Most people watch college football on New Year's Day. But wrestling fans know where the real action will be on Tuesday morning: Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Watch the 2019 Southern Scuffle Live on Flo

Jan. 1-2 | 10 a.m. ET

Now in its 16th year, and eighth time being hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Southern Scuffle is one of the premier events every year in college wrestling. You can find the brackets on FloArena.

We've combined our three previews into one mega-preview for you to get up to speed on all 10 weight classes before things get started. Included are top-four predictions, as well as guys looking to upset the apple cart.

Southern Scuffle Content: Entries | Pre-Seeds | Bracket Reactions

125 Pounds

Contenders

#4 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State), RSJR: 13-0

#18 Gabe Townsell (Stanford), JR: 9-4

Gavin Teasdale (Penn State), FR: 0-0

In The Mix

Shakur Laney (Ohio), RSJR: 4-3

Rico Montoya (Northern Colorado), RSSR: 6-2

Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga), RSSO: 12-2

Alex Mackall (Iowa State), RSSO: 9-2

Dark Horses

Sidney Flores (Air Force), FR: 8-5

Jon Tropea (Rider), RSSO: 9-3

Jakob Camacho (NC State), FR: 13-1

Brody Teske (Penn State), FR: 0-0

Commentary: Nick Piccininni is in a much different stage of his career compared to the last time he was at the Scuffle. Then a redshirt freshman, he walked in as the six seed with only five varsity matches against other D1 wrestlers under his belt. The seed would prove accurate, as he hit a hard semi-slide to finish sixth; he would go on to place fourth that year at the national tournament.

Looking back at his 2017 Scuffle, Piccininni's day one performance was buoyed by fast starts, scoring over half his points in the first period. But on day two, Picc scored just a single point in the first period of his three matches, implying that he was easier to gameplan and make adjustments for. Now a more patient and varied wrestler, I expect the Cowboy junior to put up consistent points in all three periods.

The man he lost to for fifth place that year is the only other ranked wrestler in this year's bracket. That 4-3 match was the only meeting between Piccininni and Gabe Townsell in college. Townsell has yo-yoed in and out of the rankings, up and down the list, but has twice made it to the big show. The Stanford junior isn’t going to put up a lot of points, he has just nine bonus point wins in his career, but he is a major pain to wrestle due to his sound positioning from a Greco background combined with quick strike ability. He's also the only returning placer at 125.

When we first ran the lightweight preview, I had Gavin Teasdale finishing second. But then the entries came out and Teasdale wasn't registered, nor did he appear in the list Penn State released of the guys it would be sending. But, we just learned today that not only will he be wrestling, he'll be competing attached.

There are some salty upperclassmen hoping to leave their mark. Guys like Rico Montoya and Shakur Laney have pretty impressive hit lists, but haven’t necessarily put it all together. Laney has a ranked win this year over Michael McGee and is very clearly a landmine in any tournament he enters. The Northern Colorado staff is very high on Montoya after dropping down from 133, but after getting majored by Hofstra's Dylan Ryder, the expectations may have cooled a bit. Montoya was fourth here last year at 133.

A guy I’ve had my eye on all year will be wrestling in his home gym: Fabian Gutierrez. It took him three years, but he’s finally taking control of the 125lb spot at UTC. He can put guys on their back, having pinned Shakur Laney, Alonzo Allen, Elijah Oliver, Joey Melendez and Tommy Cox this season. Allen, an NCAA qualifier last year, will also be wrestling for the Mocs.

I’m very curious to see how Sidney Flores fares in this field. All his losses are to ranked guys, so this is a great opportunity to prove he is above qualifier level and someone who can put some points on the board for Air Force at NCAAs. Fellow Big 12 lightweight Alex Mackall has yet to wrestle any big names besides Spencer Lee, but he could make the Iowa State staff look wise after picking up the transfer this summer.

I put Brody Teske and Jakob Camacho as dark horses, but there are several other redshirts who we'll have our eye one: Cevion Severado (Missouri), Jace Koelzer (Northern Colorado) and Jaret Lane (Lehigh). Camacho's only loss thus far is to Steven Bulzomi of Binghamton, who is in a battle for the starting spot with Audey Ashkar. It will be Teske's collegiate debut.

