The Nebraska head coach, Mark Manning, weighed in on AJ Ferrari’s spirit, positively transforming the Nebraska wrestlers. The latter is currently gearing up for the upcoming Big Ten Wrestling Championships, scheduled to take place from March 7 to 8 at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center.
Ferrari opened his 2026 season by competing at the Big Ten Dual Meet, and his most recent outing on the mat came on February 21 at the Nebraska vs. Utah Valley dual meet. He locked horns with Jack Forbes in the 285 lbs heavyweight division and dominated the clash with a technical fall, 19-4, at the 7:00 mark.
Presently, the Nebraska star is focused on the Big Ten Wrestling Championships and is seeded at No. 2 in the 285 lbs heavyweight. Amid this, his coach, Manning, opened up about how his high spirit has positively transformed the Nebraska wrestlers, including Cade Ziola, Harkey Andrews, and more.
Lauding him for his mindset and his form, he said:
“AJ’s been really good, you know, I think our team has rubbed off on him. Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another. And I think, we’ve had a huge effect on AJ and, I think AJ’s had a lot of effect on Cade Ziola, you know, his confidence and, and Harley Andrews, both those guys have really benefited from having AJ at that, at that heavyweight position and seeing him as a competitor, he’s one heck of a competitive man. AJ Ferrari is great because his competitive spirit is at an all-time high, you know, and I love it,” said Manning.
When AJ Ferrari on His Third-Place Finish at The 2025 NCAA Championships
In the 2025 NCAA wrestling championships, AJ Ferrari contested against Michigan’s No. 1 Jacob Cardenas in the third-place match in the 197 lbs category. After losing to Stephen Buchanan in the semi-finals, he dominated the third-place showdown, claiming a 2-0 victory by decision.
Following this win, he spoke to FloWrestling, where he reflected on his performance against Cardenas, stating that it wasn’t about winning or losing for him, but it was about him completing the journey. (0:09 onwards)
“It wasn’t about whether I won or lost. It was about finishing the journey this year. You know, it’s been a rough close to this year. Had a couple of injuries, people didn’t know this. Had a meniscus tear at the beginning of the year, elbow injury, you know, a lot of setbacks and it was a testament of my faith,” said AJ Ferrari.
He added:
“You know, the Lord wants to see me persevere. He wants to see me grow. I tell everybody I’ve made these changes, I’ve grown. I say it but God wants to really see it. Actions speak louder than words and that was important for me. Whether I won, lost, or drew today, keeping my composure, finishing strong, and showing everybody that number one is finishing – no matter what.”
After competing for CSU Bakersfield in the 2024-2025 wrestling season, AJ Ferrari committed to the Nebraska wrestling team in June 2025.
Read More News:
1. Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl Downplays No. 1 Seed Status Ahead of Big Ten Wrestling Championships
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