InterMat Staff

Wrestling has a new professional league and it's CLAW! CLAW stands for Champions League of American Wrestling and one of their founders, Tom Houck, sits down with Ryan Holmes to discuss how this league came about. He and his co-founders have studied other professional leagues to find out what works and what doesn't. Houck explains how this will be different from previous iterations of professional wrestling and what to expect from CLAW. For the full interview:

Before we get going here I just want to send my condolences to the South Plainfield wrestling family for the loss of one of their own as former standout Corey Stasenko tragically passed away on Monday. Corey was perhaps most known in wrestling circles for being part of the four state finalists in 2013 for the Tigers after famously dropping from 145 to 126 to combat the ever-growing Anthony Ashnault, Scott DelVecchio, and Troy Heilmann. I know my limits as a writer so I won’t try to put into words how big of a loss this is for South Plainfield, Rutgers, and the New Jersey wrestling community as a whole, but rest in peace, Corey. You will never be forgotten. Now to this week’s mailbag. (Taylor’s version) Does David Taylor win a team title within the next 5 years? Mason I hate to make a prediction that he will just because it’s so tough to do and Penn State is so ridiculously strong right now that I’m not sure he can be done in his first recruiting cycle. But the hype train is so hot right now that it does seem like it would be a bust if he didn’t. The thing about team titles in wrestling is that they usually come in bunches or at least pairs. I'll give Taylor six years, but predict he rattles off a good four of five in a short span. Of course, with college free agency and a billionaire booster who clearly wants to win now, that could change very quickly. Odds Taylor takes second in his first year at the reins? Also, what is the average placement for a top 10 program in the first year after a new coach hire? Cael, Brands, Oklahoma State, etc. JD Money Ohio State is the second-best team next year in my book. But I suppose it could happen for the reasons mentioned above. So let’s take Cael, Gable, and John Smith, arguably the three most successful overall contributors to the sport and see how they did to start their coaching careers. All three also started their head coaching careers 15 to 16 years apart with Cael beginning at Iowa State. Naturally, Taylor now starts his own coaching career 15 years after he and Cael kicked off a dynasty at Penn State. Dan Gable took over in 1976 and immediately won his first of 15 titles. But Iowa was also the defending champs if that means anything to you. Smith took over in 1991, but I do believe it was under tumultuous circumstances, so I’ll give him the next year as his first real year and they finished second before winning his first in 1994. We all know what Coach Sanderson has done but this is running long and I’m not sure what my point is. The bottom line is that all three won titles within their first four years of being a head coach and if DT truly is the next chosen one then the clock is already ticking. How many licks does it take to get to the center of the tootsie pop? Ronald Johnson As children, we were always told three but that’s a bunch of malarkey. Three licks and break your teeth if you listen to that advice. Nudes in bio. Erica Oops, don’t think that was a question. Is David Taylor letting you on staff? Madison Hollenbeck Taylor wouldn’t let me in his fantasy football league let alone his coaching staff. And I better not catch him watching games on his phone during Sunday duals. What are your thoughts on previous coaching experience in college? And why is it overrated? Lucky Pearle Well considering I just mentioned three guys who had immediate success while in their 20’s with very little coaching experience, I guess you could say it's overrated a bit. How much does Stillwater being accessible by Turnpike impact David Taylor's chances to recruit Jersey kids? Dynasty Defined Oklahoma State does have a bit of history in New Jersey with Espo and Mocco and a Skove or two in the 80’s, so I don’t count it out. I did hear that David was setting up a club here so he clearly has an interest already. But don’t think I’m not flipping birds at him if I see his horse on the New Jersey Turnpike. Go recruit one of the other three states you claim as home. Coaching hot stove is fire - any predictions for all those openings including assistants? Also, what is the next Boom? PBR As you read earlier when you sat down on the toilet to read all of this, I don’t like making predictions. I’m also no expert in the coaching carousel, but I do know that any coach who gets hired for any job is a great fit. That’s all you ever hear. It’s always a great hire. You never hear someone say this hire sucks. Except that one time when I got hired to do this thing. What is the next Goodale boom? I’ll go against my mantra of no predictions and say Cam Amine to Rutgers. And that’s going to do it for the David Taylor edition of the mailbag. Apologies to Burger King of Kings and the rest as we ran out of time this week. I will try to get to your questions at a later time when I’m sure news will be much slower. Enjoy Mother’s Day weekend as the moms are the backbone of this sport and you wouldn’t even exist without them.

