FloWrestling checks in on freshmen across the country with this article: https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/6344035-2019-ncaa-di-freshmen-report
The caveat is they did this for their top 100 on the big board, I'll dive in on all of the Wolfpack freshmen below.
Only two freshmen are currently nationally ranked at their weight class — they don't rank guys who are redshirting — but I'm confident NC State would have two among the top 20 if they weren't redshirting: 125-pounder Jakob Camacho and 174/184 Trent Hidlay.
Camacho is the highest-ranked redshirting freshman per Flo's prep rankings, at No. 23 (if you exclude #16 Gavin Teasdale, who never wrestled for Penn State and is no longer on the team). #17 Pat Glory, who is at Princeton, is up to 10th in the national rankings and 19-3 on the year. For a comparison, Camacho is 23-2, though he's competing in just open tournaments (and therefore probably hasn't seen the same level of competition). Still, his start bodes very well for the future. No other redshirt from their prep top 100 at 125 has more than 18 wins. Camacho's best win is probably his first win of the year, a 14-3 major over Joey Prata, the starter for Virginia Tech, or a 9-7 decision over Fabian Gutierrez of Chattanooga, who was ranked 23rd nationally in the first edition of the coaches panel rankings, at the Southern Scuffle. His losses were by 1 in early November to a kid from Binghamton that he later beat 6-2 and a tech fall loss to No. 4 Nick Piccininni of OK State.
I'll jump to Hidlay and then circle back to the rest. Hidlay, ranked 18th on Flo's big board coming out of high school, is 21-2 on the year, again leading his weight class (174) among all redshirting freshmen, although he did wrestle the most recent tourney up at 184 (trying to challenge himself, didn't really work). There are some not redshirting with more wins, but again, the resume is impressive. Some of the pelts on his wall this season include (rankings are coaches' panel rankings): No. 15 Brandon Womack, former blue-chip recruit/prep national champion Mason Manville out of Penn State (No. 5 overall recruit in the class of 2016), No. 18 Spencer Carey, No. 16 Matt Finesilver and fellow redshirting top-100 recruit Victor Marcelli. His two losses came at the Southern Scuffle — to No. 6 David McFadden, a two-time All-American for VT, in quadruple overtime, and 4-2 to No. 5 Joe Smith, another two-time All-American of OK State.
Others from NCSU that were included in the write-up:
133 Jarrett Trombley (No. 74 recruit coming out of high school), who leads all redshirting freshmen at his weight with a 17-4 mark. There are several rookies at the weight ranked highly nationally (though some are redshirt freshmen). One of his best wins came over a fellow true frosh in VT's Collin Gerardi, though Gerardi more recently beat him … Gerardi took PSU wonderkid Roman Bravo-Young, currently 12th nationally, to OT before losing this year. Trombley also had a one-point loss to UNC starter Gary Wayne Harding, currently ranked 22nd in the land.
Josiah Rider was ranked 56th out of high school and is 5-3 on the year. I believe he's been dealing with injuries because he didn't get in action until January.
Some of the other Pack true freshmen:
• Alex Faison is 10-9 on the year at 165, and then got the call to wrestle all the way up at 184 during a dual (he lost).
• The heavyweight duo of Colin Lawler (15-9 overall) and Deonte Wilson (15-8). Lawler had a top-10 win at the Southern Scuffle, which led to his redshirt being pulled, but he is 0-4 in duals. Wilson is 6-6 in duals, and they have continued to split the weight class. They both went to the App State Open recently and lost to the same guy (one in semifinals and the other in the finals).
• The only other rookie who has seen time in the lineup is 197 Tyrie Houghton, who is 8-8 overall and 1-1 in duals.
The remaining redshirts:
• 165 Tyler Barnes - 4-1 (2nd at Hokie Open in November, but then I remember him having his foot in a cast at an earlier match this year).
• 174 Jake Cook - 7-7
• 125 Tommy Cox is a junior, but I believe he has wrestled only unattached in open tournaments. He is 11-8 on the year.
• 149 Matt Fields - 15-6
• 149 Matt Grippi - 13-6, including a one-point loss to App State's Matt Zovistowski, who is currently ranked 25th in the land.
