Coach Green's Friday Mailbag (7/31/2026)

Good morning, gangstas.  If you weren't up watching U17 today- what are you doing?  Our girls are crushing it and the boys are off to a great start as I write this.  And shoutout to the much-maligned Greco program for having a great event.

Let's answer some questions!

What are your thoughts on the future of NCAA Wrestling and USA Freestyle/Greco Wrestling in terms of spectator, participant, and investor interest? - Kevin McGuigan

NCAA wrestling is seemingly well positioned in all those areas if you use the NCAA tourney as a metric.  It gets better and better every year.  The Penn State mega dynasty is compelling, but the new wave of momentum in Stillwater is exactly what the sport needs from a storyline standpoint.  I think the biggest concern at the NCAA level is whether we lose teams that can't write the checks that the Iowa/ Iowa State/ Michigan and other P4 schools can, and whether there is enough organic interest in "other" teams to have a fan base large enough to keep the sport relevant outside of 15 programs.

UWW wise- I think we are in a transition in the USA.  This level is about star power and individuals and we have been in the golden age for both - with JB, Dake, Adeline, Helen, Kyle Snyder, Sarah, etc for a long time.  As these faces of the sport reach retirement age, who has that draw?  Who can produce the results but also be someone that draws in fans amongst our younger stars?  I think stakeholders will look to brand smart stars like Bo Bassett and Kennedy Blades to keep carrying the torch.

There always seems to be one surprise Olympian. Who is your early pick for 2028? - Jagger

This one vexed me, because it is accurate.  And there is a long time between now and then.  I'm gonna pick two people.  They are obviously already very good, but making the team in 2028 still seems unlikely.  Jayden James and Aaron Seidel.

What is the Real America freestyle match Coach most wants to see - Hijo

Hmm.  I hope they eventually put more women's matches on the card, so I'm gonna go with a young phenom Taina Fernandez vs age group world champ Jasmine Robinson.

What are your thoughts on Wyoming Seminary and Blair Academy's new girls head coaches? - Riley L.

So awesome to have enough interest in the sport to have a question like this.  It's come a long way since we started the program at Sem 10 years ago.

Mia (Macaluso) is going to do great.  Kudos to Blair for adding a female coach- more girls will look at Blair now- and they are already doing pretty well.  Mia has a strong track record at ESU and I can't wait to be on the other side of the Macaluso sister civil wars for years to come.

Steve (Mytych) inherits the top program in the nation 10 years running and the coffers are filled with talent.  Who would have dreamed 10 years ago that a HS girls job would be an attractive option for a long time DI men's assistant?  There is a deep, accomplished roster in Kingston, but we have learned since Erin Vandiver's departure that coaching at Sem is a different animal, and longevity and success there has nothing to do with xs and os.  Steve knows the institution, as it is his second stint there, so it looks to be a good setup.

Awesome to see girls wrestling growing at the Prep level