TEMPE, Ariz. – After a fourth consecutive top-seven finish at the NCAA Championships, Sun Devil Wrestling head coach Zeke Jones has announced that nine newcomers have joined the program in 2024-25 as the team gears up for the inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference.
MEET THE INCOMING CLASS
Max Acciardi (transfer/California Baptist)
Caleb Camp (Fr.)
Azizbek Fayzullaev (transfer/Northwest College)
Nick Hutchins (Fr.)
Kyler Larkin (Fr.)
Javani Majoor (Fr.)
Joseph Manfredi (Fr.)
Pierson Manville (Fr.)
Austin Scott (transfer/Oregon State)
HEAD COACH ZEKE JONES
"Overall, we're really excited about the incoming group to ASU. Throughout history, we've had top recruiting classes and this year's no different. Regardless of recruiting rankings, it's how they've performed at the NCAA Tournament and historically, ASU has done that job well. Many top-five and top-10 team finishes have shown that our kids are capable of winning NCAA trophies every year.
"Manville, Larkin, and Fayzullaev all come with tremendous wrestling backgrounds. All of them have won age group national championships and have competed at the highest level. We're excited to bring them to Tempe in a few weeks and get started."
AT A GLANCE
MAX ACCIARDI | WOODCLIFF LAKE, NEW JERSEY
Acciardi hit the portal after a freshman season with California Baptist in which he competed in four duals at 285 lbs in addition to winning four of five matches at the Wilkes Open. A state champion for New Jersey's Paramus Catholic Wrestling at 285, Acciardi has Division I experience and offers depth for the Sun Devils' upperweights in their first season in the Big 12 Conference.
CALEB CAMP | BUENA VISTA, COLORADO
A three-time state champion at Buena Vista, Caleb Camp is a terrific athlete, having played three sports for the Demons. In addition to a prep career in both football and baseball, he also won a trio of state titles at 126 pounds. The Sun Devils have produced and developed elite wrestlers at 125 under Zeke Jones, such as Richard Figueroa and Brandon Courtney, and Camp's gritty, versatile approach will serve him well in his freshman campaign.
AZIZBEK FAYZULLAEV | TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN
A two-time national champion for Northwest College (Powell, WY.), Fayzullaev won a title for the Trappers this spring at 184 pounds and last season at 174. He was also the 86kg champion at the U-23 Asian Championships in 2022. He'll help the Sun Devils strengthen their upperweights, spending time at 174 in his freshman year and 184 as a sophom*ore, as he transitions to the Division I scene.
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) May 29, 2024A two-time NJCAA champion is officially a Sun Devil ??
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NICK HUTCHINS | CHANDLER, ARIZONA
Zeke Jones made it his mission to keep top local talent home, as Nick Hutchins is one of several Arizonans to join the Sun Devils in this class. From Arizona College Prep, Hutchins' 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame slots him in as an option behind Cohlton Schultz at heavyweight this year. He was third in the 2023 AIA Division III State Championships in the heavyweight division.
KYLER LARKIN | GILBERT, ARIZONA
The Larkin-to-Tempe pipeline rolls on. Son of Eric Larkin, four-time All-American, national champion and Hodge Trophy Award winner, and brother of rising sophom*ore Kaleb, Kyler Larkin brings world-experience and savviness to the Sun Devil Wrestling room as a prized recruit. Considered one of the top 132-pounders in the 2024 class, Larkin is a 2023 Fargo champion and won the college division at last fall's Reno Tournament of Champions at 133 lbs. He was listed as the No. 17 recruit in the class, and his family-wide connections to Tempe helped the Arizona native stay home.
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) October 21, 2023Kyler Larkin hit a DIRTY duck ?? in the early rounds of Super 32!
Watch 2023 Super 32 LIVE: https://t.co/045KJ4jp4R pic.twitter.com/ozIgDxxblw
More on Kyler Larkin via FloWrestling
JAVANI MAJOOR | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
After a perfect 40-0 season, in which he captured his second consecutive state championship title, Javani Majoor is headed to Tempe to join the Sun Devils. Wrestling at 165 for Falcon High School, Majoor became the school's first individual state champion since 1989. As a senior, Majoor picked up 29 wins by pinfall, including his semifinals match at the CHSAA State Championship.
