True Frosh Who Will Push For Varsity Spots and Blow Off Redshirt Year?

[Elevator]

I am assuming that the new 5 for 5 will drive less redshirt/greyshirt deferrals and more immediate challenges for roster spots.

What true frosh will now make a bona fide challenge for roster spots?    Am I overestimating the impact of 5 for 5 on undermining the rationale for a year one deferral of eligibility? Anyone aware of actual changes in wrestler plans from deferral to competing this year?  

[Hillbilly Jim]

No one is deferring a year of eligibility to redshirt.  If you are on the team and not grayshirting, you are competing for spot.

[TNwrestling]

49 minutes ago, Elevator said:

I am assuming that the new 5 for 5 will drive less redshirt/greyshirt deferrals and more immediate challenges for roster spots.

What true frosh will now make a bona fide challenge for roster spots?    Am I overestimating the impact of 5 for 5 on undermining the rationale for a year one deferral of eligibility? Anyone aware of actual changes in wrestler plans from deferral to competing this year?  

All of them...they will all be competing for starting spots. 

Edited July 14 by TNwrestling

[Wrestej]

Redshirts are no longer a thing in college sports.  

[flyingcement]

1 hour ago, Wrestej said:

Redshirts are no longer a thing in college sports.  

Would make for a very topical Halloween costume this year.  The ghost of the red shirt athlete 

[ionel]

2 hours ago, Elevator said:

 the new 5 for 5 will 

What true frosh will now make a bona fide challenge for roster spots?    

Why would a true frosh not challenge for roster spot under the old rules? 

[Elevator]

54 minutes ago, ionel said:

Why would a true frosh not challenge for roster spot under the old rules? 

Defer and preserve eligibility via redshirt or greyshirt.       

[ionel]

4 minutes ago, Elevator said:

Defer and preserve eligibility via redshirt or greyshirt.       

Why?  If ready save it in case injured or graduate and get on with your life.  

[Ricketycricket]

17 hours ago, ionel said:

Why?  If ready save it in case injured or graduate and get on with your life.  

Usually not up to the kid. Maybe there is a good senior ahead of you the Coach wants to use. I mean it was definitely a thing. 

[ionel]

13 minutes ago, Ricketycricket said:

Usually not up to the kid. Maybe there is a good senior ahead of you the Coach wants to use. I mean it was definitely a thing. 

I question your "usually."  Most coaches these days are gonna let the best kid wrestle.  Is most > usually?  OSU had a senior kid they spent a lot of money on so why did they let some high school kid take his spot? 

[Ricketycricket]

3 minutes ago, ionel said:

I question your "usually."  Most coaches these days are gonna let the best kid wrestle.  Is most > usually?  OSU had a senior kid they spent a lot of money on so why did they let some high school kid take his spot? 

So you don't think the coach determines who redshirts? If you say so. 

Do you think there will be less or more freshmen starting this year compared with past years?

Edited July 15 by Ricketycricket

[ionel]

10 minutes ago, Ricketycricket said:

So you don't think the coach determines who redshirts? If you say so. 

I didn't say that.  Most coaches want the best kid in the lineup.  If the kid when recruited said he didnt want to wrestle as tFr it might be a factor if kid said he did want to wrestle as tFr it might be a factor.  There are many factors the coach and wrestler might be considering.  But why would a coach not wrestle the best kid?  

11 minutes ago, Ricketycricket said:

Do you think there will be less or more freshmen starting this year compared with past years?

I'd say no reason to expect more or less.  Coaches were recruiting 4 yr kids but with all the wild card situations.  Will it be different now that they are recruiting 5 year kids?  Maybe for some but mostly I'd say no.  

[Ricketycricket]

28 minutes ago, ionel said:

I didn't say that.  Most coaches want the best kid in the lineup.  If the kid when recruited said he didnt want to wrestle as tFr it might be a factor if kid said he did want to wrestle as tFr it might be a factor.  There are many factors the coach and wrestler might be considering.  But why would a coach not wrestle the best kid?  

I'd say no reason to expect more or less.  Coaches were recruiting 4 yr kids but with all the wild card situations.  Will it be different now that they are recruiting 5 year kids?  Maybe for some but mostly I'd say no.  

I said the coach "usually" decides who is going to redshirt, you objected to that. 

There are many examples of wrestlers who redshirted who were better than their replacements. Mesenbrink, Davino, Henson. Seidel was going to until Campbell got hurt. The list goes on and on.

