Iowa Coach Tom Brands says no wrestlers set to join roster for second semester ‘at this moment’

Questions have circulated about whether Iowa will add wrestlers to its men’s wrestling roster for the second semester.

The window seems to be closing for that to happen.

Hawkeyes Coach Tom Brands was asked about that possibility Tuesday during a Zoom conference call for his weekly media availability. Third-ranked Iowa resumes competition Friday at No. 6 Nebraska.

Brands was asked if he had any wrestlers joining the roster for the second semester.

“We do not,” Brands said before continuing, “at this moment.”

He was also asked whether he could comment on events at the Soldier Salute on Dec. 30 that involved A.J. Ferrari or the status of Ferrari’s recruitment to Iowa.

“You know the answer to that, Mike (Finn of WIN Magazine),” Brands said. “You’ve been doing this a long time.”

Ferrari and his younger brother, Anthony, wrestled unattached and reached the finals of the Soldier Salute. Both lost to current Hawkeyes. Angelo was second to Caleb Rathjen at 149 pounds. A.J. appeared to win the 197 title with a sudden victory-1 takedown over Zach Glazier before being disqualified for flagrant misconduct after a post-match exchange with Glazier.

Ferrari was a guest on the Clash of Combat podcast posted Tuesday night. He said Anthony moved to Iowa last summer, which was about the same time their younger brother, Angelo, committed to Iowa. Angelo is the No. 2 pound-for-pound ranked recruit in the 2024 class and No. 1 at 170 by Flowrestling.

A.J. said he has been in Iowa for about six weeks. He posted a video on social media, appearing to lift in the weight room of the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex earlier this week.

“A lot of people don’t know this but I just received academic admittance to the University of Iowa the Friday before the (Soldier Salute) tournament,” A.J. Ferrari said. “Basically, a long story short, I’m out here in Iowa, right now, by the way.

“I’ve been here training at the RTC (Regional Training Center) for over a month.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, neither A.J., nor Anthony, Ferrari, were listed on UI’s online directory, though students can decline to make their information available. They were not listed as a roster member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club either, however, HWC Coach Dan Dennis and HWC Olympic Trials qualifier Alex Marinelli were in A.J.’s corner for the Soldier Salute.

“I had that official visit,” Ferrari told Clash of Combat hosts. “It went amazing. Coach Brands and me and all the other coaches hit it off great.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com