JOSEPH MANFREDI | NEW HYDE PARK, NEW YORK
Another east coast kid, Joseph Manfredi will join the Sun Devils after a dominant high school career. As a sophom*ore, Manfredi won all 51 of his matches and brought Herricks High School its first individual champion in 15 years. The following season, he went 41-2 to reach the state semis. In January, he steamrolled his way to a title at the Eastern States Classic Wrestling Tournament, defeating top talent from the east coast. Like fellow lightweight Caleb Camp joining the room, Joseph Manfredi is joining a program that routinely produces All-Americans at the position.
PIERSON MANVILLE | STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
One of the headliners of this recruiting class, Pierson Manville's physical, gritty presence on the mat has helped him earn the status of the top-ranked 144-pounder in the country, per FloWrestling. He recently became USA Wrestling's Junior National Champion in Men's Greco-Roman in Fargo, ending his high school career as an eight-time Fargo All-American and a two-time national champion. The Sun Devils have churned out elite talent in the lighterweights under Zeke Jones – and Manville seems poised to continue that trend.
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) July 21, 2024Pierson Manville does it ??
The Pennsylvania native techs Wyatt Medlin (9-0) to win the @USAWrestling Greco-Roman Junior National Championships ?? pic.twitter.com/zLTF2hnSgQ
More on Pierson Manville via FloWrestling
AUSTIN SCOTT | TUCSON, ARIZONA
A two-time high school state champion at Mesa's Mountain View, Scott joins the Sun Devils after spending his first two college seasons with the Oregon State Beavers. He went 13-9 across two seasons of action in Corvallis, including a 7-3 freshman year. Scott won back-to-back state titles at Mountain View (152 lbs/2021, 157 lbs/2022) and was the state's runner-up at 145 pounds as a sophom*ore in 2020.
GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN?
Under Jones, the Sun Devils have asserted themselves as a national powerhouse, amassing six conference championship titles under his guidance and a string of top finishes at the national tournament.
Paired with this deep, talented crew of newcomers heading to Tempe, the Sun Devils will also return major contributors like national champion Richard Figueroa, four-time All-American Cohlton Schultz, 2024 national runner-up Jacori Teemer, NCAA qualifiers in Julian Chlebove, Cael Valencia and Jesse Vasquez, plus highly-touted youngsters in Kaleb Larkin and Nicco Ruiz.
Of the team's eight participants at last season's NCAA Championships, six are back again this year (Figueroa, Schultz, Teemer, Chlebove, Valencia, Vasquez).
RETURNING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS IN 2024-25
Of the 10 individual national champions crowned in Kansas City in March 2024, Richard Figueroa is one of just seven title-winners who will return to the collegiate scene this season:
Richard Figueroa, ASU
Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech
Levi Haines, Penn State
Carter Strarocci, Penn State
Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa
Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State
RETURNING NATIONAL CHAMPIONS IN SUN DEVIL WRESTLING HISTORY
Richard Figueroa, 125 (2024) — RETURNING IN 2024-25
Zahid Valencia, 174 (2019) — RETURNED IN 2019-20
Zahid Valencia, 174 (2018) — RETURNED IN 2018-19
Markus Mollica, 167 (1995) — RETURNED IN 1995-96
Markus Mollica, 158 (1993) — RETURNED IN 1993-94
Dan St. John, 158 (1989) — RETURNED IN 1989-90
Curley Culp, HWT (1967) — RETURNED IN 1967-68
READ IT AGAIN
Richard Figueroa's life changed forever on Saturday, March 23 in downtown Kansas City, when he became the Sun Devils' first individual champion in five years. This story peels back the layer to how the eventual champion prepared for the biggest moment of his career.
The Day He Won It All: Inside the 24 Hours of Richard Figueroa's Quest to a National Championship (May 24, 2024/TheSunDevils.com)
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) May 24, 2024It's been just over two months since Richard Figueroa's life changed forever.
The Selma, California, native sat down to reflect on Saturday, March 23 - the day that cemented his Sun Devil legacy with the program's first national title in five years.
STORY:… pic.twitter.com/Ezb0XQGEBR
FOLLOW ALONG
The Sun Devils are gearing up for one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory, as they'll join a new conference touting an established core of returners plus a deep recruiting class. To follow along, follow theSun Devils on social at @ASUWrestling on X and @SunDevilWrestling1962 on Instagram.
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