Do you see Spencer Lee leaving Iowa?

[BruceyB]

19 hours ago, BAC said:

If Brands can't find someone to bring in who can push him, maybe do some sort of 6-month club swap, e.g. send him to Stillwater to roll around with Fix, RBY, Sakamoto, Figueroa, Spratley and Jax. Maybe OSU can send over Wyatt for 6 months to roll around with Dreshaun and Keuter. 

Is the Oklahoma State commit is spending a lot of time in the Hawkeye wrestling room?

[Dogbone]

Spencer will be fine at Iowa.  Winning Worlds is hard.   

Only Spencer could win Oly Silver and then get criticized for not sweeping the next cycle like its an easy thing to do.

[neweruser69]

Should he, probably.

Will he? I doubt it.

The Brands have their talons deep deep in him, they can't afford to see him move on.

Hell, he probably should've moved on years ago after they made it perfectly clear they were willing to sacrifice his knees for temporary rewards. 

[BruceyB]

10 minutes ago, Dogbone said:

Spencer will be fine at Iowa.  Winning Worlds is hard.   

Only Spencer could win Oly Silver and then get criticized for not sweeping the next cycle like its an easy thing to do.

If Harutyunyan made the finals and pulled Spencer back in and he took a bronze, then I don't think this noise is anywhere near as loud. 

If Khadi didn't pull Dake back in 2021, everyone would have said that Burroughs should have been the guy at the Olympics.

Repechage is a fickle b1tch.

At the end of the day, I don't think Spencer respected Harutyunyan enough, and it cost him. You can't take any match for granted at Worlds, and to me it looked like Spencer went into the match thinking he was the better wrestler and would win, and when Harutyunyan gave him more than he was expecting, he couldn't regroup mid-match and it snowballed. IMO it was kind of similar to the US Open match between Mesenbrink and Carr where Mesenbrink won a couple of early exchanges and things just unraveled for Carr leading to a tech.

My biggest question with Spencer is whether or not he still loves wrestling. After being denied his 4th HS state title, the battles with knee injuries from his senior year of high school in 2018 until preparation for the 2024 Olympics, the pin in the NCAA semis to stop him from being a four-time NCAA champ.. you have to imagine he has some demons to battle after giving so much to the sport and feeling let down by shocking losses when all eyes are on him, and by his own body when just as he's feeling fully healthy again, another heartbreaking injury and long road of recovery takes place again.

[ionel]

29 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

you have to imagine he has some demons to battle 

Don't forget the jimmy affect.  

[BruceyB]

33 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

My biggest question with Spencer is whether or not he still loves wrestling. After being denied his 4th HS state title, the battles with knee injuries from his senior year of high school in 2018 until preparation for the 2024 Olympics, the pin in the NCAA semis to stop him from being a four-time NCAA champ.. you have to imagine he has some demons to battle after giving so much to the sport and feeling let down by shocking losses when all eyes are on him, and by his own body when just as he's feeling fully healthy again, another heartbreaking injury and long road of recovery takes place again.

Sorry to quote myself but I wanted to add on to this last part. 

I can't help but wonder how much of Spencer at this point in his career feels like he has to finish out this quad because if he doesn't win a world and Olympic title, he will look back on his career with resentment and the feeling of failure, despite all of his success. I wonder if he still enjoys the process and competing or if he is doing it simply because he feels like he has to win a World and Olympic title to feel at peace about his career.

If any of you haven't watched the Kolat documentary on Flo (you're missing out, it's unbelievable btw), he says when he looks back on his career, he sees failure. He was "only" a two-time NCAA champion when he wanted 4. He wanted to be the greatest international wrestler that ever lived, but he (for various reasons) was never able to win a World or Olympic title. You can hear the disappointment and hurt in his voice when he talks about his perceived shortcomings in his own career. I can't help but think that Spencer knows that this is probably the last quad where he has a chance to achieve everything that he's worked for his entire life, and that after failing to win his 4th state title, and his 4th NCAA title, there are greater internal doubts and feelings of pressure than ever making it extremely difficult to wrestle freely and with enjoyment.

