MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State Director of Athletics Kevin Buisman has announced that former Maverick and four-time All-American Brady Wilson has been named the fourth head coach in the history of the Minnesota State wrestling program.
Wilson returns to his alma mater after spending the past 15 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at St. Cloud State, where he helped guide the Huskies to a remarkable 235–10 dual record, including a 119–1 mark in NSIC duals during that span.
This season, St. Cloud State finished 17-2 and was 10-0 in the NSIC winning their 14th league title in the last 15 years. The Huskies finished second at the NCAA Super Region V Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships, seeing five wrestlers earn All-American Honors.
"Brady's homecoming marks a special time for Maverick Wrestling," said Buisman. "As just the fourth head coach in our program's proud history, he steps into a role shaped by decades of excellence and championship expectations. As a student-athlete who competed for outgoing head coach Jim Makovsky, Brady was a cornerstone of one of the greatest four-year runs our program has ever experienced, competing at the highest level and embodying the special privilege that comes with representing the Purple and Gold. And now as he takes the reins, I believe that with his competitive pedigree, coaching experience, and established recruiting network, Brady is poised to do great things and build upon the strong foundation that defines Minnesota State Wrestling."
A standout during his competitive career at Minnesota State from 2006–2010, Wilson won a school record 143 matches and is one of only eight four time All-Americans in program history. He was a two-time North Central Conference champion and a two-time Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion. During his tenure, Wilson helped the Mavericks to four top four National Dual Team finishes, two conference championships (NCC – 2007; NSIC – 2009), three regional titles (2007, 2008, 2009), and three top four finishes at the NCAA Championships (3rd – 2008; T3rd – 2009; 4th – 2007).
Individually, Wilson placed in the top five at the NCAA Championships all four years, including a national runner-up finish in 2010. He was named both the MSU Athlete of the Year and the Don Buchanan Senior Student Athlete of the Year that same season.
"Minnesota State wrestling has meant a lot to me as a student-athlete, alumnus, and now head coach," said Wilson. "Bringing my family home to the university and community that shaped my life makes this opportunity incredibly special. I'm grateful to Athletic Director Kevin Buisman and President Edward Inch for their trust, and I deeply appreciate Coach Makovsky and the championship foundation he built. I am committed to honoring that legacy while leading Maverick wrestling into its next era. The standard has been set and together, we will continue pursuing championships and making Maverick Nation proud."
During Wilson's time at St. Cloud State, the Huskies captured five NCAA Championships, eight NWCA National Dual Championships, 11 Super Region titles, and 13 NSIC Championships. Recognized as one of the nation's top developers of upper weight wrestlers, Wilson coached 18 All-Americans in the 184, 197, and 285-pound weight classes, including three national champions.
In total, 82 of the 107 NCAA qualifiers during his tenure at SCSU earned All-American honors, and 98 wrestlers received All-NSIC recognition, including nine NSIC Wrestlers of the Year and six NSIC Rookies of the Year.
Academically, St. Cloud State also excelled under Wilson's guidance, producing 137 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, 87 Academic All-NSIC honorees, and 10 College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans.
Wilson graduated from Minnesota State in 2009 and earned his master's degree in athletic administration from MSU in 2011. He and his wife, Heather, have two children, Harlow and Layne.
