Adam Hall often encounters a similar question. 

“‘Hey, how is your team gonna be this year?’” Hall, Utah Valley’s second-year head coach, recalled. 

Improved.  

Even after Terrell Barraclough became UVU’s sixth All-American in his final year of eligibility.  

A young squad with eight returning starters and a few veteran transfers, including Penn State’s David Evans, will embark on Hall’s second campaign, which begins at 9 p.m. ET Saturday when the Wolverines host Stanford in a dual that will be streamed live on Flowrestling. 

“Better than last year,” Hall said. “It is up to them to show that in competition — what that looks like — but I wholeheartedly believe our team is better.” 

Schedule Strength 

Hall created an ambitious 2025-26 schedule applying the same methods several mid-majors used in recent years — powerhouse programs early and often.  

Same concept Hall applied a season ago as the 2024-25 season featured nine ranked duals, including a 23-16 loss at then-#6 North Carolina State, where Hall assisted for nine seasons. 

The 2024-25 Wolverines (7-9 overall, 3-6 Big 12) finished 12th at the Big 12 Championships with Barraclough their lone NCAA Championships qualifier. 

A Dec. 12 neutral-site dual in Hannibal, Missouri, with Iowa and a regular-season finale home dual against Nebraska on Feb. 21 highlights this season’s nonconference dual slate.  

Visits to Oregon State, Wisconsin, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, a neutral-site battle against Chattanooga and the Southern Scuffle complete UVU's nonconference schedule. 

Hall’s intentions?  

Early-season tests to prepare for March chaos. 

“You don’t do that by hiding from people and hoping that you sneak people at the end of the year,” Hall said. “You have to face the fire and be battle tested so at the end of the year, you are not surprised by anything. We have been here. We have been in dogfights. We battle. We beat tough guys. We have grown. We have taken some lumps and we are preparing ourselves to have success at the end of the year.” 

Evans’ Influence

A Penn Stater immediately impacted Utah Valley a season ago.  

Barraclough returned to his home state for his final year of eligibility and became UVU’s sixth All-American when he placed fifth at 165 pounds in 2025. 

Evans, a 149-pounder, follows this season.  

“He brings an edge to our room,” Hall said. “He is different than Terrell. Just a different personality. Different individual. I appreciate that. You learn to coach new people and motivate people and meet them where they are at.” 

Evans, a redshirt senior, figures to be an immediate factor in the lineup after he spent five seasons in State College and collected 34 wins across three seasons. 

Evans redshirted a season ago with the Nittany Lions but went 12-3 as a junior at 141 and 149 in a season that featured a win over then-#6 CJ Composto of Penn.  

Two of his three losses occurred in overtime and the other was a two-point difference to teammate Tyler Kasak, a two-time All-American. 

Evans spent the summer in Orem acclimating to the new team and environment, Hall said. 

“(Evans) is motivated differently than Terrell is and that is OK,” Hall said. “He brought a different type of edge that I think guys were humbled by and have to give respect to.” 

From One Pack To Another

Transfers and freshmen weren’t the only additions to Hall’s squad. 

Hall hired one of his former pupils, Ed Scott, as a UVU assistant coach.

Scott, a two-time ACC champion, qualified for the NCAA Championships four times at North Carolina State and earned All-American honors in 2023 (fifth at 157).  

“(Scott) has had a huge impact already in a short amount of time,” Hall said. “He just really cares about our guys and he is pretty patient. He is a guy that is still competing, too. He gives his two cents because he is right in the battle with these guys and I think that they respect that. I think they embrace that. He’s young but already shows the attributes of being a great coach.” 

Timmy McCall, UVU’s head assistant coach, also coached Scott at NC State. 

Hall’s Habits

Hall landed in Orem with a plethora of fresh ideas and a unique plan to run his program. Assistant no longer.  

He instilled a wrestling style reminiscent of a wolverine — small but fierce animals who make even the biggest opponents keep their distance.  

That meant aggressive and relentless hard wrestling. 

“We are in your face,” Hall said. “You can probably point toward a number of programs out there that embody that. You know what you are going to get from every single guy. It takes time over time for guys to buy into that. It is not easy but it becomes a mentality. At the end of the day, I’m establishing a mentality here.” 

It didn’t fit for everyone. 

Ten non-seniors from 2023-24 — Greg Williams’ final year as head coach before retirement — did not return for Hall’s first season.  

Eight non-seniors from 2024-25 did not return this season. 

“There are going to be bumps in the road,” Hall said. “There are people that don’t fit the process and you have to probably have hard conversations with these people when you come in because you want to give everybody equal opportunity but if somebody is not right for the culture, the culture you are trying to establish and set up, then it is not going to work.”  

UVU, though, welcomes a freshman class of seven, including 133/141-pounder Layne Kleimann, who won two Utah state titles but tore his left ACL in the spring. 

Hall said he expects Kleimann to return to full health “by the end of this calendar year.” 

UVU voted Kleimann as a freshman captain. 

“(Kleimann) tries to do, I would say, the right things impacting the other guys there,” Hall said. “Like I said, our freshman class is talented. It is just a matter of time.” 

Watch Utah Valley home duals live this season on Flowrestling.