[Caveira]

1 hour ago, neweruser69 said:

Should he, probably.

Will he? I doubt it.

The Brands have their talons deep deep in him, they can't afford to see him move on.

Hell, he probably should've moved on years ago after they made it perfectly clear they were willing to sacrifice his knees for temporary rewards. 

Be specific.  What did they do to his knees ?

[ionel]

34 minutes ago, Caveira said:

Be specific.  What did they do to his knees ?

 ... threw em to the wolves ... 

[Caveira]

10 minutes ago, ionel said:

 ... threw em to the wolves ... 

that lacks.  What word am I looking for.  Specifics.  
 

was it the pitch count ?     Was it not going live with Ayala all that much?   Was it the year they had him get his knees repaired surgically ?     Was it that year he basically only did cardio and didn’t wrestle in the top. Because they were protecting his knees?

[CHROMEBIRD]

1 hour ago, BruceyB said:

Sorry to quote myself but I wanted to add on to this last part. 

I can't help but wonder how much of Spencer at this point in his career feels like he has to finish out this quad because if he doesn't win a world and Olympic title, he will look back on his career with resentment and the feeling of failure, despite all of his success. I wonder if he still enjoys the process and competing or if he is doing it simply because he feels like he has to win a World and Olympic title to feel at peace about his career.

If any of you haven't watched the Kolat documentary on Flo (you're missing out, it's unbelievable btw), he says when he looks back on his career, he sees failure. He was "only" a two-time NCAA champion when he wanted 4. He wanted to be the greatest international wrestler that ever lived, but he (for various reasons) was never able to win a World or Olympic title. You can hear the disappointment and hurt in his voice when he talks about his perceived shortcomings in his own career. I can't help but think that Spencer knows that this is probably the last quad where he has a chance to achieve everything that he's worked for his entire life, and that after failing to win his 4th state title, and his 4th NCAA title, there are greater internal doubts and feelings of pressure than ever making it extremely difficult to wrestle freely and with enjoyment.

Could be that he's putting additional pressure on himself to raise his career stock if he really wants to be a coach, AD, or college administrator. Not that his current accolades aren't already impressive as hell...

[Room Guy]

This guy is a Silver Medalist in the God damn Olympic Games. An absolute stud. Why is he talked about like he’s a sad story and held to such an unreasonable standard? So many things have to go right to win all the time. 

[The Kid]

31 minutes ago, Room Guy said:

This guy is a Silver Medalist in the God damn Olympic Games. An absolute stud. Why is he talked about like he’s a sad story and held to such an unreasonable standard? So many things have to go right to win all the time. 

Some dude told me that Lee didn't live up to his expectations.  An Olympic silver medal is super impressive.  

[Mr. PeanutButter]

I can't remember the last time another wrestler received as much scrutiny and criticism as Lee has since starting college. Every single time he has had a bad match, let alone a loss, the comments would swarm in about how he's cooked, Iowa is cooked, the Brands have failed him/cudgled him/abused him, Dan Dennis should be fired, and all his practice partners over the years - Ayala, DeSanto, Real Woods, Jaydin and others - have been absolute bums.

Perhaps he should seek out some sort of change. Based on certain comments he has made in interviews the last couple years and how ridiculously self critical he can be after close matches or losses I think seeking out a sports psychologist or paying a visit to Carl's secret California witch doctor (the one that magically fixed Gilman's broken foot) is not a crazy thing.

But aside from that, the rhetoric around Lee has always surprised me. I'm an obviously biased Iowa fan but I really don't think other wrestlers get close to the same treatment

[ScottishSteel]

6 hours ago, Mr. PeanutButter said:

I can't remember the last time another wrestler received as much scrutiny and criticism as Lee has since starting college. Every single time he has had a bad match, let alone a loss, the comments would swarm in about how he's cooked, Iowa is cooked, the Brands have failed him/cudgled him/abused him, Dan Dennis should be fired, and all his practice partners over the years - Ayala, DeSanto, Real Woods, Jaydin and others - have been absolute bums.

