Overview

Head coach: Brian Smith
Assistants: Tyrel Todd, Kendric Maple, Dom Bradley
2023 NCAA tournament finish: 5th
2023 NCAA tournament points: 64.5
2023 NCAA tournament record: 28-18
2023 Big 12 tournament finish: 1st
2023 dual record: 8-3 (7-1)
Returning national qualifiers: 8 (Noah Surtin, Josh Edmond, Brock Mauller, Keegan O’Toole, Peyton Mocco, Colton Hawks, Rocky Elam, Zach Elam)
Returning All-Americans: 5 (Brock Mauller, Keegan O’Toole, Peyton Mocco, Rocky Elam, Zach Elam)
Returning NCAA champion: Keegan O’Toole (2022, 2023)
Last NCAA champion: Keegan O’Toole (2023)
Highest NCAA team finish: 3rd (2007)
Highest NCAA team finish under Smith: 3rd (2007)
Most place winners under Smith: 5 (2009, 2013, 2015, 2023)

Click here for other early line-up looks

Last 10 NCAA Championships

2013: 7th
2014: 14th
2015: 4th
2016: 6th
2017: 5th
2018: 6th
2019: 6th
2020: Canceled (COVID)
2021: 7th
2022: 9th
2023: 5th

Summary

Missouri’s past should always be mentioned when looking toward the future. The Tigers only had one top-10 finish prior to Brian Smith’s arrival in 1998. Now, the team is a perennial trophy contender. 

The team finished in the top 10 during nine of the past 10 NCAA Championships, earning trophies in 2007 and 2015. Smith is on the cusp of a third in 2024. 

A look back at the Tigers’ 2007 third-place finish offers clues on what it might take for this team. They only had three placers (1st, 3rd, and 6th) but scored 80 points.

How? Bonus points.

That might be the formula for Missouri in 2024. 

The team had one fall (2 points) at the 2023 NCAA tournament.

The team had 11 falls (22 points) at the 2007 NCAA tournament. 

Returning two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole will be the focal point of the team. He scored 22.5 team points and will need help to reach 80. Returning All-Americans Brock Mauller (7th), Peyton Mocco (8th), Rocky Elam (3rd), and Zach Elam (6th) can make that happen. 

No All-American had a pin at this year’s NCAA tournament. If they had, Missouri would have been a trophy team. Granted, this is a tall task — especially against such a competitive field. 

The formula for Missouri is simple but difficult: score more bonus points. Or, add another All-American or two. Missouri is capable of both. 

Missouri’s Projected 2023-24 Line-up

125: Noah Surtin, JR (NQ)
133: Zeke Seltzer, FR
141: Josh Edmond, SO (NQ)
149: Brock Mauller, SR (AA)
157: Cam Steed, FR
165: Keegan O’Toole, JR (NC)
174: Peyton Mocco, SR (AA)
184: Colton Hawks, JR (NQ)
197: Rocky Elam, JR (AA)
285: Zach Elam, SR (AA)

125: Noah Surtin, JR
2023 record: 17-7
2023 NCAA tournament record: 1-2

Surtin is the right man for the job if Missouri is looking for more bonus points. He had seven falls, three techs, and three major decisions last season for a 76 percent bonus rate every time he wins. His losses aren’t bad, either. He only dropped one match by a major decision and his remaining six matches were mostly competitive. There is still a deep field ahead of Surtin, but his output during the season and at the NCAA Championships could make the difference for this team. 

133: Zeke Seltzer, FR
2023 record: 21-7

Seltzer will battle teammate Trey Crawford for the starting 133-pound spot following the graduation of Connor Brown. Seltzer appears to be a good option after a solid true freshman campaign. He wrestled in six tournaments and was the starter for the Northern Iowa dual, where he lost to Kyle Biscoglia, 5-2. 

141: Josh Edmond, SO
2023 record: 5-2

Edmond returns as the starter after redshirting last season. He qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships and was 17-11 on the season. The Detroit, Michigan, native replaces Allan Hart who reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Championships and the Round of 12 twice prior to that. Edmond has a big upside and could make a difference for the Tigers this season. 

149: Brock Mauller, SR
2023 record: 20-4
2023 NCAA tournament record: 4-2 (7th)

Mauller has been a fixture for the Missouri line-up as he enters his senior season. He is a three-time All-American, placing sixth in 2019, fifth in 2021, and seventh in 2023. The Tigers will need similar results in 2024. He scored 6.5 points at the 2023 NCAA Championships so an extra win or two will go a long way for himself and for his team. Four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis is out of the picture, but this weight didn’t get any easier. Another All-American finish from Mauller is important for Missouri to contend. 

157: Cam Steed, FR
2023 record: 16-5

Steed and Jerrdon Fisher are quality options to replace Jarrett Jacques. Steed competed in one tournament at 157 last season and bumped up to 165 for the remainder of the year. O’Toole’s presence at 165 makes this the best option for Steed to enter the line-up. 

165: Keegan O’Toole
2023 record: 20-2
2023 NCAA tournament record: 5-0 (1st)

O’Toole is in rarified air at Missouri. Only two other wrestlers have won multiple NCAA titles: Ben Askren (2) and J’den Cox (3).

The Hartland, Wisconsin, native added his name in 2023 with a masterful win in the finals over Iowa State’s returning NCAA champion David Carr. In fact, both of his wins in the NCAA tournament finals were against returning NCAA champions. This team goes where O’Toole takes it. 

174: Peyton Mocco, SR
2023 record: 23-7
2023 NCAA tournament record: 3-3 (8th)

Season by season, Mocco makes progress. He finally reached the podium in 2023 following a Round of 12 finish in 2022 and a Round of 16 finish in 2021. This weight doesn’t get any easier so another top-eight finish will be difficult but possible. He scored 5.5 points at the NCAA tournament, which means bonus points should be a focal point for the Tiger senior. 

184: Colton Hawks, JR
2023 record: 19-12
2023 NCAA tournament record: 2-2

Hawks is the returning starter but he’ll get pushed by Clayton Whiting. Whiting completed his redshirt season with a 23-3 record and five tournament titles. He fell to Hawks, 3-1, at the Tiger Style Invite so this weight is truly up for grabs. Hawks wrestles tough, competitive matches that are close — win or lose. Smith should feel good about both his options here. 

197: Rocky Elam, JR
2023 record: 15-2
2023 NCAA tournament record: 5-1 (3rd)

Elam will be in title contention again but the weight got tougher with the likely addition of Penn State's returning two-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks and Stephen Buchanan, who transferred from Wyoming to Oklahoma. The 2021 U20 World champion has placed fifth, fourth, and third at the NCAA Championships so far. An appearance in the finals is realistic but it will take his best season yet. 

285: Zach Elam, SR
2023 record: 22-6
2023 NCAA tournament record: 4-3 (6th)

Michigan’s Mason Parris is gone but this is still a loaded and competitive era for heavyweights. Elam broke through with his first podium finish in 2023 by wrestling seven matches at the NCAA Championships. The Tigers will need him to do something similar in 2024. He scored nine team points, so Smith could use a couple more points to snag the team’s first trophy since 2015.