Please raise your hand if you're a returning national finalist that Carl is sending to the bench

[bnwtwg]

 

Add another seat for Carl's bench mob:

Cassar after beating the #1 ranked wrestler

Seth Nevills for simply existing

Aaron Nagao after PSU gave him a bag to transfer

Braeden Davis after becoming an AA

Tyler Kasak after becoming a 2x AA

Masanosuke Ono after winning worlds and beating Spencer Lee (something no PSU/NLWC wrestler has ever done)

Now we could be looking at Josh Barr for having fun and only getting second place

[RandolphTJones]

7 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

 

Add another seat for Carl's bench mob:

Cassar after beating the #1 ranked wrestler

Seth Nevills for simply existing

Aaron Nagao after PSU gave him a bag to transfer

Braeden Davis after becoming an AA

Tyler Kasak after becoming a 2x AA

Masanosuke Ono after winning worlds and beating Spencer Lee (something no PSU/NLWC wrestler has ever done)

Now we could be looking at Josh Barr for having fun and only getting second place

Abundance of riches in Happy Valley, but blue chip recruits still committing there with no guarantee to be starting 4, even 3 years. See Burnett and Shepherd in the last week alone. 

[Pinnacle]

Carl sends a lot of wrestlers to the bench, but mostly after his guys get their hands raised in March.

[TAC]

It seems like what he is doing there is working fairly well.  Not losing a high percentage of transfers either. Mostly guys that will never start.  He seems to be trying to utilize the red-shirt in order to fit everyone in. Again it seems to be working.

[Nak21]

Roster management and maximizing eligibility is apparently difficult to understand on Twitter and for the OP…

Kasak has a RS available. Duke is not long for 157. Duke this year, Kasak RS. Next year Kasak 157, Duke RS. Year 3, MM graduates, Kasak 157, Duke 165. Smh…

Davis has a RS, also may be getting some tough love after losing a 100yd dash to State College’s finest.

Barr has been injured, Mirasola wrestling great in his spot, when healthy they’ll have a go and best man gets the spot. That’s wrestling for as long as I’ve known it.

Cassar way way back, your guess is as good as mine. The company line was Shakur gave better chance for bonus at NCAAs.

Nagao is the starter. He’s hurt. The time he missed prior he was hurt and had surgery. He may be back soon, and he’ll likely end up in the spot, unless Nasdeo beats him in a wrestle off. It’s wrestling, most coaches at any level don’t anoint guys, you have to earn it.

Ono is making a big transition. Culture, language, wrestling style. And there’s still an eligibility debate with the NCAA ongoing as to whether he gets 1yr or 2. He’ll be in the lineup soon enough.

Nevills. What can I say, that whole family gave PSU everything they had, but it’s sports. Athletes jobs are to earn their way onto the field, coaches jobs are to recruit the guys who can beat them out. It happens. Semi rarely at PSU, but it happens.

Any other things you don’t understand and I can help you with? Any other topics you’d like to blow out of proportion??

[bnwtwg]

11 hours ago, Nak21 said:

Any other things you don’t understand and I can help you with? Any other topics you’d like to blow out of proportion??

I really enjoyed the Nak21 giving a lecture on the history of NCAA wrestling when it became a sport in 2011 era

[The_KC_Godfather]

10 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

I really enjoyed the Nak21 giving a lecture on the history of NCAA wrestling when it became a sport in 2011 era

You tweaked a nerve 

Typical Illinoise people...

[MPhillips]

43 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

I really enjoyed the Nak21 giving a lecture on the history of NCAA wrestling when it became a sport in 2011 era

There are a group of guys here he could fit right in with...

Edited December 9, 2025 by MPhillips

[NM1965]

It astonishes me that PSU just sits All Americans and puts in "scrubs" without missing a beat. Old school Iowa had some tough guys riding the bench, and I remember quite a few from OSU being very good (R16 type guys), but what PSU has going is ridiculous. 

[NM1965]

1 hour ago, The_KC_Godfather said:

You tweaked a nerve 

Typical Illinoise people...

"ILL-inois". It's Shawnee for "Sick Indian". 

[JimmyCinnabon]

1 hour ago, bnwtwg said:

I really enjoyed the Nak21 giving a lecture on the history of NCAA wrestling when it became a sport in 2011 era

Only a fool would have bought in for the 2011 season. A smart fan would have waitd for Cael to be successful before becoming a fan, like me.

[bnwtwg]

4 minutes ago, JimmyCinnabon said:

Only a fool would have bought in for the 2011 season. A smart fan would have waitd for Cael to be successful before becoming a fan, like me.

