We all watched the 141-pound weight class this year and appreciated it for its depth and the unpredictable nature. Even with Dean Heil's emergence, the podium seemed wide open. The depth of this weight class cannot be discounted. With the incoming redshirt talent, it looks like next year promises to deliver more of the same variety with All-American Chris Mecate as the sole graduate. It is more than possible that any of these guys could wind up on the podium in 2017.

Matt Kolodzik -- Princeton | Eligibility Year For 2016-2017: Freshman

What an unbelievable campaign -- he deferred a year instead of taking a redshirt, and in the process he hit up quite a few opens (acquiring some weaponry along the way) and notched some ridiculous wins! He beat All-Americans Anthony Ashnault and Rick Durso (the latter, twice), as well as Jared Prince (who is a force to reckon with), Ronnie Perry, Mark Grey, Connor Prince and Sam Krivus!

Kolodzik was a monster recruit out of New Jersey's Blair High School, and has been extremely sound and dangerous in all positions for years. He can counter defensively with great positioning and leg defense, attack legs and finish. On the mat, he’s been very solid for some time now.

Clearly, Kolodzik has the goods to place. The story with this weight will be consistent. Guys as good as Kevin Jack didn’t place at this weight. There isn't a person on this list that is a lock for placement, including Kolodzik.

Ke-Shawn Hayes -- Ohio State | Eligibility Year For 2016-2017: Redshirt Freshman

Redshirt Record: 23-2

Hayes put together an excellent first season while redshirting for Ohio State. He split with a very tough Kolodzik and added wins over Ronald Perry as well as Connor Prince and Cort Schuyler.

Hayes will slide in perfectly at 141 pounds for Ohio State with Micah Jordan heading up to 149. Hayes is a hammer on top, and has been adding leg attacks to his arsenal. His left side high crotch has really improved and become a strong go-to takedown. He’s always been outstanding on top with tilts, and with the top hammers in that room, I’d assume his turn rate will only improve.

Ohio State will need Hayes to come in and contribute if they want to test Penn State. I think he comes in as an immediate All-American threat. But given the depth of this weight and the incredible number of returners, he’ll have to continue to improve to secure All-American status.

Jared Prince -- Navy | Eligibility Year For 2016-2017: Freshman

Redshirt Record: 24-6

Holy cow, another guy with a glut of big-time wins in his first year against elite collegiate competition! Jared Prince, ladies and gentlemen. This dude took out Bryce Meredith (you may have seen him wrestling on Saturday night on ESPN), Rick Durso, Todd Preston, Mark Grey, AC Headlee, Kevin Devoy, Gary Dinmore and Sam Krivus! Any questions?

Prince blew me away when he beat Headlee at Dapper Dan last year. He’s only improved since then, and looks to be poised for a great freshman campaign for Navy. He’s an outstanding scrambler, and phenomenal with a high flyer, but I worry he doesn’t have a consistent go-to leg attack. He’s very content to work from scrambles and counters, and has an uncanny knack for putting guys on their back from various positions (a skill I’m told is quite helpful in wrestling contests). But I worry for Prince -- once he's scouted and his film is carefully analyzed, I'm concerned that guys will avoid the positions where he’s dangerous. It’s nitpicky on my part, but that’s my evaluation. He’s super athletic, and will continue to improve at Navy.

Ronnie Perry -- Lock Haven | Eligibility Year For 2016-2017: Redshirt Junior

Redshirt Record: 27-8

Perry got on everyone’s radar when he upset AJ Schopp at the Eastern Wrestling League Championship in 2015. He had a fine redshirt season this year, and likely raised his stock while moving up to 141 pounds. He knocked off All-Americans Chris Mecate and Rick Durso and had a few questionable losses to Zach Watson and Will Koll, but apart from that, he was excellent.

Perry owns a beautiful duck-under as his primary neutral attack. He also has a standard high crotch and sweep, but at times can struggle with finishes. If he can clean these up, he’ll be a much bigger threat down the line.

Vince Turk -- Iowa | Eligibility Year For 2016-2017: Redshirt Freshman

Redshirt Record: 16-4

Last summer, I started to hear some very positive chatter about Turk. The Illinois native was turning heads in the Iowa wrestling room, and will likely get the nod next year as the Hawkeyes' starter. His season wasn't amazing, but I’ve found that some redshirt results should be taken with a grain of salt. There wasn't anything about Sam Stoll’s results a year ago that suggested he’d be a top-10 guy by December, but he was. Dean Heil was downright ineffective his redshirt year, yet he placed nationally as a freshman.

It’s not as though Turk was atrocious -- obviously, he had a very fine record and lost only to Ashnault, teammate Topher Carton, Jake Koethe and Anthony Wesley (his first Division I match ever). His best win was over former Hawkeye Seth Gross.

If you’re an Iowa fan, the depth of this weight has to scare you a bit if you’re dropping a freshman in this mix like Turk, but the Wild West nature could be encouraging. If Turk makes improvements and has a solid NCAA tournament, this weight has shown guys with lackluster seasons can make runs.