Fourth-ranked 197-pounder Massoma Endene is no longer a member of Iowa’s men’s wrestling team, coach Tom Brands said on Tuesday.

Endene, who compiled a 6-1 record with the Hawkeyes, hasn’t wrestled since an 8-2 defeat to second-ranked Rocky Elam on Nov. 30 in the 20-14 dual loss to Iowa State. 

Brands announced the news when he opened his weekly media availability, saying: “My statement to that is, sometimes these things work and sometimes they don’t work, and this one just didn’t work out. We wish him the best, and that’s the extent of it. So that’s the opening statement.”

Asked if he wanted to add any clarifying details to the announcement, Brands paused, then said, “That’s as far as I’ll go.”

Endene, a Dallas, Texas native, transferred to Iowa in the offseason after winning three NCAA Division III national championships at Wartburg. Before that, he was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Iowa Lakes Community College.

Gabe Arnold wrestled at 197 in duals against Chattanooga and Utah Valley in the “Uncivil War” event on December 12. Harvey Ludington wrestled at the weight class in last Friday’s dual against Wisconsin, losing to Wyatt Ingham 10-8.

Ludington and Brody Sampson are listed as the choices at 197 for Friday’s home dual against top-ranked Penn State. Sampson, a redshirt freshman, is 6-6 this season. Ludington, a freshman, was undefeated in eight matches at the Luther Open and Jim Koch Wisconsin Open, and finished fifth at the Soldier Salute.

“We want to be really, really smart with Ludington,” Brands said. “He’s our best option, based on the results at the Soldier Salute. We are going to be smart, and take it week to week.”

Ferrari Revs Up

Redshirt freshman Angelo Ferrari is 9-0 this season and takes a #1 ranking at 184 pounds into Friday’s match against fourth-ranked Rocco Welsh.

It’s Ferrari’s confidence and composure that has impressed Brands.

“He embraces being a leader in a way that is comfortable and natural for him,” Brands said. “You talk about being the first-guy-in-the-last-guy-to-leave type of thing. He exhibits that he gets done what he needs to get done. Not sure that he’s real concerned with being a verbal-type leader at this point in his career, but definitely (a leader) by example. And when I say, is he even comfortable being a verbal leader? That doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s doing the work that’s required. His commitment level is top-notch.”

“I think I hold myself to a higher standard than, you know, anybody else holds me to,” Ferrari said. “I expect myself to go out there and put up points, and if I don’t, then I’m disappointed myself, and I know what I’m capable of.”

Ferrari got his first taste of the rivalry with Penn State last season, when he wrestled at 184 against second-ranked Carter Starocci, losing 2-1. It was Ferrari’s only defeat of the season.

“I think it was great,” Ferrari said of the experience. “There were a lot of fans and a lot of people rooting against you. It was fun, that’s all I could really say. I mean, it was a fun experience. And obviously there’s a fire under me this time to go out there and put up some points and get some takedowns.”

Ferrari has been putting up the points this season, winning three matches by technical fall.

“The fact is, he’s a real popular guy in that locker room,” Brands. “I mean, our guys love him. There’s good relationships there.

“He stepped up big a couple different times. And so when you’re stepping up big, you know sometimes you’re getting responsibility that you may not have thought that you would ever get, and sometimes you have to embrace that responsibility, even if you’re not comfortable with it. And I would say that he’s embraced it great, because he’s still doing what he needs to do to prepare every day. He loves the mat. He loves the wrestling mat, and that’s what we need.”

Ferrari said his battles with national champion Stephen Buchanan during workouts have prepared him well and helped with his composure during matches.

“I’ve been in scrambles like that with Buchanan every day,” Ferrari said. “You know, he puts me in those types of positions where he’s coming at me, and I think it’s just crazy positions like that was what prepares me for when I’m out on the mat.”

It’s a composure that Ferrari said also comes with his family’s success on the mat.

“Everybody’s rooting against you,” he said. “So it kind of drives you a little bit more. And just having that helped me out a little bit.”

Block Bounce Back

Ryder Block is hoping to bounce back after his sudden-victory loss to Joseph Zargo in last Friday’s dual against Wisconsin.

Block, 6-2 last season and ranked 10th at 149, gets top-ranked Shayne Van Ness on Friday.