Nomad's Picks

1) Piccininni, Oklahoma State   2) Teasdale, Penn State   3) Flores, Air Force   4) Townsell, Stanford

133 Pounds

Contenders

#7 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), RSFR: 12-0

#10 Austin Gomez (Iowa State), RSFR: 6-0

#17 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State), FR: 7-0

In The Mix

#20 Sean Nickell (CSU Bakersfield), RSSR: 11-5

Mario Guillen (Ohio), RSSO: 5-1

Mason Pengilly (Stanford), RSSR: 1-0

Dark Horses

Casey Cobb (Navy), SO: 13-4

Matt Kazimir (Columbia), FR: 10-2

Chris Wright (Rider), FR: 6-3

Codi Russell (App State), SO: 5-5

Commentary: A year ago, Daton Fix was at this tournament and supposed to wrestle 125, but did not end up competing, perhaps the only time we can ever remember Fix not wrestling a major event for any reason. This year, he walks into the Scuffle as the favorite in a truly fascinating 133lb field.

The expectations were high after Fix made it to Final X - Lincoln this summer, and he has lived up to them so far, with wins over two All-Americans already and cruising to an RTOC title. He never lost to Austin Gomez in high school and would probably have been favored in a match against RBY any time within the past six or so years.

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It's a small sample size, but Gomez has yet to taste defeat in 14 career college matches over the past two years. He also won every match he wrestled in freestyle this spring before an injury kept him out of Junior Worlds. The Cyclone will occasionally fall behind in matches, but his third-period pace is difficult to handle, plus he can go upper body.

We thought Roman Bravo-Young could be very good, and expected him to be entertaining, what we didn't know is that he's pretty dang good on top. He's picked up riding time in all of his matches that haven't ended in pins, and will almost definitely win a match at the Scuffle in which he has to ride out a period. We've never seen him against Fix or Gomez, which always makes things a little juicier. With no Korbin Myers in the field, he could see Gomez in the semis and then Fix in the finals if he wins.

Nickell's only losses this season are to ranked wrestlers, and he's made it to the national tournament the past two years. A sixth-year senior, Nickell is a great litmus test for someone like RBY, and that match will likely happen in the quarters. He was seventh at last year's Scuffle, the highest returning placer at the weight.

Mason Pengilly wrestles fewer matches than almost any quality wrestler in the country. Columbia freshman Matt Kazimir was an Ironman placer as a junior and made the state finals for St. Edward his senior year, and he enters the Scuffle with a 10-2 record, half of which are bonus-point wins.

Four years after graduating high school in Idaho, Casey Cobb has finally started picking up matches at the Naval Academy. He made Luke Pletcher sweat out a season-opening victory and has since picked up 13 wins.

Rider fans will get a look at their future 133 as four-time Pennsylvania state placer Chris Wright is entered. He's redshirting behind senior Anthony Cefolo, who is making his first appearance at the Scuffle.

Nomad's Picks

1) Fix, Oklahoma State   2) Gomez, Iowa State   3) Bravo-Young, Penn State   4) Nickell, Bakersfield

141 Pounds

Contenders

#4 Nick Lee (Penn State), SO: 9-0

#9 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State), RSJR: 7-3

In The Mix

#15 Nicholas Gil (Navy), SR: 14-3

#16 Ian Parker (Iowa State), RSSO: 11-2

Dark Horses

Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven), RSJR: 16-2

Cam Kelly (Ohio), SR: 0-0

Real Woods (Stanford), FR: 4-0

Frankie Gissendanner (Rider), FR: 5-0

Commentary: There will be several weights where the odds heavily favor a final between Penn State and Oklahoma State; 141 is one of those weights. 

Last year's Scuffle was Nick Lee's breakout tournament, bonusing his way into the finals, including three wins over NCAA qualifiers, but he got pinned in the finals by Kaden Gfeller, who is now up at 149. In Gfeller's stead is another Cowboy All-American, Kaid Brock, who is coming up from 133. Brock faced some growing pains in November and December, losing to Mitch McKee, Dom Demas and Sam Turner. None of those guys are slouches obviously, but they haven't accomplished the same things that Brock has in college.

Lee, the highest returning placer, has had a large knee brace on all season. It hasn't seemed to affect him so far, but he hasn't faced anyone the caliber of Brock yet either. He's bonused everyone to this point, with four techs, three majors, and two pins. Meanwhile, Brock will put up a dozen or more points on everyone below a certain level, but hasn't knocked off any AA-caliber guys this year.