Not even sure what you are arguing at this point. 

[MoveCountermove]

21 hours ago, Elevator said:

I am assuming that the new 5 for 5 will drive less redshirt/greyshirt deferrals and more immediate challenges for roster spots.

What true frosh will now make a bona fide challenge for roster spots?    Am I overestimating the impact of 5 for 5 on undermining the rationale for a year one deferral of eligibility? Anyone aware of actual changes in wrestler plans from deferral to competing this year?  

Henry Aslikyan 125 University of Michigan

Kellen Wolbert 141/149 University of Michigan

Haakon Peterson 165 University of Michigan

 

I would expect Aslikyan to get the start, Wolbert possibly as well

[ionel]

1 minute ago, Ricketycricket said:

I said the coach "usually" decides who is going to redshirt, you objected to that. 

There are many examples of wrestlers who redshirted who were better than their replacements. Mesenbrink, Davino, Henson. Seidel was going to until Campbell got hurt. The list goes on and on.

Not even sure what you are arguing at this point. 

You said "usually not up to the kid." 

[Ricketycricket]

12 minutes ago, ionel said:

You said "usually not up to the kid." 

Maybe there is a good senior ahead of you the Coach wants to use

What are you arguing at this point? 

[Gene Mills Fan]

The problem may be recruiting a weight your freshman just kicked ass in and has 4 more years. It used to be: I could red shirt learn from him for a year and he only would have 2 left. Now you compete with a top guy for a spot for 4 years. 

[Fletcher]

Should be some good battles at Illinois where Aaron Stewart will challenge Kelly at 174 or Moore at 184.

[ionel]

2 hours ago, Ricketycricket said:

Maybe there is a good senior ahead of you the Coach wants to use

What are you arguing at this point? 

I was simply suggesting most coaches want the best kid in the starting lineup.  I guess you are suggesting something different.   

[Simpleman424]

49 minutes ago, ionel said:

I was simply suggesting most coaches want the best kid in the starting lineup.  I guess you are suggesting something different.   

Most coaches do and then you get guys like Braeden Davis in the lineup and you start to question things…

[ScottishSteel]

14 hours ago, Simpleman424 said:

Most coaches do and then you get guys like Braeden Davis in the lineup and you start to question things…

Hey now that is a primary member of Basch's All Feel Good Team; all of America was rooting for Braeden Davis to AA because of what a great team player he is . . . 

[Simpleman424]

3 hours ago, ScottishSteel said:

Hey now that is a primary member of Basch's All Feel Good Team; all of America was rooting for Braeden Davis to AA because of what a great team player he is . . . 

That’s not real life…

[Elevator]

I have not studied it, but guess a significant % of top 50 recruits and maybe top 100 in recent years would defer a year as frosh or sophs.  I am guessing a much lower % will now do so.   Maybe mostly younger HS seniors who can defer and still get 5?  Aside from the immediate roster battles that will now be joined, I think it will make it more challenging for magnet programs to stockpile AA quality kids and juggle lineup spots in the ways we have observed.  Probably a net gain for the sport that more top 20 or even top 25 teams get a larger share of Big Board recruits - assuming my brief informal analysis has some validity.   NIL $$, great culture, great room, and being part of a top 5 program is a heck of a magnate for landing and keeping top recruits, but another factor is their chances at getting to use much of their 5 for 5 with a varsity spot.   

So my informal theory is - and I am too lazy to study it in any detail - that: (i) the rich are not going to get richer in the recruiting wars relative to recent years and may land relatively fewer numbers of top guys; and (ii) that the rich will get at least a little poorer from transfer portal exits for example where bona fide AA candidate wrestlers cannot get a lineup spot and do not want to squander their five chances.    I could be wrong.  We will see. Am I just stating the obvious?

Edited July 16 by Elevator

[MPhillips]

8 minutes ago, Elevator said:

 Maybe mostly younger HS seniors who can defer and still get 5?

Only those.

It would make zero sense for anyone else but those to defer...

[bnwtwg]

On 7/15/2026 at 1:15 PM, Fletcher said:

Should be some good battles at Illinois where Aaron Stewart will challenge Kelly at 174 or Moore at 184.

You thinks he sees the wrestling before mid-Jan at the earliest? Illinois is a serious football school at the moment with genuine CFP aspirations. This isn't Iowa where 130 passing yards, 2 field goals, and 12 punts is considered an offensive explosion of a game.