InterMat Staff

St. John's Jesuit

Fort Cherry

Central Dauphin

St. Michael-Albertville

Marshall

Pope John XXIII

Gloucester City

We are a few weeks away from the first whistle blowing and the 2024 NCAA season officially begins. Which means it’s another season of Fantasy College Wrestling! If you’re reading this article, then you have at least an inkling of curiosity about what this crazy game is all about. It’s pretty simple really, just like all the other fantasy sports you probably play (like baseball, basketball, and football). While the season gameplay can have its moments of frustration, the framework of Fantasy College Wrestling is just like your run-of-the-mill Fantasy dashboard that any of the major sites offer. And we have WrestleStat to thank for it. In the past, you and your friends would do a manual draft, set up your teams, and agree on a set number of rules. Then, either all team managers or one individual would tally the points for each team each week. For 18ish weeks straight. Plus Conferences. Then the national tournament. It is a royal pain in the ass, and I know (I have been doing it since 2014). Since about 2018, though, the guys at WrestleStat have created a full-fledged click-and-set style fantasy wrestling platform that plays just like ESPN, Yahoo, or whatever other site you use for fantasy football. Complete with a snake draft, projections, trade, and add/drop capabilities. And if you are new to fantasy sports and looking for something to make each match and dual that more exciting? Well, you’re in the right place. For the noobs, fantasy sports is a game where you assemble a team of real-life athletes and compete against other teams based on how those athletes perform in real life. Based on the rules of your league, the wrestlers on your team will earn positive points or negative points based on the actual outcomes of their play. At the end of the week, every athlete in your starting lineup will have their points totaled and whichever team has the most, wins that week. In Fantasy College Wrestling, there are two types of leagues you can create or join that can range from five to fourteen teams: Head-to-Head and Total Point leagues. More on that later. If you don't want to read the whole article and want the boiled-down version, here you go (thanks for the clicks anyway) Leagues can be made up of 5 to 14 members Competition type: Head-to-Head or Total Point scoring Rosters are 16 wrestlers (10 starters, 2 flex, 4 bench) Scoring weeks run Monday to Sunday Win by Decision, +3, lose by Dec -3 per match. Same scoring for Maj, Tech, Pin, DQ, Inj, etc. Add and Drop wrestlers just like you do in Fantasy Football (no waiver wire, it’s first come, first served) Wrestlers will LOCK at 12pm on the day of their team’s first competition for the week Expanded Rule Explanation: Set-Up One member of your league will have to be designated as the “League Manager” or “Commissioner.” This individual will be responsible for setting up the league through WrestleStat and creating the basic settings: how many teams are in the league, how many points are worth each result (they default to the Standard Scoring amounts to start), the number of add/drops per week, and most importantly the draft day and time. In the past, WrestleStat had two tiers of user Entry costs: Single League Play at $4.00 per season and Unlimited League Plays at $10.00 per season. This year, it’s one set price of $6.00 for Unlimited League Plays. Clear and simple. This individual may also be responsible for league requirements outside the jurisdiction of WrestleStat, such as: league fees, documentation of rosters for postseason carry-over, etc. WrestleStat does not collect nor disperse your group’s dues, fees, winnings, etc. HOWEVER, new to this season, the Commissioner can pay for the entire league (regardless of size) at $28.00 instead of individual signups. Pretty sweet as FCW Team Managers have been asking for something like this for a while. The Draft and Rosters WrestleStat’s Fantasy College Wrestling draft is a fully interactive snake draft experience that takes as much time (or less) as your typical Fantasy Football draft. Each League Manager can set the number of teams, but the standard league is 10. Should a league not fill all the team spots by draft time, the open slots will be filled by “Simulated Teams,” who will draft on Auto for the next best available wrestler. With WrestleStat’s comparison algorithm, they are able to have draft data like number of duals and tournaments for the year and projected points for the season. