Tussling with Indiana's Jacob Bullock in the heavyweight final of last month's Midlands Championships, Josh Heindselman, Michigan's newest roster addition, was finding offense hard to come by. 

A four-time NCAA qualifier for Oklahoma before officially joining the Wolverines on Dec. 2, Heindselman entered the match with an 11-0 record, including seven technical falls and three pins. 

However, it was Bullock, a 2023 NCAA qualifier, who struck first, seizing the early momentum with a first-period takedown while largely thwarting Heindselman's scoring attempts by continually grabbing at his hands and wrists. 

Bullock was still ahead 4-2 as the two lined up for a standing restart with 31 seconds remaining. Fortunately for Heindselman, he needed just 10 seconds to take his only lead of the match. 

This time, he quickly pushed Bullock's hands aside and drove him back while shooting in and grabbing his right leg. Heindselman then turned Bullock around and swept his left leg for a takedown at the edge of the mat and a 5-4 lead.

In the top position on the ensuing restart, Heindselman kept Bullock firmly in his clutches during the final 21 seconds, ending the match with a roll-through. 

The #12-ranked Heindselman had breezed to the final, unleashing an offensive onslaught on three opponents, including #33 Peter Ming (Stanford). He won all of those matches via technical fall by a combined 63-15 score.

Even with the closer match against Bullock factored in, Heindselman averaged 3.13 points per minute during Midlands while allowing a mere 0.87. 

Heindselman also captured the Cleveland State and Kent State Opens during a busy December and is eager to make his dual debut when Michigan hosts Maryland Friday in the Big Ten opener for both squads.

"I feel like I've been wrestling great so far, finding my attack and getting to my offense better than in years past," he said. "At Midlands, I was really happy about finding a way to grind out a win when things got tough in the final and I'm continuing to gain confidence as the season goes along."

Heindselman has indeed ratcheted up the offense this season as his combined 10 technical falls and pins is just four fewer than his total over 128 matches with the Sooners. 

"I spent the offseason focusing on improving in every area and refining my skills, but especially finding more ways to attack and score," said Heindselman, who is closing in on 100 career wins with a 94-46 record. "The coaching staff and training partners (like World Championships medalist and 2023 Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris) here have made it really easy for me to improve."

The competition will now stiffen for Heindselman, who began the season with a 4-2 decision over #28 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State), as Big Ten duals commence.

In fact, on paper at least, Friday's best matchup is Heindselman taking on #14 Seth Nevills (11-0) in a clash of unbeatens. They have not met previously. 

Heindselman, who went 34-19 in Big 12 duals, could also face #1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota), #2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), #7 Nick Feldman (Ohio State), #29 Harley Andrews (Nebraska) and Bullock again during conference duals. 

Of those, he has only tangled with Feldman before, falling 8-5 in sudden victory at last season's NCAA Championships. Heindselman was up 4-2 with a minute remaining in regulation. Feldman later finished fifth. 

"All of us are really excited to get Big Ten duals going and it's definitely something I've been looking forward to since coming to Michigan," said Heindselman, ranked sixth among Big Ten 285-pounders. "I've always wanted to wrestle against the best competition out there. I mean, that's the fun part of wrestling for me and where can you find better than competition than in the Big Ten?"

Heindselman graduated from Oklahoma with a biology degree last spring but did not officially enter the transfer portal until late September. He announced his transfer to Michigan in an Instagram post on Oct. 17, stating simply, "Go Blue".

Naturally, the post drew comments from some of Heindselman's new teammates, including Sergio Lemley, currently ranked #9 at 141 pounds.

"Joshua Heindselman … man oh man, can’t wait to watch this guy scrap," he wrote.

Less than a month later, a photo posted to the University of Michigan-based Cliff Keen Wrestling Club's Instagram feed illustrated how well Heindselman was fitting in. 

He is shown flexing with new Director of Wrestling Sport Science Rob Sulaver near strength training equipment on the second floor of the Wolverines' practice facility after having sweat through a Michigan T-shirt.

"I carefully looked at all my options, including Missouri, Oregon State and Wisconsin, but with the guys I can practice with, the coaching staff and the kind of the program that has been built here, it made perfect sense to come to Michigan," said Heindselman, who has enrolled in Michigan's School of Social Work. "I just wanted to come in and help make the lineup stronger."

Heavyweight has certainly been a strong spot in Michigan's lineup for the past decade, leaving massive footsteps for Heindselman to follow in. He replaces Lucas Davison, who transferred from Northwestern last season and wound up second at the NCAA Championships.

Before Davison, Parris and Adam Coon combined for an NCAA title, six All-American finishes and a 240-33 record. Parris and Coon are both Cliff Keen members.

"Any time you can wrestle with and just be around guys like Mason and learn from them, it's awesome and you'll always take away something to use," Heindselman said. "Any time you can somehow gain position on them or hold you own, that's a real confidence booster."

Heindselman's strongest connection to Michigan is the Mantanona family. Siblings Beau and Brock are his current teammates while their older brothers (Anthony and Troy) were Heindselman's teammates at Oklahoma.

"It's kind of funny I'll be on the same teams with four brothers, but I've known the family for some time, so that was nice being so familiar with a couple of my new teammates already," he said. "Everybody, though, has made me feel at home from the beginning in every way possible. Glad I moved here." 

Heindselman, whose uncle was an Oklahoma state champion, began his own wrestling journey as an eight-year-old when his mother enrolled him in a youth program.

Progress was limited at first and Heindselman admits he "did not always take it seriously," but that mindset began to change when he finished second in Oklahoma's Junior High State Tournament.

"I started to realize that maybe I'm not terrible at wrestling," he recalled, chuckling. "It's little tougher for high school freshman at upper weights going against older and sometimes stronger guys, but I started to make good progress."

The Piedmont High School standout placed second in the state as a sophomore before winning state championships as a junior (220 pounds) and senior (285). Heindselman was named 2019 Oklahoma Wrestler of the Year following a perfect senior season (43-0).

The three-time Fargo All-American was the #11 heavyweight in the nation, but opted to continue his career less than an hour from home. 

Heindselman became the Sooners' starting heavyweight as a redshirt freshman in the fall of 2020 and has qualified for the NCAA Championships the past four seasons. 

He went 49-20 his final two seasons in Norman, reaching the round of 16 and then the round of 12 at the NCAAs. Heindselman also finished between fourth and seventh at the Big 12 Championships each year.

His best wins have come against All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier Taye Ghadiali (Campbell), currently ranked #6, and three-time NCAA qualifier Luke Surber (Oklahoma State), #8 at 197. 

Heindselman has also knocked off Pittsburgh's Dayton Pitzer (#15, 285) and four-time NCAA qualifier Nathan Traxler (Stanford).

Following his stint in Ann Arbor, Heindselman plans to return to his home state and enroll in the University of Oklahoma's medical school.

He has unfinished business before then, of course, like finally standing on the NCAA Championships podium. 

"That would mean everything because it's what I've been working for my entire career and I want to finish it as strongly as possible," Heindselman said. "I'll just keep working hard and preparing for the major competitions at end of the season. I'm shooting for Big Ten and NCAA titles and this is an exciting time."

Country Night in Ann Arbor

A photo surfaced on Michigan's X account this week of head coach Sean Bormet overseeing a recumbent bike workout while sporting a blue cowboy hat trimmed in maize and featuring the school's signature maize-colored block M on the front.

Hundreds of those hats will be given away prior to Friday's home dual against Maryland. 

The first 250 attendees who sign up to receive the This Week in Michigan Wrestling newsletter, or show they are already signed up, will receive one.