The 2026 NCAA transfer portal opened at the start of April, and already, requests have poured in as collegiate athletes test free agency. And Nebraska wrestling has been hit hard as it has seen three wrestlers enter the portal over the last few days. That includes talented freshman Ty Eise and Alan Koehler. But the biggest headline was All-American AJ Ferrari entering the portal, though his situation appears more complicated.

As per HuskerOnline, Ferrari won’t be returning to Nebraska after one season; he’ll need a waiver to be able to wrestle again. And according to the NCAA’s eligibility rules, there are limits on seasons played and the overall eligibility window; if an athlete exceeds or approaches those limits, they will need a waiver to compete again.

And for AJ Ferrari’s case, that condition becomes crucial as he has wrestled across multiple programs, which means he will need an NCAA waiver.

The 24-year-old committed to Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling out of high school and thrived as a freshman, finishing with a 5–0 NCAA record and following it up with a 10–0 regular-season mark as a sophomore. He then transferred to Cal State Bakersfield for the 2024/25 season, where he once again finished with a 5-1 record in the NCAA Championship, finishing third. 

That earned him his second NCAA All-American (2021 and 2025) as well as Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, 2025 Pac-12 Champion, 2021 Big 12 Champion, and 2021 Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Ferrari then packed on the weight, changed his division from 197 to 285, transferred to Nebraska, and competed in the 285 weight class for 2026. He wrestled in 15 dual meets for the university during the season, posting a 13-2 dual meet record and finishing second at the Big Ten Championships. But his 2026 NCAA D1 Championship season didn’t quite go as he had envisioned, further putting the focus on what comes next.

AJ Ferrari reflects on his 2026 NCAA D1 Championship season

The 24-year-old ended his time at Nebraska with an 18-5 overall record and was among the favorites going into the 2026 NCAA D1 Championship season. And AJ Ferrari lived up to that, beating South Dakota’s Luke Rasmussen in the Round of 32, then Pittsburg’s Dayton Pitzer in the Round of 16 and Oklahoma’s Juan Mora in the quarter-finals to reach the semifinals.

But in his way stood Yonger Bastida, and the Iowa State wrestler dominated Ferrari throughout their bout. It eventually finished 15-7 in Bastida’s favor, and he advanced to the 285 final, where he lost to Isaac Trumble 5-0. Meanwhile, AJ Ferrari medically forfeited from the tournament to give Iowa’s Ben Kueter the fifth-place win and finished sixth while earning All-American status again.

“After reflecting on my performance at the NCAAs this past weekend, I realize the tournament didn’t go the way I planned,” Ferrari wrote on Instagram. “I wish I had won my semifinals match, even though I wrestled with a really badly torn knee. And it’s completely on me. Yahuah, our Master, and Yahusha (the Christ) are guiding me to better myself continually – not just as a wrestler, but as a man, with growth and maturity.”

For now, Ferrari’s immediate future hinges on the NCAA’s decision, with a waiver set to determine whether he can return to the mat next season. And if granted, the 24-year-old will have another opportunity to build on his already impressive collegiate career.