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: If you sign up now, you can try your hand at some “Mock Drafts.” So if you want to do some trial runs, see how the process works, or even get some friends excited for the upcoming season, so give it a try! The typical league team consists of 16 wrestlers: 10 starters (one per weight class), two Floaters (any weight class) and four bench spots. The League Manager also has the ability to increase the number of bench wrestlers per team for the league. The 10 starters will only score points if they wrestle at the designated weight class. For example, if a wrestler is in the 125 roster spot (say Matt Ramos) and wrestles up at 133 for a dual meet. That result would NOT count. However, the wrestlers in the two Floater spots can wrestle at any weight class and have the result count. For example, a 125 wrestler (say Matt Ramos) wrestles at 133 and is in one of the Floater spots. That result WILL count. The bench spots will not score points. Scoring The Default Scoring in WrestleStat’s Fantasy College Wrestling leagues had the following parameters: 1) Standard Dual Scoring was used for all competitions (Dual and Tournaments). Meaning, that a win by decision was +3 and a loss by decision was -3, etc., etc. A win/loss by Fall, FFT, INJ, or DQ was +6/-6. No advancement or placement points are counted. MFF and Byes are zero points (though this can be changed by the League Manager) 2) Only matches against D1 competition counted for your wrestler’s weekly Fantasy point total. Any match against un-rostered, DII, DIII, etc. wrestlers would not count for or against your wrestler’s weekly point total 3) Wrestlers on Olympic Redshirt or grayshirting would not be eligible to accrue Fantasy points 4) Regular redshirts ARE eligible for accruing Fantasy points Add/Drop Each Scoring Week runs from Monday to Sunday. A wrestler will “lock” for the Scoring Week at 12pm EST on his team’s first competition. This means any add/drops or changing Starters/Floaters would have to be completed before 12pm EST. Limitation on add/drops per week can be set by the League Manager. For instance, my average amount of add/drops between my three leagues was 89 transactions in 2022. Competition There are two styles of gameplay: Head-to-Head and Total Point leagues. For Head-to-Head leagues, each week your team would compete head-to-head against another member of your league. Total accumulated points vs total accumulated points and the team with the higher total wins the week. Standings go by overall record, with the tiebreaker being total aggregate points. Very much like a traditional fantasy sports league. The regular season lasts about 15 or 16 weeks, with the top four teams competing for the championship in the final two weeks of the NCAA season (much like the National College Football Championship). The middle four teams (#5-8 in the standing) would compete in the “Best-of-the-Rest Tournament.” for bragging rights. For Total Point leagues, each week your team is competing against all other teams in the league to get the highest score. Each week, your score is added to your current running total to shape the standings. At the end of the season, whoever has the most points scored WINS. WrestleStat leagues do not carry over into the postseason (Conferences and NCAAs)... yet. And that, my Fantasy College Wrestling friends, is the boiled-down ruleset that you need to know. If you want to read the full rules, (and you SHOULD ALWAYS READ THE RULES) you can view them HERE. If you participated last year, I hope you sign up again. If you didn’t participate, I highly encourage you to do so. Everyone always talks about growing the sport of wrestling; what better way to do so than to make it a competition between friends. Now instead of following just Penn State, Iowa, or your local team, you become interested in how 141 Cael Happel (UNI) does against Joey Zargo (Wisconsin), or that your week’s success hinges on the hail mary pickup of South Dakota State’s Tanner Cook to win that tournament. Like making pasta, you have to fold the flour in gently, not all at once. Fold your friends into the sport, and get them to have a vested interest in duals and tournaments. In other words, get them involved in Fantasy College Wrestling. I truly believe Fantasy College Wrestling has an opportunity to not only add another dimension to the fans we have, but an excellent opportunity to gain new fans. It’s cheap and fun (and frustrating) exposure. Next up, Tony Two-Cents on Tips & Tricks to win your #FCW24 League…

