RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesIt appears Jordan Williams won't be leaving Iowa wrestling after all.
After announcing on March 31 that he would be entering the transfer portal, Williams posted on social media on July 25 that he would be returning to the Hawkeyes. An Iowa spokesperson confirmed to the Des Moines Register on Aug. 10 that Williams was on the roster and that the plan was for Williams to be on the team this coming season.
Williams is coming off an inspired run of freestyle action this summer. He began with a solid U.S. Open performance in Las Vegas. He took third in the Senior Freestyle division at 70 kilograms, including a win over high school phenom Melvin Miller. Williams finished behind a pair of NCAA champions — Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) and Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech). Following that, Williams also took fourth at the Senior World Team Trials, won a U23 national title at 70 kilograms and was a U23 Pan-Am gold medalist. He will also represent the United States at the U23 World Championships in October.
For those last three events, he represented the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, a sign that a reunion could be in the works. After winning the U23 national title, he said the staff had been supportive of him throughout the process and he found out more about what works for him.
"Being in the portal, Iowa's staff has been by my side through this process," Williams told USA Wrestling after winning a U23 national title in May. "Weirdly, we found a way that actually works with me when it was all said and done. I figured out that sometimes it's not just best for me to just beat my body down like I have been doing over the years. I really have been just taking a lot of rest."
Now he'll return to being in a Hawkeye singlet.
Last year, after transferring from Little Rock, Williams had an 8-7 record with the Hawkeyes and did not make the postseason lineup. Williams' highlight was a Soldier Salute title in early January, but he finished the year with just one win in his final six duals and a five-match losing streak. Victor Voinovich earned the starting job at 157 pounds for the postseason, but Voinovich fell short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Iowa coach Tom Brands said the decision at 157 pounds was a tough one before the postseason.
"Very close, it's my call," Brands said ahead of the Big Ten Championships. "We went with Voinovich for maybe one reason. And that one reason is, a little bit more fight there, maybe. Other than that, pretty even."
A three-time Fargo champion, a Super 32 champion and a three-time Oklahoma state high school champion, Williams has an extensive offensive tool kit at his disposal that has helped him win some big events. If he can find his consistency and keep up his level of wrestling from the offseason, Williams is capable of being an NCAA All-American in the middle of the Hawkeyes' lineup.
Aside from Williams and Kale Petersen returning after initially entering the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes brought in Lehigh's Ryan Crookham and Oklahoma's Carter Schubert to fill out their lineup through the transfer portal. Their lone subtraction via the transfer portal was Dru Ayala , who went to Iowa State after his brother and Hawkeye NCAA finalist Drake Ayala took an assistant coaching position with the Cyclones.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Jordan Williams to return to Iowa wrestling after entering portal
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