AJ Ferrari recently explained his decision to enter the transfer portal and disassociate with the Nebraska wrestling team.
Ferrari’s 2026 NCAA Championships campaign did not pan out as expected, as he fell short of advancing to the finals after losing to Yonger Bastida in the heavyweight semifinals. Following this, he couldn’t compete for fifth place because of his knee injury and ended his national journey.
Days after this, he entered the transfer portal, ending his one-year association with the Nebraska wrestling team. He recently posted a video of his journey with the wrestling team and penned an emotional caption. Extending gratitude toward his team, coach, and supporters, he wrote:
“Man… what a journey it’s been at Nebraska. I’m beyond grateful for everyone who’s supported me and everything that’s brought me to this point, and I give all the glory to Yahuah for guiding every step along the way. The biggest thing I’ve learned is this: in life and in wrestling. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me on this journey so far. Every coach, teammate, and supporter who has poured into me — it means more than you know,” wrote AJ Ferrari.
“And to the Nebraska fans — thank you. You guys are truly special. The energy ⚡️, the passion 💛, and the support 🗣️ you bring is unmatched. No matter the outcome, you show love ❤️, and that means everything to me. I’m grateful to have had the privilege to represent a fanbase that rides with their athletes through it all.”
“I am in the portal and am considering all opportunities to continue my future in collegiate wrestling. I have already had quite a few schools contact me since entering, but I want everyone to know I am considering all options to land in a place where I feel I have the proper support, mentors, and energy around me to stay on the straight and narrow.”
“I am staying focused on my journey toward the 2028 Olympics and whatever Yahuah has planned for me. I’ve got 1–2 years of eligibility left, and I’m starving for success in all areas of life as a young growing man. Sincerely,�AJ Ferrari�🏎️💨,” he concluded.
AJ Ferrari opens up about his time at the 2026 NCAA Championships
“It’s going all right. You know, I’m not leaning on my own understanding. I’m just trusting his plan. But, um, it’s more just about a rough weekend. Things are going my way. Had a good couple of first matches. Felt good. And then, got pretty banged up, you know. It’s all it comes down to.”
“I mean, to be straight up with you guys, be 100% honest. I wasn’t going to wrestle even against how bad I was, you know. I really hurt my knee very bad. You know, my knee was really buckling in the match. For the last 30 seconds to a minute, I knew I should have majored that guy or done a lot better than that, but I was trying to push off my back leg. I’m not going to say which knee, um, but it was buckling for quite a bit of time. So, it was on the out-of-bounds sequence when he hit me in that single, and I did the splits and drove me out of bounds. My knee buckled and got caught in the mat, and it didn’t feel good.”
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