Bursts of excitement exuded from the Gophers wrestling locker room when former Gopher Gable Steveson announced on Nov. 12 that he would return to his college team.

Steveson, 24, exhibits showmanship in his wrestling. Head coach Brandon Eggum called him an entertainer. In the last three years, Steveson was an Olympic gold medalist, WWE wrestler and NFL football player.

Steveson was granted an Olympic redshirt and an extra year of eligibility for competing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This guy is not only the best in the country, he’s the best in the world,” Eggum said. “I’ve never seen anybody like him before.”

Ultimately Steveson’s decision to come back was not a tough call. In short, he said Minnesota was the best.

“I started in Apple Valley, Minnesota, not a hard one to come back,” Steveson said. “Probably the greatest place on earth you could be.”

Steveson is not back for fun and games, he means business.

“My goal has always been to be as dominant as possible,” Steveson said. “My goal has always been what the fans have liked, and the Minnesota fans like seeing Gable wrestle.”

Steveson added if the fans like watching him, why would he not come back for another year?

As far as Steveson being a 24-year-old man working with and wrestling against college-aged guys, Eggum is not worried. He said Steveson is fitting in with his new teammates because Steveson has been around the program since he left.

As far as what’s next for Steveson, he said he wants to train for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones suggested he take a path similar to former Gopher Michael Blockhus in mixed martial arts. 

“He’s gonna be scary, he’s gonna be very scary when he decides to do MMA,” Jones said after his fight on Nov. 16. “It’s not a matter of if he’ll become a UFC champion, it’s when he’ll be a UFC champion.”

Steveson spent time helping Jones train for UFC 309. He said MMA interests him a lot. 

Until then, Steveson has a show to put on at Maturi Pavilion against Campbell on Nov. 24. Eggum expects an exciting match for Gophers fans in Steveson’s return as the Camels field an NCAA All-American heavyweight in Taye Ghadiali.