One of Edinboro’s all-time greats is coming back home and joining the Fighting Scots coaching staff. This afternoon Edinboro announced that three-time NCAA All-American AJ Schopp will join the staff at his alma mater as the team’s head assistant coach. Schopp has spent the last seven seasons on the Purdue Boilermakers coaching staff. A career 133 lber, Schopp undoubtedly had to work closely with Purdue’s 2023 NCAA finalist Matt Ramos and two-time Big Ten runner-up Devin Schroder - both of whom were 125 lbers. During his time in West Lafayette, Purdue sent 47 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Ramos’ 2023 run accounted for the only All-American finish; however, Schroeder and three other teammates were named NWCA first-team All-Americans after the 2020 tournament was canceled. Quickly after his career at Edinboro was finished, Schopp got into the coaching ranks by spending two years as an assistant at South Dakota State. While with the Jackrabbits, 133 lber Seth Gross captured the program’s first Big 12 championship and advanced to the NCAA finals. As a student-athlete at Edinboro, Schopp amassed a career record of 133-17. His winning percentage (.887) remains second in school history. During each of his final three seasons at Edinboro Schopp got on the NCAA podium finishing fourth twice, before ending his career in third. That third-place finish occurred the hard way, as Schopp was upset in the first round and reeled off seven straight wins (four via fall) to finish third. He finished his tournament with a 4-3 win over the top-seeded Big Ten champion Chris Dardanes of Minnesota. Schopp's barrage of bonus points in the consolation bracket helped lead Edinboro to a team trophy and a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Schopp also claimed EWL championships in each of his first three seasons and was an NCAA Round of 12 finisher as a freshman. Schopp’s experience coaching in the Big Ten, coupled with his name recognition within the Fighting Scots program, will be invaluable to an Edinboro squad that went 2-12 in 2023-24 and did not have an NCAA qualifier. Edinboro does have a very talented lightweight joining the fold in the fall as the team has signed two-time Pennsylvania finalist Chris Vargo of Bentworth High School. Vargo made national headlines by defeating Jax Forrest in the regional tournament.

The World OG Qualifier, otherwise known as the “Last Chance Qualifier” got underway this morning from Istanbul, Turkey. The tournament serves as the last opportunity for wrestlers to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. Anyone who advances to the finals automatically earns an Olympic quota for their country. Repechage is conducted, as well, and the two bronze medalists at each weight class will square off for the final Olympic bid. Today, Greco-Roman was front and center. The American team needed to qualify each of the first three Greco weights, 60, 67, and 77 kg. The team went 1-3 on the day and none of them will advance to Paris via a finals appearance. Two of them have been eliminated, Dalton Roberts at 60 kg and Ellis Coleman at 67 kg. Roberts went 0-1 and Coleman was 1-1 and both of their opponents lost prior to the finals. The United States will not be represented at the Olympic Games at either weight class. The 2012 Olympian Coleman got the day started at 67 kg with a 1-1 victory over Aliaksandr Liavonchyk (AIN - Belarus). Both wrestlers earned their respective points via passivity. Coleman’s came in the second period when he had criteria on his side. A match later, he fell to Switzerland’s Andreas Vetsch, 8-1. Vetsch would go on to lose his next bout in the quarterfinals. After a day of competition, the only American Greco-Roman wrestler with Olympic hopes still alive is Kamal Bey at 77 kg. Bey was beaten, 8-0, by Sergei Kutuzov (AIN - Russia); however, Kutuzov continued to win all the way through the semifinals. Bey will drop into tomorrow’s repechage rounds. He’ll have Tsimur Berdyieu (AIN - Belarus), a two-time world fifth-place finisher and a bronze medalist in 2017 at the U23 tournament in Europe. He’ll