Perhaps he should seek out some sort of change. Based on certain comments he has made in interviews the last couple years and how ridiculously self critical he can be after close matches or losses I think seeking out a sports psychologist or paying a visit to Carl's secret California witch doctor (the one that magically fixed Gilman's broken foot) is not a crazy thing.

But aside from that, the rhetoric around Lee has always surprised me. I'm an obviously biased Iowa fan but I really don't think other wrestlers get close to the same treatment

I think some of that comes from Lee himself too though; the "I don't even want my silver medal" (I know that's not the exact quote but you get the point) vibe and response by him - as much as he's criticized on twitter and message boards . . . it feels like he's even harder on himself.  That weight keeps piling up on him and I think it's making him worse.  I will say personally there was a stretch where I wondered if his knees were at a point where he should hang'em up for long term functionality in life.  

I feel how he responds to these things publicly also opens the door for internet warriors to criticize him cause it now feels acceptable in a way.  I think you are spot on that he needs a sports psychologist; it's one thing to have a loss motivate you but it feels like he never lets it go either - still carrying the HS DeSanto loss w/ him and just adding Ramos, Armenia, etc to it and that ain't good

Just trying to share my thoughts as an neutral on Iowa (certainly not a Hawkeye fan but I did once wear an Iowa t-shirt to an Iowa/Penn St dual in Carver)

[Jimmy Cinnabon]

When you and your school anoint yourself the GOAT it comes with high expectations. “Excuses are for wusses.”

[H82Lose]

10 hours ago, Room Guy said:

This guy is a Silver Medalist in the God damn Olympic Games. An absolute stud. Why is he talked about like he’s a sad story and held to such an unreasonable standard? So many things have to go right to win all the time. 

I am not saying he is a sad story, I am asking if a change of scenery is needed for him to continue growing in the sport. And why you gotta bring in a "GD" into the conversation! 

[Husker_Du]

14 hours ago, BruceyB said:

If Harutyunyan made the finals and pulled Spencer back in and he took a bronze, then I don't think this noise is anywhere near as loud. 

If Khadi didn't pull Dake back in 2021, everyone would have said that Burroughs should have been the guy at the Olympics.

Repechage is a fickle b1tch.

love this. spot on.

[JimmyCinnabon]

On 9/14/2025 at 6:09 PM, AnklePicker said:

He doesn't have a mental block but he does have gas tank issues.  After that first exchange he looked to already be stumbling a bit.  Any time I see him bouncing in the middle I think oh crap, he's starting to feel it.  He's never been a guy to go and get a TD at the end of a match and that is a key to winning a world title.  He doesn't do that because he's tired.  I love the guy, was pulling hard for him, but he's either overtraining a bit or he just has bad lungs.  

I like Spencer Lee. I think he is an incredible talent. However, he doesn't have that IT at the end of matches that some guys have. He definitely has gas tank issues as well.

I honestly chalk his deficiencies up to the fact that in his more formidable years of wrestling development he was so dominant that he was not exposed to the situations he needed to in order to be that guy at the end of matches. He never had to have a gas tank because matches were over in the first period. He didn't have to dig deep to pull out a win. Look at how he has performed over his career late in matches. Look at the deer in the headlights look he had against Austin DeSanto when he was a senior in the finals. He had never been in that spot before. That has always been the roadmap to beating Spencer. He is Mike Tyson from Punch Out! You have to weather the storm early and then he's a completely different opponent in the third.

[jchapman]

4 hours ago, Jimmy Cinnabon said:

When you and your school anoint yourself the GOAT it comes with high expectations. “Excuses are for wusses.”

And I would argue that Barry Davis is the best Iowa lightweight.  At least, he is the most accomplished.