Last AA to Next AA - The SoCon Version
A brief intro of what this is (and what it isn’t) before we get to our thoughts on who’s the next AA for each program in the Southern Conference.
What this is … A light-hearted look at who could be the next All American for each program.
What is not … An overly serious discussion of the merits of every qualifier that could be considered. That doesn’t mean we didn’t take time to offer our reasons for why we picked who we picked … it just means we didn’t get into the weeds in dissecting the small details between two very similar candidates.
A few rules for our picks:
Only 1 All American for each team (yes, we realize that not every team will have an All American in 2024 (and many will have more than 1) … in fact just 33 schools had someone on the podium in 2023 - in case you are wondering that is out of 66 schools - so 50% of the schools left without an All American).
If a wrestler has been on the podium previously - he is not considered for the “next spot” on the graphic. We aren’t going to get into whether Carter Starocci or Aaron Brooks is most likely the be on the podium for Penn State - it would be a surprise if both weren’t on top of the podium much less on the podium. And this is designed to highlight someone that may have qualified previously, but has yet to break through and be an All American.
As you can see from the above graphic, it’s been a minute since several programs have had an All American. App State’s Johnathan Millner is the most recent AA - having made the podium in 2022, Dean Heil did it for Campbell in 2020, but we’ve had a drought for the last decade for the other SoCon programs. And two programs, Davidson and Presbyterian have never had a D1 All American (and that won’t change this year because neither has one making the trip to Kansas City. Let’s take a quick look at each school and our picks for who makes the podium in 2024:
Appalachian State - The Mountaineers routinely pull from their own backyard and Coach Bentley does a great job of developing talent in Boone. The Mountaineers bring 5 to Kansas City with Tommy Askey, Will Miller, Tomas Brooker, and Cody Bond … but our pick to make the podium is Ethan Oakley. Oakley, a homegrown talent from Wheatmore, stepped in at 133 a year ago for Sean Carter and made the most of his opportunity by punching his ticket to the big dance and being the only Mountaineer to get a win on the big stage a year ago. Miller and Askey were also here last year, but our pick is Oakley to take that next step.
Campbell - Coach Sentes and the Campbell crew bring 6 to KC including SoCon Wrestler of the Year in heavyweight Taye Ghadiali. Check this out from the press release “The No. 9 ranked heavyweight in the country, Ghadiali ended the regular season with 30 total wins and an 82% bonus-point mark. He was a perfect 8-0 in SoCon matches, with four pins and four tech falls. He is the only NCAA Division I wrestler to rank in the top-10 in falls, tech falls and most dominant. Ghadiali will be the one-seed at the SoCon Tournament this weekend.” Ghadiali was 1-2 a year ago and has made some significant jumps over the last 12 months - as a result he is our pick for Campbell. Now don’t be surprised to see Zaccone, Hopkins, and others make a run as well - they have the experience to make a push as well.
Chattanooga - As focused as we are on the SE - we’ve got some high hopes for both Mocs in the field this year. Brayden Palmer, a native of Beech, TN, went 2-2 in 2023 and nearly made the podium at 133. He has dropped to 125 for this season and given the chaos of the weight - really has a great opportunity to make a run. We are super high on his teammate in true freshman Isaiah Powe of Gardendale, Alabama. We’ve been following Powe and his brothers for the last handful of years and knew that they each have the talent to make some noise on the biggest stage. Powe is a true freshman and a tough weight (141), but don’t be surprised to see him to big things both this year and certainly in the future.
The Citadel - A good season, but resulted in just one qualifier in Jeffrey Boyd at 149 lbs. Boyd, who was at West Virginia previously, has some quality wins and a 2-0 loss to App State’s Cody Bond in the SoCon Finals. Boyd will need to wrestle extremely well to make the top 8, but he is the Citadel’s best shot at having an AA in 2024.
Davidson - No Qualifier
Gardner-Webb - Two at-large selections for Gardner-Webb in Todd Carter and Jha’Quan Anderson. Anderson went 1-2 in 2023 with a close loss in his opening match. He, and Carter, will need to wrestle exceptionally well to make the podium, but they have a shot. Experience of being on this stage previously should serve him well.
Presbyterian - No Qualifier
VMI - Like Boyd at the Citadel, Dysen Dunham is the only VMI wrestler in the field. As a result, he is their best shot to have an All American. Dunham had a good win over Tyson Lane and finished 3rd at 133 at the SoCon Championships. It will be tough for him to make the podium, but with him in the field … VMI has a shot.