It may be the NCAA offseason, but October will be rolling around soon enough.

We've already taken a look at the top 20 teams ranked by order of returning NCAA points. Now we are going through each weight class and highlight every All-American returning for the 2017-18 season.

Top 20 Returning NCAA Team Points | 125 Returning AAs | 133 Returning AAs | 141 Returning AAs 

We will have a better idea of who will be taking redshirts and what weight classes they will be in as we get closer to the start of the season. Until then, here are our best guesses, though feel free to holler at us with any updates on those topics.

149 Pounds

Returns 2 National Championships and 14 All-American Honors

You can't begin discuss next year's 149-pound weight class without starting with last year's Hodge Trophy winner, Zain "The Train Falls Mainly On Pain" Retherford, who hasn't lost since his true freshman year in 2014. He's since rattled off two undefeated national championship seasons and an ungodly amount of bonus points along the way. His presence at 149 immediately makes it one of the NCAA's toughest weight classes. 

Zain Retherford, Penn State 5, 1, 1, ? 

Retherford had an impressive first season, handing four-time national champion Logan Steiber one of the few losses of his illustrious career. Retherford would finish fifth at NCAAs that year, before spending a quiet redshirt year bulking up to 149. The move up has suited the Nittany Lions superstar and 2017 USA freestyle world team member well. He's never taken a loss at 149, and the safe bet is that he will finish is career at that weight undefeated.

Brandon Sorensen, Iowa 4, 2, 3, ?

Although Sorensen doubtlessly has have loftier goals for his career, the Hawkeyes senior will probably go down as one of the best ever not to win a national championship. Already with three top four finishes at the NCAA tournament, Sorenson is a strong favorite to make that stat 4 for 4. In the last two tournaments, only Retherford has been able to stop Sorenson, although you can bet he won't be conceding anything next season.

Joey McKenna 3, DNP, ?, ? 

As mentioned in the 141-pound rundown, we're not sure what weight McKenna will wrestle next season, and there is a good chance he doesn't know either. But wherever he ends up (both school and weight), you can bet he is going to cause problems for his opponents. A third-place finisher as a freshman, the former Stanford Cardinal was knocked out of the 2017 tournament in the round of 12. McKennaHe was upset by Minnesota's Tommy Thorn in the second round and stopped by Missouri's Jaydin Eierman in the bloodround.

Micah Jordan, Ohio State DNP, 4, ?, ?

Jordan vastly improved on his freshman campaign last season. The Buckeyes junior moved up from 141 pounds to 149 and improved from a round of 12 finish to fourth place at the NCAA tournament. There is a chance Jordan could be at 157 next year, if Joey McKenna transfers to Ohio State, as one rumor goes. But in any event, head coach Tom Ryan will be counting on Jordan to anchor the middle weights for the scarlet and gray as they attempt to derail the Penn State juggernaut.

Max Thomsen, Northern Iowa 5, ?, ?, ? 

Panthers head coach Doug Schwab has a gem on his hands in sophomore phenom Max Thomsen. The Iowa native raced out to a fifth-place finish after qualifying for the NCAA tournament as a freshman. The purple and old gold faithful will be counting on Thomsen to lead the team in their inaugural season in the Big 12 this fall. 

Solomon Chishko, Virginia Tech 6, 6, ?, ?

Chishko has been a model of consistency, placing sixth on both of his trips to the NCAA tournament at two different weights, first at 141 and then at 149. Next season, Hokies fans are hoping for at least that, as the Pennsylvania native goes for three All-American honors in a row. 

Alec Pantaleo, Michigan NP, 6, ?, ?

The Canton, Michigan, native took last year off from NCAA competition, redshirting and competing mainly in senior-level freestyle events. But Pantaleo was able to place sixth as a true sophomore and will be looking to climb even higher for the Wolverines next year.  There are rumors of Pantelo going either at 149 or 157 next year. Pantaleo shouldn't have any problems adjusting to the higher weight, as he also had no problems locating the weight room during his redshirt season. 

Justin Oliver, Central Michigan 7, DNP, ?, ?

Oliver will be looking to ignite the passions of Central Michigan fans next year, or to "fire up chips" as they're fond of saying in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Oliver was stopped in the bloodround last year by Chishko but finished seventh on his first trip to the NCAAs in 2016. Oliver will have an eye on climbing back up the award steps next season.

Geo Martinez, Oklahoma State DNP, 8, ?, ?

Martinez secured his eighth-place All-American honor for the lamentably departed Boise State Broncos program in 2016. He's since transferred to Oklahoma State, where he'll try to once again make it to Saturday wrestling at the NCAAs. He'll have some stout competition just to make the Cowboys' starting lineup, but he'll be a top contender for an award if he does. 

​You can watch Zain conduct the pain train right over Sorensen in the 2017 NCAA semifinals in the video below.


Did we miss anybody? Let us know! And stay tuned for 157 coming up next!

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