#6 IowaMatScouts Crystal Ball projected 2027 NCAA top 15 (Willie Saylor), mid-summer update
Say what you want about Iowa, but they turn up in March. Every single year. This team returns 4 All-Americans. Leading the charge is Ryder Block. Add in Ferrari, Gabe Arnold, Ben Kueter and now they add Ryan Crookham, one of the best 133s in the country when he's healthy. And that's the word that matters. Healthy. Crookham hasn't made it through a full season yet, and now he's walking into the most physical room in America.
If he holds up, Iowa has trophy-level talent, and the conversation about the teams chasing the top two gets a lot more interesting. The Hawkeyes don't rebuild. They reload, and they show up when it counts.
Of the 93.5 team points Iowa scored at the 2026 NCAA Championships, wrestlers accounting for 62.5 points (67%) are back in the room this season. 31 points walked out the door. Hover over the bar for the breakdown.
2026 NCAA team points: returning vs. leaving
Where Iowa actually finished at the NCAA Championships each year (solid green line), next to where our development model expected a roster with these ratings to finish (dashed gray line). Hover over a point for the score.
Team finish at the NCAA Championships, 2021 to 2026
Impact score is our model’s one-number rating of a wrestler’s season, earned in the conference tournament and the NCAA bracket: the deeper the March run, the higher the score. Mikey Caliendo’s 145 was the best returning score on this roster last season.
Add up every season this roster wrestled in 2025-26 and it comes to 784 impact. 512 of it (65%) is already back in the room, 272 walked out the door through the portal.
Career impact score entering 2026-27
Nasir Bailey141 lbs
154
Ben Kueter285 lbs
138
Ryder Block149 lbs
80
Gabe Arnold174 lbs
77
Angelo Ferrari184 lbs
64Every weight, who is projected to hold it, what they did in the 2025-26 postseason, and who held the spot last March. All numbers are conference-tournament and NCAA matches only. Impact score is our model’s rating of a season: the 2025-26 number is what they earned, the 2026-27 number is what the model expects next.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Dean Peterson (5th year)DNP at NCAAs (8 seed)
Graduated
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Drake Ayala (5th year)5th at NCAAs
Graduated
No postseason data yet.
Nasir Bailey (Jr)DNP at NCAAs (7 seed)
Back in 2026-27
Ryder Block (Jr)6th at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Victor Voinovich (5th year)No NCAA bracket
Graduated
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Mikey Caliendo (Jr)2nd at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No postseason data yet.
Patrick Kennedy (6th year)3rd at NCAAs
Graduated
Angelo Ferrari (So)6th at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Gabe Arnold (Jr)7th at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No postseason data yet.
Ben Kueter (Jr)5th at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
The 2026 signing class, ranked by final big-board position. Expected entry score is the impact our model projects for a recruit’s first college season, set by where they finished on the board.
Michael Moccoexpected entry score 11#17 board
Bobby Duffyexpected entry score 3#68 board
Greyson Petitexpected entry score 3#79 board
David Calkinsexpected entry score 1#108 boardThe 2026 cycle, in and out.
Massoma Endene197 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
Out
Jordan Williams149/157 · back with Iowa
ReturningThe full portal history, cycle by cycle, is in the Development section below.
What this roster did in the 2026 bracket, and where that ranks among every team that scored at the tournament.
Medians across the 70 programs that scored at the 2026 NCAA Championships.
2026 postseason pace, projected lineup only.
Nasir Bailey141 lbs
1.6
Ryder Block149 lbs
1.4
Gabe Arnold174 lbs
0.7
Angelo Ferrari184 lbs
0.7
Ben Kueter285 lbs
0.52026 postseason pace, projected lineup only.
Nasir Bailey141 lbs
1.2
Ryder Block149 lbs
0.6
Gabe Arnold174 lbs
0.3Every signee and every portal move this program has made since 2020, and what came of them. Expected is the rating our model projects: a first college season is measured against the wrestler’s big-board entry score, later seasons against the development model. Actual is the rating they earned. Click a wrestler to open their score card: the season-by-season receipt behind those career totals.
Patrick Kennedy #4 board’25: 4th · ’26: 3rd
expected162actual330
Jesse Ybarra #37 boardno NCAA points yet
expected5actual0
Bretli Reyna #53 boardno NCAA points yet
expected3actual0
Cullan Schriever #57 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual6
Gabe Christenson #113 boardno NCAA points yet
never reached a postseason bracket
Drake Ayala #4 board’24: 2nd · ’25: 2nd · ’26: 5th
expected270actual396
Wyatt Henson #16 boardno NCAA points yet
never reached a postseason bracket
Caleb Rathjen #49 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual33
Drew Bennett in from Northern Iowano NCAA points yet
no postseason matches at Iowa on file
Aiden Riggins #36 boardno NCAA points yet
expected53actual4
Kolby Franklin #49 boardno NCAA points yet
expected5actual0
Bradley Hill #112 boardno NCAA points yet
expected32actual34
Mickey Griffith #124 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Easton Fleshman #215 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Joel Jesuroga #242 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Brody Teske in from Northern Iowano NCAA points yet
expected74actual76
Real Woods in from Stanford’23: 2nd · ’24: 4th
expected173actual271
Wyatt Henson out to Oklahomano NCAA points yet
left with career impact 90
Ben Kueter #6 board’25: 8th · ’26: 5th
expected88actual173
Gabe Arnold #19 board’26: 7th
expected53actual102
Ryder Block #26 board’26: 6th
expected16actual85
Jared Franek in from North Dakota State’24: 8th
expected72actual71
Joey Cruz in from Oklahomano NCAA points yet
expected53actual15
Michael Caliendo III in from North Dakota Stateno NCAA points yet
expected125actual0
Victor Voinovich in from Oklahoma Stateno NCAA points yet
expected16actual3
Angelo Ferrari #7 board’26: 6th
expected16actual74
Miguel Estrada #64 boardno NCAA points yet
expected3actual0
Kael Voinovich #66 boardno NCAA points yet
expected3actual0
Keyan Hernandez #189 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Kyle Parco in from Arizona Stateno NCAA points yet
expected72actual35
Bretli Reyna out to Chattanoogano NCAA points yet
left with career impact 0
Carson Martinson out to Central Collegeno NCAA points yet
career impact not on file
Carter Martinson out to Central Collegeno NCAA points yet
career impact not on file
Joel Jesuroga out to Cal Polyno NCAA points yet
left with career impact 0
Leo Deluca #7 boardno NCAA points yet
expected25actual0
Harvey Ludington #10 boardno NCAA points yet
expected25actual0
JR Miller #59 boardno NCAA points yet
expected3actual0
Ty Miller #146 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Dean Peterson in from Rutgersno NCAA points yet
expected37actual46
Jordan Williams in from Little Rockno NCAA points yet
expected37actual0
Nasir Bailey in from Little Rockno NCAA points yet
expected37actual54
Sammy Alvarez in from Riderno NCAA points yet
no postseason matches at Iowa on file
Brady Benham out to University of Central Oklahomano NCAA points yet
career impact not on file
Caleb Rathjen out to Northern Iowano NCAA points yet
left with career impact 42
Michael Mocco #17 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 11
Bobby Duffy #68 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 3
Greyson Petit #79 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 3
David Calkins #108 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 1