A two-time NCAA qualifier, Nicholas Gil came in to this tournament as the seventh seed last year. The senior finished fifth, and has worked his way into the rankings this season, making him a good bet to finish a little higher this time around. If he can get his headwheel single working and get out from bottom, he's a tough out. But Gil will often find himself in close matches, trying to battle through collar ties.

The final ranked guy is Ian Parker of Iowa State. A tumultuous redshirt freshman season started with him struggling at 133, before moving up to 141 and beating Dean Heil but then ultimately failing to qualify for NCAAs as he battled injuries at the end of the year. Finally looking healthy again, he took out Max Murin and majored Kyran Hagan to close out his first semester.

Over half of Kyle Shoop's 16 wins this season are tech falls, giving him the Lock Haven school record for career 15 point victories. We're still waiting on entries, but Ohio could have two decently tough 141s in Moises Guillen and Cam Kelly, the latter of whom we have yet to see this year.

A couple of excellent true freshmen round out this weight: Real Woods of Stanford and Frankie Gissendanner of Rider. Woods was #21 on the 2018 Big Board and Gissendanner finished 32nd. Both won the only tournaments they entered this year, but win matches in different ways. Woods is a bear on the mat and Gissendanner is hard to stop on his feet.

Nomad's Picks

1) Lee, Penn State   2) Brock, Oklahoma State   3) Woods, Stanford   4) Parker, Iowa State

149 Pounds

Contenders

#6 Mitch Finesilver (Duke), RSSR: 12-2

#7 Jarrett Degen (Iowa State), RSSO: 9-1

#11 Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State), RSFR: 13-0

#12 Brady Berge (Penn State), RSFR: 6-0

In The Mix

#15 Russell Rohlfing (CSU Bakersfield), RSJR: 7-3

#20 Jared Prince (Navy), JR: 3-5

Jarod Verkleeren (Penn State), RSFR: 6-2

Matt Zovistoski (App State), RSJR: 7-7

Dark Horses

John Millner (App State), RSFR: 10-7

Tanner Smith (Chattanooga), RSFR: 3-3

Alec Hagan (Ohio), SO: 9-6

Commentary: Quite the diverse field here at 149. The highest returning placer is Jared Prince of Navy. Mitch Finesilver, the highest ranked wrestler in the field, was at 157 last year, and Kaden Gfeller, the defending champ at 141, is also now at this weight. Right in between them is the man with the best NCAA performance of anyone in the field, round-of-12’er Jarrett Degen.

Finesilver is pretty tall for the weight and can be very frustrating to deal with in short offense and re-attacks. He doesn’t shoot a whole lot, but when he does, he can finish quickly on low singles to Iranian finish and efficient wraplegs. He’s not incredible on top, but he can use his length well to pick up riding time and rarely leaves himself open for reversals.

If Finesilver’s tall, Degen’s gigantic. He’s a complete wildcard who will try just about anything: double unders is one he really seems to enjoy. Degen's win over Pat Lugo cemented his top 10 ranking, and he could face another two or three ranked opponents here. We can only hope for a power-forward-sized matchup between Degen and Russell Rohlfing.

It’s hard to talk about Gfeller and not continue to pose lineup questions for Oklahoma State. Is the Cowboy lineup best with him in it, be it at 41 or 49? Is Boo Lewallen coming back? Is Daton dropping? If so, does Kaid also drop or does Picc go up? The reason all of this matters is because you only get credit, seeding wise, for what you do at your end-of-year weight. So if Gfeller is OSU's long term 141, a potential Scuffle title at 149 wouldn’t mean anything.

Right now, it’s Brady Berge who is ranked for Penn State, and he theoretically has the lead to be the Nittany Lions' starter come time for the conference championships. He’s 6-0 on the year, including a win over his teammate Jarod Verkleeren, and is the only one of the two with a ranked win, as he beat Josh Maruca in the dual against Arizona State. I’m keeping a ticker on how many go-behinds Berge hits.

Verkleeren was seventh here last year, losing to Jared Prince (who is in this year’s bracket) and Max Thomsen (who is not in this year’s bracket). Verkleeren got the start in the Bucknell and Lehigh duals and will probably continue to see dual action as the year goes on, but the 2015 Cadet world champ will likely end the season as one of the best backups in the nation.

