We’re still about 5 months away from the college wrestling season but it’s never too early to start breaking down some of the nation’s top programs! We’re spending the off-season previewing as many of the top programs as possible to see what schools are ready to challenge for a trophy at the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of those teams. They placed 8th at the 2024 NCAA Tournament and are returning all of their starters next season. Check out the below article for a full breakdown of Ohio State’s lineup for the 2024-25 season.
Ohio State’s Projected 2024-25 Lineup:
125: #19 Brendan McCrone/Vinny Kilkeary
133: #12 Nic Bouzakis
141: #2 Jesse Mendez
149: #12 Dylan D’Emilio
157: #15 Isaac Wilcox/Paddy Gallagher
165: Bryce Hepner/Isaac Wilcox
174: #3 Rocco Welsh/Carson Kharchla
184: #15 Ryder Rogotzke/Seth Shumate
197: #20 Luke Geog/Seth Shumate
285: #3 Nick Feldman
125: #19 Brendan McCrone/Vinny Kilkeary
The Buckeyes have a few different roster battles throughout their lineup and the battle between McCrone and Kilkeary will be interesting to watch play out next year. McCrone won the wrestle-off against Kilkeary last season and was highly productive as an NCAA qualifier. McCrone notched several notable wins throughout the 2023-24 season with his best victories coming against Eddie Ventresca, Jakob Camacho, and Dean Peterson. However, McCrone also had some head-scratching losses throughout the year and ultimately went 1-2 at NCAAs. McCrone definitely performed better than most expected from him last year but I don’t believe he’s separated himself enough to ensure he’s the started next year at 125.
With that door open, many expect redshirt freshman Vinny Kilkeary to overtake the starting spot from McCrone. Kilkeary was the #34 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and had a solid redshirt season for the Buckeyes. Kilkeary was 20-8 overall last season but only recorded 1 ranked win - a 3-2 overtime decision over Ethan Berginc. Despite his lack of quality wins, everyone’s eyes were opened to Kilkeary’s potential when he almost defeated Penn State’s Braeden Davis (eventual #1 seed at NCAAs) in a controversial 4-3 loss. Most recently, Kilkeary made the finals of the U20 US Open, notably defeating top recruits Anthony Knox and Seth Mendoza. As unpredictable as 125 was last year, it feels like Kilkeary could insert himself as an All-American contender and score significant points next year at the NCAA Tournament.
Kilkeary's controversial match against Braeden Davis:
133: #12 Nic Bouzakis
Nic Bouzakis will again man the starting spot at 133 for Ohio State next season after putting together a solid freshman year. Bouzakis ultimately went 2-2 at the NCAA Tournament falling two wins shy of All-American honors. However, during the regular season, Bouzakis defeated All-Americans Kai Orine and Aaron Nagao proving he’s a legitimate threat to reach the podium. On top of those wins, Bouzakis also recorded 9 pins, 6 techs, and 2 majors last year and if he makes any improvement, he can score big points for the Buckeyes next season.
Nic Bouzakis' win in the third-place match at the 2023 CKLV:
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141: #2 Jesse Mendez
Jesse Mendez jumped levels last year on his way to winning an NCAA title after placing 6th as a true freshman. Last year Mendez went 29-2 with 6 pins, 10 techs, and 5 majors. Mendez will once again be one of the favorites to win a title next season but will be tested by Beau Bartlett and potentially Andrew Alirez. Bartlett defeated Mendez last season (4-1 in overtime) and was inches away from securing the match-winning takedown in their NCAA finals match.
We also don’t know if Andrew Alirez will wrestle 141 or 149 next season. Alirez was the 2023 NCAA Champion in a year where he went 28-0 with notable victories over Beau Bartlett and Real Woods while recording 7 pins, 5 techs, and 7 majors. Mendez and Alirez have never wrestled in their college career and their matchup might be one of the most anticipated matches of the season.
Jesse Mendez's win in the finals of the 2024 NCAA Tournament over Beau Bartlett:
149: #12 Dylan D’Emilio
Dylan D’Emilio is heading into his final year at Ohio State and will likely man the starting spot again for the Buckeyes next season after finishing 1 match shy of All-American honors at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. After placing 8th in 2023 at 141 pounds, D’Emilio proved last season that he’s still an All-American threat up at 149. I don’t expect D’Emilio to challenge for an NCAA title but he can reach the podium again and will be a valuable piece in Ohio State’s hopes of challenging for a trophy.
157: #15 Isaac Wilcox/Paddy Gallagher
Paddy Gallagher started out last season as the man for the Buckeyes at 157 pounds before going down with injury in early January. Prior to the injury, Gallagher was putting together a solid season peaking in the rankings at #11 while recording notable wins over All-American Peyten Kellar, Ryder Downey, and Trevor Chumbley. If Gallagher is back to 100%, he should be the starter and will be an All-American contender.
If Gallagher isn’t ready to go, we’ll likely see the Buckeyes plug Isaac Wilcox in at 157. Last year, Wilcox split starting time with Bryce Hepner at 165 until Gallagher was injured. Wilcox was solid down at 157 and went 2-2 at the NCAA Tournament with a notable victory over All-American Brock Mauller. Gallagher definitely has the higher upside here but we chose to keep Wilcox in the rankings because of how last season ended.
