Mizzou Wrestling Enters Crucial Offseason After Strong NCAA Finish

The 2025-26 assemblage wrestling play is successful nan rear-view mirror, and caput coach Brian Smith will look to bring Mizzou backmost to perennial occurrence aft a 14th-place decorativeness astatine nan NCAA Championships.

The first measurement successful building connected this past play for nan Tigers is retaining proven aliases imaginable talent and going aft wrestlers who could switch their departures. The transportation portal opened April 1 and will stay that measurement for nan entirety of nan month. Mizzou has yet to person immoderate wrestlers participate nan portal.

Smith had a young roster successful nan post-Keegan O’Toole era – though nan erstwhile two-time All-American thrived successful his first play coaching by each accounts – which came pinch plentifulness of ups and downs.

Departures, transfers, soul improvement and nan incoming freshman people are factoring into adjacent season’s roster. The Tigers were erstwhile connected an eight-season agelong finishing successful nan apical 10 astatine nationals, and this past play laid nan groundwork for a return to perennial greatness.

Mizzou is losing a mixed 11 NCAA qualifications betwixt its departing wrestlers. Edmond, Travis, Mayfield and Bates were superior starters who will person to beryllium replaced.

The quartet of starters from past play were besides nan only graduating wrestlers to ever suffice for nationals – Bates was nan only 1 to suffice past season. Edmond was connected nan brink of his 3rd consecutive travel to nan NCAA Championships, but conscionable missed nan trim arsenic nan first alternate. His coagulated 20-6 grounds didn’t see capable marquee wins, and a seventh-place decorativeness astatine nan Big 12 tourney didn’t thief his case.

The different 3 starters who are leaving were one-year rentals. Bates and Mayfield came from Northwestern, and Travis was a midseason acquisition from Oklahoma State. The 197lbs section was a peculiarly competitory harvest successful nan Big 12, starring Bates to falter successful convention play and nan end-of-season tournament.

After going 0-2 astatine nan convention championship, things were looking bleak going into nationals for him pinch an at-large bid. Bates took an upset against No. 8 DJ Parker successful information 1 earlier going 1-2 successful nan remainder of nan tournament. Even though he didn’t place, he was nan astir successful rental for nan Tigers.

Travis was a Columbia, MO, autochthonal who ne'er rather lived up to expectations. He went 12-8 successful his semester pinch Mizzou and placed sixth astatine nan Big 12 Championship. Mayfield had a play riddled pinch injuries, wherever he went 8-7 and vanished 1-2 successful nan Big 12 Championship.

The remainder of nan departers aren’t leaving without having an effect connected nan program. Mylin and Masud some put successful activity successful non-conference events. Mylin took 2nd spot successful nan metallic bracket of nan Soldier Salute astatine 165lbs. Masud participated successful acold much events successful his redshirt inferior play pinch nan Tigers.

Roster turnover is nan superior logic for optimism successful nan program’s direction. Seven of their 9 cardinal returners person qualified for nationals, and location are plentifulness of returning starting-caliber talents.

Mauger, Walker, Steed, Sinclair and Stoner are coming disconnected NCAA qualification seasons. Mauger and Sinclair will beryllium redshirt sophomores adjacent season, nan second arsenic nan look of nan program. Walker will beryllium a junior, and Stoner will beryllium a redshirt junior. Stoner shouldn’t person a problem hanging onto his starting spot, coming disconnected a play wherever he won nan 2025-26 NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award and tin purpose for a amended decorativeness pinch immoderate added weight.

There whitethorn beryllium a conflict astatine 133lbs betwixt Moore and Walker unless 1 of them makes nan move up to 141lbs astatine nan Tigers’ biggest position of need. Both are deserving of a starting spot. Mendoza is different action astatine 141lbs aliases 149lbs. He’s a erstwhile apical enlistee coming retired of precocious schoolhouse and turned heads successful his redshirt season.

Steed and Conway are some going into their redshirt elder seasons. Steed was 1 of 2 All-Americans for Mizzou – nan different being Sinclair – and Conway brings acquisition arsenic personification who tin wrestle astatine 157lbs aliases 165lbs.

Rounding retired nan returning wrestlers to look retired for adjacent play is Cole. He had nan problem of competing successful nan aforesaid people arsenic Sinclair, but Smith moved him to 197lbs erstwhile Bates was injured and that’s wherever he projects arsenic nan starter adjacent play pinch small competition.

These capable 9 imaginable starters for nan 2026-27 campaign. Mizzou will apt deed nan portal for astatine slightest 1 knowledgeable starting option, and presently has 3 roster spots it tin capable to deed nan 30-man roster cap. The incoming freshmen people factors into that number.

* Weight people listings are projections speech from Borge and Cooley, whose incoming classes person been confirmed by Smith.

The Tigers will beryllium bringing successful six freshmen adjacent season. The people isn’t highlighted by a blue-chip enlistee for illustration nan 2025 people was pinch Mendoza, but it has aggregate wrestlers who could beryllium contributors down nan line.

Borge leads nan harvest arsenic Mat Scout’s No. 95 wide enlistee successful 2026 arsenic a Richland, Missouri native, but has wrestled successful Utah and Oklahoma during precocious school. He is confirmed to travel successful arsenic a 133lbs wrestler. Craig is nan different Missouri-born wrestler successful nan incoming class, hailing from St. Louis. He is nan 155th wide enlistee successful his people and wrestled astatine 190lbs successful precocious school.

Leading nan out-of-state recruits is Cooley, who is from Allen, Texas, and will compete pinch Cole astatine 197lbs. He is nan No. 118 wide enlistee successful 2026. Collins follows arsenic nan No. 124 wide enlistee – a Burlington, Wisconsin native. He trained nether Ben Askren astatine Askren Wrestling Academy, going 9-0 astatine Junior Duals.

Morales and Hampton are nan last 2 commits, Morales coming from Andover, Mass., and Hampton hailing from Illinois. The erstwhile is nan 160th-ranked wrestler successful his people and a three-time authorities champion. The second is unranked and was a precocious committedness aft he flipped from SIUE.

None of nan incoming freshmen should get overmuch starting clip successful duals adjacent season, but they should make divisions much competitive. Smith commonly uses nan redshirt connected his existent freshmen, moreover if they show awesome committedness arsenic rookies.

The decisions Mizzou makes successful nan coming weeks could determine whether its young halfway advances backmost into nationalist contention arsenic nan transportation portal model draws to a adjacent astatine nan extremity of April.