cash Wilcke to 184. Wilcke earned All-American status his freshman season and fell one win short of repeating in his sophomore campaign.
That leaves 174 open for the taking — or rather, the earning. Brands could put numerous wrestlers in the spot. Kaleb Young, Joey Gunther, and possibly Michael Kemerer, who has reportedly gained weight since wrestling 157 last season.
“[Kemerer] is going to be in the lineup one way or another. It looks like he could move up,” Brands told The Des Moines Register on June 6. “And the good thing about having a lot of good guys in your program is that there will be very capable people at each weight class. The best guys in the room will find their way into the lineup, and they’ll contribute.”
Kemerer is now a two-time All-American at 157 pounds and has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings.
Young and Gunther grappled for the 174-pound spot throughout the season. Ultimately, Gunther earned his shot at the Big Ten Championships and then qualified for the NCAAs. But he failed to earn team points for the squad when he dropped his first two matches.
Perhaps a bigger surprise could be the addition of junior Jeremiah Moody. Moody, who saw the mat once for Iowa in a dual meet on Nov. 18, 2016, was on the verge of the world wrestling stage. In April, unseeded Moody emerged on top of a 47-man bracket to win the Junior freestyle national title in Las Vegas.
Moody could hold that 174-pound spot, as could the plethora of other elite Iowa wrestlers.
Long story short, having too many capable athletes is never a problem for Brands and the Iowa wrestling coaches.