The likely starter this next season at 141 pounds as the Huskers look to replace four-time All-American Brock Hardy, Hockaday has some solid freestyle results. In 2024, Hockaday placed third at Fargo in the Junior division. A four-time state champion in single-class Indiana, Hockaday won his fourth title after tearing multiple ligaments in his knee, wrestling with a heavy brace nearly the entire season before having multiple surgeries to repair it.

Now back to 100 percent, Hockaday could be a sleeper in this bracket.

Lincoln Sledzianowski

The newest member of Nebraska’s 2026 class, Sledzianowski has had some serious success in both Greco and freestyle — he competed in Greco at 67 kg on Thursday and will wrestle at 65 kg in freestyle this weekend.

Sledzianowski started his day 4-0 and made it to the best-of-three final for the World Team spot in Greco but fell in both matches to Amryn Nutter of Northern Michigan, earning a runner-up finish. After making a U17 World Team in 2023, Sledzianowski was close to making his first U20 World Team.

At the U17 Pan American Championships in 2023, Sledzianowski won gold in Greco and bronze in freestyle.

In 2024, Sledzianowski beat Penn State commit Landon Sidun for 3rd place at the U17 US Open (watch that match below) in freestyle.

The two-time Florida state champion will be a contender in freestyle after making it to the Greco finals.

70 kg

Nikade Zinkin

Another young Husker who redshirted last season, Zinkin is the front-runner to win the 149-pound starting spot. As a redshirt, Zinkin served as the starter during the first semester and got into a number of duals for the Huskers.

Zinkin finished his redshirt season with an 18-10 record, going 2-4 in duals, but he wrestled some of the best guys in the country. Against All-American Casey Swiderski of Oklahoma State at National Duals, Zinkin lost a narrow 7-6 decision. After leading in the third period, Zinkin gave up the winning takedown late before nearly scoring one of his own before time expired.

In his first career home dual, Zinkin won an overtime match over Army’s Ryan Franco (watch below). It’s experiences like this that set guys up for success once they hit the lineup.

In freestyle, Zinkin’s best finish was a 7th-place finish at Fargo in 2023. The two-time California state champion is slick on his feet and should be a contender this weekend after spending a year in the room in Lincoln.

Noah Bull

Arguably the top recruit in Nebraska’s 11-man 2026 recruiting class, Bull was a 16U Fargo National Champion in 2024 at 144 pounds — he also finished third in Greco for double All-American status. Bull also won a Folkstyle National Championship that year.

Here’s Bull’s Fargo finals win in freestyle from 2024 (starts at the 1:09:37 mark).

Last year, Bull suffered an injury and was unable to compete in freestyle. A three-time Utah state champion, Bull placed fifth at the PNL Freestyle Championships earlier this month. A likely redshirt this coming season, Bull will be a front-runner in the competition to take over for Antrell Taylor at 157 pounds in 2027-28.

74 kg

Mason Petersen

A three-time Class A state champion out of Columbus, Neb., Petersen has competed a lot in both freestyle and Greco — he found the podium in Greco on Thursday at 72 kg. Petersen will compete in freestyle at 74 kg this weekend.

A two-time Fargo All-American in Greco, Petersen found the podium again with a 5th-place finish on Thursday. After making it to the semifinal round, Petersen suffered a pair of losses before bouncing back with a win in the 5th-place match.

Nolan Fellers

An Iowa state champion as a senior, Fellers has competed multiple times at Fargo. In 2023, Fellers placed fifth in freestyle and made the Greco finals in the 16U division.

A multi-time Northern Plains and Iowa freestyle champion, Fellers will be in the mix this weekend in a very deep weight class.

Mac Crosson

Nebraska’s top commit for its class of 2027, Crosson is now a two-time Iowa state champion — he’ll go for his third next season before making his way to Lincoln. After winning his first state title at 138 pounds as a sophomore, Crosson moved up to 165 as a junior and won his second.

Crosson won a 16U Fargo title in 2022 all the way down at 88 pounds (see below) — he then placed third at Fargo at 100 pounds in 2023. Earlier this month, he won a PNL Freestyle Championship at 165, setting him up nice going into the Open.

Niko Rotella

A Class B state champion this past year for Omaha Skutt, Rotella is fresh off winning a state title in freestyle as well at the Nebraska USA Freestyle State Championships.

Rotella won his state title at 175 pounds but will be down at 163 for this weekend’s US Open.

86 kg

Jason Singer

A three-time state place winner in Pennsylvania as a member of Faith Christian Academy — one of the best wrestling high schools in the country — Singer wrestled up at 215 pounds just to make the lineup. Faith Christian had the top-rated wrestlers in the country at both 175 and 190, forcing him up.

A future 184-pounder for the Huskers, Singer is registered to wrestle at just over 189 pounds this weekend. A regular participant at Fargo Nationals, Singer has never found the podium in freestyle, but I’m interested to see how he does at a more natural weight class.