Two-time NCAA heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson will not be competing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers this season.
Gophers wrestling coach Brandon Eggum broke the news in a video on his X account Thursday.
“Unfortunately he will not be able to compete for us this season,” said Eggum. “He’s a great competitor, he’s always wanted to compete for the University of Minnesota. Ultimately, the WWE would prefer that he’s solely focused on his professional wrestling career at this time.”
(Gable Steveson info starts at 3:36 mark in video below)
"Coach's Corner" is back in 2024!
You won't want to miss this one as @BrandonEggum recaps the #Gophers performances at @SoldierSaluteIA, looks ahead to the Big Ten opener Monday night at Iowa, and also provides an update on Gable Steveson. pic.twitter.com/flnICxLXrU
— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) January 11, 2024
Steveson, the 2020 Olympic 125-kilogram freestyle gold medalist, joined WWE in 2022 after claiming his second consecutive NCAA heavyweight title. The 23-year-old has one year of eligibility remaining because of a COVID-19 waiver granted by the NCAA.
“Whenever he’s not at the WWE Performance Center down in Florida, he’s up here in our room, working with our heavyweights, which is awesome,” Eggum continued. “We just can’t thank him enough for the impact he’s had on our program. We love following him and watching him compete out on the mat. He’s amazing. Now we’re excited to watch him in his WWE career.”
Steveson returned to amateur wrestling in April, earning a spot on the U.S. world championship team before he pulled out to focus on his WWE career.
