2024-25 NC State Wrestling Early Lineup Look

A breakdown of the potential starting lineup for the 2024-25 NC State wrestling team.

Jun 28, 2024 by Jon Kozak

2024-25 NC State Wrestling Early Lineup Look

NC State finished 11th at the 2024 NCAA Tournament and has a lineup filled with potential All-Americans for next season. The Wolfpack will be one of the most exciting teams to watch throughout next year and will be one of the main contenders to win a team trophy. Check out the below article for a full breakdown of NC State's starting lineup next season.

NC State Projected 2024-25 Lineup:

125: #10 Jakob Camacho

133: #6 Kai Orine

141: #5 Ryan Jack

149: #6 Jackson Arrington

157: #8 Ed Scott

165: #17 Derek Fields

174: Matthew Singleton

184: #9 Dylan Fishback

197: Christian Knop/Chase Horne/Isaac Trumble

285: #9 Isaac Trumble/Owen Trephan

125: #10 Jakob Camacho

Jakob Camacho is entering his final year of college as one of the best wrestlers in the country who hasn’t earned All-American honors. Camacho finished one win shy of All-American honors in 2021 and was two wins short at the 2022 and 2024 NCAA Tournaments. Despite those disappointing finishes, Camacho was ranked #1 in the country early last season after he defeated 2023 NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos, 8-5. Along with the win over Ramos, Camacho also has career victories over All-Americans Drake Ayala, Caleb Smith, Sam Latona, Dylan Ragusin, and Jack Mueller. Camacho has an extremely high ceiling and will be right in the mix with several wrestlers next year to win a national title at 125 pounds.

Camacho's win over Matt Ramos:

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133: #6 Kai Orine

Kai Orine is now a two-time All-American after finishing 8th place at 133 pounds at the last two NCAA Tournaments. Orine is one of the more exciting wrestlers in the country and recorded victories last season over #7 Aaron Nagao, #11 Jacob Van Dee, and #4 Evan Frost. At the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Orine dropped matches to #5 Dylan Shawver, #2 Nasir Bailey, and Vito Arujau resulting in his #6 ranking entering next year. Despite those losses, both Vito Arujau and Daton Fix have graduated and leave 133 pounds a little more wide open next year. The weight class is still relatively deep with 5 All-Americans aside from Orine returning to the weight class but Orine should be able to climb the podium next year and end his career with his highest finish.

Kai Orine's win over Evan Frost in the 2023 CKLV finals:

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141: #5 Ryan Jack

After two years of falling short at the NCAA Tournament, Ryan Jack finally punched through last season with a 7th place finish at NCAAs. Along with the great finish at NCAAs, Jack put together a fantastic year peaking at #4 in the rankings while recording wins over Lachlan McNeil, Cael Happel, Tagen Jamison, Tom Crook, and Cole Matthews. Jack is a tier behind Andrew Alirez, Jesse Mendez, and Beau Bartlett but Jack is a big favorite to reach the podium again and should be able to climb higher than last year.

149: #6 Jackson Arrington

Arrington is entering his junior year after finishing one win shy of All-American honors at both the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Tournament. At last year’s tournament, Arrington only lost to NCAA runner-up Austin Gomez (12-9) and eventual third-place finisher Tyler Kasak (5-4). Beyond that, Arrington won his first ACC title by defeating 2024 NCAA Champion Caleb Henson in overtime (4-1). 149 pounds will be a deep weight class next year with a total of 8 past All-Americans in the field but even with that, Arrington will be one of the favorites to earn All-American honors.

157: #8 Ed Scott

Ed Scott fell just short of All-American honors last year when he was pinned in the round of 12 by Ohio’s Peyten Kellar. Scott, who finished 5th at the 2023 NCAA Tournament, had an up-and-down season last year taking a few surprising losses to Sonny Santiago, Joey Blaze, and Travis Teague but recording wins over Bryce Andonian, Ryder Downey, and Will Lewan. Scott has cemented himself as one of the best wrestlers in the country at 157 pounds but he’ll need to wrestle his best at the NCAA Tournament if he hopes to get back on the podium in 2025.

Ed Scott's win over Bryce Andonian for third place at the 2023 CKLV:

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165: #17 Derek Fields

Derek Fields had a solid 2023-24 campaign in his first year starting for the Wolfpack last season. Fields compiled a 16-6 record while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament but ultimately went 0-2 at NCAAs losing to Cam Amine and Dom Baker. Despite the 0-2 finish, Fields had several bright spots throughout the year, and NC State fans should be optimistic about Fields in the 2024-25 season.