need a total of four wins to earn qualification into the 2024 Olympic Games. Like Bey, Roberts dropped his opening match of the day, 11-6. He was down 7-0 in the second period; however, Roberts rallied in the final stanza to make his opponent, Viktor Petryk, sweat a bit. Perhaps too much as Petryk was pinned in his next bout, eliminating Roberts. American Results 60 kg Round of 32: Viktor Petryk (Ukraine) over Dalton Roberts 11-6 67 kg Round of 32: Ellis Coleman over Aliaksandr Liavonchyk (Belarus) 1-1 Round of 16: Andreas Vetsch (Switzerland) over Ellis Coleman 8-1 77 kg Sergei Kutuzov (AIN - Russia) over Kamal Bey 8-0

More big news on the college coaching front! Today’s edition comes courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh and Keith Gavin, who has hired Lou Rosselli as an assistant coach. Rosselli gets back into the collegiate coaching game after sitting out the 2023-24 campaign. He was most recently the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, a position he held for seven seasons. During his time in Norman, Rosselli produced four All-Americans after sending 48 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, Rosselli’s squad claimed the school’s first Big 12 championship in almost 20 years (2002). Prior to his tenure as the Sooners head coach, Rosselli spent ten years on the Ohio State bench. He was a part of the Buckeyes 2015 national championship-winning team and an instrumental member of Ohio RTC freestyle staff. Before Ohio State, Rosselli spent 11 years assisting at his alma mater, Edinboro and was a 1996 Olympian. Rosselli and Gavin are no strangers - their paths have crossed professionally on two occasions. Gavin spent time with the Ohio RTC training in freestyle under Rosselli. He then was a member of Rosselli’s staff at Oklahoma for a year before accepting the head coaching position at Pittsburgh. The 2024-25 Pittsburgh squad should be younger than in recent years; yet it could feature a lineup that contains six past national qualifiers.

New Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor has wasted no time in putting together a star-studded staff in Stillwater. A few hours ahead of Taylor’s introductory press conference, Oklahoma State’s wrestling Twitter (X) account announced the addition of two new assistant coaches. Jimmy Kennedy will be joining the staff as the Associate Head Coach and Thomas Gilman will be added as an assistant coach. Both Kennedy and Gilman are very familiar with Taylor. Kennedy is Taylor’s brother-in-law and has been serving on the Penn State staff for the previous two seasons on Penn State’s coaching staff and was at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club for the 2021-22 campaign. Prior to coming to Penn State, Kennedy was on the Northwestern bench for three years. As an athlete, Kennedy made the NCAA podium in each of his final three years wrestling for Illinois (4,5,5). He was also a Big Ten runner-up in 2008 and placed in the top-three at the conference meet three times. Having an experienced assistant like Kennedy was a necessity since Taylor doesn’t have any actual collegiate coaching experience. He should be able to help Taylor get up to speed on the administrative portion of the job. Gilman was a teammate of Taylor on the 2020(1) Olympic Team, where he captured a bronze medal at 57 kg. Since April of 2020, Gilman has been in the State College, Pennsylvania area training with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club - no doubt in close association with Taylor. This will be Gilman’s first collegiate coaching position, as well. Gilman wrestled collegiately at Iowa and finished in the top-four at the NCAA Tournament in all three of his appearances. He was a one-time Big Ten champion and a national runner-up in 2016. Since his graduation, Gilman has sandwiched four world team appearances around his 2020(1) Olympic medal. He is a three-time world finalist with a world championship in 2021. Both Kennedy and Gilman were two of the most talked about choices for Taylor’s staff. We’ll see how it rounds out the crew in the coming days or weeks.