Thomas Jefferson

Topsail

St. Joseph's Regional

Liberty

What has become a preseason staple for us at InterMat, counting down the top 50 wrestlers for the upcoming season, is back for 2023-24. With a large chunk of sixth and seventh-year seniors gone, there is plenty of turnover from last year’s list to this one. That makes for a lot of fun and perhaps some spirited debates. Like last year, the third iteration of this feature will show five wrestlers at a time, counting down from #50 to #1. For each wrestler, we’ll have some basic information along with career highlights, and a brief analysis of their career (with an emphasis on last season), followed by an outlook for the upcoming season. Here are #46-50 45) Brock Mauller (Missouri) photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com Weight: 149 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 3x NCAA All-American (7th, 5th, 6th), 3x MAC Champion, 2023 Big 12 Runner-Up 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #35 A stalwart for the Missouri Tigers since the 2018-19 season, Mauller is one of the few wrestlers who has earned a spot in the top-50 in each of the last three years. Mauller has earned All-American honors in each of the four years he’s taken the mat for Mizzou, three times from the NCAA and once from the NWCA (2020). During the 2022-23 campaign, Mauller suffered a loss in mid-November, but did not lose for the remainder of the regular season. His final match before the postseason saw him prevail by fall in tiebreakers over freshman sensation Paniro Johnson (Iowa State). Johnson would later return the favor in the Big 12 finals. That led to the sixth seed at nationals, which happened to be Mauller’s lowest seed in his four times qualifying for nationals (3, 4x2, 6). 2023-24 Outlook: Mauller starts the year ranked fifth in a wide-open 149 lb weight class. He’s currently the highest-ranked wrestler in the Big 12 at the weight and sits directly behind Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech), an opponent whom he split with in 2022-23. In four years of collegiate competition, Mauller has already amassed a 103-12 record, with five losses as a true freshman, accounting for the most defeats in one year. What we’re saying is Mauller is incredibly consistent and should be a contender at this weight class. There are some rumblings about a possible weight shift for the Tigers, which could involve Mauller; however, we’ll see how that develops (or if it does). 44) Richie Figueroa (Arizona State) photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Weight: 125 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2022 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Champ 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked We’ve already had a true freshman, so how about a wrestler who didn’t start for his team in the 2023 postseason? That’s not fair to Richie Figueroa, as he sat behind a multiple-time All-American and notched some excellent wins of his own. Of Figueroa’s 14 wins last year, nine came against past/future NCAA qualifiers. At the CKLV Invitational, Figueroa topped the eventual NCAA runner-up, Matt Ramos (Purdue), in the title match. Before that, Figueroa outlasted NCAA Round of 12 finisher Brett Ungar (Cornell) in tiebreakers. In his last match before Vegas, Figueroa downed Noah Surtin a regular All-American threat for Missouri. Figueroa finished the 2022-23 season with a perfect 14-0 record. 2023-24 Outlook: With a head-to-head win over Ramos, you could make the argument that Figueroa deserves the preseason number one ranking at 125 lbs. For now, he’ll settle for third behind Ramos and Anthony Noto (Lock Haven), yet ahead of a handful of past AA’s who we’re quite as consistent during the 2022-23 season. Right away, Figueroa will be able to move up the rankings as he is slated to meet Noto at the WrangleMania Duals (November 11th). Figueroa came into Tempe as one of the top pound-for-pound recruits in the Class of 2021 and has done nothing to hamper that label. Expect Figueroa to be a key factor if not the national champion at 125 lbs, when the smoke clears Saturday night in Kansas City. 43) Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Weight: 141 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2022 NCAA 5th Place, 2x ACC Champion 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #24 The 2021-22 campaign was a breakout year for Cole Matthews who finished fifth in the nation after going 1-2 at nationals the previous year. Matthews’ NCAA finish led to a preseason #1 ranking from InterMat. Despite an early-season, unofficial loss at the All-Star Classic, Matthews carried an undefeated record into the new year as he claimed the title at the Midlands. Matthews was upset in his first dual of 2023; however, he rebounded and navigated through a tough ACC dual schedule and conference tournament to claim his second title. That gave him the #3 seed in Tulsa. At Nationals, Matthews advanced to the quarterfinals, but fell short of the NCAA podium after back-to-back losses in tiebreakers. All-in-all, still a very strong year with a 21-3 record and a win over an eventual All-American. 