The Nebraska wrestling team opens its 2026-27 season on Sunday with a home dual against #10 Wyoming. The Huskers come in ranked #3 in the country with a lineup that stacks up well against almost everyone.
Always a solid team out of the Big 12, Wyoming will likely be outmatched on the team scoreboard, but this dual provides us with some incredibly interesting matches — especially for a season opener.
The Cowboys have four ranked wrestlers, but it’s the three heaviest weights where they are truly elite.
Wyoming has a top-6 guy at 184, 197 and heavyweight — setting up some juicy matchups. The Cowboys won their opening dual against Western Wyoming College, a junior college, 51-0 last weekend.
A team that will send out at least seven ranked starters, Nebraska has six wrestlers who are currently ranked in the Top-10 nationally.
I really think that Head Coach Mark Manning will have his team ready to go — just listen to this.
The dual will take place at the Devaney Sports Center on Sunday at 3 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
Let’s get right into the potential matchups…
Weight-By-Weight Preview
125 pounds
Arguably Nebraska’s biggest pickup this off-season is also its smallest — former 125-pound NCAA Champion #4 Vincent Robinson is set to make his first start as a Husker on Sunday.
This past Saturday after wrestle-offs, I was able to talk to Robinson and Associate Head Coach Bryan Snyder — and I wrote about it in my FloWrestling piece that came out this week. You can check it out if you want to (subscription required).
All I know is that after observing him in the room, before and after matches, and during his matches is that Robinson is the real deal. He has a certain aura about him that just feels different.
His first opponent as a Husker will likely be Wyoming sophomore Isaiah Harrison. As a freshman last year, Harrison went 14-5 overall and 3-2 against Division I opponents.
Harrison will likely be short work for Robinson before he sets his sights on next week’s matchup against Oklahoma State’s #6 Troy Spratley.
133 pounds
Returning All-American #7 Jacob Van Dee will open the season with a ranked opponent after placing 7th at NCAAs last year.
In his final year of eligibility, Van Dee will take on #17 Luke Willochell. The Cowboy sophomore went 15-12 as a freshman, dropping a consolation match to Van Dee 10-7 in sudden victory, ending his season.
The fact that Willochell already wrestled Van Dee tough makes me nervous about this one, but the Husker senior should be up to the task.
Things don’t get much easier for Van Dee next week when he’ll see returning NCAA Champion #1 Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State.
141 pounds
Your guess is as good as mine as to who Nebraska sends out here — it’s between redshirt freshman Jake Hockaday, sophomore Omar Ayoub, and true freshman Lincoln Sledzianowski here.
Regardless of who Nebraska sends out, they’ll likely be favored in this match against either Jace Roller or Derek Barrows.
Roller is a Missouri transfer who went 10-5 a year ago, while Barrows won via pinfall in the team’s opening dual last weekend. It was a JUCO opponent, so it’s possible Wyoming elected not to wrestle some of its starters.
I’m as excited to see who runs out of the tunnel as I am for the match and result.
149 pounds
A transfer from Iowa State, #6 Anthony Echemendia didn’t wrestle in the 149-pound wrestle-offs — which were won by junior Scott Robertson — but Echemendia will likely be in the lineup.
Wyoming will have senior Cole Brooks or freshman Austin Collins here. Brooks was the 141-pound starter for Wyoming two years ago — he fell to Echemendia via 21-5 technical fall at Big 12s that year. He also lost twice to Brock Hardy — via pinfall and 15-3 major decision.
If Echemendia takes the mat, this is likely an easy win.
157 pounds
A senior this year, three-time All-American and 2025 NCAA Champion #3 Antrell Taylor looks like he’s ready to come out like he’s been shot out of a cannon. The returning NCAA finalist made quick work of his opponent at wrestle-offs, so now it’s time to unleash Trelly against someone with a different singlet on.
Wyoming will send out either senior Sloan Swan or junior Antonio Avila. Swan started at 157 as a freshman, then at 165 as a junior, and now he’s back at 157 for his final season. He went 4-2 at Big 12s last season, so he’s no slouch.
Against Taylor though, it won’t matter. Dude is on the warpath.
Next Friday, Taylor will get his shot at revenge against #1 Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State who beat him in the NCAA final in March.
165 pounds
Nebraska’s starter #6 LJ Araujo is projected to be out for a few weeks, so this spot is hard to pin down. It’ll likely be true freshman Nolan Fellers who won the wrestle-off over fellow freshman Niko Rotella 5-0.
But, Manning left the door open for an appearance from transfer Meyer Shapiro. A three-time All-American from Cornell, Shapiro’s plan is to train and sit out for a season before returning for one more year at 157 in 2027-28. Manning said it’s possible he could fill in here or there, so I wouldn’t rule out a Shapiro sighting up at 165.
Or would he wait to pull that rabbit out of the hat next week against Oklahoma State?
Regardless, Wyoming will have Manuel Rojas here. A grad student, Rojas is an Iowa State transfer who never cracked the lineup in Ames.
174 pounds
Another hammer in the Husker lineup, returning NCAA finalist #2 Christopher Minto has his eyes set one spot higher on the podium this March.
He’ll start his trek there with a match against Wyoming senior Riley Davis who is 21-24 the past two seasons as a starter.
Minto by a mile here.
184 pounds
Another weight class where it’s unknown who will take the mat, Nebraska brought in Lucas Cochran from Penn State out of the transfer portal, but he’s still working back from knee surgery last season. He’s been on the mat, but he didn’t wrestle in the wrestle-offs.
Junior Ethan DeLeon won Nebraska’s wrestle-off here and will likely take the mat if Cochran is shelved another week. DeLeon has a 24-12 career record at Nebraska.
Wyoming will send out #6 Eddie Neitenbach here. An All-American last year (7th-place finish), Neitenbach is 37-17 for his career — he went 23-8 last season.
Without Cochran, this will be a tough matchup for the Huskers.
197 pounds
In one of the matches of the night, Nebraska’s two-time All-American #5 Camden McDanel will take on two-time All-American #4 Joey Novak.
After not placing as a freshman, Novak placed fifth then fourth the past two seasons. Both years, Novak has beaten McDanel at NCAAs — 4-2 in 2025 and 7-3 last year. Novak also beat McDanel 6-4 in 2024 at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
The key in those matches was Novak’s ability to hold McDanel down, something that McDanel needs to shore up in his game if he wants to get in the win column against Novak.
285 pounds
Sunday marks the official beginning of the #9 Cade Ziola era in Lincoln. After redshirting last year and going 16-3, Ziola spent the offseason packing on good weight and is up to the 245-pound range after wrestling at or below 220 last year.
Now it’s time to see all that hard work pay off because things certainly don’t start off easily — Ziola will take on #3 Christian Carroll on Sunday. An All-American last year (8th-place finish), Carroll was a former Iowa State Cyclone who wrestled at 197 pounds, but he made the move up in weight in Laramie. He went 21-9 last season on the way to the NCAA podium, downing Penn State’s Cole Mirasola twice and All-American Taye Ghadiali of Michigan along the way. Carroll beat Ghadiali — who went on to place third at NCAAs — 11-2 by major decision early in the season.
A guy who has incredible potential and expectations, Ziola has a major test in front of him this weekend, as well as a great opportunity to insert himself into the national conversation with a win.
