The stress of a head coaching position means that after a few years some guys want out, or are asked to leave. There's no hiding from wins and losses or the perceived momentum of a program and this week two different, but individually attractive jobs opened up. Both are in the ACC.
The first was N.C. State, who said goodbye to their head coach Carter Jordan, who'd overseen the program for eight seasons. His dual meet record was unimpressive, but Jordan coached an All-American in 2012 (Darius Little) and had recruited and coached NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell. The N.C. State program is fully-funded, has a new wrestling facility and the momentum of the aforementioned competitors. Losing Ohio stud Chris Phillips to retirement (and now Ohio State) hurts their future, but with Raleigh as one of the nation's nicest college towns, it shouldn't be hard to recruit new talent to the program.
The day after the N.C. State announcement came the news that longtime Duke head wrestling coach Clar Anderson was stepping aside. Anderson, a two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, has been the Blue Devil's head coach for 14 years, coaching national finalist Konrad Dudziak in 2010. Many wrestling fans believe that the Duke program sits near the bottom in terms of institutional support. That's tough to verify, but they do have limited scholarship opportunities a small budget and tough admission standards. However, as one of the nation's top five academic institutions with increased financial aid packages and a motivated and proactive alumni base, the Duke program could excel under the right leadership. Also, Durham is an attractive spot for recruiting a coach with a family.
The following names are not really in order. They are based off of conversations and assumptions. Of course I can't mention all the possibly candidates as these jobs will receive dozens of applications, however, these are a few of the most compelling and attractive candidates. The list does not include the current staff members who very well may get the bump in responsibility, including Glen Lanham of Duke and Lee Pritts or Steve Anceravage of NC State.
Again, this is just a cobbling together of pieces of information on who will and won't apply, hunches on who is primed for a change and some opinion on what type of coaching background and track record is best suited for the challenges of each job.
N.C. State Wolfpack
1. JohnMark Bentley (Head coach, Appalachian State)
In-state recruiting is a huge issue for state schools like N.C. State, and JohnMark Bentley has shown that he can recruit and coach-up the local talent, first as an assistant with Appalachian State for five years and now as the program's head coach. In his third year as head coach Bentley lead App. State to a 21st place finish in 2012 (the best since 1972) and coached two All-Americans (the first since 1941). Bentley, a three-time ACC champion from UNC-Chapel Hill, has shown that he has the ability to coach a winning program in North Carolina, and for N.C. State he might just be the perfect man to combine local and national talent and make the Wolfpack a part of the national discussion.
Mark Perry has been successful everywhere he has been (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Perry is one of the more divisive coaching figures in college wrestling, but he's also a proven winner. Love him or hate him he's been part of two programmatic rebirths, first at Cal Poly and now in Illinois. Even detractors say that his obsession with the sport and passion for seeing his guys win is admirable. He'll be a head coach soon enough, and no matter where he lands as a head coach he'll be firing off NCAA champions and All-Americans. But will he leave the Big Ten remains to be seen.
3. Brad Dillon (Assistant coach, Lehigh)
Pat Santoro's right-hand man since his days as the head coach of Maryland, Brad Dillon has slowly shown the wrestling community he's a better-than-average leader and recruiter. The Santoro coaching style has proven effective and Dillon has spent the majority of his college wrestling and college coaching career learning that style. He could bring immediate energy to the Wolfpack program and in short order make them competitive in the ACC and the nation.
4. Sammie Henson (Head coach, Sunkist Kids)
The former Clemson wrestler has been a part of almost a dozen NCAA Division I wrestling programs as an assistant coach, and everywhere he's been the team has improved immediately and dramatically. He wasn't hired at Oklahoma which likely stung, but moving forward he has to be considered a top candidate for any head coaching position. Henson will have to fight the stigma that he has programmatic ADD, but should he convince the Wolfpack athletics department to give him a chance there are sure to be NCAA champions in the school's future.
Josh Moore is a hard worker and big draw in Pennsylvania (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Arguably the assistant coach with the most distinguishable record for helping to turn around a program, Josh Moore is well overdue for a head coaching position. Since his arrival at Kent State during the 2004-2005 season the Golden Flash have crowned their first All-American since 1983, recorded their best national finish ever, and had their first-ever NCAA champion (Dustin Kilgore, 2011). Oh, and they raised enough money to revamp their facilities. Moore's a hard worker and still a big name in Pennsylvania, which is wonderful for recruiting.
Others names to consider: Casey Cunningham (Assistant coach, Penn State), Tony Robie (Associate head coach, Virginia Tech), Bryan Snyder (Assistant coach, Nebraska), Alex Clemsen (Assistant coach, Virginia)
Duke Blue Devils
1. Jeremy Spates (Assistant coach, Cornell)
When you see the name Spates, you probably still think Oklahoma, but the son of Jack has become a marketable and successful coach in his own right. You could argue that the young coach's biggest accomplishment to date was being hired at Cornell as an assistant, a job that dozens of other coaches would like to have. However to excel in the Ivy League coaches need to be a polished product and posses mat skills. Spates does, and as the weight class coach to Kyle Dake for two seasons, he's been a steward to one of the most impressive wrestling careers in NCAA history. Despite the on-the-mat successes, it'll be the fundraising and friend-raising he learned in Ithaca that'll make him most valuable to a program much in need of both.
2. Pat Owen (Assistant coach, Harvard)
The Harvard assistant has been a quiet leader for Crimson for five seasons, and in that time has coached several All-Americans, including two in 2012 and NCAA Champion J.P. O'Connor. The Michigan grad has been a part of a winning tradition, and like Spates, has operated inside the Ivy admission and financial aid process -- an enormous advantage when compared to many other candidates.
3. Josh Moore (Associate head coach, Kent State)
Read above.
4. Todd Beckerman (Assistant coach, Maryland)
After two seasons coaching at the Naval Academy and another seven in College Park, Todd Beckerman has established himself as one of the most respected coaches in the nation. He's been a winner at every level, including his college career at Nebraska, but what sets Beckerman apart is his familiarity with the Mid-Atlantic region and the competition in the ACC. Should Beckerman apply he'll have to show that he can lead the Duke program to sustained health by raising donations and winning matches.
5. Jordan Leen (Assistant coach, Virginia)
A one-time assistant of the Blue Devil program, the former NCAA champion spent the past season in Charlottesville as an assistant coach under Steve Garland. He's a graduate of Cornell and has seen the issues inside the Duke program first hand. Leen is young and from a coaching family (much like Jason Borelli of Stanford), and should the native Tennessean and former ESPN broadcaster get an interview he'll also show his compelling communication skills.
Other names to consider: Roman Fleszar (Assistant coach, Columbia), John Clark (Assistant coach, Brown), Brad Dillon (Assistant coach, Lehigh), Alex Clemsen (Assistant coach, Virginia), Troy Letters (Assistant coach, Clarion)
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