2023-24 Outlook: Matthews starts the year ranked seventh in a really deep 141 lb weight class that looks to be up-for-grabs with 2023 champion Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) slated to take a redshirt. Matthews owns a career win over Alirez’s NCAA finals opponent, Real Woods (Iowa), and #3 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina). If I had to guess, I’d expect a lot of movement between the top-ten or 12 at this weight. Matthews has shown he can compete with and beat some of the best in the nation; he just needs to do it in March, in back-to-back matches. Matthews is very sound defensively and comfortable in close matches, which are both great traits to have. In order to have a high NCAA finish, he’ll probably need to expand his offensive, a bit. 42) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com Weight: 141 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2023 NCAA 6th Place, 2023 Big Ten 6th Place 2022 Top-50 Ranking: Not Ranked One of the cornerstones of Ohio State’s top-ranked recruiting class of 2022, Jesse Mendez immediately stepped into the Buckeye lineup and made an impact. In his first tournament, Mendez knocked off two-time All-American Lucas Byrd (Illinois) on his way to a Michigan State Open title. Mendez missed about a month of action, but jumped back into the lineup and won his first five Big Ten duals, the last of which came over a past All-American Rayvon Foley (Michigan State). As has been known to happen to freshmen in the Big Ten, Mendez took some lumps at the conference tournament and finished sixth, losing to a pair of wrestlers he defeated earlier in the year. He showed maturity in Tulsa and bounced back to match that same Big Ten finish, by taking sixth at NCAA’s. In Mendez’s final three wins of the season (one of which clinched All-American honors), he would prevail in tiebreakers. Over the summer, Mendez made an age-group world team for the third time when he locked up a spot on the U20 freestyle world team. Unlike previous trips, this one ended with some hardware as Mendez claimed a silver medal at 65 kg. 2023-24 Outlook: Since Mendez was in action at 65 kg (143 lbs), you can see his days at 133 lbs in the rearview mirror, as Mendez is expected to move up to 141 for the 2023-24 campaign. Mendez does have a redshirt available, so don’t rule that possibility out. As we stated earlier, with Cole Matthews, 141 is very deep and has plenty of potential contenders. With a full offseason in Columbus under his belt and any added confidence from his international exploits, I’d expect an even better version of Mendez and one that’s ready to challenge for a chip. Right now, Mendez doesn’t have any collegiate history versus any of the other top contenders, but that should change come December. After the CKLV Invitational, the best regular season tournament in the country, he’ll have potential duals with Matthews, #9 Ryan Jack (NC State) and #11 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa), within ten days. 41) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) Weight: 157 lbs Collegiate Achievements: 2x NCAA All-American (7th, 3rd), 4x ACC Runner-Up 2022 Top-50 Ranking: #41 We did not plan it this way, but Bryce Andonian comes in at the exact same ranking as last year, #41. Andonian got his 2022-23 season off to a late start when he first saw action at the Purple Raider Open in mid-January. In his first dual action, Andonian put together an impressive major decision against eventual All-American Ed Scott, which was very important in Virginia Tech’s two-point win over rival NC State. Though Andonian’s total match count was down, due to his early season injury, he did manage to post a career-best in bonus-point percentage. The always-entertaining Andonian notched four falls during his 12 wins. Injuries have slowed Andonian down a bit during his career, as he only holds a 53-18 record into his final season with the Hokies. 2023-24 Outlook: The 157 lb weight class is loaded with potential title threats and Andonian is surely one of them. He will not be phased by the bright lights and big stakes that go along with wrestling in the NCAA quarterfinals or semis. In fact, he might prefer them. While Andonian starts the year ranked sixth, he does have multiple wins over Scott (#5) and was dangerously close to knocking off top-ranked Levi Haines (Penn State) in the quarterfinals. If you want to infuriate a Hokie fan, bring up that match. Andonian nearly had Haines pinned early in the contest, only to get pinned himself late in the third. The lesson is that Andonian is one of the most unique and dangerous wrestlers in the country. Regardless of score or position on the mat, he’s capable of ending a match in mere seconds.

