Zack Esposito to Join NC State Staff

The departure of Associate Head Coach Adam Hall to take the reins at Utah Valley has left a big-time coaching vacancy in Raleigh. Head Coach Pat Popolizio and the Wolfpack have added a familiar name to the staff to fill that spot. Zack Esposito will be leaving his current position as the USA Wrestling Freestyle Developmental Coach to make the move across the country to join the Pack. My initial reaction was surprise, as Espo wasn’t one I had on my radar. But the more I’ve thought about it and looked into it, I think Pat Pop hit a home run with this hire. 

Esposito and Popolizio are both Oklahoma State alumni who wrestled under legendary Head Coach John Smith. Esposito was a National Champion and three-time All-American under Smith and a member of four NCAA Champion teams. He started his coaching career in Stillwater in 2010 as the Gator Wrestling Club Coach and worked his way up through the Oklahoma State staff, serving as Associate Head Coach from 2017 until his move to Colorado Springs last fall. During his time in Stillwater, he coached 10 NCAA Champions and 67 All-Americans. 

Adam Hall has played a vital role in the success of the Wolfpack’s recruiting effort over the past nine years and helped build them into a perennial top-10 team. Esposito was a phenomenal recruiter during his time at Oklahoma State, and undoubtedly the additional relationships and connections he has built in the Developmental Coach role will be an asset to the Pack. Espo will also play a major part in running the room and will add yet another style to the technique arsenal in Raleigh. The timing of the hire is hopefully going to provide a seamless transition as Hall moves on to his new duties as Head Coach at UVU and Espo slides in at a critical time in working on the next recruiting class.