174: Matthew Singleton

Matthew Singleton will likely return to the lineup for the Wolfpack at 174 next season after redshirting last year. Singleton started at 165 pounds as a true freshman in 2023 but failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament after finishing 4th at ACCs with an 11-7 record on the year. Despite that slightly disappointing season in 2023, NC State fans should be excited about Singleton next year. He was the #10 ranked overall recruit out of the class of 2022 and won a bronze medal at the U20 world championships in 2023 (with a broken hand). No one should be surprised if Singleton quickly moves up the rankings next year and establishes himself as an All-American contender as the season unfolds.

Matthew Singleton's win in the bronze medal match at the 2023 U20 World Championships:

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184: #9 Dylan Fishback

Like his teammates Arrington and Scott, Fishback finished one win shy of All-American honors after losing in the round of 12 at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Though he didn’t reach the podium, Fishback had a solid freshman season with wins over All-Americans Will Feldkamp, Trey Munoz, Ben Pasiuk, and Chris Foca. Fishback has all of the potential to reach the podium next season and it will be interesting to see what kind of progress he makes in his second year starting for the Wolfpack.

Fishback's win over 2-time All-American Trey Munoz at the 2023 CKLV:

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197: Christian Knop/Chase Horne/Isaac Trumble

There aren’t too many question marks for NC State’s lineup next season but 197 pounds is a weight where we could see a roster battle. Isaac Trumble redshirted last season but started in 2022 and 2023 for NC State at 197 pounds. He never earned All-American honors but he has career wins over Bernie Truax, Silas Allred, Nino Bonaccorsi, and Rocky Elam. If Trumble’s back at 197, he’s not only an All-American threat but an NCAA title threat next year. Despite that, Trumble may have outgrown the weight class and there’s a good chance we see him move up to heavyweight next year. Trumble wrestled all 7 of his matches last season at 285 pounds and has competed at 97 kg (213.8 pounds) on the freestyle circuit over the past two years.

If Trumble does move up to heavyweight, we’ll likely see Christian Knop and Chase Horne battle for the starting spot at 197. Knop will be a 6th year senior next season and accumulated an 18-5 record last year as the backup for Trent Hidlay. Knop’s best win of the year was a pin over Virginia Tech freshman Sonny Sasso and while Knop doesn’t have a robust hitlist, he’d likely qualify for the NCAA Tournament if he earned the starting spot.

Chase Horne wrestled the last two years at 285 but it appears he’s making the descent down to 197 pounds for next year. At the recent U23 Nationals, Horne wrestled at 92 kg (202.8 pounds) where he went 3-2 and finished one match shy of finishing in the top 8. Horne’s only losses at U23s were to national qualifiers Zach Glazier (10-0) and Levi Hopkins (9-2). Horne was the #35 overall recruit out of the class of 2022 and could have a high ceiling if he’s able to wrestle his best down at 197 pounds.

285: #9 Isaac Trumble/Owen Trephan

As mentioned above, I expect Isaac Trumble to make the move up to 285 pounds next season and he could be considered a darkhorse national finalist contender. Trumble has had incredible results on the senior level over the past two years winning a U23 World title, finishing second at the 2023 US Open, and second at the 2024 Olympic Trials. While Trumble lost to Kyle Snyder in the finals at the trials, he notably teched Kollin Moore (11-1) in the challenge tournament finals. Trumble might be a little undersized against some of the bigger heavyweights in the field, but his athleticism and wrestling ability will make up for most of the size disadvantages he’ll face. If Trumble does move up to heavyweight, wrestling fans should keep a close eye on him and expect him to be competitive with the best in the country at 285.

Isaac Trumble's win in the finals of the 2023 U23 World Championships:

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If Trumble doesn’t move up to heavyweight, the Wolfpack still has an All-American contender in Owen Trephan. Trephan is a two-time national qualifier and even defeated All-American Nick Feldman last season (8-6). Beyond that win, Trephan had notable victories over #12 Hunter Catka and #14 Dayton Pitzer proving he’d be ranked in the top 12 if he was in the starting lineup.

What Will NC State Place At The 2025 NCAA Tournament

NC State has at least 7 legitimate All-American contenders and if they put everything together at the NCAA Tournament, they're a trophy contender. Right now, we have the Wolfpack ranked #8 in our Team Tournament ranking but they’re getting almost no points from Camacho, Fishback, or Trumble. Beyond that, Orine, Jack, Arrington, and Scott could all improve their placement and earn more team points. However, like last season, many of NC State's All-American contenders will likely be wrestling in the round of 12 at the NCAA tournament. As realistic as it may be for the Wolfpack to win a trophy, it's equally realistic for them to finish around the 7th-10th range if they don't wrestle their best at NCAAs. NC State will be a fantastic team to watch throughout the season and has a lineup filled with exciting wrestlers.