App State has a couple tough 149s in Zovistoski and Millner, who have had some solid results thus far, providing a good problem for Coach John Mark Bentley, who will have to make a decision for the SoCon tournament at the end of the season.

Nomad's Picks

1) Gfeller, Oklahoma State   2) Berge, Penn State   3) Finesilver, Duke   4) Degen, Iowa State

157 Pounds

Contenders

#1 Jason Nolf (Penn State), RSSR: 8-0

In The Mix

#13 Paul Fox (Stanford), SR: 10-2

#15 Dan Reed (Columbia), SR: 9-1

Andrew Shomers (Oklahoma State), RSJR: 6-2

Dark Horses

Dominick Mandarino (Stanford), SO: 11-4

Kolby Ho (George Mason), FR: 13-5

Alex Mossing (Air Force), SR: 8-7

BC Laprade (Virginia Tech), SO: 6-3

Alex Klucker (Lock Haven), RSJR: 10-3

Commentary: On this episode of the Jason Nolf show, well, we’re not exactly sure what’s going to happen. Before the season, I wrote that he was appointment viewing and, unsurprisingly, nothing has changed. He’s got six pins this season and has scored 40 points in the other two matches. He and Bo Nickal are 1A and 1B for the Hodge this year. Good luck to everyone trying to stop Nolf in Chattanooga.

So who are those trying to slow down the Nolf Chainsaw Massacre? Two other ranked wrestlers in Paul Fox and Dan Reed, as well as some under-the-radar guys. One of the nice things about fields like this is it gives a national audience an opportunity to see the skill some of these lower-ranked guys have.

Paul Fox is back in the rankings after winning the RTOC. The AA will likely re-establish himself as Stanford's starter after placing high in Chattanooga. With David Carr being held out due to illness, I see Fox making the finals out of the bottom side, though it should be noted he split with Mossing last year, who he is slated to see in the quarters.

Dan Reed has steadily improved and finds himself in the rankings as a senior. He was only 1-2 last year at the Scuffle competing unattached and has yet to qualify for NCAAs. But sometimes the last year in college can change a man, leading to results he's never seen before.

There are quite a few people, both now and prior to the season, who said that Oklahoma State's best lineup includes Gfeller at 149 and (the currently injured) Boo Lewallen at 157. I thought that was a bit disrespectful to Edinboro transfer and NCAA qualifier Andrew Shomers, but getting pinned by Steven Lawrence at RTOC might have started those whispers again.

FloNationals finalist Kolby Ho is making an immediate impact for George Mason. He majored Alex Klucker in the dual, both of them are seeded. Laprade could get a rematch with Mandarino in the quarterfinals, he lost to the Stanford wrestler at CKLV.

Nomad's Picks

1) Nolf, Penn State   2) Fox, Stanford   3) Ho, George Mason   4) Shomers, Oklahoma State

165 Pounds

Contenders

#1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), RSJR: 8-0

#3 Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), RSSR: 7-0

#10 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State), RSSR: 12-1

In The Mix

#14 Ebed Jarrell (Drexel), RSJR: 8-1

#14 (at 157) Tyler Marinelli (Gardner-Webb), RSSR: 9-0

Shane Griffith (Stanford), FR: 13-1

Dark Horses

Zach Finesilver (Duke), RSSR: 6-0

Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider), RSJR: 9-1

Colston DiBlasi (George Mason), RSJR: 16-7

Commentary: What a fun weight. You've got the past two Scuffle champs in Vincenzo Joseph and Chandler Rogers, a Junior Worlds champ in Mekhi Lewis, All-American Chance Marsteller and the guy who beat CKLV champ Isaiah White in Drexel's Ebed Jarrell. Also Tyler Marinelli is bumping up from 157, where he is ranked.

Joseph is looking like a legit Hodge contender thus far with a 100% bonus rate, and the only match that has gone the distance being against AA Josh Shields. Joseph bullied his way through the tournament last year, outside of his 10-7 win over Jarrell in the quarters in which he gave up two takedowns. However, he teched Jarrell in the finals of the Keystone Classic last month.