The Pac-12 coaches plan to throw out some top-tier wrestlers to claim the final Pac-12 title. In this preview, we will look at each projected starting lineup and analyze some of the wrestlers. A second, forthcoming preview will break down the conference weight-by-weight. Arizona State 125 - Richard Figueroa/Tristan Mascarenas 133 - Julian Chlebove/Carter Dibert 141 - Jesse Vasquez/Emilio Ysaguirre 149 - Kyle Parco/ Kaleb Larkin 157 - Jacori Teemer 165 - Chance Mclane/ Nicco Ruiz 174 - Tony Negron/Cael Valencia 184 - Cael Valencia/Tony Negron 197 - Anthony Montalvo/Jacob Meissner 285 - Cohlton Schultz Arizona State’s depth is unmatched with eight wrestlers projected to make the NCAA Championships in the preseason rankings. The lightweights carried the Sun Devils the last few years, but the tide has changed. Although Figueroa and Chlebove are outstanding wrestlers, teams will not want to face Vasquez, Parco, and Teemer in three straight matches. The three of them can make runs for an NCAA title. ASU should be fighting for another team trophy in March. Cal Poly 125 - Dominic Mendez 133 - Zeth Romney 141- Abraham Hinrichsen 149 - Chance Lamer 157 - Legend Lamer 165 - Luka Wick 174 - Adam Kemp 184 - Jarad Priest 197 - Josh Harkey 285 - Trevor Tinker Cal Poly’s lightweights are young prospects. Mendez and Romney were both top 100 recruits who were CA State Finalists. In addition, the Mustangs have zero seniors in the starting lineup, making them a dangerous group for the next few years depending on where their next move takes them. This season the Mustangs will be dangerous from 149 to 174 pounds, having three NCAA qualifying wrestlers. CSU Bakersfield 125 - Richard Castro-Sandoval 133 - Santino Sanchez 141 - Tyler Deen 149 - Johnathan Viveros 157 - Brock Rogers 165 - Augustine Garcia 174- Evan Gilbert 184 - Guillermo Escobedo 197 - Mateo Morales 285 - Jake Andrews CSU Bakersfield will struggle to contend against its Pac-12 opponents. On the bright side, Garcia is the only senior penciled into the starting ten. The upperweight tandem of Escobedo and Morales could be the toughest part of the Roadrunner lineup. Little Rock 125 - Jeremiah Reno 133 - Nasir Bailey 141 - Jayden Gomez/Brennan Van Hoecke 149 - Kyle Dutton 157 - Matthew Bianchi 165 - Brendon Abdon 174 - Tyler Brennan 184 - Triston Wills 197 - Stephen Little 285 - Josiah Hill/KJ Miley Little Rock will have four freshmen in the starting lineup. However, coach Neil Erisman believes every one of them is a darkhorse in their respective weight classes. Bailey, Dutton, Abdon, and Little were Fargo champions. In addition, Little earned several ranked wins last season and Miley put together a 10-8 record competing unattached. The upperweights could be the headliners for the Trojans as Wills, Little, and Hill are projected to reach the NCAAs. Oregon State 125 - Brandon Kaylor/Maximo Renteria/Caleb Coyle 133 - Gabe Whisenhunt/Damion Elliot/Nash Singleton 141 - Cleveland Belton/Ayden Garver/ Nathan Aguilar 149 - Noah Tolentino/Austin Scott 157 - Isaiah Crosby/Murphy Menke 165 - Matthew Olguin/ Cole Zoller 174 - Travis Wittlake/Mason Reiniche/Kekana Fouret 184 - Trey Munoz/Kodiak Stephens 197 - Mason Christiansen/Jackson McKinney/Brett Mower 285 - Boone McDermott/Charles Hastriter Oregon State has a great chance to repeat as Pac-12 champions and finish as a top 20 team in the country. The Beavers talent and depth are spread throughout the lineup. Kaylor has a chance to take over the 125-pound class in the Pac-12 and reach the podium in March. Belton and Olguin have the opportunity to break brackets in March, while Munoz is one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the Pac-12. Stanford 125 - Nico Provo 133 - Dominick LaJoie 141 - Jason Miranda 149 - Jaden Abas 157 - Daniel Cardenas 165 - Hunter Garvin 174 - Luke Duthie 184 - Jack Darrah 197 - Nick Stemmet 285 - Peter Ming Chris Ayres fields a competitive squad in his first season as the Stanford head coach. The Cardinal crew can be a long shot to win the Pac-12 and finish top 25 at the NCAA Championships. Even though Stanford does not have an NCAA champion-caliber wrestler, a few should contend to be All-Americans. Abas, Cardenas and Garvin can be a dangerous trio in the middleweight classes. Abas ranks 11th in the preseason, Cardenas ranks ninth and Garvin ranks 29th. However, Garvin has the opportunity to become the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year if he impresses in a decent weight class.

