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    Critiquing college head wrestling coaches

    The head coach of a college wrestling program is always receiving critiques. For most coaches that negative attention probably seems out of balance, like the 72 hours of work they accomplish every week goes unnoticed. This article only magnifies that attention deficit. As a former college wrestling coach and athlete, I understand that each of these men have worked hard to provide the best for their program, and could very well prove that they are anything but in trouble. Yet, others might very well be on their way on to another successful career.

    In wrestling there is always a replenishing of talent, both on the mat and in the coaches corner. As we saw last year, with new head coaches at Army, Northern Iowa, and Campbell, we should always expect some turnover, the following three coaches are just three top programs with coaches, and programs, in limbo.

    Under a Watchful Eye

    Joe McFarland (Michigan)
    Joe McFarland (Photo, Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)
    Michigan's runner-up finish (2005) must've felt like a century ago after the team finished 43rd in 2010. This season is promising with the addition of Eric Grajales to a lineup that includes 2009 All-American and two-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell. However, McFarland, who recently helped raise the money for and plan the massive stand-alone Bahna Wrestling Center in Ann Arbor, is likely on a short leash if he doesn't improve the team's showing at Big Tens and the NCAAs (Remember: Nebraska is coming in 2011-2012). The addition of Brian Dolph as volunteer assistant and the designation as a Regional Training Center could help with recruiting and year-round practice partners. However, outside of Anthony Biondo, Justin Zeerip, and those previously mentioned, the Wolverines are thin on impact talent.

    C.D. Mock (North Carolina)
    A former NCAA champion for the Tar Heels, Mock came to Chapel Hill in 2002 after the resignation of longtime UNC head man Bill Lam. Mock has an excellent reputation in Pennsylvania where he led Council Rock High School to several successful seasons. However, his time in Chapel Hill has been shaky, with only one All-American wrestler in Evan Sola, and two ACC team titles (2005, 2006). Working in his favor are some extremely talented individuals in Jon Burns and Thomas Scotton, as well as a stellar 2011 recruiting class that already includes four InterMat Top 100 recruits. He also recently re-hired Cary Kolat and renovated the team's practice facility. Working against Mock is the recent success of the rest of the ACC (Maryland, U.Va., and Va. Tech), and a possibly emergent Duke Blue Devil team with a vastly improved coaching staff. Their gains have made his slightly less visible, which is a problem on a campus known for athletic excellence.

    Rande Stottlemyer (Pittsburgh)
    The EWL Coach of the Year and member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His name is on the list because of tenure (31 years) and location. There is no area of America with more folkstyle wrestling talent than Western Pennsylvania and Rande Stottlemyer is responsible for holding onto that talent. Tom Ryan's success at Ohio State has in large part been a result of holding onto local talent, both in wrestlers and now with young coaches. Stottlemyer is a consistent performer, producing an All-American in 20 of his last 27 seasons, but increasingly, that consistency isn't compelling enough to resist change. Unfortunate for Pitt, Cael Sanderson and Penn State will continue to gorge on local talent and if Pitt doesn't figure a way to intercept some top names, they'll be forced to recruit from Western Maryland. Look for head assistant Jason Peters to get a look at the top job, should a change be made.

    Here are some coaches with programs moving up in the NCAA rankings.

    On the Rise

    Pat Popolizio (Binghamton)
    Pat Popolizio (Photo/Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)
    The list of recent achievements for Popolizio is impressive: two consecutive seasons with at least one All-American, CAA title in 2010, CAA Coach of the Year, and the highest national finish for the bearcats (21st). Popolizio isn't just recruiting big talent to his program, with the help of his brother Frank, they are turning northern New York into a hotbed to be respected not just for Greco-Roman wrestlers, but pure folkstyle talent. Justin Lister, Josh Patterson and Donnie Vinson all had an impact on the program in 2010, but don't be surprised if in the next few years, Popolizio is tapped to lead a big ticket program. While this change may be unfortunate for Binghamton it would be a logical progression for Popolizio ... He's certainly earned the opportunity

    Mark Branch (Wyoming)
    Does anyone else get the impression Branch may never leave Wyoming? The third-year coach is not only recruiting top talent, he's morphing hard-nosed wrestlers with standard athleticism into All-American contenders (See: Joe LeBlanc, Michael Martinez, Shane Onufer). Branch has more than 15 freshman coming into his program this year, and as they become part of his program there are certain to be several more West Regional championships for the 'Pokes.

    Jason Borrelli (Stanford)
    Borrelli was a risky hire for the Cardinal in 2008. The former Central Michigan wrestler had only been an assistant coach for two seasons and when he earned the job he instantly became the youngest coach in Division I. However, whatever he lacked in experience, he's compensated with ingenuity. The first meet of the 2010-2011 season will take place on the Farm when Stanford plays host to Northwestern in an outside dual meet, meant to promote the sport on campus. While he's getting a hang of how to promote his sport in California, he's also churning out quality wrestlers. Last year Borrelli coached sophomore 165-pounder Nick Amuchastegui to a fourth-place finish, and in the offseason picked up a few nice recruits. He also solidified his coaching staff by adding California-native, and former NCAA runner-up Alex Tirapelle. Expect more improvement to come from Palo Alto.

    Lifetime Exemptions

    Rob Koll (Cornell)
    Rob Koll: Standard-setting facility and a top-ranked program ... coming from the Ivy League. He's kind of the man right now.

    Tom Brands (Iowa)
    No one embodies the Hawkeye ideal more than the three-time NCAA champion wrestler and three-time NCAA champion coach. If they change coaches in the next 30 years they'd be changing the face of wrestling.

    J. Robinson (Minnesota)
    Innovator and championship coach has brought fame to a campus known for hockey and not much else. He'll be certain to leave on his own terms.
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