Somehow, Marsteller has never wrestled Joseph, which makes it a juicy matchup if it happens. Two studs who've wrestled their whole lives (minus a short detour for Chance in Stillwater) in Pennsylvania, the Keystone State will absolutely tune in it comes down to those two on Thursday night. Marsteller took the bronze here last year, beating Mekhi Lewis in the quarters and again for third.

Chandler Rogers continues to rack up falls (eight this year already) and be one of the most exciting wrestlers in the country. That coincidentally is how he won the Scuffle in 2017, getting pins in the finals and semis, as well as a tech and a major. As interesting as 165 can be once again, Rogers is still probably the most dangerous guy in any bracket he enters.

Ebed Jarrell is indicative of the team Matt Azevedo is building: a complete pain to wrestle. Drexel is getting better and better recruits, and they're not going to be any fun to wrestle. Case in point: Jarrell beat Isaiah White. Whether it's an outlier or not, it shows that Jarrell has to be taken seriously whenever he steps on the line across from you. He also hasn't wrestled since Keystone, so hopefully he's back.

One of the best redshirts in the field, Shane Griffith, stumbled at Reno, taking his first loss of the year to Ryan Niven of Grand View. But otherwise he's looked fantastic in his 13 wins and should be a very real threat to place. His length will give people issues all tournament long.

Finesilver got a late start to the year having not wrestled in November and is a two-time qualifier. Dellavecchia missed all of 2017, ended 2018 with a National Collegiate Open title, and his only loss this year is to Jarrell. Frank Beasley and the George Mason staff are making sure Colston DiBlasi has a ton of mat time to prepare for the national tournament.

Nomad's Picks

1) Joseph, Penn State  2) Marsteller, Lock Haven   3) Rogers, Oklahoma State   4) Griffith, Stanford

174 Pounds

Contenders

#1 Mark Hall (Penn State), JR: 8-0

#5 David McFadden (Virginia Tech), RSJR: 2-0

#7 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State), RSSR: 9-0

Joe Smith (Oklahoma State), RSJR: 5-0

In The Mix

#16 Spencer Carey (Navy), JR: 11-6

Matt Finesilver (Duke), RSSO: 10-3

Trent Hidlay (NC State), FR: 12-0

Dark Horses

Jacob Oliver (Edinboro), RSFR: 16-2

Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), RSFR: 10-3

Commentary: Mark Hall is still on his way to being a four-time Southern Scuffle champion but enters the tournament for the first time with a #1 ranking. That's due to his win over Zahid Valencia, avenging a loss in the NCAA finals. Hall is probably the most battle-tested of anyone on Penn State's roster so far this season, and he could see some combination of David McFadden and the Smiths at Oklahoma State to get a title here.

Since McFadden missed CKLV after coming back from U23s, we should be thankful that Virginia Tech put two tournaments on its schedule. McFadden is one of the most confident wrestlers you'll ever meet, and his big move ability always makes him dangerous (see his pins over Evan Wick and Alex Marinelli for evidence).

Wrestling fans were not pleased that Jacobe Smith and Joe Smith made it to the Reno TOC finals and did not wrestle each other, but according to John Smith, that was the plan all along. With Bear Hughes going 184 and Dakota Geer at 197 for their last two events before the Scuffle, it seems possible that whichever Smith fares worse in Chattanooga will be moving up to 184.

We're now two months into the season, and the Cowboys still have a roster situation on their hands. Some more injuries to Preston Weigel may finally mean that it's been solved, but it is unquestionably fascinating that two All-Americans will be having essentially a wrestle-off in McKenzie Arena.

Spencer Carey made his way into the rankings after placing fifth in Vegas. A junior, he placed just one time at the New Jersey state tournament for DePaul Catholic, but he's clearly made jumps since reaching the Naval Academy, and he picked up wins over Dylan Lydy and Kimball Bastian at CKLV.

Matt Finesilver was eighth at the Scuffle last year and wound up qualifying for NCAAs in his redshirt freshman season. He had to wrestle Zahid Valencia there, faced Mark Hall at the Keystone Classic and Myles Amine in Vegas, so he's certainly faced all the topflight guys already. Favorably for him, he fared the best against Hall, only losing 6-4 and getting a takedown in the third period.

A couple redshirt freshmen in Jacob Oliver and Marcus Coleman are right on the cusp of getting ranked. Coleman's taken a couple losses to lower division guys and hasn't gotten the opportunity against a ton of high level guys (outside of Taylor Lujan). Oliver is probably Edinboro's best wrestler right now and seems too consistent to stay off the podium next week.

