NCAA Wrestling preseason power rankings: Iowa or Penn State at the top?

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Roman Bravo Young (Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Roman Bravo Young (Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Gable Stevenson of Minnesota (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Gable Stevenson of Minnesota (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

. Golden Gophers . 8. team. 852. .

2021 Stats

Rank: 7
Dual Meet Record: 7-2

NCAA Champions: 1
285 – Gable Steveson

All-Americans: 3
125 – Patrick McKee (3rd)
157 – Brayton Lee (6th)
285 – Gable Steveson (1st)

2021 Recruiting
Rank: 7
Recruits: 8
Top 100 Recruits: 5
No. 23 Bennett Tabor (proj – 285)
No. 53 Drew Roberts (proj – 149)
No. 70 Tagen Jamison (proj – 141)
No. 91 Vance Vombaur (proj – 149)
No. 99 Jager Eisch (proj – 133/141)

So we’re now three-deep into my top 10 list and Minnesota is the third straight B1G team.

I promise, this list is not going to include all B1G teams.

As with the prior two teams on this list, the same theme continues for Minnesota, as several questions need to be answered before the season starts. Seniors Boo Dryden (133) and Owen Webster (184) have been mum on whether or not they will return for their final year of eligibility.

An even bigger question lingers for the reigning NCAA heavyweight champion. When will Gable Steveson bolt for the WWE? If he has a successful Olympics in a couple of weeks, does he have anything else to prove in the collegiate ranks?

The Golden Gophers have a solid lineup from top to bottom and they’ve added even more talent on the recruiting trail. But they will only go as far as Gable Steveson can take them.

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