Wrestling: Seven In-State Prospects Nebraska Should Have on its Radar

The state of Nebraska isn’t a traditional powerhouse when it comes to wrestling, but the state has improved and continues to churn out a few Division I wrestlers each year. Some have become Huskers, while some have gone elsewhere to have success.

As is for any program, locking down the best in-state prospects should be a priority, and the Huskers have done a pretty good job of getting the best in the state to Lincoln. Obviously, there have been some big misses — such as Joel Adams going to Michigan and Isaac Trumble going to NC State, but Nebraska seems to usually get who they want out of the state.

However, Nebraska brought in Antrell Taylor of Millard South a couple years ago and Kael Lauridsen of Bennington in 2023. Both were among the best in the country coming out of high school with Lauridsen getting set for his true freshman season after grayshirting last year to work out at the Olympic Training Center, and Taylor is about to be a sophomore after earning All-American honors as a freshman.

With six current Husker wrestlers from Nebraska and one currently committed for the class of 2025 in Cade Ziola of Omaha Skutt who’s ranked #2 in the country at 190 pounds by MatScouts, it’ll be interesting who the Huskers will keep an eye on over the next few years.

Nebraska Natives on the Husker Roster

125 - Kael Lauridsen, Fr. (Bennington) - Likely Redshirt

141 - Blake Cushing, Jr. (Grand Island)

149 - Scott Robertson, R-Fr. (Millard South)

157 - Antrell Taylor, So. (Millard South)

157 - Josh Licking, Jr. (Norfolk)

165 - Jake Licking, R-Fr. (Norfolk)

Let’s take a look at some of the state’s best who could warrant an offer from Nebraska.

Abdi Unle - Class of 2025

113 pounds

Omaha Bryan

A senior-to-be, Unle became the first Omaha Bryan wrestler to win a state title since 2000 when he won a Class A title this past March at 113 pounds (see below). He went 54-3 on the year. A two-time finalist, Unle finished as runner-up at 106 pounds in 2023 after placing fifth as a freshman. In his high school career, he has a 143-15 record.

Nationally, Unle was recently ranked #14 in the country at 113 pounds by MatScouts. He placed fourth at the 2023 16U Freestyle Nationals in Fargo. In April, Unle went 3-2 at the U17 World Team Trials at 51 kg and won the PNL Nebraska Junior Freestyle Championship, going 5-0 with all five wins via tech fall.

Unle projects as a college 125-pounder, but those plans could change if he has a late growth spurt. Regardless, Unle is one of the best college prospects in the state and he could be a great addition to the Nebraska roster at 125 where there’s a need in the 2025 class.

Kyler Lauridsen - Class of 2025

150 pounds

Bennington

The younger brother of incoming Husker freshman Kael Lauridsen, Kyler is on track to match his brother’s four state titles wrestling for Bennington.

As a freshman at 126 pounds, Kyler went 43-2 and won his first Class B state title. Then as a sophomore, he went 37-2 and won his second title at 138 pounds. This past season as a junior, Lauridsen went 55-0, winning his third state title at 150 pounds. That puts his career record at 135-4 going into his senior season.

This past season, Lauridsen was especially impressive going undefeated while earning titles at the Council Bluffs Classic and the Flatwater Fracas during the season.

It’s unclear what weight class Kyler will be at this season as he’s moved up two weight classes each of the past two seasons. I’d guess that he’ll be at 157 or 165 this next year.

As for his college prospects, he probably projects as a 157 or 165-pounder. He’d be a solid addition to the 2025 class for the Huskers.

Zaiyahn Ornelas - Class of 2026

113 pounds

Wilber-Clatonia

A junior-to-be out of Class C Wilber-Clatonia, Ornelas has an undefeated career record of 72-0 in high school. He won a state title in 2023 at 106 pounds before winning again in 2024 at 113 pounds.

Ranked #13 in the country at 113 pounds by MatScouts, Ornelas was a Preseason Nationals finalist in the 9th/10th-grade division in 2023. He also went 2-2 at Super 32, the toughest preseason tournament in the nation each year, and was a finalist at Fall Brawl.