To this point, Trent Hidlay has looked like one of the best true freshmen in the country. While his undefeated record probably won't make it to Jan. 3, the Wolfpack will have good problems next year figuring out if Hidlay or Daniel Bullard will be their starter. We'll be sure to get the word from Trent on how the hoagie situation is in Chattanooga.

Nomad's Picks

1) Hall, Penn State  2) McFadden, Virginia Tech   3) Joe Smith, Oklahoma State   4) Jacobe Smith, Oklahoma State

184 Pounds

Contenders

#7 Shakur Rasheed (Penn State), RSSR: 8-0

#9 Louie DePrez (Binghamton), RSFR: 9-3 

In The Mix

#15 Sammy Colbray (Iowa State), JR: 9-2

Chris Weiler (Lehigh), RSSR: 7-4

Dark Horses

Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech), RSFR: 7-0

Michale Fagg-Daves (Rider), RSSR: 7-5

Alan Clothier (App State), SO: 7-8

Joel Shapiro (Iowa State), FR: 10-2

Commentary: There are two wrestlers who have been especially frustrating for wrestling fans this season: Roman Bravo-Young and Shakur Rasheed. Not because of their performance on the mat, but because they haven't ascended in the rankings to the where Penn State fans approximate their skill level to be.

Luckily for them, we have Brackastrology to project a little deeper into the season, where we have predicted Rasheed to head into NCAAs as the two seed. Should he do what we expect this weekend and run through the Scuffle, that won't change. Since getting seventh last year in Cleveland up at 197, all he's done is pick up bonus in all eight of his matches this season, and spending less than a period's worth of time doing. He's finishing matches in an average of two minutes and 46.75 seconds.

So who's going to have to deal with that cradle in the finals? Probably Louie DePrez, the redshirt freshman from Binghamton. He came out of high school highly regarded and made the Junior Worlds team this summer, so all he's done is set up high expectations for the next four years of his college life. DePrez is extremely strong and stingy and is very tough on top, so he can potentially present some matchup problems for Rasheed.

The final ranked wrestler in this bracket will be Sammy Colbray of Iowa State. Colbray's biggest wins so far are over Cash Wilcke and Canten Marriott. There is a theme of weight change for this field, with Rasheed, Chris Weiler, Hunter Bolen and Colbray all wrestling up or down last season. 

Weiler came out of Wyoming Seminary projected to be a 184, which is where he spent his redshirt year. But with Jordan Kutler and Ryan Preisch moving up, Weiler wound up at 197, where he qualified for NCAAs. However, it appears Jake Jakobsen is now the Mountain Hawks' 197, and Weiler will go 184 if Preisch gets hurt again. Weiler was down at 184 last weekend for the Wilkes Open.

Three other NCAA qualifiers will be wrestling here in Bolen, Fagg-Daves and Clothier. Although Zack Zavatsky will not be competing, Bolen is wrestling unattached because he is redshirting this year. He is undefeated so far, having won both the Wolfpack and Hokie Opens, beating All-American Chip Ness in the latter.

Rider as a whole could sneak up one some people in the team standings. Fagg-Daves is one of several guys who might wind up on the podium for them. Clothier could kick-start his season back in the right direction with a good performance here.

As he was coming out of high school, I was very high on Joel Shapiro as a prospect. He was a solid pickup for Iowa State who didn't lose a match his last two years at West Des Moines Valley. A Fargo runner-up this past summer, I expect him to win some takedown battles and place high thanks to his high-level leg attacks.

Nomad's Picks

1) Rasheed, Penn State   2) DePrez, Binghamton   3) Weiler, Lehigh   4) Bolen, Virginia Tech

197 Pounds

Contenders

#1 Bo Nickal (Penn State), RSSSR: 7-0

In The Mix

#7 Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State), 13-0

#9 Nathan Traxler (Stanford), RSSO: 12-3

#14 Stephen Loiseau (Drexel), RSSR: 12-4

Dark Horses

#16 Tom Sleigh (Virginia Tech), RSSR: 6-3

#17 Randall Diabe (App State), SR: 12-3

#19 Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado), RSJR: 5-1

Kyle Gentile (Lehigh), RSSO: 8-2

Sawyer Root (Citadel), SR: 18-9

Commentary: I said it in the 157 preview, and I'm going to say it again: Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf are 1A and 1B right now in the Hodge race. They're the two most overwhelming favorites to win their weights here and at Big Tens and at the national tournament in Pittsburgh.

