Huskers drop out of Top 10; Redshirts impress at Hastings; Recruiting updates

After a disappointing dual loss to Purdue on Friday, Nebraska fell from No. 9 to No. 15 in the NWCA Coaches Poll.

The Big Ten has 11 teams in the Top 25, by far the most of any conference.

Notably, Penn State overtook Iowa for the top spot after the loss of No. 1 Spencer Lee, the nation’s highest point-scorer at any weight. Michigan still sits at No. 3, while Ohio State is seventh. Wisconsin moved up six spots to No. 10 after downing both No. 12 Rutgers and No. 23 Northwestern. After beating Nebraska and falling to Iowa, Purdue moved up to No. 12.

Nebraska falling from No. 9 to No. 15 represents the week’s biggest drop in the rankings. Given the Huskers’ schedule, they’ll have the chance to redeem themselves.

Trio of Champs at Hastings

The Husker wrestling team sent some of its redshirts to the Hastings College Open this past Saturday, and we got another look at the future of the lineup.

With three wrestlers winning championships, it seems that the future looks pretty bright. After all, many members of the past few top recruiting classes have been waiting in the wings for awhile.

Nebraska won championships with junior Boo Dryden at 133 pounds, as well as from freshmen Jagger Condomitti (157) and Silas Allred (197). Daniel Monahan went 3-2 but did not place at 141 pounds, while Nic Stoltenberg (157) went 2-2 and did not place. Quinton Chavez went 0-2 at 125, while Austin Emerson went 0-2 at heavyweight.

Dryden continues his dominance through open tournaments this year, going 4-0 for his third open title of the year. Dryden won two matches via pinfall and another by Tech Fall. He’s 13-0 on the season and will be a welcome addition to the lineup next season.

At 197 pounds, Allred continues to impress as he went 4-0 with three wins by pinfall and a medical forfeit in the final. As a redshirting freshman, Silas Allred has had the kind of season you would like to see. In open tournaments against mostly overmatched opponents, Allred has been dominant. After a high school career where he was a prolific pinner, Allred seems to have translated that ability to this level with five wins by pinfall in seven matches. Allred has also won a match by tech fall and the win via medical forfeit.

Then there’s Condomitti. The freshman hammer out of PA, Condomitti was dominant in Hastings at 157 pounds. He won a match via tech fall before pinning his way through the semis and finals. He’s now 9-1 on the year, with his other matches coming at 165 pounds. After this redshirt year, I see Condomitti finding his way into the lineup at either 157 or 165. He’s too good to stay on the bench once he’s eligible.

Add those three to the trio of redshirting freshmen Nathan Haas, Dominick Serrano and Elise Brown Ton and you have a solid set of replacements for Nebraska’s senior starters. Haas is 8-0 at 184 pounds with two open titles, while Serrano is 11-5 at 133 pounds. Brown Ton is 10-6 at 174 pounds with five wins by pinfall.

With seniors Taylor Venz and Eric Schultz leaving 184 and 197 open after this year, it’s important that both Allred and Haas develop into starting-caliber wrestlers.

Recruiting News

Nebraska originally signed three guys to its 2022 recruiting class, but the Huskers added a pair of guys to the list of 2022 recruits.

Added to the class are both Danny Nini of Lake Highland Prep in Florida and Cameron Graham of Cross County/Osceola, Neb.

Nini is a former North Carolina commit and is currently ranked No. 12 in the country at 138 pounds. He’s projected to wrestle at 141 pounds for Nebraska, a major weight of need with Chad Red Jr. expiring his eligibility after this year.

Graham is a defending Class C State Champ at 152 pounds for Cross County/Osceola and projects to either 157 or 165 in college.

Nebraska also has its first commit for the 2023 class in Alan Koehler of Prior Lake, Minn. Koehler was a 2021 Minnesota state champion as a sophomore at 106 pounds.

Currently ranked No. 11 in the country at 120 pounds, Koehler projects at 125 pounds, a weight where Nebraska has struggled to find a consistent starter. He’s also been very successful in both international styles, freestyle and Greco-Roman. In 2021, Koehler finished third in both Greco and freestyle at Fargo Junior Nationals, while finishing second in freestyle and fourth in Greco at Cadet Nationals in 2019.