Gable Steveson is returning to the University of Minnesota for a fifth season.
Minnesota Coach Brandon Eggum announced that Steveson would return for the 2024-2025 season. He will aim to win his third heavyweight championship as a heavyweight wrestler in the NCAA.
Per Randy Johnson of the Minnesota Star Tribune, Gable Steveson will make his debut on November 24. This will mark his first time competing since he retired in 2022. Steveson previously won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Gable Steveson commented on the news in a comeback video.
“First, I would like to thank the University of Minnesota for their time, their effort and their persistence with me to push me to the man I am today,” Steveson 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.”
Steveson is a two-time Hodge Trophy winner. He won his second national title in 2022, and he is a three-time Big Ten Conference Champion.
Steveson signed the first-ever WWE NIL deal in 2022. He appeared at WWE SummerSlam and WrestleMania 38. Steveson also appeared on the December 9, 2022, episode of WWE SmackDown. He had a brief run in NXT in 2023 and made his in-ring debut at NXT The Great American Bash 2023. WWE released him in May 2024. Steveson tried to transition to the NFL, but the Buffalo Bills cut him in August after he spent the preseason with the team.
