Menu

2021 NCAA Champion Ferrari Off the Oklahoma State Squad (Updated)

Earl Smith, Site Editor
7/13/2022
[email protected]
2021 NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Update

Since this original article was posted more information came out regarding AJ Ferrari. Sources close to the team indicate that Ferrari was dismissed from the Oklahoma State team by July 1st. The Stillwater Police Department posted the following tweet in reference to an ongoing investigation regarding Ferrari. The incident in question was said to have occurred on July 2nd, 2022.



Ferrari's lawyer provided the below statement to the media:



Original article

Today, the wrestling world learned that 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari is no longer a member of the Oklahoma State wrestling team. As of this morning, Ferrari had not entered the transfer portal.

Ferrari went 20-1 as a true freshman to capture the national title at 197 lbs for Oklahoma State. Since then, Ferrari maintained a perfect 10-0 record during the 2021-22 season, but had his campaign derailed due to an automobile accident in late January. Ferrari was unable to compete for the remainder of the season because of injuries suffered during the accident.

Ferrari has also had success on the international scene, winning a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships in 2018 and competing with an injury during the 2020 Olympic Team Trials.

Where Ferrari may land is an interesting matter. Four of the top six teams in InterMat's summer rankings (Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Missouri) each bring back All-American 197 lbers.

Ferrari may also have options outside of the college wrestling world. Like Gable Steveson, Ferrari was a part of the WWE's initial NIL (Next In Line) program and has shown plenty of interest in that direction, along with mixed martial arts.

So, circling back to college wrestling, with options like the WWE and MMA, and a large social media following, Ferrari is likely to command a significant dollar amount, related to NIL figures.

Looking at Oklahoma State for the 2022-23 season, without Ferrari, Gavin Stika is the only returning 197 lber on the roster. He went a respectable 16-10, but was 0-2 at the 2022 Big 12 Championships. There is a rumored series of weight bumps that could happen with the Cowboys, including Travis Wittlake going from 165 to 184 and possibly Kyle Haas moving to 197.

This is certainly a developing story as Ferrari would provide an immediate title threat wherever he would enroll, but also could choose to take a different route.

Comments

Login or Register to post a comment

Horus88 (1) about 4 years ago
The legal process needs to play out & it's fair to give each person "Innocent until proven Guilty" benefit of the doubt for now, BUT I imagine WWE will immediately terminate his NIL deal & not many companies will sponsor him until this legal situation is sorted out. Vince McMahon is already in enough trouble with women. Title IX rules/laws may make it very difficult for Ferrari to transfer & join another Div 1 program this Fall........ until this sorted out. Chances are the blue blood programs may pass on him to avoid the bad press/controversies. College Wrestling doesn't have the benefit of major contributors/Booster & massive tv contracts like football/basketball convincing programs to look the other way as long as the team wins & the $$$ rolls in. Realignment should tell you all that.

Chances are the AJ is at a school like Buffalo, Wyoming, Cal Poly, (if not Div 2) or he tries his hand at MMA & calls it a career when this is all said and done. My 2 cents
engineerlehigh (1) about 4 years ago
Penn State had a 4 year starter RB named Austin Scott back in 2002 who was leading nation in TD. In rush to judgement, PSU AD Cutlery, infamous for handling child molestation case of PSU assistant coach, suspended Scott from team. Cannot remember if PSU dismissed him from school. Turned out it was all a fabricated lie. The woman 3 years earlier did the same thing to a Moravian College student. Let us not all forget the Duke University Men's lacrosse fake story or the Rolling Stone U of Virginia fake story of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity that won a $20+ million settlement. Let the legal process play out.
ban basketball (1) about 4 years ago
engineerlehigh,

Only males, who are rarely victims of such things. make such stupid claims.

Only 2-10% of sexual assault claims turn out to be false. Stated another way, 90-98% of them are valid claims. Stick to THAT assumption before sticking to the rare cases.
BadgerBoy (1) about 4 years ago
Ban b-- Thanks for sharing the actual data. As you correctly state, males are rarely the victims. Assault shatters lives.
Whitetailwhisperer (1) about 4 years ago
2-10% of sexual assault claims turn out to be false. That is a true statistic.
However, the other 90-98% fall in 2 separate categories:
1. No prosecution or action 55-63%
2. Prosecution or action taken 35%
These numbers vary slightly and are dependent on which data you reference.
90-98% are not valid claims, only the 35% are confirmed valid claims. More then half fall in the gray area of he said/she said.

One of the great things about this country is that you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We should remember that.
technolom (1) about 4 years ago
technolom SEO Services pleased with the article that you write.