Gable Steveson announces return to Gophers wrestling: 'One more time'

Steveson will be returning to the NCAA wrestling mat.

Mar 19, 2022; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota wrestler Gable Steveson raises his arm as he leaves the mat after defeating Arizona State wrestler Cohlton Schultz (not pictured) in the 285 pound weight class final match during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Cesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images / Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Gable Steveson announced himself on a national scale when he won the 2021 NCAA national title in the heavyweight division. He's been on a whirlwind ever since with another national championship in 2022, an Olympic gold medal, two Dan Hodge trophies, a WWE career and an NFL career, but he will now be returning to the NCAA wrestling mat for "one more time" with the Gophers.

BREAKING: #Gophers legendary wrestler @GableSteveson teases a potential comeback to @GopherWrestling for “one more time.”

He will turn 25 in May, he still has one season of college eligibility remaining.

pic.twitter.com/iCGAkGRzsA

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 12, 2024

The Minnesota wrestling account on X posted a video on Tuesday narrated by Steveson, which was captioned, "Your attention please..." The school announced that he will be using his final season of NCAA eligibility with the Gophers.

"With all this being said, there's still one thing inside of me that still burns. The burning passion, the competitiveness, the itch to become great again, and add to the legacy of Gable Steveson," he said. "Minnesota has given me everything and now it's my turn to give it right back to them. To put my feet back on the wrestling mat. To be the champ. One more time."

There have been a multitude of rumors about Steveson's potential return to amateur wrestling. At one point there were rumblings about a potential transfer to Iowa, but the shortened COVID year in 2020 and the traditional Olympic redshirt rule means that he has one season of eligibility remaining.

"Gable has the burning desire to compete for the Maroon and Gold one last time," Gophers head coach Brandon Eggum said in a release Tuesday. "We are thankful he has chosen the opportunity to add to his historic legacy with our program. He is one of the best to ever compete in the sport of wrestling, and we are grateful for the impact has had at our program."

Minnesota's 2024-25 season officially began last week at the Mountaineer Invite and Bison Open. The school announced that Steveson is expected to make his season debut on Nov. 24 against Campbell. He has not competed in NCAA wrestling since the 2021-22 season, but he will now resume a 52-match winning streak that lasted throughout his previous three seasons with the Gophers.