Richard Figueroa has had success at Arizona State, but he hasn’t had much luck.

The nation’s top recruit in 2021, Figueroa sat out his first season and as a redshirt freshman he watched All-America Brandon Courtney, who gained an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, compete at 125 pounds ahead of him.

Last year, an early-season ankle injury sidelined him until the second semester and a couple of upset losses opened a few eyes around the country. But those same eyes saw Figueroa make a late-season run to claim titles at the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships, where he swept through five extremely good wrestlers to earn the gold medal.

This season, well, a soft-tissue tear has limited him to just two bouts, but Sun Devils coach Zeke Jones said Figueroa is “back to 100 percent” and ready to go. And Jones wants him to go … even farther than last year.

“The conversation with Richie this year is now it's time to transition to the World and Olympic stage,” Jones said. “Generally, guys make the jump to the Senior National Team by their junior year … the really, truly elite ones, right? 

“And, you're not a U20 anymore. The jump from U20 to Senior is a pretty big jump; it generally takes a year or two,” Jones continued. “Now, with Richie, his in his junior year, this is the year he transitions and makes a World Team and wins a gold medal and comes back for his senior year as best in the world, and ultimately on track to win a gold medal in his home state (California) in 2028 (at the Los Angeles Olympic Games). His transition right after the NCAA Tournament is making the world team.”

No doubt, that’s an ambitious prospective schedule of events for Figueroa, but Jones believes he’s the type of wrestler who can do it at both levels.

“What does he have to do to get there? He's got to continue to get better at wrestling, right? He's got to not just try to be the best in the country, but you’ve got to be the best in the world,” Jones said. 

“I always told the guys when I was coaching the U.S. Olympic team, guys that were in college transitioning — the Burroughs, the Varners, the Dakes, the Taylors — if you focus on being the best in the world, you'll be the best in the country, but if you focus on being the best in the country, you won't be the best in the world.”

Jones said that the focus now for Figueroa is on beating the best guys in the world.

“Who are the three or four best guys in the world? You need to start focusing on beating them. You beat those guys, you'll win the NCAA tournament,” Jones said. “But if you focus on winning the NCAA tournament, and you're not really focused on being the best in the world, then ultimately, when you get to the World Team Trials, it's going to be hard. You're not going to be where you want to be. 

“So he really needs to be focused on being the best in the world, and that will help him get to where he wants to go this year, both at the NCAA Tournament and the World Championships. Everybody wants a clean path to the top of the mountain, but as we all know, college wrestling is extremely difficult. And no one's immune to it, including Richie.”

Jones believes Figueroa has that necessary intangible.

“Because he stands with a strong faith in the Lord, along with just being a really tough kid who understands when he's got to grit down and bite down hard on the board to go hard, he's good at doing that. He's just a tough kid, and when he when it's time to get gritty, he can do it,” he said.

What Jones needs now is for his Sun Devils to get just as gritty. They’re 3-2 with losses by 31 and 27 points to #15 Illinois and #3 Oklahoma State and are idle until Jan. 12. They’ve been down Figueroa and Kaleb Larkin and some others have yet to step up.

“The dual meet season will be a little rough at times, but we just have to keep our eyes and our goals focused on the right things and getting better at wrestling and have fun and understand that it's a marathon and not a sprint,” Jones said.

“We’ve had a couple of dings, like last year but, like anything, you make the adjustment and you move on. I think we have several guys who can make the podium and win national titles this year, and we can ultimately have the outcome we want to have at the NCAA tournament.”

Jones said the December break is good for the Sun Devils because they need, quite simply, to get better at wrestling. He cited the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational where four Sun Devils were in the quarterfinals and three in the placing round but didn’t close well.

“So I think the guys, the next time they get in that same spot, they're going to push through the wall and understand what it feels like when you don't get through it. I think they're ready to go,” he said.