Paddy Gallagher's win in the 7th-place match of the 2023 CKLV over Trevor Chumbley:
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165: Bryce Hepner/Isaac Wilcox
As mentioned, Hepner and Wilcox split time at 165 before Wilcox dropped to take over the 157-pound spot. Hepner failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and only secured one win over an NCAA qualifier - a pin over Illinois' Chris Moore. Hepner also notably only lost to #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 10-4 and rode Mesenbrink a majority of the third period in that match while having a cradle locked up for the final 34 seconds. While Hepner might not take that as a win, it does showcase his top ability and potential. Beyond that, Hepner does have a notable win over 3-time All-American Cam Amine from the 2023 season. However, Hepner will have to take a significant step forward if the Buckeyes hope to get any points from next year.
If Paddy Gallagher returns to 157, Isaac Wilcox might be the better opinion at 165. Before he moved down, Wilcox defeated eventual NCAA qualifiers Connor Brady and Stoney Buell and peaked in the 165-pound rankings at #18.
174: #3 Rocco Welsh/Carson Kharchla
True freshman Rocco Welsh stepped up to the plate in a big way after Carson Kharchla went down with injury in December. Welsh finished runner-up at the NCAA Tournament while only losing to Carter Starocci in the finals, 2-0. Overall last year, Welsh recorded a 26-5 record with his only losses coming to Edmond Ruth, Shane Griffith, and the aforementioned Carter Starocci. Welsh went on to avenge the loss to Ruth at the NCAA Tournament in a razor-tight 4-1 victory which was remarkable 1 of 3 overtime victories Welsh had at NCAAs.
Welsh will once again be an NCAA title contender this year at 174 pounds. Right now we have him ranked #3 behind NCAA Champions Keegan O’Toole and Levi Haines. We believe both Haines and O’Toole will be bumping up to 174 and will be Welsh’s biggest obstacles to winning a title. If Haines and O’Toole are up at 174, Welsh will be right in the mix and Ohio State fans should expect Welsh to score significant team points at the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Highlights from Rocco Welsh's win in the NCAA Quarter-Finals over Edmond Ruth:
As good as Rocco Welsh was last year, there is a chance Ohio State could redshirt Welsh next year and start Carson Kharchla. We haven’t heard any update on Kharchla since he went down with injury. There’s also speculation Kharchla could drop to 165 pounds bolstering Ohio State’s lineup even more. If Kharchla is healthy, he’ll be an All-American threat at 165 or 174 next year. He placed 7th at 165 in 2022 and looked great the first two months of the season last year before his injury. At this point, Kharchla’s future is all speculation but we’ll update this article as we have more information on his status for the 2024-25 season.
184: #15 Ryder Rogotzke/Seth Shumate
Last year we saw both Ryder Rogotzke and Seth Shumate battle for the 184-pound starting spot with Rogotzke coming out as the starter. Rogotzke was just a true freshman last season but qualified for the NCAA Tournament where he ultimately went 1-2. Rogotzke’s season, like his style, was a rollercoaster - he went 20-10 with an insane 16 wins coming by fall! Rogotzke’s most notable pin last season occurred in the dual against Penn State where he pinned 4-time All-American Bernie Truax in the second period. On the other side of things, Rogotzke also dropped matches to non-NCAA qualifiers James Rowley and Nathan Haas. Rogotzke has the potential to make a jump next season but he needs to become more consistent to move into the top ten at 184 pounds.
Ryder Rogotzke's win over Bernie Truax:
With Rogotzke having a redshirt available, Seth Shumate could be in contention for the 184-pound starting spot. Shumate was 9-3 last season and only lost to NCAA Qualifiers - Shane Liegel, Ryder Rogotzke, and Aaron Ayzerov. However, Shumate was the #34 overall recruit in the class of 2022 and I believe there’s a good chance he’ll see starting time at the beginning of the year.
197: #20 Luke Geog
Luke Geog had a quality redshirt freshman season starting for the Buckeyes at 197 pounds last year while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. However, he didn’t score any points at NCAAs due to a tough draw where he went 0-2 running into #8 Silas Allred and #12 Zach Glazier. Despite the disappointing end to the season, Geog showed promise in the regular season with quality wins over Andy Smith and John Poznanski. Like many of his other teammates, Geog has the potential to jump into All-American contention if he improves from last year to next year. Geog has shown the ability to make significant jumps in the past - he ended his high school career ranked as the #24 overall recruit in the class of 2022 but was ranked down at #77 just 18 months before his graduation.
Hear Luke Geog talk about his transition up to 197 pounds:
285: #3 Nick Feldman
Nick Feldman placed 5th at the 2024 NCAA Tournament where he recorded impressive wins over Cohlton Schultz (11-4) and Taye Ghadiali (10-4) while only losing to Greg Kerkvliet (1-0) and Wyatt Hendrickson (14-5). That performance is even more impressive considering Feldman was majored by Kerkvliet earlier in the season and teched by Ghadiali at the CKLV. Feldman missed all of his redshirt year with a serious neck injury and made vast improvements last season. I expect Feldman to jump levels over the summer and by the time the 2025 NCAA Tournament rolls around, he’ll be ready to challenge for an NCAA title.
Nick Feldman discusses coming back for fifth place, the adversity he went through last season after neck surgery, and much more:
What Will Ohio State Place At The 2025 NCAA Tournament?
Ohio State is currently ranked #4 in our team tournament rankings and sits just 3.5 points behind Arizona State and 4.5 points behind Nebraska. Ohio State has potential All-Americans at 125, 133, 149, and 157 showing that they could gain valuable team points that they aren’t currently getting in the rankings. It’s of course way too early to make predictions, but Ohio State has the potential to win a team trophy (a top 3 finish) next year and Buckeye fans should be excited about the program’s future.
