Snyder announced his intentions to take a redshirt after becoming the United States’ youngest-ever wrestling world champion at the age of 19 in September.

But having held discussions with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Team USA’s coaching staff, it was agreed that removing Snyder’s redshirt was the best option to help him achieve his aim of securing an Olympic gold medal.

"Once I figured out it was possible for me not only to travel overseas twice and wrestle in international events and wrestle in the training camps, but I could also help the team and compete at heavyweight, and hopefully score enough points that we can win a second team title in a row, I decided that it was the best thing for me," said Snyder, who will compete for the Buckeyes at 129 kilograms.

"My goal of being an Olympic champion still hasn’t changed.

"I think these couple folkstyle matches that I’m going to wrestle are just going to help me sharpen my technique up for the Trials and then for the Olympic Games."

A redshirt allows a college athlete to temporarily pause the time period in which they are eligible to compete - with those holding one allowed to return to action at a later date.

Wrestlers who had been a member of a past US National Team or placed in the top eight at the 2015 USWorld Team Trials were eligible for redshirts, along with those who earned a junior or University world medal.

Any wrestler who placed in the top three at the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships, is a past NCAA champion or finished in the top two of the 2015 University Nationals are also eligible.

During his first year of NCAA competition for Ohio State, Snyder posted a 30-4 record and was runner-up at both the NCAA Championships and Big Ten Championships, part of the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the US. 

He will be aiming to go one better at this year’s Big Ten Championships, scheduled to take place at the Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa from March 5 to 6, after which his focus will turn to the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials at the same venue from April 9 to 10. 

"It [the Big Ten Championships] is going to be a good tune up event to be able to wrestle in front of that crowd," added Snyder, who is expected to return to Ohio State’s line-up against Penn State Nittany Lions on February 5.

On the road to being crowned world champion at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Snyder claimed five consecutive victories, including a 5-5 criteria success over 2014 gold medallist Abdusalam Gadisov of Russia in the men’s freestyle 97kg final.