BOB DOLE

[Nak21]

1 hour ago, bnwtwg said:

I really enjoyed the Nak21 giving a lecture on the history of NCAA wrestling when it became a sport in 2011 era

You’re welcome! Take the learnings to heart, they’ll help you! And yes I only do teachings from 2010 on, After Cael (AC) - BCE (Before Cael) 19dickety-two era discussions take place on other boards…

[pawrestler]

I don’t think Joey Slaton was the starter again after finishing 2nd to Coleman Scott in like 2008 or so, but that’s the most recent example I remember 

[Truzzcat]

1 hour ago, pawrestler said:

I don’t think Joey Slaton was the starter again after finishing 2nd to Coleman Scott in like 2008 or so, but that’s the most recent example I remember 

Bubba was essentially benched but transferred although I think he was a year removed from being runner up.

[CHROMEBIRD]

7 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

I really enjoyed the Nak21 giving a lecture on the history of NCAA wrestling when it became a sport in 2011 era

Is Nak BTFB? Anyway, is there a sense of which of those guys were projected to be starters when they were recruited? I mean there are no guarantees and they all had high ceilings coming out of hs, but are some of them just room guys or backups who filled a hole in the lineup and got really good? Like Cassar, Davis, Kasak(?), Barr(?)... before that Shakur Rasheed comes to mind..

[NM1965]

1 hour ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Is Nak BTFB? Anyway, is there a sense of which of those guys were projected to be starters when they were recruited? I mean there are no guarantees and they all had high ceilings coming out of hs, but are some of them just room guys or backups who filled a hole in the lineup and got really good? Like Cassar, Davis, Kasak(?), Barr(?)... before that Shakur Rasheed comes to mind..

I think Kasak was a 3 time Pennsylvania state champ, he was a hot recruit coming out of HS as I recall. 

[Truzzcat]

19 minutes ago, NM1965 said:

I think Kasak was a 3 time Pennsylvania state champ, he was a hot recruit coming out of HS as I recall. 

only a 1 time shockingly because PA is tough as nails and he did not wrestle his senior year but he was as blue chip as it gets coming out. He certainly improved immensely once getting to state college though, I believe beau man stuck him at who's 1 his junior year.

[Nak21]

2 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Is Nak BTFB? Anyway, is there a sense of which of those guys were projected to be starters when they were recruited? I mean there are no guarantees and they all had high ceilings coming out of hs, but are some of them just room guys or backups who filled a hole in the lineup and got really good? Like Cassar, Davis, Kasak(?), Barr(?)... before that Shakur Rasheed comes to mind..

What’s a BTFB?

Kasak was a big time recruit. I think Barr was too. I’m not sure on Davis. Shakur wasn’t a big time recruit, atleast I don’t recall him being one. Cassar definitely wasn’t - he made and won NJ states once as a HS Sr, he just developed and had the stars align for him college. I wonder if he repeats as champ if he doesn’t re-injure a chronic shoulder injury in a preseason freestyle tourney??

[Pinnacle]

Speaking of Kasak, he sent returning national finalist Jacori Teemer to the bench. Quite the scene. 

[NM1965]

1 hour ago, Truzzcat said:

only a 1 time shockingly because PA is tough as nails and he did not wrestle his senior year but he was as blue chip as it gets coming out. He certainly improved immensely once getting to state college though, I believe beau man stuck him at who's 1 his junior year.

Wow, I was way off. Thanks for the correction! 

[Truzzcat]

16 minutes ago, NM1965 said:

Wow, I was way off. Thanks for the correction! 

his junior year I believe Manville reached back and mixered him with like 15 seconds left to win and he would have essentially been a lock his senior year so 3 was not really far off. I believe his Junior year he beat PJ in the ironman finals as well by ID but he had the only takedown at the time of the default.

[bnwtwg]

2 hours ago, Truzzcat said:

his junior year I believe Manville 

How does Manville somehow have high school, NCAA, senior level, and Veterans eligibility while wrestling anywhere from 138 to 174 while he's also an army ranger chaplain with a wife and four kids at home. This eligibility funny stuff really needs to be tightened up.

[JimmyCinnabon]

14 hours ago, NM1965 said:

I think Kasak was a 3 time Pennsylvania state champ, he was a hot recruit coming out of HS as I recall. 

Kasak was a very good recruit but I do not think anyone had him pegged to make the jump he made, at least that quickly.

[CHROMEBIRD]

Carl catches heat for recruiting-over guys (like the Rocco transfer), but it's pretty impressive to see low-expectation room guys develop into not just starters, but title/AA threats. I mean, every program has this but we're talking about PSU, where they can grab the tippy-top of the talent pool and not develop anyone and still do fine.