Buford

Mt. Pisgah

Paulsboro

Below are the DI postseason tournaments (dates and locations) for the 2023-24 season: ACC Championships Sunday, March 10th, 2024 @ Chapel Hill, North Carolina (University of North Carolina) Big 12 Championships Saturday, March 9th and Sunday, March 10th, 2024 @ Tulsa, Oklahoma Big Ten Championships Saturday, March 9th and Sunday, March 10th, 2024 @ College Park, Maryland (University of Maryland) EIWA Championships Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th, 2024 @ Lewisburg, Pennsylvania (Bucknell University) MAC Championships Friday, March 8th and Saturday, March 9th, 2024 @ Kent, Ohio (Kent State University) Pac-12 Championships Sunday, March 10th, 2024 @ Corvallis, Oregon (Oregon State University) SoCon Championships Saturday, March 9th, 2024 @ Boone, North Carolina (Appalachian State University) NCAA Championships Thursday, March 21st-Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 @ Kansas City, Missouri (T-Mobile Center)

Liberty

Dodgeville

Friday evening, the Cornell Big Red received a verbal commitment from one of the top wrestlers in the Class of 2025 Alessio Perentin (Delbarton, NJ). Currently, Perentin is ranked ninth overall in the Class of 2025 and third in MatScouts latest rankings at 165 lbs. Perentin is a two-time New Jersey state placewinner, taking fourth as a freshman and winning the 2023 tournament at 157 lbs for the perennial power Delbarton. Outside of New Jersey’s borders, Perentin has won the 2022 Beast of the East and finished seventh at the Super 32. In 2021 and 2022, Perentin made the medal stand at Fargo’s 16U freestyle tournament (2nd, 7th). With Perentin’s verbal commitment, Mike Grey’s team now has three commits from the Class of 2025, joining #71 Elijah Diakomihalis (NY) and #145 Jake Conroy (PA). Perentin projects at the 174 lb weight class which is good because the other two prospects project higher in weight. While there are a handful of returners at the weight class behind All-American Chris Foca, there isn’t a clear-cut successor ready to step in for him. A verbal from Perentin also continues the relationship between the Big Red and Delbarton. Cornell has a highly ranked wrestler from the Class of 2023 (Simon Ruiz), 2024 (Lou Cerchio), and now 2025 (Perentin) all whom attended Delbarton; which is the school Mike Grey attended. The Ivy League schools all have been after Delbarton kids of late. For more recruiting information, check out InterMat’s College Commitment Page .

