Wrestling Season Preview: 149-165 lbs

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Wrestling will begin its 106th season this week with its first trip to California in nine years.

Head coach Tony Ersland enters his 12th season at the helm with a familiar face joining his coaching staff — Purdue’s two-time All-American Matt Ramos. Coming off his fourth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships, one of the school’s best wrestlers of all time returns to help mold the next generation of Boilermakers.

The team returns a wealth of talent at multiple weights, entering the season with seven nationally-ranked wrestlers for the first time since 2021.

This release is a preview for the middle weights on the squad, ranging from 149 lbs to 165 lbs. The preview for 125-141 is available here. The preview for 174-285 will drop on Wednesday.

149 LBS

Isaac Ruble, last year’s starter at 149, moved up to 157 in the offseason and left the door open for someone new at 149.

Gavin Brown is the other transfer aside from Blake Boarman (141) to keep an eye on this year. The former Buckeye went 16-12 in three seasons at Ohio State, competing mostly at 149 and 157. Now a redshirt junior, he has two more years of eligibility with his new home at Purdue. Originally from Lebanon, Ohio, Brown was a three-time state champion and had a good shot at being a four-timer if not for cancelations in 2020.

Wyatt Krejsa was named Purdue’s freshman of the year after a solid 10-8 campaign in which he made two dual appearances. He went 4-2 at U20 Nationals in Las Vegas in the offseason. Traditionally a 149, Krejsa jumped up to 157 to fill in for Joey Blaze at Wisconsin and Minnesota. He also recorded the fastest technical fall by a Boiler all season when he beat Jake Necessary (Ohio) 18-1 in just 1:45 with 12 back points.

Redshirt sophomore Cole Solomey returns for his third year. He went 5-9 with two bonus point wins last season, including a pin and major decision. He placed sixth at the Michigan State Open (141 lbs, freshman/sophomore division) and made his dual debut at Northern Illinois. Along with Krejsa, he started his first career Big Ten dual at Minnesota, falling to two-time All-American Vance VomBaur.

157 LBS

After three seasons competing as Purdue’s starting 165-pounder, Stoney Buell is back for his final season at 157 pounds. The redshirt senior from Dundee, Mich., was a 2024 NCAA qualifier following his career-best 17-13 redshirt sophomore season. Last year, he started 9-5 with a fourth-place finish at Tiger Style, climbing to No. 21 in the country at 165, before going through the wringer of a challenging Big Ten slate. The two-year team captain is the heartbeat of an experienced team this season and figures to handle the bulk of starts at his new weight.

Redshirt junior Isaac Ruble was Purdue’s starting 149-pounder last year, one of five Boilers to start all 16 duals. He was tall for that weight at 5’11 and moves back up this season after wrestling at 157 two years ago. Ruble’s fast-paced style is always fun to watch, and it’s created a mixed bag of results so far – he’s 23-18 through two years. But his most visible win came in Mackey Arena last season over Indiana’s Aidan Torres in a physical 12-5 decision, electrifying the Purdue crowd of 3,504.

Redshirt junior Kade Law after starting three duals for Purdue last season at 157. He competed in eight matches and logged two technical fall victories. His first dual win came over Dominic Paterra at Kent State, a 17-2 (5:59) tech fall. The Columbus, Ind., grappler was named Academic All-Big Ten for a second time as part of a program record tally of 15 Boilermakers to receive the honor in 2025.

Enter freshman Brody Saccoccia (pronounced SOCK-otch) from Steubenville, Ohio, who was the 2024 state champion and 2025 runner-up. He ranked No. 193 overall on the 2025 MatScouts Big Board after posting a 159-14 record in high school. Saccoccia was a three-sport star in wrestling, football and baseball, and his grandfather, Reno Saccoccia, is the winningest head football coach in Ohio history.

165 LBS

Fresh off one of the most dominant postseasons in Purdue Wrestling history, Joey Blaze opens his junior season riding a tidal wave of hype. At 157 last year, he became Purdue’s youngest national finalist in at least 75 years and perhaps of all time. The only other true sophomore Boilermaker who made it to a national title match was Charles Moreno in 1950, but records of his exact age at the time have been lost over the decades.

Despite wrestling with a taped-up knee at a slimmer weight than his frame would suggest, Blaze cruised all the way to the NCAA title match as the No. 8 seed at 157, knocking off No. 1 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) along the way. In the offseason, Blaze took more huge steps forward and competed on the national stage, placing fourth at Senior World Team Trials to earn a spot at Final X. He won the prestigious Ziolkowski Memorial tournament representing Team USA in Warsaw, Poland, and carries international acclaim into his junior season.

The sky is the limit for the star from Perrysburg, Ohio, who opens the year ranked No. 3 at his more natural weight of 165. Blaze’s goal? Improve on his NCAA runner-up finish and win Purdue’s fifth national title, and first since 1992.

Adrian Pellot is the other 165-pounder on the roster. The true freshman from Hammond, Ind., fell to Blaze 19-4 at Wrestle Offs, but Pellot is certainly no slouch. He is the 2025 Indiana state champ at 165 and the 2024 state runner-up at 157. Pellot was one of Purdue’s seven top-250 signees in 2025, the most among all Big Ten classes. He was the No. 143 overall recruit on the 2025 MatScouts Big Board.