“If you’re gonna be the guy going out there, you’ve got to be ready to go,” Block said. “(The loss) happened, now you’ve got to move forward.”

Block said there is a piece of advice he is taking from Brands.

“Tom always said you’ve got to have some big nuts,” Block said. “So this week, gotta have some big nuts to get back on the right track, and then just keep getting better.”

The Kansas Jayhawks hosts No. 2 Iowa State Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The Cyclones are 16-0 this season, but the Jayhawks won’t be an easy out at home, led by star freshman Darryn Peterson.

Iowa State vs. Kansas will air on ESPN, and streams live on DIRECTV (free trial).

What: Men’s college basketball regular season

Who: No. 2 Iowa Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks

When: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026

Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live stream: DIRECTV (free trial), fuboTV (free trial)

Here’s a recent college basketball story via the Associated Press:

WACO, Texas (AP) — Emanuel Sharp scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for No. 7 Houston, which overcame two extended shooting slumps before halftime in a 77-55 win at Baylor on Saturday. The Cougars set a school record with their 16th consecutive road win.

Joseph Tugler had 12 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double in a row for defending Big 12 champion and national runner-up Houston (15-1, 3-0 Big 12). Isiah Harwell also had 12 points, while true freshmen Chris Cenac had 11 and Kingston Flemings 10.

The Cougars haven’t lost a true road game since at No. 8 Kansas on Feb. 3, 2024. That road winning streak is the longest active run in the country, with all of them Big 12 games for a league record.

Cameron Carr had 18 points for Baylor (10-5, 0-3), and Tounde Yessoufou had 10.

Houston missed 10 shots in a row over a 5 1/2-minute span early, then had another 0-for-10 span in the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first half. But the Cougars took control of the game with a 23-3 run in the six minutes between those droughts.

Sharp and Harwell both had two 3-pointers in that big spurt. The Cougars trailed 14-6 before Sharp ignited that run, and a 3 by Harwell put them ahead to stay. The lead was 29-17 after Tugler’s dunk off a Baylor turnover with 6:34 left. That was their last field goal of the half, when they still led 33-26 before a 13-3 run to start the second half.

The Cougars shot 39.2% overall (29 of 74) from the field, with only five turnovers and 23 offensive rebounds. They scored 31 points off 16 turnovers by Baylor, which got 33 fewer shots.

Up next

Houston: Home Tuesday against West Virginia.

Baylor: At Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Can I bet on the game?

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The top defensive back on Kyle Whittingham’s Utah team in 2025 is heading to Michigan.

Cornerback Smith Snowden, a two-year starter who earned second-team all-Big 12 honors last season, has committed to the Wolverines in 2026, he announced on Tuesday.

Listed at 5 foot 10 and 185 pounds, Snowden made 23 starts and 35 appearances over the last three years in Salt Lake City. He started all 12 regular-season games for Utah in 2025, leading the cornerbacks with 37 tackles (two for a loss) and the team with 11 passes defended.

Snowden finished last year with nine pass breakups and two interceptions, one each against Cincinnati and Kansas.

He also saw some playing time on offense, rushing eight times for 40 yards and a touchdown and catching 13 passes for 57 yards.

The Lehi, Utah, native made 11 starts at nickel in 2024, totaling 48 tackles (four for a loss), eight pass breakups and two interceptions. Snowden led the team with nine third-down stops that year.

Snowden saw immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2023, appearing in 11 games on defense and special teams. He added kick-return duties to his plate in 2024 and 2025.

A former four-star recruit, Snowden was a three-time first-team all-state selection at Skyridge High School, where he finished with 16 career interceptions and helped lead the school to a state title in 2022.

Snowden joins a Michigan secondary that could use the help. The Wolverines are set to return starting cornerbacks Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry, but lost starting nickel TJ Metcalf and starting safety Brandyn Hillman to the transfer portal.

On Monday, Michigan added veteran Memphis safety Chris Bracy.

Snowden is the fourth Utah player planning a transfer to Michigan since Kyle Whittingham was named the schol’s head coach on Dec. 26, joining defensive end John Henry Daley, defensive tackle Jonah Lea’ea and receiver JJ Buchanan.