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Stanford wrestling's future?


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Reportedly, here is the Stanford wrestling situation nowadays:

***Three top-5 recruiting classes, a substantial regional training center (RTC) structure and group of athletes, and additional scholarships funded through self-endowment.  Meanwhile the wrestlers have an average GPA above 3.5, "exemplifying the balance of academics and athletics for which Stanford stands."***   

Meanwhile ACC affiliation will give them annual competitions against some academically motivated universities including (but not limited to) Duke, UNC & U.Va.   Unfortunately Ga. Tech. does not presently sponsor wrestling at the NCAA D1 level, but the Yellow Jackets were recently ranked as either the best deal for the tuition dollars or the second best.  Meanwhile Cal: Berkeley also does not presently sponsor NCAA D1 wrestling.   And I'm not aware that Southern Methodist University (SMU) ever has.   But maybe that can change. 

   I think ACC teams will be very happy to have Stanford in their circle of wrestling rivals.   As we know, rivalry can be converted into friendship in our great sport of wrestling during the off-season, and beyond.   And there is no doubt that folks on each of the ACC's 3 coasts would like to get some experience studying and / or working on AT LEAST one of the other two coasts someday. 

    If only they can afford the travel despite budget cuts...  Either way, Rob Koll appears to have left behind a solid base after he inherited a program that was all but extinct.   Hopefully he can keep wrestling alive at his alma mater in Chapel Hill, and enable it to increasingly thrive (and hopefully welcome Stanford's entry into the ACC despite UNC's, Clemson's & Florida State's reported prior disapproval).      

 

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Here's more on Stanford wrestling's new head coach.  Of particular interest is his undergraduate degree:  marketing.   That could be very helpful...   

https://gostanford.com/news/2023/9/11/ayres-named-matt-gentry-head-wrestling-coach.aspx

Edited by TitleIX is ripe for reform
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31 minutes ago, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

Reportedly, here is the Stanford wrestling situation nowadays:

***Three top-5 recruiting classes, a substantial regional training center (RTC) structure and group of athletes, and additional scholarships funded through self-endowment.  Meanwhile the wrestlers have an average GPA above 3.5, "exemplifying the balance of academics and athletics for which Stanford stands."***   

Meanwhile ACC affiliation will give them annual competitions against some academically motivated universities including (but not limited to) Duke, UNC & U.Va.   Unfortunately Ga. Tech. does not presently sponsor wrestling at the NCAA D1 level, but the Yellow Jackets were recently ranked as either the best deal for the tuition dollars or the second best.  Meanwhile Cal: Berkeley also does not presently sponsor NCAA D1 wrestling.   And I'm not aware that Southern Methodist University (SMU) ever has.   But maybe that can change. 

   I think ACC teams will be very happy to have Stanford in their circle of wrestling rivals.   As we know, rivalry can be converted into friendship in our great sport of wrestling during the off-season, and beyond.   And there is no doubt that folks on each of the ACC's 3 coasts would like to get some experience studying and / or working on AT LEAST one of the other two coasts someday. 

    If only they can afford the travel despite budget cuts...  Either way, Rob Koll appears to have left behind a solid base after he inherited a program that was all but extinct.   Hopefully he can keep wrestling alive at his alma mater in Chapel Hill, and enable it to increasingly thrive (and hopefully welcome Stanford's entry into the ACC despite UNC's, Clemson's & Florida State's reported prior disapproval).      

 

1. We don't know how many of these recruits are going to stay at Stanford vs move to UNC.  Koll has already said he will try to flip the commitments. I hope Ayres is able to keep as many as he can. 

2. The ACC move is a disaster for Stanford athletics.  They are going to be taking in ~$16 million less per year compared to what they previously received from the PAC12.  The ACC itself may fall apart within a year or two if Clemson, Florida State, and UNC leave the conference (note-all three voted against Stanford joining). 

There are going to be some very important decisions made within the athletic department. Where will the cuts go?  Are they going to invest into the football program to the point where it can be competitive again and potentially survive the realignment? If not, what will the athletic department look like with a smaller budget?  

