What Holes Does Oklahoma State Wrestling Have to Fill Heading into Next Season?

Year 1 of the David Taylor era was so much fun that it already has us yearning for Year 2.

Oklahoma State’s 2025-26 lineup will look quite a bit different than this past season, as the Cowboys are losing seven of 10 starters to eligibility. With that said, let’s take a look at what the Cowboys lose going into next year and which guys on the current roster could compete for those open spots.

Who Is Gone?

The back half of OSU’s lineup was filled with seniors this past season. OSU’s starters from 157 to heavyweight are all out of eligibility. Reece Witcraft, who won OSU’s 133-pound spot after a battle that lasted much of the season, is also gone.

Reece Witcraft (133)
Caleb Fish (157)
Cameron Amine (165)
Dean Hamiti Jr. (174)
Dustin Plott (184)
Luke Surber (197)
Wyatt Hendrickson (HWT)

Who Is Coming?

Taylor might not yet be done in the portal, but the Cowboys have already added three transfers to join a strong traditional recruiting class (freshmen weights are projections):

Casey Swiderski (141/149), Iowa State transfer
Alex Facundo (157/165/174), Penn State transfer
Gary Steen (125/133), Penn State transfer
LaDarion Lockett (165/174), freshman
Landon Robideau (157), freshman
Sergio Vega (141), freshman
Kody Routledge (157/165), freshman
Ronnie Ramirez (133), freshman
Austin Johnson (197/HWT), freshman
Ishmael Guerrero (157/165), freshman
Beau Hickman (149/157), freshman
Ethan Teague (174/184), freshman
Kruz Goff (197), freshman

125

This feels like an easy one to start out with, as reigning national runner-up Troy Spratley will be a redshirt junior next season.

Spratley went 24-5 this past season, including that run to the NCAA finals.

Options: Troy Spratley (R-Jr.)

133

Witcraft is gone, but Cael Hughes was only a redshirt freshman last season.

Hughes and Witcraft went back and forth at the weight for much of the season. Hughes finished the year 8-1. Whether Hughes could make 133 again is a question of its own. He might have to bump up to 141 moving forward.

Outside of Hughes, the Cowboys have Rin Sakamoto and JJ McComas waiting in the wings. Sakamoto stood in during OSU’s dual with Iowa, where he lost to Drake Ayala, who made the NCAA finals, 11-1. That was Sakamoto’s first folkstyle match and came in a big spot.

McComas was a true freshman this past season. He wrestled at the MSU Open, the Cyclone Open and the Golden Norsemen Open, going 10-2 while redshirting.

Then the Cowboys added

Options: Cael Hughes (R-So.), Rin Sakamoto (R-Fr.), JJ McComas (R-Fr.), Gary Steen (R-Sr.), Sergio Vega (Fr.)

141

As a redshirt sophomore this past season, Tagen Jamison went 23-6 and finished a win shy of making the podium.

Similar to Hughes, there might be a question as to whether Jamison can maintain 141 for another season. He’s a big 141. Maybe that’s not an issue, but if it is, this could be a spot for Hughes to bump up and compete at, or it could be a spot for Iowa State transfer Casey Swiderski to step into. Swiderski was listed at 141 for the Cyclones this past season but suffered a knee injury. He was an All-American at 149 in 2024.

Options: Tagen Jamison (R-Jr.), Casey Swiderski (R-So.), Hughes (R-So.), Sergio Vega (Fr.)

149

Carter Young started at 149 for much of the season for the Cowboys, but a returning-from-injury Teague Travis took over heading into the Big 12 Tournament. Both of those guys can return next season.

This could also be a spot for Swiderski to step into, especially if Travis perhaps bumps back up to 157, where he started this past season at before suffering that injury. Or, if Jamison can’t hold 141, this is a spot for him to bump up to. There could be a lot of musical chairs going on for these middle weights.

Options: Casey Swiderski (R-So.), Teague Travis (R-Sr.), Tagen Jamison (R-Jr.), Carter Young (R-Sr.)

