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Gabe Arnold no longer on Iowa men's wrestling team

by: Tanner Lafever07/01/25TannerLafever
Gabe Arnold
On Monday evening, Gabe Arnold confirmed earlier reports of his dismissal from the Iowa men's wrestling program. (Photo Credit: HawkeyeSports.com)

Gabe Arnold is no longer on the Iowa men’s wrestling team.

On Monday evening, the redshirt freshman spoke with Justin Basch, corroborating earlier reports that had swirled about his status with the Hawkeye program.

Per Basch, “He’ll begin looking right away for a new landing spot with his remaining 3 years of eligibility, adding that he (Arnold) has nothing bad to say about the program that did a lot for him both on and off the mat.”

Edit: A University of Iowa spokesperson has since confirmed that Arnold is no longer on the roster, providing no further comment.

Iowa timeline

Arnold committed to Iowa way back on New Year’s Day, 2022.

Back then, the Georgia native was competing at prep powerhouse Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) but ultimately moved to Iowa City for his senior season – where he won a state title for City High.

Thanks to that and other sterling prep credentials, he left high school as the #7 pound-for-pound prospect in the country and ranked #1 at 170 pounds by FloWrestling.

Year 1 at Iowa was a huge success for Arnold, who went 12-1 while maintaining his redshirt.

Not only did he win the 2023 Soldier Salute, but he notched several victories throughout the season against highly ranked opponents and past/future All-Americans across two different weight classes.

None was bigger than his surprise bump up to 184 pounds against Iowa State’s sixth-ranked Will Feldkamp. Arnold got the lone takedown and the victory, which proved critical in Iowa extending its dual win streak over the Cyclones to 19.

This past season was a bit hot and cold for the first-year starter.

Arnold went 19-7 at 184 pounds, including an 8-6 record against ranked opponents. Come the postseason, he’d finish fifth at Big Tens and go 2-2 in his NCAA Championships debut.

Throughout the year, many wondered if 174 wasn’t his most ideal competitive weight. But Nelson Brands and Patrick Kennedy turned out to be the sole challengers for the spot – ultimately seized by Kennedy, who finished fourth at NCAAs.

Meanwhile, Arnold was sidelined for several huge duals – including Iowa State, Penn State and Oklahoma State – in favor of freshman phenom Angelo Ferrari.

Entering 2025-26, the thought was that a battle royale might ensue between Arnold/Kennedy for the starting spot at 174. Alas, that will no longer be the case.

Ramifications

As I just mentioned, a once potentially compelling storyline at 174 is now off the board for this season.

Patrick Kennedy figures to fill the weight both quite capably and without a real challenger. However, long term the loss of Gabe Arnold means Iowa must charter far less certain waters.

There is no immediately identifiable candidate to take over 174 after Kennedy – a role that presumably would’ve been Arnold’s for two full years even if he didn’t win the job in 2025-26. Now, the Hawkeyes will need to either pull a major recruiting coup, or dip into the transfer portal prior to next season.

Parting thoughts

Several elements of this story remain unclear.

What led to Arnold’s departure from the Iowa program? Where might he wrestle his three remaining years of eligibility? How will the Hawkeyes respond to yet another blow to their future hopes of challenging Penn State and Oklahoma State?

We can discuss all those things further as/if the information becomes available in the future.

For now, Gabe Arnold is no longer an Iowa Hawkeye.

And that’s a sad day for both parties – especially considering Arnold’s consistent, open and honest praise of the program for helping him not only on the wrestling mat but also to deal with the mental health struggles that he’s dealt with as a young college athlete.

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