Iowa wrestling has been active in the transfer portal over the last few months and it looks like the Hawkeyes aren't slowing down yet. On Sunday, Iowa added a commitment from lower weight wrestler Sammy Alvarez.
Alvarez is a returning All-American who placed 7th at 149 lbs last year for Rider. He went 25-7 last year, losing in the second round before winning three in a row in the consolation bracket to secure his first career All-America honors. Alvarez beat beat North Dakota State's Gavin Drexler in the 7th place match to lock up his best-ever finish at the NCAA Tournament.
The addition of Alvarez comes with some notable question marks, though. First and foremost: does Alvarez have any eligibility left to use at Iowa? He's filed a waiver with the NCAA seeking another year of eligibility, which would be his seventh. Alvarez's career began at Rutgers in 2019-20 and he was there for four year, through the 2022-23 season.
Alvarez transferred to Oklahoma State for the 2023-24 season and then moved to Rider last year. As far as the eligibility question... he's received and used the additional year the NCAA granted to student-athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also received one additional year already (since last year was his sixth).
In this case, Alvarez's argument for receiving one more year of eligibility rests on the fact that several of his past seasons ended prematurely. Alvarez wrestled his final match in 2020-21 on January 31, on December 29 in 2021-22, January 6 in 2022-23, and January 27 in 2023-24. Alvarez has actually only wrestled in the postseason twice in his career, and last year was his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament (since the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19).
Alvarez has missed a lot of time due to injury (hence all those seasons that ended prematurely), which may give him a shot at receiving a seventh year of eligibility. He competed late enough in the season in 2020-21 (1/31) and 2023-24 (1/27) that he might not qualify for an additional year for those seasons, but the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons ended very early (12/29 and 1/6, respectively), which might give him a chance. Ultimately, we'll have to wait and see what the NCAA determines.
The other question for Alvarez's addition is what weight he might wrestle at in Iowa City, assuming he's able to get one final year of eligibility. Alvarez was at three different weights during his six previous years of collegiate competition: he started at 133 lbs and stayed there for three seasons, bumped up to 141 for the 2022-23, and was at 149 lbs for the last two seasons at Oklahoma State and Rider.
If he stays at 149, he could be in direct competition with another one of Iowa's transfer portal additions, Little Rock transfer Jordan Williams. Ironically, this wouldn't be the first time that Williams and Alvarez were in competition for a roster spot -- they were both at Oklahoma State in 2023-24. Alvarez did beat Williams 5-0 in the Round of 12/blood round at last year's NCAA Tournament.
On the other hand, if Alvarez moves down to 141, he could be in competition with Iowa's other transfer portal addition from Little Rock, Nasir Bailey. With NCAA runner-up Drake Ayala ensconced at 133 lbs, Bailey is expected to move up to 141 lbs for the 2025-26 season. There's also been discussion of Bailey using a redshirt next year; if he did that, it would certainly make 141 available to Alvarez.
One final option for Alvarez: keep bulking up and compete at 157 lbs next year. Alvarez has already grown from 133 to 141 to 149 over the course of his (lengthy) NCAA career. Iowa has a clear need at 157 lbs as well, with Miguel Estrada and Kael and Victor Voinovich as Iowa's other primary options for that weight.
There are several possible options for Alvarez to fill in next year's roster and we'll have to wait and see how things shake out at a few weights. Although before any of that becomes relevant, Alvarez will need to receive a waiver from the NCAA for another year of eligibility. We'll provide an update on that issue when more information becomes available.
Stay tuned to Hawkeye Beacon for further information regarding the transfer portal, prep recruitment, and much more.
READ MORE
Iowa Wrestling Adds Dean Peterson From Transfer Portal
Iowa Wrestling Adds Nasir Bailey and Jordan Williams From Transfer Portal