With the conclusion of the NCAA wrestling tournament and the calendar changing over to May, you’d think that it means it’s the offseason for college wrestling and all focus should turn to the Olympic styles, right? Maybe in the past, but in a new era of collegiate athletics, once the final whistle has blown on a particular postseason, it means it’s time to turn your attention to the transfer portal. Love it or hate it, it’s the reality. Student-athletes have the ability to transfer much more freely than past generations. Couple that with the extra year of eligibility doled out by the NCAA in the aftermath of the COVID years and you have a wild combination. There was lots of movement last “offseason” and I don’t foresee that changing this year. In just a week and a half since the NCAA finals, there have already been some huge names that have gone into the portal. Some have already announced their new homes, while others are still being courted. The first list of wrestlers we’ve listed have already publicly committed to a new transfer destination. That new school is listed first, along with their projected weight, followed by their former school. Below them are notable wrestlers that have gone into the transfer portal. It is not a comprehensive list. Some (like Jacob Cardenas and Lennox Wolak) knew they were graduating and were unable to continue competing at their Ivy League schools and went into the portal before the season started. Others have just submitted their names. Expect many updates to this feature in the coming weeks and months. Cal Poly: Korbin Shepherd (133/141) - Missouri Edinboro: Colton Camacho (125/133) - Pittsburgh Edinboro: Ryan Michaels (149) - Pittsburgh Illinois: Ramazan Attasauov (125/133) - Iowa State Indiana: Angelo Rini (133) - Columbia Iowa State: Evan Bockman (197) - Utah Valley Little Rock: Brock DelSignore (184) - NC State Lock Haven: Max Elton (125) - Buffalo Lock Haven: Nick Stampoulos (157) - Buffalo Michigan: Jacob Cardenas (197) - Cornell Michigan: Chase Saldate (157) - Michigan State Minnesota: Tommy Askey (157) - Appalachian State Minnesota: Cooper Flynn (125) - Virginia Tech Minnesota: Clayton Whiting (174/184) - Missouri Morgan State: Xavier Doolin (285) - Northern Colorado Nebraska: Sam Ewing (141) - Buffalo North Carolina: Ryan Boersma (285) - Missouri North Carolina: Ethan Oakley (133) - Appalachian State North Carolina: Josh Ogunsanya (174) - North Carolina Northern Colorado: Clayton Ulrey (157/165) - Virginia Tech Northern Illinois: Markel Baker (125/133) - George Mason Northern Illinois: Spencer Mooberry (197) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Gaven Sax (174) - North Dakota State Oklahoma: Carter Schubert (165) - California Baptist Oklahoma State: Caleb Fish (165) - Michigan State Oklahoma State: Dean Hamiti (165/174) - Wisconsin Oregon State: Sean Harman (174) - Missouri Pittsburgh: Nick Babin (125) - Columbia Pittsburgh: Chase Kranitz (184) - Buffalo Pittsburgh: Evan Tallmadge (125) - Navy Rider: Sammy Alvarez (149) - Oklahoma State Rutgers: Dagen Condomitti (157) - Oregon State SIU Edwardsville: Ben Lunn (141) - Minnesota SIU Edwardsville: Luke Odom (157) - Illinois SIU Edwardsville: Griffin Ray (165) - Nebraska Virginia Tech: Connor McGonagle (133) - Lehigh Virginia Tech: Lennox Wolak (174) - Columbia West Virginia: Tommy Maddox (133) - Buffalo Wyoming: Sam Mitchell (197) - Buffalo Although some huge names are still in the portal, there hasn’t been much portal-related news since the deadline to enter passed (Friday, May 3rd). With the coaching change at Oklahoma State, wrestlers there will have time to enter if they’d like. One of the more interesting names to commit to a transfer is Cooper Flynn, who announced yesterday that he will be attending Minnesota for the 2024-25 school year. Flynn was the #20 overall recruit in the Class of 2021 and the