In a sport where powerhouse names like Penn State and Oklahoma State lure top high school talent with championship pedigrees and national exposure, Max McEnelly did something that most recruits wouldn’t dare: he stayed home. For the Waconia native, this wasn’t about headlines or hype—it was personal.
Now a 2025 All-American and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, McEnelly had offers from coast to coast. But when it came time to make the call, the maroon and gold weren’t just colors—they were family. And his reason? Let’s just say, if you grew up on Minnesota wrestling, you already know.
When Max McEnelly picked the Gophers, he didn’t need a sales pitch. “I wanted to wrestle for my home state, for my home fans,” he said on the Golden Gopher Podcast. That hit deeper than any recruiting slogan.
“Kids from Minnesota, like, it’s different when you wrestle for your home state. The people get behind you more because they’ve seen you grow up,” he added. “Even if they were opponents in high school, once you put on that maroon and gold, they’ve got your back.”
Max McEnelly had the résumé to go anywhere—four-time state champ, 181-1 high school record, top national recruit. Schools like Penn State and Oklahoma State could have been far better options, some might say. But for him… it wasn’t about chasing a spotlight. It was about giving back to the same crowd that watched him grow up.
“It’s different when you wrestle for your home state.”@MaxMcenelly explains all the reasons why he chose the #Gophers coming out of high school.
Listen to the full Golden Gopher Podcast here: https://t.co/fVpaoaQUBu pic.twitter.com/0IARyIl54N
— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) May 21, 2025
And it wasn’t just fans. “Guys like Scott McWilliams, our strength coach, and Curtis, our trainer—some of the best in the country,” Max said. “The team brought me in and treated me like I’d been here forever. It just felt right.”
Max McEnelly’s hard work and dedication come through for the Gophers
Call it loyalty. Call it instinct. Whatever it was, it paid off in a big way. McEnelly’s redshirt freshman year was one of the greatest in recent Gopher history. He went 25-2 overall and 8-0 at Big Ten duals and placed third at the NCAA Championships—Minnesota’s best finish at 184 pounds since Roger Kish in 2007.
He didn’t avoid elite-level competition either. Max McEnelly defeated guys like No. 6 Silas Allred and No. 4 Dustin Plott. Took defending champion Parker Keckeisen to OT in the semis. And paced the squad in tech falls at 13, the third most in the nation as a whole.
His award shelf isn’t lacking either. Big Ten Freshman of the Year. NWCA Scholar All-American. Gophers Freshman of the Year. And he did so as a business and marketing education major.
McEnelly’s not only Minnesota’s future—he’s already part of its foundation. Having family ties in local athletics—his dad, Bret, played football at Minnesota-Duluth; his sister, Chloe, competed at St. Thomas in hockey; and his brother, Sam, wrestles at Augustana—Max is creating a legacy about as Minnesotan as it gets.
Max McEnelly had every right to be gone. He did, however, have a better reason to remain. During an era when college wrestling has become a business of NIL deals and dynasties building titans, McEnelly showed there remains value in staying loyal to your guys.
By saying no to the giants and doubling down on Minnesota, Max isn’t just forging his own way—he’s taking Minnesota wrestling right along for the ride. And based on appearances, this local hero’s just getting started.
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