After an incredible start to the 2026 season, James Green has now joined the coaching team of Virginia Tech wrestling. His new role drew attention from various wrestlers, including the Bassett brothers, AJ Ferrari, and more.
Green was last seen in action at the US Open Wrestling Championships, where he competed in the 74 kg weight class. He entered the tournament as the fifth seed and faced Jospeph Sealey in the opening round. After besting him by 3-2, he locked horns with Will Lewan in the quarterfinals and prevailed over him by technical fall 11-0. The semifinal round witnessed him going against the top seed Cameron Amine. In this matchup, the 33-year-old produced an impressive performance, registering a 2-1 win.
After intense fights, he made his way to the final round and squared off against Kannon Webster, where he secured the championship title, claiming a 5-3 win. Days after this feat, Green has now joined the Virginia Tech wrestling team as the assistant coach. The team announced this development on Instagram with the caption:
“𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒚, 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆. Consummate Professional. Humble. Proven. Officially official. Excited and grateful to welcome @whoisjamesg and family BACK to Blacksburg.”
This garnered the attention of Bo Bassett, who congratulated Green for the new role, commenting:
“LETS GO!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait!!! 🦃”
Following him, his brother, Keegan Bassett, also dropped a comment that read:
“Woah! Let’s go 🤯”
Along with them, Ferrari also reacted to Green’s decision, commenting:
“@whoisjamesg congratulations Coach Green 💪👊🏎️💨”
Before starting this new role, James Green stepped down from his role as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska to focus on his training for the 2026 season.
James Green made his feelings known about his US Open Wrestling Championships win
After claiming the US Open Championships title, James Green weighed in on his win, revealing that he was ecstatic with the victory. In addition to this, he said that due to his coaching responsibilities, he did not get time to train freestyle during the championship. Revealing that he wasn’t feeling good during the matchup, he still managed to claim the win.
“Feels good. I’ve been coaching, so haven’t really been training freestyle as much. You know I won the two events I took bronze in fifth and up at a new weight class. I wasn’t feeling good on this week. Uh, so just to know that I could tough it out, and obviously, everyone’s not going to feel the best, but I felt like when I got here yesterday, I’m just happy I could get it out, you know?” said James Green.
Talking about his support system, he added:
“These guys right here, bro, my teammates, my wife, you know, I was just texting her all day like I’m not feeling I feel like, but I don’t want to make excuses. So I just kept stepping on the mat and just got through it. Rich love, it talked a lot about how good it has been to have you back.”
Read more:
Boston Marathon 2026 Complete Results: John Korir, Sharon Lokedi gracefully defend titles
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!