Mark Manning Addresses AJ Ferrari's Departure from Nebraska Wrestling

After a one-year stop in Lincoln, AJ Ferrari will look elsewhere for his next stop in wrestling.

The Husker heavyweight will not return to the Huskers for an additional season and is off to the transfer portal. The senior confirmed the news on Monday.

Grateful for my time at Nebraska and everyone who’s supported me. Giving all glory to Yahuah for guiding my journey.
Entering the transfer portal. Focused, hungry, and ready for what’s next.
1–2 years of eligibility left. Open to all opportunities. #TransferPortal #Wrestling pic.twitter.com/sYGhjiSytR
— AJ Ferrari (@mrfasttwitch) April 6, 2026

Ferrari finished his Husker career with a 13-2 dual record and an 18-5 overall mark before earning a second-place finish in the Big Ten Championships and claiming All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

The high-mark honors may not have met the lofty expectations of Ferrari when the heavyweight first arrived in Lincoln. The two-time conference champion and former 197-pound national champion looked to be a piece for Mark Manning's squad that could lead the Huskers to the top of the Big Ten. After finishing as the NCAA runner-up in 2025, Nebraska ended the 2026 championships in third, behind national champion Penn State and runner-up Oklahoma State.

AJ Ferrari celebrates his 4-0 win at heavyweight. | Amarillo Mullen

Despite the team and Ferrari's overall success, Manning said during his end-of-season press conference that it was time for both sides to find new footing elsewhere.

"We loved our time with him, but we just felt that it was time to move on and go a different direction," Manning said Monday. "We wish AJ the best. We enjoyed our time with him."

Manning listed a few reasons for the potential split between Ferrari and Nebraska, citing that Omaha native and rising star Cade Ziola will be available next season at heavyweight after redshirting as a freshman, as well as Harley Andrews returning to compete for the spot. The coach added the Huskers "feel really good at the heavyweight position" despite losing the three-time All-American to the portal.

Nebraska head coach Mark Manning during a match in the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

A potential opportunity for Ferrari's stay was to return to his 197 weight class, where the transfer had won his first two conference championships in the Big 12 and Pac-12 in 2021 and 2025, respectively, before bumping to heavyweight during his stint with the Huskers. Manning added that sophomore Camden McDanel's two years of eligibility remaining kept that option off the table for the Big Red.

McDanel finished fifth at the NCAA Championships this season to secure his second All-American status in two seasons with Nebraska. The sophomore was a Big Ten runner-up at 197 pounds and finished the regular season 25-8 with a 15-4 dual record, improving both his marks from his 15-10 freshman season, including a 7-5 dual record.

Along with the complications facing a talented roster, Ferrari also leaves Lincoln with more baggage than when he first arrived. After his first season at Oklahoma State in 2021, Ferrari would get involved in a serious car accident that hospitalized him and another Oklahoma State athlete, ending his 2022 season after only 10 matches. Later that year, in July, Ferrari would be charged with felony sexual battery and was removed from the Cowboys' wrestling program. The case was later dismissed in August of 2023.

AJ Ferrari was arrested in the early morning hours in January for an outstanding warrant. | Lancaster County Department of Corrections

Later in 2023, Ferrari enrolled at Iowa but was removed from the program after throwing a punch at a Hawkeye wrestler during the 2023 Soldier Salute finals. Ferrari would then set his collegiate return at Cal State Bakersfield. Then, in the spring of 2025, Ferrari would announce his commitment to North Carolina but would ultimately be denied admission to the UNC.

Ferrari would then be arrested overnight in mid-January this past season and booked as a fugitive from justice, set to be extradited to Texas for a previous issue. The arrest came hours after Nebraska opened Big Ten competition with a 36-3 win over Purdue, where Ferrari made his return to the heavyweight lineup, winning an 11-2 major decision over Hayden Filipovich. He was later criminally indicted on a third-degree felony charge for allegedly using a vehicle to evade an arrest.

The judge set bond at $25,000 as the heavyweight would pay the 10% required for release. On Jan. 14, the extradition case was dismissed without prejudice. Ferrari would then start later that week against Iowa, taking down Ben Kueter by a 4-1 decision.

Nebraska’s AJ Ferrari works in on Iowa’s Ben Kueter in the heavyweight match. | Amarillo Mullen

Ferrari added to those national headlines following a semifinal loss to Iowa State's Yonger Bastida at the NCAA Championships. Ferrari accused the Cyclone wrestler of using HGH in post-match comments to the media, later apologizing to Bastida.

"AJ's an awesome kid. He's an awesome kid," Manning said Monday. "If you're not around him a lot, he can be misunderstood."

Iowa State Cyclones Yonger Bastida competes against Nebraska Cornhuskers AJ Ferrari during the NCAA DI Wrestling Championship at Rocket Arena | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Ferrari aims to once again return to college wrestling as he has applied for a waiver through the NCAA for an additional season of eligibility. Without the NCAA's approval, Ferrari would have exhausted his final season of eligibility and would look to the professional ranks for future competitions. Ferrari won the 2020 U.S. junior national championship in freestyle and competed at age 19 to represent the United States in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He's also stated interest in a transition to mixed martial arts, and previously trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2023.

"AJ is an entertainer. He wrestles with a lot of energy. He performs with a lot of energy and a lot of passion for the sport," Manning said.

Nebraska would likely hand the heavyweight reins to Ziola, who finished his redshirt season competing in three duals, going 2-1 and 16-3 overall. The Skutt Catholic graduate was a three-time Class B state champion and was a 2024 Fargo National Finalist while winning the 2023 Ironman Championship at 190 pounds.

Husker wrestling head coach Mark Manning speaks on the departure of HWT AJ Ferrari from the program.

"We loved our time with him but we just felt that it was time to move on." pic.twitter.com/QImrShxHdX
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) April 6, 2026

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