Arizona State is coming off a solid finish at the national tournament last year with a returning national finalist and a few other All Americans. What is their team looking like heading into this season?
Kordell Norfleet just announced that he will be taking his extra year which will only add to how dominant this ASU lineup can be this season.
Projected Lineup-
125- Brandon Courtney
133- Michael McGee
141- Jesse Vasquez
149- Kyle Parco
157- Jacori Teemer
165- Tony Negron
174- Cael Valencia / Josh Nummer
184- Anthony Montalvo
197- Kordell Norfleet
285- Cohlton Schultz
Breakdown-
125- Brandon Courtney
Courtney made the national finals in 2021 but lost to Spencer Lee and was able to cap off an All American finish this season. As far as where he stands heading into this next season all depends.
Looking at prior stats he can beat everyone in this weight class except Glory, Vito, and Lee unless he has jumped levels. However with rumors saying Vito could possibly be looking at a bump up to 133 makes things interesting here.
133- Michael McGee
Talented wrestler who did not get the credit he deserved last season. He placed 4th only behind RBY, Daton Fix, and Austin Desanto. With Desanto out of the picture he will most likely be looking at a 3rd place finish.
However with a lot of that being said he definitely has the potential to break the bracket at nationals and might just sneak into the finals.
141- Jesse Vasquez
He had a 7-1 record last season before getting injured. The one loss came at the hands of 2x national champion Nick Lee which is what it is at that point. As far as how he could perform really depends because we just have not seen too much of him just yet.
Would not be surprising if he somehow makes a good run at nationals and maybe even an All American finish if things go his way.
149- Kyle Parco
Earned his second All American finish this season placing 8th in his first season at Arizona State. He looked good last season but dropped some matches that he probably shouldn’t have. He has been pretty consistent overall which makes it seem that he will be looking at another All American finish here but with how many tough guys there are at 149 it maybe a stretch to go above top 5.
157- Jacori Teemer
Teemer will be looking to bring home a natty this season with his 4th and 6th place finishes at the national tournament. He does have losses to Michigan’s Will Lewan and Nebraska’s Peyton Robb but he seemed out of it after a rough 10-2 MD loss to eventual champ Ryan Deakin.
He is by far one of the most talented 157’s in the country and with Carr and Monday moving up to 165 it seems like this is an open shot at a title.
165- Tony Negron
This weight will most likely be filled by Tony Negron who transferred in from Penn State. Negron did not have the greatest showing in his time as a starter for PSU but at the end of the day that only means so much when they are the best program in the country and the bar is set that high.
ASU could definitely be looking at a national qualifier here but there are a few questions yet to be answered.
174- Cael Valencia
A lot of ASU fans have been waiting for Cael Valencia to make his appearance. He will most likely be the starter for ASU at 174 pounds. The younger brother of Anthony and 2x national champion Zahid Valencia will look to make some big moves this season.
He went 12-4 as a redshirt which is solid and will most likely be looking at a solid finish at the national tournament, however a lot is yet to be seen.
184- Anthony Montalvo
Should be seeing the starting lineup at 184. Did not wrestling this past season at Ok State after suffering a season ending injury but was a 9 seed at the 2020 national tournament when it got cancelled.
He had a 45-10 cumulative record at Ok State.
197- Kordell Norfleet
Norfleet announced that he will be returning for one last season with the Sun Devils. Norfleet has been one of the best 197 pounders in the country for a while now but has not been able to get it done at the national tournament.
Norfleet is a 4x Pac 12 champion and 4x national qualifier.
285- Cohlton Schultz
The best wrestler on this lineup making his second world team will make his appearance in Serbia pretty soon. Schultz is a 2x All American placing 4th and 2nd. His only loss this past season came to the Olympic Champion Gable Steveson.
He has wins over guys such as Mason Parris, Greg Kerkvliet and more. He will most likely be the favorite if Gable Steveson does not return to college for his final season of eligibility. It will most likely be Schultz, Kerkvliet, Parris, and Cassioppi gunning for the top spot.