Delbarton

It’s finally over, right? Isn’t it? I think it is. Technically, the 2023 Coaching Carousel is still spinning; however, the head coaching portion of this ride is likely over for the year, and what a wild one it was! Within days of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, there were questions regarding Lou Rosselli’s status at Oklahoma, but that situation lingered for a few weeks. Once Rosselli was out, plenty of contenders had their names thrown out for the Sooner head coaching position. After some twists and turns, North Dakota State’s Roger Kish was hired. For a few months, the carousel went quiet, as far as head coaches were concerned. Then a series of events kicked off by James Green returning to Nebraska (which led Zach Esposito to take his job, leaving a vacancy on the Oklahoma State staff) and led to three head coaching vacancies in August and beyond. So, with the 2023-24 season less than a month away, let’s take a look at all of the DI head coaches who are in the midst of their first year leading a “new” program. New is in parentheses because there are a few coaches who are with the same team but have been elevated to head coach. Chris Ayres (Stanford) The author of “The Greatest Turnaround in College Sports” is headed west and steps into a situation that is much less daunting than when he took over the Princeton program. Chris Ayres inherited a Princeton team that would go on to their first 35 matches under his direction. Eventually, Ayres took the Tigers from the bottom of the EIWA to the top of the Ivy League in 2020, a feat that had not been 18 years. During Ayres’ final two years at Princeton, he saw a pair of wrestlers (Pat Glory, Quincy Monday) make the 2022 national finals, a Princeton first; before Glory claimed the 2023 national title at 125 lbs. Ayres takes over a Stanford team that has six wrestlers ranked in the preseason and comes in ranked #24 in duals. Each of the last two Cardinal recruiting classes have been ranked in the top-eight by InterMat and there’s a very talented group from the Class of 2024 that has already verballed to Stanford. With his experience building and improving the Princeton program, Ayres could be the perfect person to deal with the strict admissions at Stanford, yet be able to thrive and continue growing. Obe Blanc (North Dakota State) With Roger Kish moving on, the NDSU brass didn’t have to look far to find his replacement in Obe Blanc. Blanc had spent the last four years on Kish’s staff at North Dakota State so there is a high level of familiarity between him and the current student-athletes. During what would be his final year as an assistant in Fargo, the Bison put a pair of wrestlers on the NCAA podium (Jared Franek and Mike Caliendo). Franek also captured the Elite 90, which is given to a student-athlete with the highest GPA and is participating in the NCAA Championship final event. Blanc was a central figure that helped the Bison earn citations in each of the three years for their recruiting efforts from InterMat (‘23 - 22nd, ‘22 - HM, ‘21 - 15th). That recruiting base has led to a strong, young nucleus in year one from Blanc. The emphasis is on young as some of the more accomplished veterans (Franek, Caliendo, and others) left via the transfer portal after Kish signed with Oklahoma. While the star potential of the veterans in year one may be lacking, Blanc has experienced a build at NDSU and NC State, so he’s comfortable molding a young team to his liking. It may take a few years, but don’t be surprised to see the Bison winning 11 of 14 duals and producing multiple AA’s, as they did in 2022-23. Joe Dubuque (Princeton) The second of two long-time assistants elevated to replace their predecessors, Joe Dubuque is the one who helped stop this late couple of rounds on the 2023 coaching carousel. Dubuque has spent the last 10 years on Chris Ayres’ staff at Princeton. He was a three-time All-American and national champion at Indiana; however, Dubuque left a job on the Hoosier staff to return to his home state and help build the Princeton program. A 125 lber in college, Dubuque had a close relationship with 2023 national champion, Pat Glory, a fellow lightweight that won Princeton’s first national title since 1951. While at Princeton, Dubuque has overseen five different wrestlers combined to make the NCAA podium on 10 occasions. Dubuque new position gives the Princeton team plenty of continuity as Dubuque was likely instrumental in the recruiting process and a key figure on the Tiger staff. Given that and the fact that it’s Princeton and student-athletes rarely transfer out, I wouldn’t expect much turnover during the coaching transition. Graduation has hit the Tigers hard in 2023, as both of their NCAA finalists, Glory and Monday, have moved on leaving Princeton with a new-look team this year. There should be plenty of new (and young) faces in the Tiger lineup for the 2023-24 season. Princeton has gotten off to an excellent start with recruiting in the Class of 2024 (8 verbals), so any step back they take in 2023-24 is likely temporary. Roger Kish (Oklahoma) Doesn’t it seem like years ago that we went through the Oklahoma coaching search? Former North Dakota State head coach Roger Kish emerged as “the guy” for the Sooners and you can feel his impact on the program already. Oklahoma already has eight verbals from the Class of 2024 and they have been linked with other top prospects in the Class of 2024 and 2025. The Sooners have long been criticized for the ability to ink in-state talent. Kish and staff have already started to fight back against that stereotype by getting verbals from five in-state wrestlers, all of whom are on MatScouts Top-200 Big Board. More impressively, one of them had been committed to Oklahoma State. This will be a fun angle to follow in the near future. On the mat in 2023-24, the Sooners should be really solid. They start the year #13 in InterMat’s dual rankings and tied for 14th place in a tournament setting. All team potential starters were ranked in the top-33 of their respective weights. Kish and crew should get an immediate title contender at 197 lbs with two-time All-American Stephen Buchanan. Buchanan transferred from Wyoming before the 2022-23 season and spent the year in redshirt. He has wins over the wrestlers who finished second and third at the 2023 national tournament. Because of the talent that Kish inherited, plus some portal additions, expect Oklahoma to be dangerous on the dual front and capable in tournaments during his first season. With the expanded recruiting efforts, it’s certainly possible that the Sooner emerge again as a regular top-ten program that can challenge for NCAA trophies. Rob Koll (North Carolina) Another shocking move in an offseason filled with them was seeing Rob Koll come back to the East Coast and assume head coaching duties at the University of North Carolina, his alma mater. Koll spent the first 28 years of his head coaching career in Ithaca, New York leading Cornell to become a perennial NCAA team trophy threat. During his time with the Big Red, Koll’s teams finished second in the nation twice (2011 and 2012) and in the top-15 15 times. He also oversaw the recruiting of two of the greatest collegiate wrestlers of all-time with four-time champs Kyle Dake and Yianni Diakomihalis. As great as Koll may be on the mat, his impact is just as important outside of the wrestling room. His fundraising efforts are legendary and that continues to grow in importance for a collegiate athletic department. With a high-profile school like North Carolina, one that already has had some success on the mat, I’d expect Koll to have even more success at UNC. North Carolina returns a pair of All-Americans (Lachlan McNeil and Gavin Kane), so they should help the team most in tournaments. Injuries, youth, and a tough-as-nails schedule led the 2022-23 UNC team to a 6-9 that’s not really representative of the talent already on campus. With another year of seasoning for the young guys, I could see UNC ready to unseat NC State or Virginia Tech around the 2024-25 season.