• 141 Jarred Papcsy - 13-9
• 141 Alex Urquiza - 19-7
The caveat is they did this for their top 100 on the big board, I'll dive in on all of the Wolfpack freshmen below.
Only two freshmen are currently nationally ranked at their weight class — they don't rank guys who are redshirting — but I'm confident NC State would have two among the top 20 if they weren't redshirting: 125-pounder Jakob Camacho and 174/184 Trent Hidlay.
Camacho is the highest-ranked redshirting freshman per Flo's prep rankings, at No. 23 (if you exclude #16 Gavin Teasdale, who never wrestled for Penn State and is no longer on the team). #17 Pat Glory, who is at Princeton, is up to 10th in the national rankings and 19-3 on the year. For a comparison, Camacho is 23-2, though he's competing in just open tournaments (and therefore probably hasn't seen the same level of competition). Still, his start bodes very well for the future. No other redshirt from their prep top 100 at 125 has more than 18 wins. Camacho's best win is probably his first win of the year, a 14-3 major over Joey Prata, the starter for Virginia Tech, or a 9-7 decision over Fabian Gutierrez of Chattanooga, who was ranked 23rd nationally in the first edition of the coaches panel rankings, at the Southern Scuffle. His losses were by 1 in early November to a kid from Binghamton that he later beat 6-2 and a tech fall loss to No. 4 Nick Piccininni of OK State.
I'll jump to Hidlay and then circle back to the rest. Hidlay, ranked 18th on Flo's big board coming out of high school, is 21-2 on the year, again leading his weight class (174) among all redshirting freshmen, although he did wrestle the most recent tourney up at 184 (trying to challenge himself, didn't really work). There are some not redshirting with more wins, but again, the resume is impressive. Some of the pelts on his wall this season include (rankings are coaches' panel rankings): No. 15 Brandon Womack, former blue-chip recruit/prep national champion Mason Manville out of Penn State (No. 5 overall recruit in the class of 2016), No. 18 Spencer Carey, No. 16 Matt Finesilver and fellow redshirting top-100 recruit Victor Marcelli. His two losses came at the Southern Scuffle — to No. 6 David McFadden, a two-time All-American for VT, in quadruple overtime, and 4-2 to No. 5 Joe Smith, another two-time All-American of OK State.
Others from NCSU that were included in the write-up:
133 Jarrett Trombley (No. 74 recruit coming out of high school), who leads all redshirting freshmen at his weight with a 17-4 mark. There are several rookies at the weight ranked highly nationally (though some are redshirt freshmen). One of his best wins came over a fellow true frosh in VT's Collin Gerardi, though Gerardi more recently beat him … Gerardi took PSU wonderkid Roman Bravo-Young, currently 12th nationally, to OT before losing this year. Trombley also had a one-point loss to UNC starter Gary Wayne Harding, currently ranked 22nd in the land.
Josiah Rider was ranked 56th out of high school and is 5-3 on the year. I believe he's been dealing with injuries because he didn't get in action until January.
Some of the other Pack true freshmen:
• Alex Faison is 10-9 on the year at 165, and then got the call to wrestle all the way up at 184 during a dual (he lost).
• The heavyweight duo of Colin Lawler (15-9 overall) and Deonte Wilson (15-8). Lawler had a top-10 win at the Southern Scuffle, which led to his redshirt being pulled, but he is 0-4 in duals. Wilson is 6-6 in duals, and they have continued to split the weight class. They both went to the App State Open recently and lost to the same guy (one in semifinals and the other in the finals).
• The only other rookie who has seen time in the lineup is 197 Tyrie Houghton, who is 8-8 overall and 1-1 in duals.
The remaining redshirts:
• 165 Tyler Barnes - 4-1 (2nd at Hokie Open in November, but then I remember him having his foot in a cast at an earlier match this year).
• 174 Jake Cook - 7-7
• 125 Tommy Cox is a junior, but I believe he has wrestled only unattached in open tournaments. He is 11-8 on the year.
• 149 Matt Fields - 15-6
• 149 Matt Grippi - 13-6, including a one-point loss to App State's Matt Zovistowski, who is currently ranked 25th in the land.
• 141 Jarred Papcsy - 13-9
• 141 Alex Urquiza - 19-7
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