Photo by Northern Iowa Athletics: Former Fort Dodge state champion Drew Bennett has entered the transfer portal and will leave Northern Iowa.

CEDAR FALLS — The closer Drew Bennett gets to the real world, the more he realizes the importance of planning for a life after wrestling.

The former Fort Dodge state champion officially entered the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday, and will be leaving the University of Northern Iowa after nearly three full years at the school.

Bennett doesn’t have a definitive timetable for his next decision, but stressed academics will be a top priority during the recruiting process. The 2018 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate remains as committed as ever to his career on the mat. His future in business will also be a sticking point moving forward, though.

“My main focus the rest of the way is to get the most out of both my wrestling and educational experiences,” said Bennett, who carries a cumulative 3.25 collegiate grade point average. “I really want to be a sports agent someday. When I looked into the specifics of what I needed to make that happen here, I started to see that maybe UNI wasn’t going to be the best fit for me.

“I’m not going to say this is an easy decision. It’s not. I love a lot about UNI, and it’s going to be incredibly difficult to leave my friends and family. But this is an important time to be ‘selfish,’ so to speak. Not in a bad way, but college is such a short period of time and you have to make the most of it. Once you start to picture your future, you have to prioritize what it’s going to take to get there.”

Bennett spent most of the 2021 season as the Panthers’ starting 141-pounder. He teamed with fellow former Dodgers Brody Teske, Triston Lara and Cayd Lara to become the first quartet from the same high school in over 70 years to compete in the same Div. I wrestling lineup.

Bennett’s collegiate record, including his redshirt season and unattached matches, stands at 25-14 overall between 133 and 141. He was 2-6 this year, with three losses to Top-15 opponents.

“I’m going to talk to coaches and look at schools (while evaluating) not just the program itself, but the business school, internship programs and everything else,” said Bennett, who was 153-8 as a Dodger and a key piece to their 2018 championship squad. “I really appreciate the support, as always, from family and friends who have been with me from day one. They’re going to be by your side and love you no matter what.

“I talked to Brody, Triston and Cayd ahead of time about it. It’s tough. They’ll always be my brothers no matter what. The same goes for some of my other (Panther) teammates, and friends who aren’t (directly a part of the UNI wrestling community). Some tears were shed. Ultimately, though, this is what I need and what’s best for me.”

Bennett believes the highs and lows he’s experienced on the mat — as well as dealing with a handful of serious injuries along the way — will only make him stronger.

“I’ve learned so much about how to deal with adversity; when things aren’t going my way or I’ve got a long road ahead, this is the stuff that I’ll be able to lean on to give me an edge,” Bennett said. “And not just for the rest of my (collegiate wrestling career). Someday, when I’m one of 150 people interviewing for a position, it will help separate me from the pack. I’ve dealt with a lot. I’ve gone through a lot. I’ve been forced into patience and had to find perspective.

“You have this vision of how things will go when you get to college. Well, reality rarely lives up to that. You find out a lot about who you are, what you want and what you don’t.”

Bennett also added it’s “a little scary to think about starting over somewhere, not really knowing anyone,” but he’s also embracing the challenge of branching off and blazing his own path.

“I talked to Brody about a lot of this, (given) he went through a lot of this (but in reverse),” Bennett said, referring to Teske transferring from Penn State back home to UNI. “He just kept reminding me, ‘you’ve only got one shot at this. You have to make it count, take care of yourself, and (identify) what makes you happy and motivates you to get to that next chapter.’ I’m not going to hold it against UNI, (the state of) Iowa or home, just because I feel like that needs to happen someplace else. Again, I know who will be there for me at the end of the day. I have to go find the best fit for my future.”