The wait is nearly over. One more month and the college season is upon us. And not a moment too soon. The Mets. Trash. The Raiders. Worst team in the league. I'm not even doing fantasy football. All my TV screens. They’ve gone dark. But the light at the end of the tunnel is finally in view. I think we even have a few wrestling-related questions for once. Let’s get to them! If Jagger is writing the NCAA wrestling season script, then what is the main event on Saturday night in March? Rhino You want me to book the finals in October? Screw it, I’ll bite. I admit I haven’t done the best job lately of keeping up with who’s at what weight and all that so I took a gander at the rankings and finally there’s some turnover. Between guys switching weights and some free-year guys starting to clear out, everything looks shiny and new. It likely wouldn’t be the main event even if it happened, but I’ll throw out there Chris Foca and Shane Griffith at 174. Of course, one would have to get past Carter Starocci as he continues his march to five titles. No easy task. But a matchup between the two former Bergen Catholic greats would be quite the big deal, at least around these parts. I'll go even further out on a limb and pick one that might have an even better chance of happening. Aaron Brooks in one corner for Penn State. In the other corner, wearing the Iowa black and gold, it’s AJ Ferrari! I realize there are more than a few hoops to jump through before AJ can return to college wrestling, but this has a very real chance of happening. Don’t tell me you don’t love the thought of it. Is this going to be your new favorite wrestler? Seton Hall Pirate For those without the benefit of flash photography, Pirate is alluding to recent Cal Poly commit Jagger French. Quite frankly, I dig it. Along with Jagger Condomitti of Nebraska and Jagger Clapsadle of Ursinus, the Jagger revolution has officially begun. We coming for all the Caels. While we’re here, let me explain why I go by the name Jagger. Back in my much younger days, I had a knack for doing a whole Mick Jagger impersonation at the right time of the night. So much so that someone once played Start Me Up at a wedding just to make me do it in front of about 300 strangers. Then I needed to make an email for Yahoo or something so I just picked that name and it just stuck for all my screen names as the interwebs got bigger and bigger in the early 2000’s. That’s the origin story of how I came to be known by this moniker. I always hated the name Ian anyway so it’s worked out. How excited should I be for the Rutgers heavyweight transfer? Does the Jersey bump get him on the podium in March? Salty Walkon Bringing in Slavikouski was a good move for the Scarlet Knights. I liken it to when Greg Bulsak showed up to hold down 197 for a year and got himself on the podium. Can Yara do the same? I just don’t know. Currently he’s ranked sixth, but we’ve yet to see Nick Feldman do his thing and we have no idea what Gable Steveson is doing. And how does he hold up as a fifth-year senior in the Big Ten grind? Is he even aware of Jagger Night? He better be since there’s a good chance my perfect record may end up coming down to him a few times this season. Either way, There's a chance he anchors what could be a very solid block of upperweights with Turley, Soldano, and Poznanski. That’s two former All-Americans, a blood round guy, and a guy who made the round of 16 in Soldano who is extremely dangerous out there. Do not sleep on Rutgers this year. How old is too old to wear Pit Vipers? Also Salty Walkon Since I’m 45 and had to google what they are, it's not a good start. After seeing these hideous sunglasses, I’ll say every age is too old. Grow up and get some aviators already. Word on the street is Pete Alonso will be a Cubbie next year? Will Vogelbach be able to pick up the slack and carry the Mets to the World Series? Indiana Mat We are not doing baseball today. You’re obsessed with Daniel Vogelbach. And Pete isn’t a free agent until after next season so you have to trade for him. I just don’t think that’s happening. Keep in mind, Vogey and Alonso are best buddies so you might just get both of them. Don’t cry to me when they both hit .215 in the middle of your lineup. But we aren’t doing baseball today. Call back some other time. Alright, Jagoffs. I apologize for my brief hiatus again but life is hard and sometimes we have to deal with it. I love trying to entertain you all the best I can and I hope you're still with me. I started this gig nearly two years ago and I’m still at it simply because of you readers. Have a good weekend and I love you all.

Indiana