Iowa wrestler Gabe Arnold lost his cool on Friday night after he was benched in favor of true freshman Angelo Ferrari in the Hawkeyes’ biggest dual of the year against Penn State. Arnold previously made headlines when he called out four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci not once, but twice in the lead up to the match and guaranteed victory.
Arnold, who is related to two-time world champion J’den Cox, first made waves when he called Starocci “overrated” on Twitter while he was still in high school.
“I was just letting my presence be known,” he said at the time. “I want the college world to know that I’m here. Everyone says ‘oh, you’re a Hawkeye.’ There were some chirps back … I’m not taking anything away from Carter Starocci. Carter Starocci is one of the best at 174 pounds and that’s who I have in my mirror every single day. That’s who I see. That’s who I’m going to beat next year. ”
When the time came, however, the match never happened as Arnold redshirted as a true freshman.
This year, however, both wrestlers moved up to 184 pounds and Arnold seemingly cemented himself as the Hawkeyes’ starter with an 11-0 start to the season. Prior to this year’s match against Penn State, Arnold made it clear how he felt.
“We didn’t get the job done last year and that kind of sucks. We’re gonna get it done this year. This time, we’re gonna be in your home dojo, and I promise, your head’s mine. Book it,” Arnold said.
That’s big talk!
When asked about Arnold’s comments, Starocci seemed to brush them aside.
“I thought the other guy was the starter,” he said, referring to Ferrari (yes, the brother of that Ferrari). “Didn’t the other guy win the tournament? I think the game plan is for the other guy. I think the other guy is a better wrestler but I don’t know.”
As it turns out, Iowa coaches Tom and Terry Brands seemingly agreed. They benched Arnold in favor of Ferrari, who is still technically redshirting. And Arnold couldn’t stand to watch. The redshirt freshman had to be removed from the Hawkeyes’ bench after allegedly getting into it with Penn State fans.
Gabe Arnold could not take watching Ferrari wrestle PSU pic.twitter.com/20gCtJyZSN
— Craig Dubler (@DublerCraig) February 1, 2025
Ferrari acquitted himself well. But Starocci won the match 3-1 and Penn State cruised to a 30-8 victory. The Nittany Lions took eight of the 10 matches on the night and extended their winning streak to four straight against Iowa.
As for the Hawkeyes, they’re left to explain to Arnold why they hung him out to dry.
The post Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestler Crashes Out After Talking Trash Only To Get Benched For Rivalry Match appeared first on BroBible.
Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestler Crashes Out After Talking Trash Only To Get Benched For Rivalry Match
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