Eight new freshmen are joining the Chattanooga Mocs wrestling program for the 2025-26 season. The list covers six different weight classes and covers six separate states. Tennessee is the leader with three with one each from Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa/Montana and Wisconsin.
"It's always great to bring in guys that are excited about the future of the program, but also guys that are hungry to prove themselves at the national level. We have a lot of local guys but also a lot of guys from across the country.
They all believe that they can be All-Americans and national champions." – Coach Kyle Ruschell on the next crop of Mocs
The Breakdown
Will Anderson (Athens, Aa.)
Weight: 149 – High School: Athens
Finished fourth in his class at the U20 World Team Trials (May 2025)
5-time Alabama State Champion
2022 title winner at the 2022 USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals (132/9-10) & 2024 Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals in 2024 (144)
Brody Gobbell (Old Hickory, Tenn.)
Weight: 133 – High School: Father Ryan
TSSAA Division II State Champ: 2024 (126), 2025 (132)
TSSAA Division II Medalist: 2022 (2nd-113), 2023 (3rd-126)
Ranked in Top 10 Nationally during prep career
Cole Krutzfeldt (Billings, Mont.)
Weight: 141 – High School: Lockwood/Iowa City West (moved to Iowa for his senior year)
5th at 138 in the Iowa High School Championships in 2025
Montana State Champ in 2023 & 2024 while finishing runner-up as a freshman in 2022
38 of his 45 wins as a senior included bonus points with 23 falls
Brayden Leach (Spring Hill, Tenn.)
Weight: 157 – High School: Summit
TSSAA Division I State Champ at 150 in 2024 and 157 in 2025
2023 & 2024 Tennessee/USA Wrestling Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Champion
Most Outstanding Wrestler in Division I-AA in 2025
Pierce Pennington (Ringgold, Ga.)
Weight: 149 – High School: Ringgold
GHSA State Champion at three different weight classes: 2023 (126-3A), 2024 (138-2A) & 2025 (150-2A)
187 career wins including a 49-2 mark as a senior
4th-ranked wrestler in the state
Brock Rios (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Weight: 197 – High School: Frontier
Runner-up at 2025 Western Regional Championships at 215
Ranked sixth at 215 in California
Placed 5th in the 2025 Doc Buchanan, one of the top junior events in the country
Kade Rule (Mineral Point, Wisc.)
Weight: 174 – High School: Mineral Point
Wisconsin DIII State Champ in 2024 (165) and 2025 (175)
Third place last fall at the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals (175) after winning his class in the 11th-12th grade boys in 2023
Top 30 in Wisconsin (29) in the WI Wrestle pound-for-pound rankings
Ethan Uhorchuk (Signal Mountain, Tenn.)
Weight: 133/141 – High School: Signal Mountain
5-time TSSAA Division State Champion & 2025 Division-AAA Most Outstanding Wrestler
52-0 as a senior
Brothers Daniel and Caleb wrestle(d) at Army West Point
"We have a checklist of not only the ability that they have on the mat, but their personality as well. That's evaluated throughout (the process). How are they gonna fit within the culture of the program? That's the most important thing to us. They want to wrestle hard and treat people, right. Everything else takes care of itself. Once they're here, it's just a matter of giving them the attention that they need to make sure they know that we care about them each step of the journey." – Coach Ruschell on recruitment through development