Tennessee native initially stayed in the south to attend Virginia Tech. After a redshirt season, Flynn was embroiled in an almost season-long battle with Eddie Ventresca over the starting role at 125 lbs. Ventresca won out and eventually got on the NCAA podium. Flynn appeared to be taking an Olympic redshirt for the 2023-24 season, but after Ventresca’s early-season struggles and subsequent injury, Flynn was pulled. In his first bout of the season, Flynn defeated Cliff Keen Las Vegas champion Nico Provo (Stanford), who was undefeated at the time and ranked #4 in the nation. At one point during the 2023-24 season, Flynn was ranked as high as second in the country; however, he was unable to topple NC State’s Jakob Camacho - losing in their highly anticipated dual and in the ACC finals. Flynn ended up with the #11 seed at his first national tournament, but bowed out after going 1-2, with losses to both Big 12 finalists. Flynn’s addition is yet another from the portal that has solidified the Minnesota lineup. They’ve added Tommy Askey (157/Appalachian State) and Clayton Whiting (174/184/Missouri) since the NCAA Tournament. With the departure of longtime starter and Big Ten finalist, Patrick McKee, 125 appeared to be an issue for the Gophers in 2024-25. No more with Flynn aboard. There’s a way that Minnesota head coach Brandon Eggum could send out a lineup that includes nine returning national qualifiers. 125 lbs in the Big Ten (and nationally) was quite chaotic and one of the talking points all year. A couple of the wrestlers that made the weight so unpredictable are gone; however, it still looks up for grabs. Flynn won’t initially be viewed as a conference title favorite, at the same time, he can’t be ruled out. Portal Andrew Alirez (141) - Northern Colorado Cam Amine (165) - Michigan Cade Balestrini (149) - Bloomsburg Fernando Barreto (133) - North Dakota State Kaleb Burgess (149) - Buffalo Charlie Darracott (165) - Stanford Devon Dawson (285) - North Dakota State Massoma Endene (197) - Wartburg Logan Frazier (133) - Virginia Tech Max Hale (184) - Penn Wyatt Hendrickson (285) - Air Force Nathan Higley (149) - George Mason Jared Hill (157) - Oklahoma Jacob Joyce (125) - Stanford Jason Kraisser (157) - Iowa State Hunter Mays (165) - Lehigh Peter Ming (285) - Stanford Peyton Moore (133) - Missouri Kyle Mosher (165) - Columbia Jack Nies (149) - American Danny Nini (157) - North Carolina Kyle Parco (149) - Arizona State Isaiah Powe (141) - Chattanooga Bretli Reyna (149) - Iowa Chris Rivera (141) - Campbell Justin Rivera (149) - Campbell Rylan Rogers (184) - Michigan Cheaney Schoeff (133) - Indiana Tyler Stewart (285) - Morgan State Ethan Stiles (157) - Nebraska

Los Banos

The brackets have been released for the 2024 World OG Qualifier which gets underway tomorrow from Istanbul, Turkey. As a reminder, wrestlers need to advance to the semifinals to lock up a spot in the Olympic Games. Additionally, there will be a repechage (like most international tournaments) and the bronze medal winners will meet for the final spot in the Games. American representatives will be competing at 57 and 65 kg in men's freestyle and 60, 67, and 77 kg in Greco-Roman. Here are the brackets! Also, here is a link to the key contenders at each weight that features an American Olympic hopeful. Now, we can map potential paths for these wrestlers. Men's Freestyle 57 kg 65 kg 74 kg 86 kg 97 kg 125 kg Greco-Roman 60 kg 67 kg 77 kg 87 kg 97 kg 130 kg Women's Freestyle 50 kg 53 kg 57 kg 62 kg 68 kg 76 kg