No Willie Miklus means we're probably looking at yet another Penn State/Oklahoma State final. The plan was for Dakota Geer to move up to 197 eventually, but it wasn't supposed to be until next season, but Preston Weigel's injury sped that up a bit. But Geer was a blue chip in high school who has the length and frame to put on weight, or at least be comfortable against other full sized 197s. He's also got the activity level to frustrate a ton of them.

Nathan Traxler is one of those young 197s who benefitted from an exodus last year and is now highly ranked. He lost in the second round at CKLV only to win five in a row and make the third-place match. Which is a microcosm of this weight as a whole so far: no consistent results but tons of potential.

We're lucky to get two tournaments worth of Stephen Loiseau tape between CKLV and Scuffle, plus he'll be at EIWAs live on Flo! He's one of the more fun and adventurous scramblers at this weight, although it can of course get him in trouble sometimes.

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Meanwhile Tom Sleigh is a grinder who is clearly a good one-year pickup for the Hokies while they figure out their long-term plan at 197. Diabe had an inauspicious start to the season getting pinned in the first period by a true freshman from a lower division at Journeymen, as well as another true freshman at the Hokie Open, but since then has looked totally different.

Jacob Seely is still rounding into form after surgery this summer. Kyle Gentile nabbed the final seed and is trying to fight his way into Lehigh's starting lineup. Sawyer Root has been inconsistent but continues to look like someone who, whether he's ranked or not, will not be a fun draw in Pittsburgh.

Nomad's Picks

1) Nickal, Penn State   2) Geer, Oklahoma State   3) Traxler, Stanford   4) Loiseau, Drexel

285 Pounds

Contenders

#3 Anthony Cassar (Penn State), RSJR: 7-0

#5 Derek White (Oklahoma State), RSSR: 9-1

Nick Nevills (Penn State), RSSR: 3-1

In The Mix

#8 Billy Miller (Edinboro), RSSR: 2-0

#14 Matt Voss (George Mason), RSSR: 16-2

#19 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven), RSSR: 9-2

#20 Joey Goodhart (Drexel), RSSR: 14-4

Dark Horses

Colin Lawler (NC State), FR: 12-2

Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State), RSSO: 11-4

Cary Miller (App State), RSJR: 10-8

Haydn Maley (Stanford), RSFR: 10-6

Commentary: I'm all in on Cassar as a finalist. He's way too athletic, can shoot and finish on basically everyone and can hold people down on top. The Jersey native is now a full-sized (or at least big enough) heavyweight and is on the team that basically always gets guys to overperform at NCAAs.

It's been a while since I had to include the ole Cowboy Bulk Job in a preview. Aside from a justifiable loss to Gable Steveson, White has otherwise very much looked the part of a top-five heavyweight. He's only wrestled Nick Nevills once, a 10-5 loss in the dual at the end of the 2017 season.

Nevills is the best backup in the country right now. He's the only AA in this field, but has only competed at the Keystone Classic so far. With the news coming out that Penn State is seeking a sixth year of eligibility for Anthony Cassar, there's an outside chance they let Nevills have the starting spot. But that seems like a long shot, so Nittany Lion fans should enjoy one last look at the California native.

Billy Miller is finally healthy, which should give the Hokies' lineup a nice boost. He'll be making his final appearance at the Scuffle, where last time he went 5-2 as a sophomore to finish seventh. The three-time NCAA qualifier is just a notch below that first tier, but should otherwise take care of business against everyone else. His backup John Borst is also wrestling.

Matt Voss has already beaten Thomas Haines this season, and NC State freshman Colin Lawler has a win over Voss. Haines beat Goodhart here 6-0 last year, which resulted in Haines getting sixth and Goodhart finishing seventh. Along with Nevills they are the only returning placers.

Cary Miller should be the SoCon's NCAA representative at 285, and Haydn Maley might find his way in for Stanford. Gremmel was the Junior U.S. Open champ back in April.

Nomad's Picks

1) Cassar, Penn State   2) Nevills, Penn State  3) White, Oklahoma State   4) Miller, Virginia Tech