Michael Kemerer after the 2021 NCAA Semifinals (Photo/Illinois Sports Information)In a spoof of a classic Tommy Boy scene, Michael Kemerer announced on Wednesday that he would be returning to the Hawkeye lineup next year. What it means for Iowa and the rest of the wrestling landscape is that the Hawkeyes will have all ten starters back from a team that won the national title even though they probably left some points on the table.
But the undercurrent - on message boards and social media - was one of snide commentary. "That's gonna make him how old!?"
The topic had started long before, actually. Every year after the NCAA Championships end, rabid fans discuss the prospects for their teams the following year, thus starting a bickering parade. And this year, it largely centered around how long some of these 'kids' were gonna stay in college.
It all, of course, has been exacerbated by COVID and the 'free year.' And because Iowa's lineup is filled with upperclassmen (and because, well, they're Iowa), they took the brunt of the heat.
Eight of ten Iowa starters will be in a season of at least one 'bonus' year.
125 - Sr. Spencer Lee (5th)
133 - Sr. Austin DeSanto (5th)
141 - Sr. Jaydin Eierman (7th)
149 - Jr. Max Murin (5th)
157 - Sr. Kaleb Young (6th)
165 - Sr. Alex Marinelli (6th)
174 - Sr. Michael Kemerer (7th)
184 - Jr. Nelson Brands (4th) or So. Abe Assad (3)
197 - Jr. Jacob Warner (5th)
285 - So. Anthony Cassioppi (4th)
Hawkeye fans, of course, counter that Penn State fans should shut up because it's only a matter of time before the Nittany Lion lineup looks like a Hall of Fame reunion pic. "Michael Beard has been out of high school for four years and is still gonna be a freshman!" they retort.
And everybody comments on Stevan Micic, who will be, should he return, eight years removed from high school graduation.
Look, I was against the free year. I thought there were too many loose strings that would actually make college coaches' lives even more difficult. But that argument isn't the same as complaining about the ages. The free year was given - that's the rule - and everyone is playing under the same circumstances.
The NCAA could have put in a stipulation that athletes affected by COVID can compete but only appear in four NCAA Championships. That would have changed things for, say, Jaydin Eierman, and AJ Ferrari, and Carter Starocci. But they didn't, and this is what we have.
So you old, righteous geezers need to accept it and stop shouting at the clouds, 'When are you gonna be done with college and move on with your life? Don't you want to start a career? A family?'
Uh. Pal. Just because you're miserable doesn't mean we all have to be. This is a personal choice and the wrestlers opting to stay in school are saying - no, screaming - 'this is fun'.
It's odd that, in a sport like wrestling where axioms are ubiquitous, the community would fail to have the perspective to enjoy life and live it to the fullest.
College is more halcyon than it is hellish. You do understand that, right?
While you're punching a clock, Michael Kemerer is gonna be at the diner with his buds. When you're wasting your company's time deciding what to get for lunch, ol' Kemdawg is gonna be throwing a frisbee in the quad. About the time you get home from soccer practice, Kemerer's gonna hit up a house party. He'll then wake up, about the time you go to Home Depot, and get ready to go to Kinnick for a football game.
When it's all said and done, Kemerer will have another degree and can go on to do all the glorious things that you do on a day-to-day basis.
But right now, he's gonna compete for a National Title with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
To your questions…
Break down the candidates for the Illinois job - everybody
I will always try to answer questions that I can and not put out hypotheticals. But this one has been asked by so many. My only answer is that it's too soon to tell. There hasn't been a shortlist discussed and there really isn't a surprise or 'wow' candidate that wouldn't be mentioned with any other school opening - Donny Pritzlaff, Bryan Snyder, Zach Esposito, etc.
To be honest, Coach Heff's retirement caught me off guard a bit. Why now? Sure, he's long in the tooth; he's been with the program for 29 years. But the Illini have a pretty strong team returning and frankly, if he was going to step down, I would have thought it would have been a few short years ago when Mark Perry was there.
Anyway - what is probably more fitting to discuss is how good of a job it is. At Illinois and in the Big Ten, you're on solid footing. And the state not only loves their wrestling (they are 3rd nationally in high school participation) but also produces some of the best prospects in the country.
We'll hear more in the coming days. But for now, I'll say that I think Jeremy Hunter and Mike Poeta should either be considered for the Head position or retained. Think of the great lightweights that Illinois has had under Hunter.
Another guy would be Tony Ramos, who has Illinois ties, is a terrific and relentless recruiter, and has a big-ish brand.
A Throwback Name
Khetag Pliev, Lakota East, Ohio
Pliev was a 3x state champ and won SR Nationals. He moved to Canada and represented them at worlds a few times, including the 2012 Olympics. I have no idea why someone his age would want to be fighting on lowly MMA cards, but his finger fell off in the middle of a fight last week. HIS FINGER FELL OFF. They couldn't find it. The Public Address announcer in the arena literally asked spectators to help look for it. It was eventually found lodged in his glove.
Can 174 2022 rival or even surpass the 2008 149 bracket or are we not ready for this conversation yet? - @TheGoatFollower
The 2008 149 NCAA bracket is the gold standard in terms of depth and what the guys in the field had done or would do. Six of the eight placers would win titles, the other two would make a final. Jordan Burroughs was 3rd. You get the point.
In March, 174 was won by Freshman Carter Starocci over veterans Michael Kemerer and Mikey Labriola. Kemerer is already a four-time All-American and Labriola is on that pace, as well.
It sounds like that trio could be joined by Shane Griffith, Mekhi Lewis and Hayden Hidlay - two titlists and a finalist. Perhaps Evan Wick as well. While it's approaching all-time status, you still have to give a clear edge to 2008 149.
149 NCAA Placings - 2008 vs. 174 NCAA Projections - 2022
Don't forget to cancel your Peacock subscription. The wrestling community will love you for reminding them. - @schuyler23
Yes. Cancel your Peacock. Now love me, wrestling community.
If the Olympic Trials were actually held in 2020, how different would our Men's Freestyle team look? - @codyocho5
Great question. I'm of the opinion that our team is our team. For instance, I'm not going to rewrite history and say that if the trials were re-wrestled that Yianni, who most people picked, would have won instead of J.O. There isn't a factor you can point to there that suggests timing had anything to do with it.
You could make a case that freaky stuff wouldn't have emerged - Spencer, Suriano, or J'den. But your picks would probably remain the same. In other words, if you thought Spencer was going to win in 2021, you probably would have picked Spencer in 2020.
Taking strictly the 2021 field (that means no Spencer, Nick, or J'den), there is only one weight I see that might have gone differently one year ago: 125kg.
At Final X 2019, Gable was nipping on the heels of Gwiz. The action on the mat was close and the scores were as close as mathematically possible: 4-4 and 3-3.
In 2020 Gable might have won, but I promise you it wouldn't have the shellacking that we saw last weekend. Gable has improved dramatically over the previous year. It's incredible, really.
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