Anytime someone pulls out of a big sports deal, questions are always asked as to where priorities lie. Especially when everything seems to look good on paper, it can be a contentious business of pleasing all parties involved, and in the case of AJ Ferrari, it seems to be an ongoing uphill battle. Ferrari was famously pulled out of the OSU team hours before he was charged with violent criminal allegations and though he seemed to have found his feet with California State University Bakersfield in the 2024-2025 season, then scoring a deal with UNC, it seems like things have now shifted.
Because, it’s official, UNC has pulled out of its deal with 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari after announcing that they’d signed him in April. According to a recent tweet by Pat Mineo of the Wrestling Room, “some ‘important people’” complaining is what caused UNC to pull out of the deal.
In a shocking development, AJ Ferrari is back on the open market after UNC admin pulled the rug… Apparently some “important people” complained, what a joke.
Since I know many will assume things, let it be clear that AJ did not get in any trouble, no incidents occured and he…
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) May 29, 2025
While Mineo himself expressed his disappointment with the decision in his tweet, saying, “IMO, this is a crappy deal for all parties involved- Koll and Co. worked hard to get him there and it was a program changing addition. Some will celebrate this sadly, but another team will be lucky to get this version of AJ moving forward!” Fans had their own feelings towards it, which they didn’t hold back from sharing in the comments below.
Fan reactions to news that UNC has pulled out of the deal with AJ Ferrari
Clearly, at least according to Pat Mineo and the fans, indecisiveness is not a great look for UNC, with one fan sharing, “Huge L for UNC. What a joke” Considering, as Mineo said in his tweet, Robert Koll did a lot of work to get Ferrari to UNC, pulling out nearly two months after the decision definitely seems like a joke!
Other fans still felt the pain for Koll, writing, “Absolutely tragic. If I were Rob, I’d be fuming.” True, if you were a coach focusing on the sports of the thing, to lose a potential star on your roster so long after you’d thought you’d had him down must be demoralizing.
Other fans had a new line of thought, assuming that now that UNCA had made such a huge mistake of pulling out, Iowa, headed by Tom Brands, keen on securing more NCAA titles for themselves, might take AJ Ferrari up, with one fan saying, quite succinctly, “I. O. W. A.”
Others questioned Ferrari’s NCAA future, stating, “dude’s gonna be 25 yrs. old next season. Maybe it’s time he moves on from college.” Turning 25 before the 2025–26 season and with only two years of eligibility left, many see this as the final chapter of his collegiate career. Though, just based off the fact that a justice system is in place, on the assumption that it works, it does seem unfair that Ferrari is continuing to face troubles after the charges were dismissed at the request of the accusing party in 2023. With just two years left for Ferrari to win an NCAA title again, whoever chooses him is going to have to think quick.
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