With all of the attention given to the Oklahoma State coaching position, it’s almost easy to forget that tomorrow represents the start of a huge four days in the Olympic qualification process. The 2023 World Championships served as the first event where wrestlers could lock up a quota for their country in the 2024 Olympic Games. Earlier this year, qualifying events were held at each continental championship. Now, this week’s World OG Qualifier tournament represents the last opportunity for wrestlers to earn a place in the Olympic Games. High-quality wrestlers from all over the world have not yet qualified and are looking to do so in Istanbul, Turkey. To qualify, a wrestler will either need to make the finals or win the wrestle-off between the two third-place finishers. The premise is simple, however the task is not. Each weight class had potential threats to our American Olympic hopefuls. Today, we’re focusing on those weight classes in which the United States has not yet qualified. Those are 57 and 65 kg in men’s freestyle and 60, 67, and 77 kg in men’s Greco-Roman. All six women’s weights have been qualified. The Americans that will compete at those weights are: 57 kg MFS: Spencer Lee, 65 kg MFS: Zain Retherford 60 kg MGR: Dalton Roberts, 67 kg MGR: Ellis Coleman, 77 kg MGR: Kamal Bey While everyone in the bracket represents a potential roadblock, we’ve singled out some of the key opponents that each of the American wrestlers will have to contend with and some of their most notable past credentials. Thursday will feature Greco-Roman through the semifinals. Repechage and the bronze medal wrestle-off’s will take place Friday. Women’s freestyle starts Friday and will be conducted in a similar fashion to Greco. Men’s freestyle starts Saturday and concludes on Sunday. Men’s Freestyle 57 kg Key Contenders: Suleyman Atli (Turkey) - 2x World medalist (2,3), 2x European Champion, 6x European medalist (1,1,2,2,2,3) Roberti Dingashvili (Georgia) - 2024 European Bronze medalist, 2019 European U23 Bronze medalist Vladimir Egorov (North Macedonia) - 2022 European Champion, 2x European medalist (1,3), 2021 World 8th Place Rakhat Kalzhan (Kazakhstan) - 2x Asian Medalist (2,3), 2022 World 14th Place Sunggwon Kim (South Korea) - 3x Asian 5th Place, 2017 World 9th Place Horst Lehr (Germany) - 2021 World Bronze medalist, 2x European Bronze medalist Levan Metreveli (Spain) - 2x European 5th Place Ilman Mukhtarov (France) - 2024 European 5th Place, 2019 U23 World 5th Place Simone Piroddu (Italy) - 2022 European U20 Champion, 2018 Cadet World Bronze medalist Alireza Sarlak (Iran) - 2021 World Silver medalist, 2021 Asian Silver medalist, 2019 U23 World Bronze medalist Aman Sehrawat (India) - 2023 Asian Champion, 2022 U23 World Champion, 2021 Cadet World Champion Georgi Vangelov (Bulgaria) - 3x European Bronze medalist, 2020(1) Olympic 5th Place, 2022 World 5th Place Zanabazar Zandanbud (Mongolia) - 2022 World Bronze medalist, 2017 Asian Silver medalist Andrii Yatsenko (Ukraine) - 2017 World Bronze Medalist, 2019 European U23 Champion 65 kg Key Contenders: Besir Alili (North Macedonia) - 2022 European 5th place Khamzat Arsamerzouev (France) - 2023 European U23 Champion, 2022 U20 World Bronze medalist Erik Arushanian (Ukraine) - 2020 European Bronze Medalist, 2022 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2021 European U23 Champion Adlan Askarov (Kazakhstan) - 2021 Asian Silver Medalist, 3x Age Group World Medalist (U23/2; JR/3; CD/3) Krzysztof Bienkowski (Poland) - 2021 European Silver medalist Kizhan Clarke (Germany) - 2024 European Bronze medalist Stefan Coman (Romania) - 2023 European 5th place Islam Dudaev (Albania) - 2x European medalist (1,3), 2x U23 World Bronze medalist Umidjon Jalolov (Uzbekistan) - 2022 U20 World Champion, 2019 Cadet World Champion Sujeet Kalkal (India) - 2022 U20 World Bronze medalist, 2022 Asian U23 Champion, 2022 Asian U20 Champion Kwang Jin Kim (North Korea) - 2023 Asian Games Bronze medalist Abdulmazhid Kudiev (Tajikistan) - 2023 Asian U23 Champion, 2021 European U20 Silver medalist Ayub Musaev (Belgium) - 2x European U20 medalist (2,3) Mikyay Naim (Bulgaria) - 2023 European Silver medalist, 2021 World 9th place, 2017 U23 World Silver