B.J. Futrell will begin his third season as an assistant coach at Northwestern University in 2025-26. Futrell, a former United States freestyle national team member and two-time All-American, joined the ‘Cats after spending two seasons at the University of Pennsylvania. He works predominantly with Northwestern's lightweights.
Prior to joining Storniolo's staff, Futrell mentored 17 NCAA Qualifiers during his two-year stint with the Quakers. That group was highlighted by CJ Composto (141 pounds), who enjoyed a standout debut campaign in 2021-22, claiming All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in addition to being named Freshman of the Year by both the Ivy League and the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). Futrell also enjoyed success on the recruiting trail while at Penn, helping the program secure four top-100 recruits for the class of 2024.
Before his time in the City of Brotherly Love, Futrell spent the abbreviated 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy. Five Midshipmen punched tickets to the NCAA Championships, with both Tanner Skidgel (165 pounds) and Spencer Carey (174 pounds) collecting All-America distinction from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Skidgel and Cody Trybus (141 pounds) also won EIWA individual titles.
No stranger to coaching on the world stage, Futrell has joined Team USA's staff on multiple occasions. In 2025, he helped coach the U.S. to gold at the U20 Freestyle World Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria. With Futrell's assistance, the team collected a record five gold medals, and eight medals overall, en route to the team title. It was Futrell's second stint with the national team, as he was also selected as the head coach of Team USA for the 2022 U20 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile. He piloted Team USA to gold medals in nine out of 10 weight classes, with athletes posting an impressive 34-1 combined record. Team USA outdistanced runner-up Canada by 91 points for the team title, while Nick Bouzakis (61 kg) took home the Golden Boot as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the Tournament.
Futrell, a two-time University National Champion and World silver medalist, also owns coaching experience at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC), where he worked with U23 National Champion Doug Zapf (70 kg) and 10 All-Americans between Freestyle & Greco Roman.
A three-time All-Big Ten honoree during his career at the University of Illinois, Futrell earned All-American finishes at both the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Championships. A two-time finalist at the Midlands Championships, the Park Forest, Ill. native attended Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, where he posted back-to-back undefeated seasons en route to winning a pair of Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state titles.
“As a coach, I consider myself to be the caretaker of my student-athletes’ dreams,” Futrell concluded. “It is a dream and honor of mine to coach here at Northwestern University and be back in the conference where I once competed, in a community that I care for, and in the state that I will always consider to be home.”
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time All-Academic pick by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), Futrell graduated from Illinois in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology before earning a master’s degree in educational policy studies in 2013.
Prior to joining Storniolo's staff, Futrell mentored 17 NCAA Qualifiers during his two-year stint with the Quakers. That group was highlighted by CJ Composto (141 pounds), who enjoyed a standout debut campaign in 2021-22, claiming All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in addition to being named Freshman of the Year by both the Ivy League and the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). Futrell also enjoyed success on the recruiting trail while at Penn, helping the program secure four top-100 recruits for the class of 2024.
Before his time in the City of Brotherly Love, Futrell spent the abbreviated 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy. Five Midshipmen punched tickets to the NCAA Championships, with both Tanner Skidgel (165 pounds) and Spencer Carey (174 pounds) collecting All-America distinction from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Skidgel and Cody Trybus (141 pounds) also won EIWA individual titles.
No stranger to coaching on the world stage, Futrell has joined Team USA's staff on multiple occasions. In 2025, he helped coach the U.S. to gold at the U20 Freestyle World Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria. With Futrell's assistance, the team collected a record five gold medals, and eight medals overall, en route to the team title. It was Futrell's second stint with the national team, as he was also selected as the head coach of Team USA for the 2022 U20 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile. He piloted Team USA to gold medals in nine out of 10 weight classes, with athletes posting an impressive 34-1 combined record. Team USA outdistanced runner-up Canada by 91 points for the team title, while Nick Bouzakis (61 kg) took home the Golden Boot as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the Tournament.
Futrell, a two-time University National Champion and World silver medalist, also owns coaching experience at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC), where he worked with U23 National Champion Doug Zapf (70 kg) and 10 All-Americans between Freestyle & Greco Roman.
A three-time All-Big Ten honoree during his career at the University of Illinois, Futrell earned All-American finishes at both the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Championships. A two-time finalist at the Midlands Championships, the Park Forest, Ill. native attended Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, where he posted back-to-back undefeated seasons en route to winning a pair of Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state titles.
“As a coach, I consider myself to be the caretaker of my student-athletes’ dreams,” Futrell concluded. “It is a dream and honor of mine to coach here at Northwestern University and be back in the conference where I once competed, in a community that I care for, and in the state that I will always consider to be home.”
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time All-Academic pick by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), Futrell graduated from Illinois in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology before earning a master’s degree in educational policy studies in 2013.