Brandvold leaves Minnesota staff, college coaching profession
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota wrestling assistant coach Trevor Brandvold is leaving the college coaching profession, Gophers head coach Brandon Eggum has announced. Brandvold is planning to pursue interests outside of the coaching realm, though he intends to still be involved with the Gopher Wrestling Club.
"From the bottom of my heart I want to thank the Gopher Wrestling Family for an amazing seven years," Brandvold said. "My time on the staff with this amazing program has been an incredible blessing. My wife Ali, our four kids (Izraya, Abel, Siloam and Sequoia) and myself will cherish the moments and memories we made here forever! I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to work among such amazing athletes, staff, alumni and fans!
"This is truly a family and I'm thankful to stay part of it going forward. The program is in great hands with Coach Eggum, Becker and the rest of the staff. This is going to be a great team and I am excited for the future! Although I am stepping away from coaching and into some new adventures I hope to stay connected and involved with the program through the Regional Training Center. This was an extremely difficult decision but it was time to pursue new challenges. The highs and lows of this sport are unmatched. I'll certainly miss being in the corner helping these young men reach their goals and dreams. I'll see you all in the Pav this winter. Thanks again Gopher Nation and thank you to the amazing men I've gotten to do life with! Go Gophers!"
Brandvold spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach with the Gophers. He worked primarily with the upperweights but ultimately spent time with all weight classes. In his six years, Brandvold saw 16 Gophers overall earn All-America honors, including seven among the upperweights, highlighted by two-time national champion and three-time Big Ten champion Gable Steveson.
Recruiting was also a major part of Brandvold's duties with the Gophers, most recently helping Minnesota bring in the No. 6 class in the country for 2024, according to InterMat. Minnesota also boasted top-10 classes in three of the past four years, according to FloWrestling, with both 2024 and 2021 coming in at No. 7 and 2023 sitting at No. 9.
The Golden Gophers posted a dual record of 57-24 over Brandvold's six seasons, including a 32-19 mark in the Big Ten. The team posted a pair of top-five finishes at the Big Ten Championships and four top-15 finishes at NCAAs, including eighth place in 2019 and a tie for seventh in 2021.
"Trevor's ability to connect with the athletes is something that will have a lasting impact on these young men's lives," Eggum said. "While we're sad to lose him, I'm incredibly excited for Trevor and his family as they embark on this new opportunity ahead. He has been an amazing coach, mentor, and friend and his influence will continue to shape the future of our program. We wish him all the best in his new endeavors. The Brandvold's will always be a part of our Gopher wrestling family!"
This past season, 184-pounder Isaiah Salazar became a Big Ten champion, as well as an All-American thanks to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Steveson won his national heavyweight titles in 2021 and 2022, taking home the Hodge Trophy in each season to become the first heavyweight to win the award twice. He was one of six multi-time winners in NCAA history.
When Steveson took home his gold medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, it was Brandvold who was his training partner. Brandvold also helped Hayden Zillmer of the Gopher Wrestling Club make the U.S. World Team.
Brandvold made an instant impact in his first season with the Maroon and Gold, helping both Steveson and Devin Skatzka to All-America honors in 2019. The duo also earned NWCA First Team honors in 2020 as the NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID.
Prior to Minnesota, Brandvold spent six seasons at his alma mater, Wisconsin. He was the head recruiter for the Badgers where he primarily coached the five heaviest weight classes, helping bring nine NCAA qualifying spots, three All-Americans, a national finalist and a Big Ten Medal of Honor winner. Along with his coaching accomplishments on the mat, he was also in charge of academics, community service, high school outreach and was the Badger Regional Training Center liaison.
On the mat, along with being a two-time Big Ten Champion, Brandvold was a two-time All-American and also has experience in international wrestling. He finished second at the USA Olympic qualifier, and top six at the U.S. Open and Olympic trials in 2012.