Outstanding freshmen are now the norm in college wrestling, which makes identifying the future studs MUCH easier. Between following high school careers, freestyle performances and redshirt campaigns, there's plenty of information out there to determine which wrestlers will excel quickly at the Division I level.  

Last year, freshman Myles Martin, Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal were not just elite among freshman -- they were some of the best on the entire Division I scene. 

This top-10 list is based on expectations for success, so narrowing this list down was difficult. Two true freshmen were included based on their ability as well as their likelihood to compete. Someone like Mark Hall would obviously be high on this list, but I don't expect to see him cut loose yet.

Honorable Mentions

Jaydin Eierman
Chad Red
Taylor Lujan
Fredy Stroker
Nick Reenan
Max Thomsen

11) Nick Piccininni, 125 | Oklahoma State

Piccininni has always been a personal favorite. He's got a nice array of takedowns on his feet, and can work from space where he can get to his misdirect single, but he also can attack well from ties. On top, he's pretty solid with roll-through tilts. I see him as an All-American contender right away for the Cowboys.

Piccininni earns a tough win at the Reno TOC over Utah Valley's Chasen Tolbert:

10) Alex Marinelli, 165 | Iowa 

Another true freshman I'm expecting to get the nod, this Ohio stud could be the man for Iowa at 165. While the Hawkeyes are notorious for redshirting basically everyone who sets foot in Iowa City, it seems like an exception could be made for the outstanding Alex Marinelli. Nicknamed "The Bull," Marinelli has the skill set of a true freshman who can succeed. Like Suriano, he has the physical tools, positioning and hand-fighting ability to transition to wrestling at the Division I level.  Knowing how Iowa typically plays it, we probably won't see him in an Iowa singlet until after Midlands.  

9) Jared Prince, 141 | Navy

Navy's 141-pounder had himself a year! He took out Bryce Meredith, Rick Durso, Todd Preston, Kevin Devoy and a few other studs last year. He still needs a go-to takedown, but his scrambling and counters are definitely up to snuff. His wins will merit a high ranking right away.

Prince takes out NCAA finalist Bryce Meredith:

8) Ke-Shawn Hayes, 141 | Ohio State

I loved Hayes coming out of high school, and watching him last year, I'm even more encouraged he's going to do well for Ohio State. He took out Kolodzik, Ronnie Perry and Cort Schuyler last season as a redshirt. He brings a great left-side high crotch, and always had great top game. He hasn't proven as much as some guys on this list in terms of wins and losses, but I think he'll emerge as one of the best freshmen in America. 

7) Michael Kemerer, 157 | Iowa

 With Brandon Sorensen likely staying at 149, it looks like Michael Kemerer will be up at 157 next year. With his length and skill set, I think it will be an excellent transition. He knocked off All-American Geo Martinez as well as Matt Kraus, Fredy Stroker, Max Thomsen Clay Ream and Dante Rodriguez. So not just one solid win -- a collection of strong wins. He owns an assortment of attacks, re-attacks and scrambling ability. Additionally, he is tough on top, and has a strong motor.  He likely won't be in the title conversation, but he will have a shot at placing. 

Kemerer dominates All-American Anthony Collica in Akron:

6) Matt Kolodzik, 141 | Princeton 

Kolodzik had himself a year as he deferred a year of enrollment at Princeton. He knocked off All-Americans Anthony Ashnault and Rick Durso (twice) and made the finals of the Junior World Trials. Connor Prince (who is very good), Ronnie Perry and Ke-Shawn Hayes (we'll get to him, too) all fell to Kolodzik last year. Matt is sound in every position, and has strong leg attacks. He's got the goods to place -- no question.  

5) Anthony Valencia, 165 | Arizona State

Watching Anthony when he's "on" is pretty shocking. His combination of speed and power jumps off the screen. He's solid in all positions and can turn with tilts as well as feet-to-back potential. Blast double, misdirect single and slide by are probably his top three takedowns, in that order. He'll need to diversify his set-ups as well as shore up his defense, but if he does that, he'll be tough to beat. Valencia took an Olympic redshirt last year, so it's been a bit since he tested his folkstyle chops; however, I don't anticipate any lag in that transition.

4) Vincenzo Joseph, 165 | Penn State

If you read this earlier, you'll realize Vincenzo is an addition.  His omission was a mistake.  So yeah, I have flaws. I suppose I didn't include Cenzo originally since he really didn't have a redshirt campaign that had many results to consider.  However, that's true for many of the people on this list.  Vincenzo has really made his marks in freestyle over the last year or so.  Going back to his Junior World Team Trials in 2015, he put us on notice with his win over Anthony Ashnault.  This year, he was even more impressive downing Anthony Valencia twice as well as Joseph Smith.  His freestyle losses were to Mark Hall, Jason Nolf and Logan Massa.  He's got very strong hips, good offense in terms of attacks and some upper-body skills I didn't realize until this Spring.  If he's consistent, he's a difference maker this year at 165.

Joseph's Insane 14-13 win over Valencia:

3) Logan Massa, 165 | Michigan

 We've watched Logan scrap with the best for a few years now in the 165 range with outstanding success. The Michigan freshman turned in a solid redshirt campaign last year. He has as much offense as anyone in this class, and can convert takedowns from a variety of positions. Consider Massa's freestyle wins: Jason Nolf, Joe Smith, Kevin LeValley, Mike Moreno and Anthony Valencia. I'm unsure how he stacks up on the mat against 165's elite at this point, but I'm confident he is requisite there, at worst. He will make his money on his feet. 165 will be deep next year, but I still believe he will reach the podium, and a top-five finish is possible. 

Massa takes it to Valencia in freestyle:

2) Nick Suriano, 125 | Penn State

Nick has true freshman All-American written all over him -- honestly, seeing him in the finals right away would come as no surprise. His strength, hand-fighting and positioning have been Division I ready for some time now, and that will only improve as he spends time in the Penn State room. He's going to wrestle right away -- the coaching staff have known that from the get-go -- and he's being prepared accordingly. He might take a lump or two early on, but I really don't see him getting out-classed by anyone. Beaten? Sure, but he will be a contender in every match he wrestles. I gave Nick the nod over Massa because I view 125 as a more navigable weight. 

1) Zahid Valencia, 174 | Arizona State

Coming out of high school, Zahid was one of two wrestlers to win the prestigious Ironman tournament four times; David Taylor is the other. His game has elevated since stepping on campus at Arizona State -- we watched him dominate NCAA champion Myles Martin and NCAA finalist Bo Nickal (twice). His sweep single is as crisp a takedown as you'll see in Division I all year. Though Zahid has been more known for his freestyle acumen of late -- he made the junior world team the last two years -- he has a strong base in folkstyle wrestling. His top/bottom is solid, and his insane defense is even tougher to penetrate in folkstyle. At 174, he's an instant title contender. But at 184, it's a tall task with Gabe Dean in the mix along with other tough 184s. Regardless, he's proven he can go with the best.

Zahid takes out Nickal in the first match of the Junior World Team Trials:

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