125 – Nick Fanthorpe (RS FR, 0-0): Fanthorpe beat last year’s starter, Ben Hanisch, in wrestle-offs last season but sat out for his redshirt year. He hopes to take the spot from Hanisch this year in what will be a deep weight for years to come.

133 – 16th-ranked Nick Gallick (RS FR, 0-0): His brother Nate won the national title at 141 pounds last season, but Nick hopes to make a name for himself this season. He was a four-time Arizona high school state champion, going undefeated his final three seasons. Coach Cael Sanderson said he is “real similar to Nate in his natural ability – real tough, real talented, real athletic.”

141 – 20th-ranked Mitch Mueller (RS FR, 0-0): Mueller had a successful offseason, winning a Northern Plains Regional championship to qualify for the World Team Trials and place third at the FILA Junior Nationals. The Iowa City West graduate placed third three times in high school and won one state championship.

149 – 17th-ranked Cyler Sanderson (RS FR, 0-0) or Jason Knipp (JR, 33-24): Knipp was “a stalemate away from qualifying” for the NCAA Tournament, Cael said, and in his senior season won’t easily concede the starting job. Although the Cyler was an accomplished prep, he will have to beat out a strong upperclassman.

157 – Second-ranked Trent Paulson (SR, 86-16): He has been a national title contender for the past two seasons but only has two fourth-place NCAA finishes to his name. He is smart, strong and a favorite to reach the finals this year.

165 – Six-ranked Travis Paulson (SR, 74-23): He has one of the toughest weights in the NCAA, featuring defending two-time national champion Johnny Hendricks. The two-time All-American said he embraces the challenge. He is also looking forward to facing Iowa’s Mark Perry, who dropped back down to 165. “He’s like a rubber band; he’s funky. I’m happy to have the opportunity to wrestle him again. I’m glad he came back down,” Travis said.

174 – 15th-ranked David Bertolino (JR, 32-21) or Grant Turner (SR, 18-20): Turner beat Bertolino, 12-6, in last year’s wrestle-offs, but Douglas decided to go with the sophomore instead. At times, Bertolino showcased the talent that made him a prep All-American but finished with a 15-15 record. One year later, the two will battle for the position again.

184 – 10th-ranked Jake Varner (RS FR, 0-0): Outside of the Paulsons and Backes, Varner could have the best chance becoming an All-American. He pinned 132 of his 169 opponents in high school. He is strong enough for the weight and talented enough.

197 – Eighth-ranked Kurt Backes (SR, 80-24): “The Beast from the East” wrestled at 184 for three years but moved up to a more comfortable weight. He hasn’t been an All-American since his freshman year but is expected to earn the award.

HWT – David Zabriskie (RS FR, 0-0): He weighs only 230 pounds and will have to use his speed to his advantage. He wrestled at 215 in high school. An AWN prep All-American, he set the single-season win record in New Jersey. He is expected to beat out last year’s starter, Richard Schopf.