The Nebraska men’s wrestling team has high expectations going into the 2025 season after a historic finish to the 2024 year.
Last season, head coach Mark Manning’s squad earned its best finish in program history, taking second place at the NCAA Tournament while producing two national champions in Ridge Lovett and Antrell Taylor. The team hit another milestone on Jan. 17, with 6,736 fans in attendance against Penn State, becoming the largest crowd in school history to pack the Devaney Center for a wrestling duel.
“I fought like a dang animal to make wrestling relevant here, and a lot of other people have,” Manning said. “In some ways, for us over here, volleyball sets the tone. I remember talking to John (Cook) many times … John being in the Coliseum, we’d wrestle over at the Coliseum, and packing 4,000, that was something not that long ago. Now, we’re packing 10,000 or 9,000 something, but it’s pretty cool. It’s an opportunity for us to really have our program seen in that light. To do that, you have to have success. It’s about winning.”
The Huskers added senior Oklahoma State transfer AJ Ferrari who was considered one of the top wrestlers in the portal. He comes to Lincoln after winning an NCAA title in 2021, earning two conference championships and amassing an overall record of 51-2. Now, he’s moving up weight classes, joining the heavyweight division at 285 pounds.
“He’s big and strong,” Manning said of Ferrari. “He’s 240-something. Whether he weighs 227 or 242, he’s a strong man. He’s strong, he’s physical, he wrestles with a lot of intensity, and that’s what people are going to see. He’s a competitor, and that’s why we brought him in.”
Nebraska is returning a key member in Taylor, who won a national title in the 157-pound division as a sophomore. Coming into this season, he’s chasing more and striving to be even better.
“My biggest thing was just being able to wrestle on the mat, top and bottom,” Taylor said. “That was a big thing I tried to get at this summer. I feel like I’m pushing towards getting some more riding time and just being a fully developed wrestler. Not just being able to wrestle on my feet, like I have my whole life, just wrestling in all aspects, I would say, is the way I jump levels.”
With all the success last season, there’s high hopes coming into this year, but the team’s not letting that impact its preparation.
“I think us as a whole, we’re handling it perfect, the exact way we should,” Taylor said of the pressure. “Coming into the room each and every day, training as hard as we can, doing the right things outside of wrestling as well. That’s honestly the most important part, just living the right lifestyle and doing the right things on the mat. It will carry over.”
Wrestling powerhouse Penn State won last year’s national championship, marking its third straight team win. Senior Brock Hardy qualified for the tournament as well.
“We placed above Iowa at nationals, but in no way, shape, or form, would I be saying that we’re ahead of them looking forward,” Hardy said. “I think as a whole, every single time we step on the mat, you’re back to being unranked, right? You’ve got to prove yourself every single time you wrestle. Beating Penn state is the goal, but beating everyone’s the goal, right? They just happen to be the one that everyone knows about.”
The Huskers’ first home duel will take place on Nov. 7, when they host Army at the Devaney Center. Manning said that this will also be Military Appreciation Day and Alumni Day.
“I challenge Husker fans, we need to sell this thing out,” Manning said. “It’s going to be an epic day.”
Nebraska opens its season on Nov. 2, when it travels to Annapolis, Maryland, to take on Navy at the Navy Classic tournament.
“Man, let’s just do this,” Hardy said. “It’s fun in general to do a lot of the work, but I’ve done it a lot of times now. September, October’s kind of like probably the worst time of year in terms of it just feels like you’re constantly itching to actually do the thing. So, I’m excited to get it done.”
