Diamonds in the rough.. worst high school credentials to make the D1 podium?

[Winners Circle]

4 minutes ago, Husker_Du said:

i don't like most of the suggestions being offered. I mean, VRob had major accomplishments in HS and was obviously a talent.

i gotta jump into a meeting but i'll get back on this topic. in short, i'd say state titles don't mean much.

but for now Drew Foster and Stephen Buchanan come to mind. 

I have been saying this since he won the title and everyone jumped on the "he never won state! OMG!!" bandwagon. Dude won the Ironman, super 32 AA, Fargo AA, Powerade champ, etc. He was elite.

[Antitroll2828]

23 hours ago, OMW said:

Chris Ayers - AA for Lehigh with 120 wins in college.

Non-placer at PA State(s).

Ayers is from NJ actually , spent a year at Blair (idk if he started) then spent next 3 years at tiny newton high school and won 69 matches won a district title and finished runner up at regions to Pat Coyle who went on to finish 2nd in the state that year ( fun fact Delbarton head coach Bryan Stoll was 3rd at this weight) Stoll beat Ayers at super regions 

[ScottishSteel]

35 minutes ago, Antitroll2828 said:

Ayers is from NJ actually , spent a year at Blair (idk if he started) then spent next 3 years at tiny newton high school and won 69 matches won a district title and finished runner up at regions to Pat Coyle who went on to finish 2nd in the state that year ( fun fact Delbarton head coach Bryan Stoll was 3rd at this weight) Stoll beat Ayers at super regions 

To be fair - calling him a non-placer at PA states was still accurate

[Eagle26]

A lot of people naming some great wrestlers who were pretty good in high school too. The question the OP raises is, who is the worst wrestler to become a D1 AA? There’s got to be somebody we probably don’t remember that placed 7th or 8th or something that never even qualified for the state championships in HS. 

[BruceyB]

4 hours ago, Eagle26 said:

A lot of people naming some great wrestlers who were pretty good in high school too. The question the OP raises is, who is the worst wrestler to become a D1 AA? There’s got to be somebody we probably don’t remember that placed 7th or 8th or something that never even qualified for the state championships in HS. 

Yeah, that was really my intention. Most of the people the fit my original question are likely not known outside of fans of the program they wrestled for. Not many 1x low AAs backgrounds are well known by general wrestling fans.

I was originally wondering how many walk-on type guys that maybe loved the sport but didn't start until high school/never had high level coaching before college made huge jumps and actually saw success at the D1 level.

 

[Gus]

34 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

Yeah, that was really my intention. Most of the people the fit my original question are likely not known outside of fans of the program they wrestled for. Not many 1x low AAs backgrounds are well known by general wrestling fans.

I was originally wondering how many walk-on type guys that maybe loved the sport but didn't start until high school/never had high level coaching before college made huge jumps and actually saw success at the D1 level.

 

Brian Picklo is likely the best answer for that. Brock Lesnar would also be a good choice as I think his best HS finish was 3rd in SD (not a powerhouse wrestling state). 

[ScottishSteel]

6 hours ago, BruceyB said:

Yeah, that was really my intention. Most of the people the fit my original question are likely not known outside of fans of the program they wrestled for. Not many 1x low AAs backgrounds are well known by general wrestling fans.

I was originally wondering how many walk-on type guys that maybe loved the sport but didn't start until high school/never had high level coaching before college made huge jumps and actually saw success at the D1 level.

 

If Garrett Thompson, currently at Ohio, was the #4 seed at 174 and won 2 matches at NCAAs this past year, ever gets on the podium he might be a good answer - never even qualified for PA states.  He's got one year left at Ohio to try and AA

[npope]

Pat Christenson (University of Wisconsin) was an NCAA champ (167) in 1977. Prior to that, he had never placed at the NCAA nor did he place at the state meet while in high school (Wisconsin). Came out of nowhere.

[D3 for LU]

On 7/10/2025 at 12:12 PM, OMW said:

Chris Ayers - AA for Lehigh with 120 wins in college.

Non-placer at PA State(s).

A " small" correction there, OMW... Newton HS in Sussex Co. NJ + Blair Academy(PG?)

Dist. champ & Reg. runner-up... so he qualified for the NJSIAA state tournament.

https://www.njherald.com/story/sports/high-school/wrestling/2019/01/22/newton-s-ayres-shaping-pride/4155747007/

But I laud you for picking up on Chris's accomplishment for LEHIGH!

My late wife and yours truly were in attendance at PENN ST/Bryce Jordan Arena in 1999. to witness Chris getting AA honors (6th).

His losses were all close bouts (5-3 to runner up Clint Musser Penn St QF... 4-3 in the consi-SF to Bryan Snyder of Nebraska who finished 4th... and Minnesota's Chad Kraft, 2-1 in the 5/6 bout.)

Bonus (IF my memory of it was correct... ) was that Chris, after getting his medal on the podium, proposed to his then GF and future wife, Lori.

What a way to end your collegiate career, eh?

D3

Edited 14 hours ago by D3 for LU

[H82Lose]

On 7/10/2025 at 7:09 AM, Fletcher said:

Vince Robinson. Zero HS championships, though everyone in IL knows he had the talent level to be a multi-time state champ. So it's not like he had dramatic improvement at NC St., just bad luck in HS.

Vincent placed at national tournaments, and was on championship dual teams.  He was a F'g stud since 8th grade. He was just unfortunate that he had studs at his weight in highschool that were nationally ranked too. 

[D3 for LU]

On 7/11/2025 at 11:36 AM, Antitroll2828 said:

Ayers is from NJ actually , spent a year at Blair (idk if he started) then spent next 3 years at tiny newton high school and won 69 matches won a district title and finished runner up at regions to Pat Coyle who went on to finish 2nd in the state that year ( fun fact Delbarton head coach Bryan Stoll was 3rd at this weight) Stoll beat Ayers at super regions 

Gosh... apologies to you, Antitroll!

Completely bypassed your corrections to OMW by accident.

(No harm, no foul... but, I must add a correction  as Chris' last name is AYRES vs Ayers. But, of course, folks have been tripped up over his last name repeatedly. We live & learn.)

D3

[Husker_Du]

Keith Gavin never won a HS state title yet won the Hodge.

[bnwtwg]

Dan Dennis never won anything. Not kids club or junior high or state, or as we all know in heartbreaking fashion... not NCAAs. But he won the 2016 Olympic spot!

[Bardamu911]

On 7/10/2025 at 9:13 AM, jeffrideal said:

Dan St. John 

I tried to bite my tongue but I can't...DSJ and I are eskimo brothers. 

[Husker_Du]

2 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

Dan Dennis never won anything. Not kids club or junior high or state, or as we all know in heartbreaking fashion... not NCAAs. But he won the 2016 Olympic spot!

very good nomination.

how about Jamil Kelly being a zero time college AA but turning into an Olympic Silver

[bnwtwg]

2 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

very good nomination.

how about Jamil Kelly being a zero time college AA but turning into an Olympic Silver

Even better!