{"id":44525,"date":"2025-06-30T16:13:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T21:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/?p=44525"},"modified":"2025-06-30T16:13:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T21:13:27","slug":"who-are-the-top-20-incoming-college-freshman-wrestlers-to-watch-in-2024-2025-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/w44525\/who-are-the-top-20-incoming-college-freshman-wrestlers-to-watch-in-2024-2025-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the top 20 incoming college freshman wrestlers to watch in 2024-2025 season?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Sketches<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the most highly-regarded true freshmen from the Class of 2024 who are expected to make an immediate impact in the 2024-2025 NCAA wrestling season, based on national rankings and early projections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Luke Lilledahl (Penn State – 125 lbs):<\/strong> Ranked as the top overall recruit in the Class of 2024 by many services, Lilledahl is highly anticipated to step into Penn State’s 125 lb spot and could immediately contend for All-American honors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Meyer Shapiro (Cornell – 157 lbs):<\/strong> Shapiro was as good as advertised last season, finishing third at a deep 157 lb weight class. He’s already shown his ability to compete at the highest level.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Nasir Bailey (Little Rock – 133\/141 lbs):<\/strong> Bailey had a remarkable true freshman season, finishing fourth in the country and proving to be a cornerstone for the Little Rock program. Expect him to continue to build on that success.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Tyler Kasak (Penn State – 157 lbs):<\/strong> Kasak had an incredible redshirt freshman campaign, battling through the tournament and earning a third-place finish. He’s a proven talent who will be a major factor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Ty Watters (West Virginia – 149 lbs):<\/strong> Watters also made a deep run in the NCAA tournament as a true freshman, facing Kasak for third place. He’s a dynamic wrestler with a bright future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Rocco Welsh (Ohio State – 184 lbs):<\/strong> Welsh notably came out of a potential redshirt last season to make the national finals, demonstrating his immediate high-level capability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Luke Stanich (Lehigh – 125 lbs):<\/strong> Stanich captured an EIWA title and was seeded second in the nation as a true freshman, showcasing his ability to compete with the best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Gabe Arnold (Iowa – 184 lbs):<\/strong> Arnold is a highly-touted recruit who entered the rankings quickly last season and is expected to be a major player for the Hawkeyes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Christian Carroll (Iowa State – 197 lbs\/HWT):<\/strong> Carroll is a big, physical talent who could make an immediate impact in the upper weights for the Cyclones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Ben Kueter (Iowa – HWT):<\/strong> Another highly-ranked recruit, Kueter brings significant talent to the heavyweight division for Iowa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Anthony Knox (Cornell – 133 lbs):<\/strong> A top recruit in the 2025 class who reclassified to 2024, Knox is incredibly talented and could make an immediate impact at Cornell.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. Harvey Ludington (Iowa – 197 lbs):<\/strong> A highly-touted recruit for the Hawkeyes, Ludington has the potential to factor in immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. LaDarion Lockett (Oklahoma State – 165\/174 lbs):<\/strong> A key commit for Oklahoma State, Lockett is a highly-ranked prospect with a strong offensive game.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Kollin Rath (Missouri – 157 lbs):<\/strong> Rath is a significant commit for Missouri and is expected to be a high-impact freshman.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. Kannon Webster (Illinois – 149 lbs):<\/strong> Webster was one of the freshmen who quickly found his way into national rankings last season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. Cross Wasilewski (Penn – 149 lbs):<\/strong> Wasilewski also appeared in early rankings as a freshman, indicating his readiness for college competition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. Max McEnelly (Minnesota – 184 lbs):<\/strong> McEnelly is a strong recruit for Minnesota and is expected to be in the mix at 184 lbs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  18. Simon Ruiz (Cornell – 174 lbs):<\/strong> Ruiz is another Cornell freshman who quickly made his presence known in the rankings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  19. Ronnie Ramirez (Oklahoma State – 133 lbs):<\/strong> A high-level recruit for the Cowboys, Ramirez will be one to watch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  20. Bryce Burkett (Oklahoma – 174\/184 lbs):<\/strong> Burkett is a notable recruit for the Sooners and has the talent to contribute right away.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Important Considerations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Redshirting:<\/strong> Many top freshmen choose to redshirt their first year to adjust to college life, training, and gain physical maturity. This list focuses on those likely to compete as true freshmen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Weight Classes:<\/strong> Wrestlers may adjust their weight classes once they arrive on campus, which can impact their immediate starting opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Injuries:<\/strong> Injuries can always alter a freshman’s debut season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Team Depth:<\/strong> A freshman’s ability to crack the starting lineup often depends on the depth of the roster at their weight class.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Here are some of the most highly-regarded true freshmen from the Class of 2024 who are expected to make an immediate impact in the 2024-2025 NCAA wrestling season, based on national rankings and early projections: Important Considerations:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[164,23],"class_list":["post-44525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","tag-college-wrestling","tag-ncaa"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1d27fc53-c6b0-43b6-ac29-f73815c7d3ce.jpg?fit=1024%2C772&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B7Di-bA9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrestlingpod.com\/wrestling-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}