In the USA’s collegiate wrestling space, there aren’t many programs that can take the fight to the towering Penn State. But if there’s one team that can, it’s Iowa. With a stellar NCAA record under its belt, the Hawkeyes boast of being one of the most successful collegiate wrestling programs in the country. And that’s probably why Gabe Arnold believed it was the logical move to sign up to work under Tom Brands’ able guidance. But his time with the coach was short-lived.

The 184-pounder has been one of the most prominent faces in the Hawkeyes’ lineup in his two seasons at Iowa City. Coming off a redshirt freshman year, Arnold was eagerly looking forward to making his mark in the NCAA landscape. However, it seems like Gabe’s dream would go unfulfilled, at least of doing so in the Iowa singlet. And fans are livid.

Baschmania’s Justin Basch hopped on X on June 30 to share Gabe Arnold’s latest career update with the wrestling community. “Gabe Arnold will be departing from Iowa after being dismissed from the team, he confirmed to me,” Basch wrote in his post, apparently having heard the piece of information straight from the horse’s mouth.

Arnold still has 3 years of eligibility remaining and will be looking to make the most of the time by finding for himself a new program to represent, Basch noted further. In the two seasons he wrestled for Iowa, Gabe posted a 27-8 overall record, with a dual meet record of 13-3 and a Big Ten record of 6-2. Naturally, Hawkeye fans couldn’t fathom what could lead to the sudden decision to cut him loose from the Iowa roster.

However, issues between Arnold and Iowa were spilling over for the fans to see for quite some time. Just before the Hawkeyes took on Cael Sanderson’s Penn State in late January, Gabe made boastful claims about spearheading the charge. His comments toward the NLWC, and specifically 5x NCAA champ Carter Starocci, amused many fans, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test out the Iowa star’s worth in the 184lb weight bracket.

However, head coach Tom Brands ultimately went with Angelo Ferrari for the bout, leaving fans exasperated over not being able to watch Arnold follow up on his tall claims. The redshirt was evidently displeased with the decision and was seen leaving the Bryce Jordan Center during Ferrari’s match. “We had a thought process in place. The rule is that we get five dates. We’re going to use them for (Angelo) Ferrari...We have to load manage Gabe Arnold,” Brands later said about his decision.

However, you don’t expect banter to become the reason to drop someone like Gabe Arnold from the roster for good. Naturally, the wrestling community was shocked to learn of the news. “What in the hell is going on in Iowa City?” an astonished fan took to X to express their feelings. The fact that the reason behind Arnold’s dismissal is yet to come to light made the fan’s bewilderment all the more understandable. Others shared a similar opinion.

Fans scurry to get to the bottom of Gabe Arnold’s sudden dismissal

In his first year at Iowa during which he red-shirted, Arnold posted a 12-1 record that included four wins against ranked opponents. Obviously, now with the former Iowa high school state champion dumped, fans can’t fathom what might have caused the sudden deviation from making him a Hawkeye poster boy. “Does anyone have the why on this?!?!” one fan wanted answers.

On the topic of Iowa ending its ties with the 2x national prep champion and the 2023 U.S. Open champ, another fan commented, “This stinks“. One more Hawkeye loyalist also described the whole thing as “not a good situation.” We agree! Considering how Bo Bassett only recently dropped a shocking announcement that he will be “decommitting” from Iowa, letting Arnold go was as unexpected as it could get.

“Tough loss for Iowa,” grunted yet another Hawkeye follower. However, we suspect that it would be an equally tough thing to deal with for Arnold as he is now without a team and has a lot to figure out.