3.  Chris Ayres taking this job is great news.  The #1 priority needs to be trying to keep Stanford wrestling as a D1 program, and he has already shown an ability to fundraise exceptionally well and build a competitive program.  For him to leave Princeton and take the job, there must have been some fairly strong reassurances. So this is really a great day from what was a terrible couple of weeks for the program. 

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15 minutes ago, nhs67 said:

Curious if they increase from 5.5 to 9.9 again.

Were they previously at 9.9?   I seem to recall having read that they were not.   Perhaps ever, in fact.   But my recollection's admittedly faint on this topic.   Maybe they were at 9.9 when tuition was maybe around $12K per year during the 1980s.   Might you know, though?   If so, please share.  🙂

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34 minutes ago, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

Here's more on Stanford wrestling's new head coach.  Of particular interest is his undergraduate degree:  marketing.   That could be very helpful...   

https://gostanford.com/news/2023/9/11/ayres-named-matt-gentry-head-wrestling-coach.aspx

So now Princeton?  Any chance Tom Cruise might get the job?  Sure its risky but think Princeton could use a guy like him.  

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52 minutes ago, nhs67 said:

Curious if they increase from 5.5 to 9.9 again.

I thought Koll said they were at 9.9

45 minutes ago, billyhoyle said:

1. We don't know how many of these recruits are going to stay at Stanford vs move to UNC.  Koll has already said he will try to flip the commitments.

He did?

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1 hour ago, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

Were they previously at 9.9?   I seem to recall having read that they were not.   Perhaps ever, in fact.   But my recollection's admittedly faint on this topic.   Maybe they were at 9.9 when tuition was maybe around $12K per year during the 1980s.   Might you know, though?   If so, please share.  🙂

They were 9.9 due to Koll leveraging it during the Oklahoma fiasco.  As soon as he announced he was gonzo they reduced back to 5.5.

"I know actually nothing.  It isn't even conjecture at this point." - me

 

 

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44 minutes ago, nhs67 said:

They were 9.9 due to Koll leveraging it during the Oklahoma fiasco.  As soon as he announced he was gonzo they reduced back to 5.5.

My understanding was they were never 9.9 but were told they would be eventually. Then after he stayed not everything promised was happening 

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I was under the impression that the Stanford wrestling program knew it had to raise funds externally in order to fund additional scholarships.   Rome wasn't built in a day and the fundraising was a gradual endeavor.   I haven't been under the impression that Coach Koll returned to his alma mater because he was being let-down by Stanford's administration.   The cost of housing in Palo Alto was a stated factor, though.   But even if it wasn't, who can blame him for wanting to return to his alma mater and be closer to his family after he'd already achieved so much with the otherwise terminated wrestling team that he inherited at Stanford.  I wish Stanford and the Carolina Tarheels well with their wrestling endeavors.   I do not have ties to either program, by the way.   I just want to see wrestling teams survive & thrive, not wilt and pass away.   

That said, I would like to see Princeton U. adapt to this new coaching personnel challenge satisfactorily.   Hopefully it can?   Stanford & UNC adapted well, it seems.    Stay tuned...  

 

 

3 hours ago, ionel said:

 

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  • 1 month later...

I can't seem to find much on Francois.  Saw some rando on twitter saying that he's out at Stanford but no clue if there's any truth to that.  I thought the rumor was that Deakin was likely joining Koll at UNC, and I believe Koll himself mentioned trying to bring an assistant or 2 from Stanford to UNC (UNC's coach list currently only has Koll & Ramos).

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52 minutes ago, flyingcement said:

what makes you say that?  I hadn't seen any announcement, but I don't have any direct ties to the school either

An old trick I learned eons ago.

Thanks for the info!

Edited by Ban Basketball
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Owner of over two decades of the most dangerous words on the internet!  In fact, during the short life of this forum, me's culture has been cancelled three times on this very site!

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