It takes armies to dismantle dynasties. And it’s going to take something like that for the Iowa men’s wrestling program to dethrone Penn State’s grip over the college wrestling world.
The Hawkeyes, 25 NCAA team titles to their name since the championships’ inception, have won just one since 2011. Penn State, in that same time frame, has won 11. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize the storied Iowa men’s wrestling program sits engulfed in Penn State’s shadow. And it will take plenty of jet fuel to escape.
With the Nittany Lions yet again capturing Big Ten and NCAA team titles over the Hawkeyes — not to mention beating them, 30-8, keeping Iowa in the No. 2 position all season — the time is now to adapt or die.
That’s because collegiate wrestling is no longer just the top-ranked leader, second-ranked chaser, and then everyone else. Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Ohio State, and even Iowa State are mixing in to give Iowa its toughest time yet. Despite respective 21-16, 19-16, 24-13, and 21-15 wins over these opponents in dual meets this season, those victories aren’t getting any easier — especially as Nebraska beat Iowa out for second in the Big Ten on March 9 and again at the NCAA championships on March 22.
The Hawkeyes are slowing down. Only three starters relatively contended for NCAA titles this year, and Stephen Buchanan was the lone champion. The Hawkeyes fell to fourth in the championships. Throughout this season, a plague struck the offensive attacks of the other seven in head coach Tom Brands’ rotation.
And they know it.
High-powered offenses were suddenly hard to come by against top opponents. Ben Kueter, Iowa’s starting 285-pounder, finished third in the Big Ten but won by just a 2-1 decision.
“One thing this weekend did for me [was I realized] how hard college wrestling is,” Kueter said after the win. “I’m pretty confident in myself. I need to get better at attacking.”
The time is now to implement a better attack focus. Kueter and fellow redshirt freshman 184-pounder Gabe Arnold have to take their experiences over the past two seasons into stronger offensive threats.
And Michael Caliendo, an offensive powerhouse at 165 pounds, runs through everyone except Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink — the brick wall in his way to champion status. Caliendo has seen him again and again, enough to dedicate serious time to soul-searching this offseason for ways to beat him.
That goes beyond the technicalities of wrestling.
The Hawkeyes haven’t had a Big Ten champion since Spencer Lee and Real Woods in 2023 — or NCAA team title since 2021. Now the Brands brothers are getting the Kirk Ferentz and Fran McCaffery treatment on social media, Hawkeye fans calling for a coaching change despite Tom signing on until 2029.
But seeing Cael Sanderson take over a Penn State program with just one NCAA title and turn it into a powerhouse certainly brings some frustrations, especially in watching the Nittany Lions speed past and wave goodbye. Iowa’s commits over the next few years have committed to the Brands — no one else — but these wrestlers need to commit to a championship program, too.
The Brands brothers aren’t the issue, but there needs to be a more modern shift to the sport. A fresh hire like Kyle Dake or even Spencer Lee could usher in the next era as the Brands brothers retire out. Such a shift could be a wary approach to the transfer portal — which is a must in the common era — and a wary approach is necessary because the transfer portal has limited the Hawkeye success story that once was growing in-house talent.
With some changes in the lineup next year, that modern shift is certainly possible quite soon. Right now, next season looks like an adjustment to set up for that success, but should Brands make the following moves to the starting lineup, something more might be in store.
125 pounds — Joey Cruz: Sure, Cruz fluctuated this season. He finished 10th in the Big Ten, barely qualified for the NCAA tournament, and struggled when he got there. But he’s just a sophomore. And the ups and downs of this year will bring him good experience to be a top-10 wrestler next season, especially with Brands’ coaching and continued presence of Spencer Lee around the program.
133 pounds — Drake Ayala: Currently just a junior, Ayala is going to be the best returner for the Hawkeyes next season. This one certainly has a fire lit under him after the pinned loss to Lucas Byrd at the Big Ten championships and another runner-up finish in the NCAA. Without a smile as he stood on that podium, that alone should be plenty to lock in Big Ten and NCAA championships for him in one year’s time.
141 pounds — to be determined: A big question mark remains at 141 pounds. With Cullan Schriever gone, it’s up to current redshirt freshmen Ryder Block or Kale Petersen to step in. But each of those three 141-pounders struggled this year, so Block and Petersen either make leaps in progress, or Brands finds himself back digging into the transfer portal.
149 pounds — Victor Voinovich: The portal worked with 149-pounder Kyle Parco, leaving another absence in the lighter-weights next year, and it should again with Victor Voinovich next year. He would be a nice step-in as a junior who transferred from Oklahoma State and took a year to learn from the experience around him. But don’t rule out another likely shift: Miguel Estrada to his natural weight of 149, Caliendo down to 157, and a return of Patrick Kennedy to 165.
157 pounds — Miguel Estrada: Estrada is the only other 157-pounder left on the roster beyond fellow freshmen Isaiah Fenton and Joseph Kennedy, but Hawkeye fans don’t need to be upset about it. Brands relied on Estrada when Jacori Teemer was out this year, and he wrestles with grit and embodies that hard-headed attack necessary for success.
165 pounds — Michael Caliendo: It will be good to see familiarity on the back half of the lineup, Caliendo to be a senior next year. But the name of the game is simple: Beat Mesenbrink, his arch-nemesis. Regardless, Caliendo’s power will be reliable as always.
174 pounds — Gabe Arnold: Arnold was spotty at 184 pounds this season, and it’s only right he bumps back down to his normal weight, as tough as it is to cast Patrick Kennedy aside. It’s naturally easier for Arnold to wrestle at 174 pounds, and as he’s currently just a redshirt freshman, his four ranked wins at 174 last season give him plenty of time to mold into the contender he wants to be.
184 pounds — Angelo Ferrari: Likely the easiest pick, Ferrari will be a redshirt freshman upon sitting the end of this season out. His only loss of the year was a one-point decision to Carter Starocci, and he beat No. 3 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State in a massive upset to prove his worth at 184 pounds. The expectation is at least one NCAA title for Ferrari over the next four years.
197 pounds — AJ Ferrari: Conversely, likely the most controversial pick, the Hawkeyes need to chase Angelo’s older brother out of California and back to Iowa City. With Stephen Buchanan gone, Ferrari is the perfect pick with his ruthless attitude and 2021 NCAA title to boost the Hawkeyes into serious contention.
285 pounds — Ben Kueter: Kueter has plenty to work on, but he turned his season around at the end upon finishing third in the Big Ten. With Gable Steveson, Greg Kerkvliet, and Wyatt Hendrickson gone next year, Kueter’s to-be redshirt sophomore status should see him add some weight and make a serious run for the title.
The future is bright. Bo Bassett is the focus, but that focus should first be on FloWrestling’s top-ranked prospect Leo DeLuca. From Morristown, New Jersey, DeLuca will give Cruz a test for his 125-pound role.
Brothers Jarrel and Tyrel Miller — of St. Edwards, Ohio, and both in the top-20 at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively — should develop into starters toward the tail-ends of their Hawkeye careers. The same goes for Leister Bowling from Colorado, filling in at 157 pounds.
The time is right now. The Hawkeyes have the weapons to adjust, adapt, and gun forward to the NCAA championships in 2026 with the Nittany Lions’ throne in sight, one step closer to rebuilding a Roman Empire of collegiate wrestling. But Rome wasn’t built in a day.