NCAA Wrestling: Ranking 2021-2022 weight classes

Things could be interesting? But probably not – No. 1

And now we’re onto the next level of weight classes. The frontrunners in each of these classes appear to have a firm grasp on the competition, however you can’t rule out anyone in the top 4.

184

2021 Top 4
1. Aaron Brooks (So.) Penn State
2. Trent Hidlay (So.) NC State
3. Parker Keckeisen (Fr.) Northern Iowa
4. John Poznanski (Fr.) Rutgers

I know what you’re thinking, and it’s an excellent point.

“Aaron Brooks is a 2x B1G Champion, won an NCAA Championship in his first ever NCAA tournament, and only has one loss in his Penn State career. How is the 184 group not in the previous section?”

I told you it was an excellent point.

But here’s why I didn’t include the 184 class in the previous “Move on. Nothing to see here.” group.

Take a look at each of the top 4 wrestler’s eligibility. To say the 184 class is a young group is an understatement.

Do I believe Brooks’ will continue to improve and utterly dominate the somewhat weak B1G competition at 184 next season? Absolutely.

But what about Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen and NC State’s Trent Hidlay? What’s the chance they continue to develop and improve? Pretty darn good.

And it’s not like Brooks’ plowed his way through these two guys in the 2021 NCAA’s. Keckeisen lost a hard fought 6-4 decision in the semi finals and Hidlay was every bit as good as Brooks in the finals as he lost a razor-thin match 3-2.

The 2021-2022 season could be a really fun one to watch for this class. But until I see it happen, Brooks still leads the pack and I wouldn’t bet against him or Cael Sanderson if he starts to slowly pull away.