college wrestling in Texas — which schools have programs and are they competitive

texas is not traditionally known as a college wrestling state but there are options for high school wrestlers who want to compete at the next level.

NCAA Division I:

• limited D1 options in Texas but they exist
• the programs that do exist are investing and growing
• Texas is becoming a recruiting target for out-of-state D1 programs because of the improving talent pool

NCAA Division II and III:

• more options at the D2 and D3 level
• several Texas schools have competitive programs
• D3 is important because there are no athletic scholarships but you can still compete at a high level and get academic financial aid

NAIA and Junior College:

• multiple NAIA programs in Texas with wrestling
• JuCo wrestling is a path for athletes who need to develop before D1
• Collin College (Plano area) and other DFW junior colleges could potentially add programs as the sport grows

the future:

• as Texas high school wrestling grows, college programs will follow
• the demand is there — DFW alone produces enough talent to support multiple college programs
• adding wrestling to existing Texas universities would be relatively low cost compared to football

for DFW high school wrestlers:

• if you want to wrestle in college, start the recruiting process early (freshman/sophomore year)
• attend national tournaments where college coaches scout (Super 32, Fargo, etc)
• your grades matter. especially for D3 schools where academic scholarships replace athletic ones
• reach out to coaches directly. wrestling is a small community and coaches respond to athletes who show initiative

any DFW wrestlers who went on to compete in college? share your experience.