In freestyle, Ornelas finished on the podium in eighth place at the 2023 16U Freestyle Nationals in Fargo and took third at the U17 US Open in 2023. Here’s Ornelas winning in the final of the 2023 Southern Plains Regional Championships at 106 pounds.

With a major need at 125 pounds in the next couple years, Nebraska could bring in Ornelas in 2026 after the graduation of Caleb Smith. He could then redshirt behind Alan Koehler before competing for the starting spot.

Riley Johnson - Class of 2026

165 pounds

Omaha Skutt

In two seasons, Riley Johnson has made the Class B state final twice, winning a title in March at 165 pounds. The junior-to-be takes an 81-11 career record into next season.

In freestyle, Johnson recently won the PNL Nebraska 16U titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at 165 pounds. At April’s U17 US Open that served as the U17 World Team Trials, Johnson went 4-2 in both Freestyle and Greco, just missing out on placing in both.

Check out this wild freestyle match in the semis of the Southern Plains Regional from last season where Johnson trailed 8-0 early but stormed back to win 10-9 against Kalob Ybarra out of Colorado.

Johnson looks like the real deal and has been competitive nationally when given the chance. I expect him to continue improving in that Omaha Skutt room and could earn himself some interest from the Huskers.

Tyler Harrill - Class of 2026

144 pounds

Omaha Skutt

A two-time state champion in Class B in two tries, Tyler Harrill has impressed from the start. He went 44-6 as a freshman in winning his first title at 145 pounds before going 39-3 this past season, winning another state title at 144. Two of those losses came at Ironman where he went 3-2 against the toughest field in the country.

In 2023, Harrill won a title at Preseason Nationals in the 9th/10th grade division. He was also a Folkstyle National finalist at 145 pounds. You can see Harrill’s gritty semifinal win there below.

With two state titles already to his name and his willingness to seek out the best to compete against, Harrill could be on Nebraska’s radar for the class of 2026 where there’s a clear need at the middle weights.

Ben Ziola - Class of 2027

106 pounds

Omaha Skutt

The third of our Skutt trio on this list, Ben Ziola came in as a top middle school prospect and delivered on the hype when he won his first Class B state title at 106 pounds as a freshman with a 39-3 record on the year. Two of his losses came at Ironman, the country’s toughest in-season tournament each year, where he impressively went 3-2.

In freestyle, Ziola finished eighth at the U15 National Championships in Fargo in 2023. In April, he went 2-2 at the U17 World Team Trials at 51 kg (just over 112 pounds), possibly signifying a move up to either 113 or even 120 next season. Here’s a match of his from last year’s 16U National Duals at 100 pounds against Team California’s Ethan Busby.

The younger brother of 2025 Husker commit Cade Ziola, there’s no telling what weight Ben Ziola will end up at as he grows. All I know is that the talent is there, the pedigree is there, and the work ethic is there. With big brother in the fold, I would be shocked if Ben Ziola ends up anywhere other than Lincoln.

Cruzer Dominguez - Class of 2028

106 pounds

It’s never too early to look ahead, and here we are in the Class of 2028. Usually I wouldn’t go this far ahead, but Dominguez has excelled early.

The top ranked middle-schooler in the state, Dominguez is from Omaha but it’s unclear which high school he’ll be competing for (as far as I know), although he’ll likely be a 106-pounder as a freshman. He’s been competing on the freestyle and Greco-Roman scene for the MWC Wrestling Academy. He’s already ranked #15 in the country at 106 pounds by MatScouts for this next season.

At the PNL Nebraska 16U Freestyle Championships, Dominguez won gold (see that final match below) by beating Hayden Schwab, the son of UNI head coach Doug Schwab. He also finished third in Greco-Roman.

In April, Dominguez wrestled at the U17 World Team Trials at 45 kg, placing seventh with a 4-2 record. The fact that Dominguez was holding his own against the best in the country as much as three years older than him really turned some heads in the wrestling world.

I expect his rapid ascent to continue as he gets to high school and I’m sure he’ll get plenty of recruiting phone calls after his sophomore year when coaches can officially make contact.