TEMPE – A pair of recent top-three wins for the Sun Devils’ newest 157-pounder Kaleb Larkin has earned him Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors, the conference announced on Tuesday.
The redshirt sophomore recently bumped up to 157 lbs. and proved that he is a force to be reckoned with regardless of his weight class. In his 157-lb. debut, Larkin found himself lined up against No. 3 Vinny Zerban (Iowa State) and controlled the tempo from the jump. Larkin’s poise and timely strikes led to a decisive 4-1 win to knock off Zerban for his first win at the 157 mark.
Just three days later, Larkin matched up against the No. 1 wrestler in the country, Ty Watters (West Virginia), in what was one of the most anticipated matches of the season to date. After a back-and-forth affair with things knotted at 1-1, Larkin successfully landed a third-period takedown to put Watters in a deficit he could not recover from and go on to win the bout by decision, 4-2.
In his two matches in the new 157-lb. weight class, Larkin is 2-0 with both wins coming against top-three opponents. Larkin now moves to 15-1 on the season with a team-leading nine bonus point wins (4 TF, 3 MD, 2 F) and a co-lead of the most major decisions (3) between 149 lbs. and 157 lbs.
Kaleb Larkin wins over top-three opponents in 2025-26
157: Dec. 4-2 over No. 1 Ty Watters (West Virginia) on Jan. 9, 2026
149: MD (12-3) over No. 2 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) on Nov. 15, 2025
157: Dec. 4-1 over No. 3 Vinny Zerban (Iowa State) on Jan. 6, 2026
All-Time Sun Devil Wrestling Big 12 Wrestlers of the Week
Kaleb Larkin, Jan. 13, 2026.
Richard Figueroa, Feb. 27, 2025.