Neil Erisman was hired as Little Rock’s first head wrestling coach on June 20, 2018, marking a major milestone with the addition of wrestling as the university’s 15th intercollegiate athletic program.
Erisman has quickly established Little Rock Wrestling as a national contender. He guided the Trojans to a historic 2024–25 season, advancing a program-tying five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. For the second consecutive year, Little Rock produced two All-Americans and two NCAA placers in Stephen Little and Matty Bianchi. Erisman was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach since 2018 to win the honor in back-to-back seasons. The Trojans finished the year ranked No. 15 nationally by the NWCA, the highest ranking in program history.
During the 2023–24 season, Erisman was named both NWCA Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Year after leading the Trojans to multiple program firsts. Little Rock tripled its dual-meet wins from the previous season, cracked the NWCA Top 25 for the first time in school history, and finished No. 18 nationally. The Trojans also placed second in the Pac-12 Championships for the first time. Five Little Rock wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships, and the program celebrated its first two All-Americans and placers in Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little.
In just his second season at the helm, Erisman helped develop Paul Bianchi into Little Rock’s first NCAA qualifier, with Bianchi advancing to the second day of competition at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
Erisman arrived in Little Rock with an impressive Division I résumé as both a coach and competitor, with experience at Oklahoma State and North Carolina. Over his coaching career, he has mentored 20 NCAA All-Americans and four NCAA individual champions.
Prior to joining Little Rock, Erisman spent four seasons on staff at the University of North Carolina, helping the Tar Heels rise on the national stage. During his tenure in Chapel Hill, UNC posted a 41–28 overall record, finishing third in the ACC in both the 2015–16 and 2017–18 seasons. Erisman coached four ACC individual champions and four NCAA All-Americans, highlighted by the 2017–18 campaign when Troy Heilmann (149) and Ethan Ramos (174) captured ACC titles. Heilmann later placed fourth and Chip Ness placed seventh at the NCAA Championships, as UNC finished 20th nationally, its best showing since 1995.
UNC also produced ACC champions Evan Henderson (149) and Ethan Ramos (174) in 2015–16, with Joey Ward earning All-America honors by finishing seventh at the NCAA Championships. In Erisman’s first season with the Tar Heels, Ramos placed second in the ACC before finishing sixth nationally. Erisman also built a strong reputation as a recruiter, helping UNC secure top-10 recruiting classes in each of his first three seasons.
Before his time at UNC, Erisman served as an assistant coach at Stillwater High School during the 2013–14 season, helping guide the Pioneers to the Oklahoma 6A state championship and earning recognition as the 2014 Oklahoma High School National Team Coach.
Erisman began his coaching career at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, serving as a graduate assistant from 2011–13 under legendary head coach John Smith. During that span, the Cowboys placed sixth at the 2012 NCAA Championships, won the 2013 Big 12 Championship, and finished second nationally at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
As a collegiate wrestler, Erisman compiled a 92–36 career record as a four-year letterwinner at Oklahoma State from 2007–11. He captured the 2011 Big 12 Championship at 157 pounds, after placing second in 2010 and third in 2009, and earned Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2008.
A native of DeSoto, Kansas, Erisman posted a remarkable 150–5 record at DeSoto High School, winning both a state championship and a cadet national title. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State in 2011.
Erisman and his wife, Kelli, are the parents of six children.
THE ERISMAN FILE
PERSONAL
Hometown: DeSoto, Kansas
College: Oklahoma State, 2011
WRESTLING EXPERIENCE
2007-11: Oklahoma State
92-36 career dual meet record and 2011 Big 12 champion at 157
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2011-13: Oklahoma State (Graduate Assistant)
2013-14: Stillwater (Okla.) High School (Assistant Coach)
2014-18: North Carolina (Assistant Coach)
2018-Present: Little Rock (Head Coach)
