#10 MinnesotaMatScouts Crystal Ball projected 2027 NCAA top 15 (Willie Saylor), mid-summer update
The number next to Minnesota is ten. The more interesting number is fifteen. That is where Tyler Dekraker sat on the recruiting big board, and the Gophers have been here before: Troy Spratley signed at fifteen and became a two time All-American, Max McEnelly signed at fifteen and won the national title at 184.
McEnelly is back, and so is Koy Hopke. But half of last March's 48.5 points left the building, and Jore Volk's 7.5 depend on an eligibility appeal that has not been decided. Minnesota is a top ten team if the freshman turns into what number fifteen usually turns into.
Of the 48.5 team points Minnesota scored at the 2026 NCAA Championships, wrestlers accounting for 24 points (49%) are back in the room this season. A further 7.5 hinge on the pending NCAA eligibility appeal of Jore Volk. 17 points walked out the door. Hover over the bar for the breakdown.
2026 NCAA team points: returning vs. leaving
Where Minnesota 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. Max McEnelly’s 152 was the best returning score on this roster last season. Jore Volk earned 80 in what may or may not turn out to have been his final year.
Add up every season this roster wrestled in 2025-26 and it comes to 467 impact. 223 of it (48%) is already back in the room, 164 walked out the door through the portal, and the last 80, Jore Volk’s, comes back if his appeal lands.
Career impact score entering 2026-27
Max McEnelly184 lbs
236
Koy Hopke285 lbs
24
Charlie Millard157 lbs
18Every 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.
Jore Volk (Sr)7th at NCAAs
Appeal pending
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Jager Eisch (5th year)No NCAA bracket
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Vance Vombaur (5th year)DNP at NCAAs (8 seed)
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Drew Roberts (5th year)No NCAA bracket
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
Charlie Millard (So)DNP at NCAAs (21 seed)
Back in 2026-27
No projected starter on file for this weight.
Andrew Sparks (6th year)5th at NCAAs
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Ethan Riddle (Jr)No NCAA bracket
Back in 2026-27
Max McEnelly (Jr)1st at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Gavin Nelson (Jr)No NCAA bracket
Back in 2026-27
Koy Hopke (So)DNP at NCAAs (14 seed)
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.
Tyler Dekrakerexpected entry score 11#15 board
Cooper Roweexpected entry score 3#63 board
Titan Friederichsexpected entry score 1#132 boardThe 2026 cycle, in and out.
Bennett Tabor285 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
Out
Rhett Koenig149 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
OutThe 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.
Max McEnelly184 lbs
2.5
Charlie Millard157 lbs
1.0
Ethan Riddle174 lbs
1.0
Gavin Nelson197 lbs
0.8
Koy Hopke285 lbs
0.42026 postseason pace, projected lineup only.
Ethan Riddle174 lbs
0.4Every 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.
Andrew Sparks #49 board’26: 5th
expected131actual207
Aaron Nagao #77 board’23: 5th
expected52actual111
Bennett Tabor #22 boardno NCAA points yet
expected68actual15
Tagen Jamison #47 boardno NCAA points yet
never reached a postseason bracket
Blaine Brenner #65 boardno NCAA points yet
expected68actual22
Drew Roberts #67 boardno NCAA points yet
expected68actual21
Vance Vombaur #92 board’02: 4th · ’03: 6th · ’24: 8th · ’25: 8th
expected167actual185
Jager Eisch #117 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual5
Gabe Nagel #153 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Troy Spratley #15 board’25: 2nd · ’26: 5th
no model expectation on file
Drayden Morton #195 boardno NCAA points yet
never reached a postseason bracket
Max McEnelly #15 board’25: 3rd · ’26: 1st
expected91actual270
Gavin Nelson #20 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual4
Ethan Riddle #143 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual5
Tagen Jamison out to Oklahoma Stateno NCAA points yet
left with career impact 49
Troy Spratley out to Oklahoma Stateno NCAA points yet
left with career impact 218
Koy Hopke #9 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual33
Charlie Millard #29 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual29
Wyatt Duchateau #132 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Jack Nelson #133 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Dawson Johnson #134 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Jed Wester #224 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Silas Dailey #243 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Blake Beissel #246 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Clayton Whiting in from Missourino NCAA points yet
expected52actual26
Evan McGuire #96 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Charles Vanier #171 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Chris Cannon in from Northwesternno NCAA points yet
no postseason matches at Minnesota on file
Jore Volk in from Wyoming’26: 7th
expected36actual80
Tyler Wells out to Oklahomano NCAA points yet
left with career impact 74
Tyler Dekraker #15 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 11
Cooper Rowe #63 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 3
Titan Friederichs #132 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 1