Mocking Penn State Before, AJ Ferrari Confirms NCAA College After Unexpected UNC Exit

The deal is done, well, after it was done and undone, and now it’s done again. We’re talking about the AJ Ferrari, the 2021 NCAA titleholder and two-time All-American Champion who was all set to join UNC after a dismissal from Oklahoma State, where he started out. With Ferrari having two more years to compete at an NCAA level, it was shocking that UNC pulled out last minute, especially considering Rob Koll had worked hard to get Ferrari on the roster; however, now that is all old news, as Ferrari has finally picked the college he will commit to for the next two years of his wrestling career.

It seems that Ferrari will be heading to Nebraska after all. After a strenuous year of decisions and indecisions, it seems like a timely relief that the young wrestler will head on to a team that is coming up just behind national champions Penn State in a best-ever finish. It is even more ironic because in April, when Ferrari was announcing his then commitment to UNC to the world, he made a jab at Nebraska in his statement.

Seemingly serious all through, AJ Ferrari was asked on a FloWrestling podcast what his college choice was in April this year, after exiting OSO, and Ferrari remained stoic when he answered, “It was a big decision and again ,um it was hard, but thank you to everyone. But after all this comes, you know, in the end, I would like to, you know, announce my commitment to…” Ferrari moves closer to the camera at this point and somewhat changes his demeanor to something slightly more comic.

Then he continued – “Penn State University to move up to the heavyweight division, really. So I’m going to be moving up to heavyweight. I’m going be going to Penn State… going to college in May to June, so it’s a big decision.” At this point the hosts of the show seem shocked and confirm with Ferrari, “Is this true?” to which Ferrari responds by picking up a bottle, tilting his head back and taking a sip while nodding with wide eyes, seemingly mockingly.

AJ Ferrari went on to joke some more about going back to Iowa State, where he wasn’t on the official roster but where his brother Angelo Ferrari wrestles. “You know what actually, I changed my mind,” Ferrari says, coming closer to the camera again, clapping his hands and donning a sly smile.

“I’m going back to Iowa to go wrestle with my brother. Come on, we all know the answer to that; that’s where I’m headed.” Ferrari continues along the lines, dumbfounding the interviewers more and more until he finally asks, “Where do you guys want me to go?” Before announcing that he was headed to UNC for the “culture.” Well, now we know the truth and will have to wait and watch to see how Ferrari handles Nebraska and vice versa.

What can AJ Ferrari expect when transferring to Nebraska?

In a statement made by the Huskers coach Mark Manning, he broke the news of Ferrari joining their roster: “We’re excited about AJ joining our family here at Nebraska,” Manning said, adding, in what seemed to have been a slight jab at UNC, if one reads into it enough, “This decision was a collaborative effort from my team, staff and our administration. AJ’s wrestling accomplishments speak to the dedication, work ethic and competitive spirit that aligns with our program. We believe AJ adds tremendous value to our team’s fight and passion for our sport.”

The Huskers have shown an incredible improvement this season and scored their first runner-up finish and team trophy since 2009! Not only this, but Mark Manning and his boys managed to procure a total of 117 points in the NCAA tournament. This is incredible considering the team hadn’t scored more than 80 points before, with their most recent best being 79.5 points in 1993. Now, with Ferrari on their side, who’s to say what next year can look like?

It seems like both Nebraska and Ferrari have found each other at the right time, i.e., one for reinvention. AJ Ferrari seems the least bit stirred by the UNC debacle and is rather just purely focused on wrestling, while Mark Manning is probably planning how to make the team even tighter to take on Penn State next year, and we know Cael Sanderson is going to have it in for Ferrari after his Penn State comments, so next year is already looking to be exciting!