The NCAA will crown the 2025 Champions and put to rest who the best in the country is at each weight class. Penn State is favored to win their fourth title in a row and have a wrestler in every weight class battling for national titles. I'm breaking down each weight class and giving you my championship matchups and picks!
125 Championship Prediction
I'm predicting Luke Lilledahl to be the 125 champion, but I can also see him being upset multiple times. He has to get through Caleb Smith out of Nebraska in the quarter finals and ASU's Richard Figueroa in the semis just to get the opportunity to wrestle for the championship. Ramos will be a favorite to win the bracket as he still has the hype of pinning Spencer Lee to his name. While impressive, it felt like a fluke because nobody would try to argue that he was a better wrestler than Lee. Virginia Tech has done a fantastic job building a winning culture and has multiple wrestlers in this tournament and I predict Eddie Ventresca will upset Ramos in the semis. I have Luke beating Eddie in the finals by a close decision.
Champion: #1 Luke Lilledahl, PSU
133 Championship Prediction
This bracket could absolutely be insane. My final four are the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 11th seeds and I could see the 26th seed Kai Orine beating Iowa's Ayala which would make this bracket truly crazy. Frost is an 11th seed out of ISU who is being slept on. He is at a program that gets the best out of their athletes and if he can get by Ayala, he has a shot to win it all. Illinois's Byrd just pinned Ayala, but they are tied 1-1 head-to-head on the season. Ayala has a tough road ahead, but he also has the better training partners making him my favorite to win the 133 championship by decision.
Champion: #2 Drake Ayala, Iowa
141 Championship Prediction
Nebraska's Brock Hardy had a tough draw last year running into the eventual champion earlier in the bracket. This year he will only have one real test before the finals, and I see him running into 5th seeded Cael Happel. The other side of the braket is nails. Mendez, VomBaur, Jamison, and Bartlett could all make the finals and are talented wrestlers who belong to good programs. Mendez was my pick to win it all last year, but he hasn't looked as polished this year and Penn State's Bartlett is primed to get his revenge. When Bartlett and Hardy met up earlier in the season, it was so close that 4 seconds or riding time is all that kept this match from going to overtime. Bartlett won that match up by 1 point and I expect him to win a close decision again to win the championship.
Champion: #2 Beau Bartlett, PSU
149 Championship Prediction
Henson was my dark horse to win it all last year, but I ended up giving Lovett the nod. Henson enters the tournament this year as an undefeated #1 seed and a big part of that is his endless gas tank. He also has a decent route to the championship as Parco of Iowa and Johnson of ISU should give each other a great match before having to face Henson. Lovett has faced insane competition in his career wrestling against Sammy Sasso, Yianni D, and Henson making him a battle tested option to once again get past SVN of Penn State. Henson leads the head-to-head series with Lovett at 2-1 with all matches coming down to close decisions. I predict Henson to win again in a close decision, as his underhook approach makes attacking a nightmare for Lovett.
Champion: #1 Caleb Henson, VT
157 Championship Prediction
This division could have the most upsets of any division. I have 11th seed Matty Bianchi of UALR making it to the quarterfinals and losing a close match to Nebraska's Taylor keeping him one match away from the semis. My biggest upset is the 18th seed Jacori Teemer of Iowa not only beating Cornell's Meyer Shapiro, but I have Teemer making it all the way to the championship. While I really like Teemer, I believe the champion will be the winner of the Brandon Cannon vs Tyler Kasak match. Both are incredibly skilled, but Kasak looked to be on another level as he majored Cannon at the Big 10 Championships. I have Kasak beating Teemer in the finals by a major decision.
Champion: #1 Tyler Kasak, PSU
165 Championship Prediction
Mesenbrink has been on the cusp but unable to ever get over the hump. He competed to make the US Olympic team but fell short after losing to legend Jordan Burroughs and fell just short in the championship last year against 2x NCAA champ and 4X medalist David Carr. This year, it is Mesenbrink's for the taking. He has dominated the likes of Caliendo and Amine throughout his career and Hall and Ramirez aren't on the same level as the Penn State stand out. I expect Mesenbrink to win a major decision and a much deserving championship.
Champion: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU
174 Championship Prediction
Respectfully, every wrestler outside of the top 3 seeds at 174 just feel like spot fillers. O'Toole is a 2x national champion and 4x medalist ironically winning all his titles outside of Missouri and getting 3rd place finishes when the Mizzou wrestler competed in St. Louis and Kansas City. Haines won the championship at the 157-pound weight class last year and benefits by having guys like Kasak, Mesenbrink, and Starocci to drill with every day. Hamiti has now been a top 5 seed for 4 straight years and switched programs to OKST to help him get an edge to compete for a title. I can nearly guarantee it will be O'Toole and Haines in the finals, and I think O'Toole wins a close decision in what is the best match of the night.
Champion: #1 Keegan O'Toole, Mizzou
184 Championship Prediction
I'm going to keep this short and anyone who has a lot to say about this division is just yapping. Plott and Keckeisen and both great and have a small chance to win if things break right for them. Starocci has a chance to do something no wrestler has ever done before, and that is winning 5 straight NCAA Championships. He is on another planet compared to these guys and just look at what he has had in his room during his college career. He has the best wrestling coach on the planet and his teammates at practice are tougher than nearly any guy he would ever face. Keckeisen won a title last year and he should put up a good fight but ultimately lose to Starocci by 4 or more points.
Champion: #1 Carter Starocci, PSU
197 Championship Prediction
People are going to HATE this pick. Stephen Little is getting a ton of hype but let's be honest, he isn't getting past Barr. Barr and Cardenas are always in close matches. I see Barr getting revenge for his Big 10 semi-final loss to Cardenas and punching his ticket to the finals. The other side of the bracket is even tougher to work out. Buchanan has faced the much better competition all year, but I just don't think he is as talented and relentless as Ferrari. I remember watching Ferrari when he was still in high school and while he hasn't lived up to the hype due to his off the matt issues, he is still the most athletically gifted wrestler in his division. I predict that Ferrari grinds out two low scoring close decision victories over Buchanan of Iowa and Barr of Penn State to capture his 2nd title since 2021.
Champion: #3 AJ Ferrari, CSUB
285 Championship Prediction
There has been a ton of outrage over the fact that the NCAA is letting Steveson compete. I say if he is eligible, he should be able to compete. Even if it is just another side quest for him. Steveson is a 2x national champion, 2020 Olympic Champion, and was recently signed to play defensive line for the Buffalo Bills despite never playing a single down of football in his life. Steveson is 99-2 in his college career and on a 66-match win streak. 13 of his 14 wins this season have been by bonus points including 9 tech falls. He beat 3rd seeded and last year's heavyweight champion Greg Kerkvliet at the Big 10 championships 10-3. Kerkvliet and Hendrickson will be competing for who gets to lose by MD or tech fall to Steveson in the finals.
Champion: #1 Gable Stevenson, Minnesota
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