157

Caleb Fish is gone after making the podium in Philadelphia.

Travis jumped up to 157 for the 2023-24 season, going 23-8 and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. He started this past season at this weight, too, before jumping down at the end of the year.

Penn State transfer Alex Facundo was listed at 157 this past season, as he battled with Tyler Kasak (who finished third at NCAAs) for this spot in the Nittany Lions’ lineup. Facundo was previously listed at 165, however, as he made NCAAs at that weight in 2023. It feels more likely that Facundo goes up to either 165 or maybe 174, but this is certainly a spot he could compete at.

OSU also has a highly touted freshman coming in near this weight in Landon Robideau, who FloWrestling considers the No. 5 guy in the 2025 class. Robideau won a Minnesota state title at 160 pounds this past season. None of his matches in the state tournament lasted longer than two minutes.

Options: Teague Travis (R-Sr.), Alex Facundo (R-Jr.), Landon Robideau (Fr.)

165

Cameron Amine was the Cowboys’ guy at 165 last season, and he finished out his career on the podium.

There isn’t an obvious returner to fill the spot Amine left vacant, but this could be a spot for one of OSU’s superstar freshmen to step in. Stillwater’s LaDarion Lockett is the No. 3 recruit in the 2025 class, according to Flo. He won the 2023 U17 World Championships and came second at the U20 World Championships this past summer. He is a four-time state champ in Oklahoma after he pinned his way through the state tournament earlier this year at 175 pounds.

The way-too-early feeling is that this and 174 will be some combination of Lockett and Facundo with it being more a question of who goes where.

Fellow OSU signee Kody Routledge won Oklahoma’s 6A state title at 165 this past season.

Options: LaDarion Lockett (Fr.), Alex Facundo (R-Jr.), Kody Routledge (Fr.), portal

174

OSU is in a similar spot at 174 after Dean Hamiti Jr. won a national championship in his lone season with the Cowboys.

As previously stated, the early favorite to fill this spot probably comes down to Facundo and Lockett and which wrestler goes where.

Don’t forget about Brayden Thompson, either. Thompson started at 174 as a true freshman for the Cowboys during the 2023-24 season, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Thompson was listed at 184 while redshirting this past season. He went 9-0 while redshirting, winning the Bob Smith Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Options: Alex Facundo (R-Jr.), LaDarion Lockett (Fr.), Brayden Thompson (R-So.), portal

184

Four-time All-American Dustin Plott is gone, opening up an opportunity for someone else to take the reins at 184 pounds.

Thompson should be in contention here.

Former Bixby standout Jersey Robb also had an impressive season in the shadows, going 12-2 and winning the MSU Open. Robb wrestled Iowa’s Gabe Arnold at the Soldier Salute, losing 4-1. Arnold was the No. 6 guy nationally at the weight at that time.

There has also been some online discussion as to whether Cody Merrill could get down to 184. While redshirting at 197 pounds this season, Merrill went 12-2. He lost to eventual national champ Stephen Buchanan 2-0 at the Soldier Salute.

Options: Brayden Thompson (R-So.), Jersey Robb (R-So.), Cody Merrill (R-Fr.), portal

197

Luke Surber graduates, leaving this spot open for the Pokes.

Merrill, a pupil of Daniel Cormier, feels like the most likely at this point to man this spot.

Options: Cody Merrill (R-Fr.), Jersey Robb (R-So.), portal

HWT

The Cowboys had a Hodge Trophy winner pinning people and doing standing backflips at their heavyweight spot this past season, but someone else will have to fill the void Wyatt Hendrickson leaves next season.

Konner Doucet still has eligibility available despite being listed as a redshirt senior for the Pokes this past season. Before Hendrickson’s arrival, Doucet had started the past two seasons for OSU at heavyweight, qualifying for the national tournament both years.

Doucet went 5-0 this past season, winning the MSU Open before beating Air Force’s Antonio Ramos in a dual.

Options: Konner Doucet (R-Sr.), portal