medalist Maxim Sacultan (Moldova) - 2023 World 5th place, 2021 European Bronze Medalist Niurgun Skriabin (AIN - Belarus) - 2020 European Silver medalist, 2018 World 9th Place Ahmet Duman/Abdullah Toprak (Turkey) - 2023 U23 World Bronze Medalist, 2023 U20 World Bronze Medalist (Toprak) Tulga Tumur Ochir (Mongolia) - 2021 World Bronze medalist, 2x Asian Silver medalist Greco-Roman 60 kg Key Contenders: Pridon Abuladze (Georgia) - 2021 U23 World Bronze medalist, 2x European Junior Champion Razvan Arnaut (Romania) - 2x European Bronze medalist Aslamjon Azizov (Tajikistan) - 2022 Asian U23 Silver medalist, 2021 Asian 5th place Munkh Erdene Batkhuyag (Mongolia) - 2023 U23 World Bronze medalist Sumit Dalal (India) - 2023 U23 World Bronze medalist, 2x U20 World medalist (2,3) Gevorg Gharibyan (Armenia) - 2x World 5th place, 2020 European Champion, 2x European medalist (1,3) Aleksandrs Jurkjans (Latvia) - 2021 European Bronze medalist Sadyk Lalaev (AIN - Russia) - 2024 European Bronze medalist, 2019 European U23 Bronze medalist Hleb Makaranka (AIN - Belarus) - 2023 U23 World Silver medalist Murad Mammadov (Azerbaijan) - 2x World Medalist (2,3), 2024 European Champion, 3x European medalist (1,2,3) Edmond Nazaryan (Bulgaria) - 2022 World Silver medalist, 2x European Champion Justas Petravisius (Lithuania) - 2024 European 5th place Georgij Tibilov (Serbia) - 2023 World Bronze medalist, 2023 European Bronze medalist 67 kg Key Contenders: Abdullo Aliev (Uzbekistan) - 2024 Asian Bronze medalist, 2023 Asian U20 Champion Abu Amaev (Bulgaria) - 2x European Bronze medalist, 2019 Junior World Champion Ashu Bazard (India) - 2020 Asian Bronze medalist Mateusz Bernatek (Poland) - 2017 World Silver medalist, 2021 European Silver medalist Mohamed El Sayed (Egypt) - 2020(1) Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2x U23 World Champion Dominik Etlinger (Croatia) - 2019 European Bronze medalist, 2015 World 8th place Selcuk Can/Murat Firat (Turkey) - 2024 European Champion, 3x European medalist (1,3,3) (Firat) Julian Horta Acevedo (Colombia) - 2020(1) Olympian, 2022 U23 World 5th place Artur Jeremejev (Estonia) - 2023 U23 World 5th Place Haavard Joergensen (Norway) - 2023 European Bronze medalist Etienne Kinsinger (Germany) - 2020(1) Olympic 11th place, 2x European 5th place, 2018 World 8th place Din Koshkar (Kazakhstan) - 2022 U20 World Bronze medalist Ji Leng (China) - 2024 Asian Bronze medalist Aliaksandr Liavonchyk (AIN - Belarus) - 2019 U23 World Silver medalist, 2018 European Junior Champion Mihai Mihut (Romania) - 3x European 5th place, 2018 U23 World Bronze medalist Niklas Oehlen (Sweden) - 2x European U23 Medalist (2,3) Valentin Petic (Moldova) - 2019 Junior World Bronze Medalist, 2019 U23 World Bronze medalist, 2016 Cadet World Champion Hansu Ryu (South Korea) - 2x World Champion, 3x World Medalist (1,1,2), 4x Asian Champion Krisztian Vancza (Hungary) - 2022 European Silver medalist, 2021 U23 European Champion, 2018 Junior World Bronze medalist Aslan Visaitov (AIN - Russia) - 2014 Junior World Bronze medalist Ramaz Zoidze (Georgia) - 2021 World Bronze medalist, 2020(1) Olympic 5th place, 2018 U23 World Silver medalist, 3x European U23 champion, 2x Junior World Champion 77 kg Key Contenders: Tsimur Berdyieu (AIN - Belarus) - 2x World 5th place, 2017 European U23 Bronze medalist Ihor Bychkov (Ukraine) - 2019 Junior World Bronze medalist Kamil Czarnecki (Poland) - 2023 European Bronze medalist Vikas Dalal (India) - 2023 Asian U23 Bronze medalist Ibrahim Ghanem (France) - 2023 World Champion, 2023 European Silver medalist, 2022, World 5th place Alexandrin Gutu (Moldova) - 2023 U23 World Champion, 2x U23 World Medalist (1,2), 2024 European 5th place Idris Ibaev (Germany) - 2021 U23 World Champion, 2021 European U23 Bronze medalist Antonio Kamenjasevic (Croatia) - 2021 European Bronze medalist, 2x European U23 Silver medalist Zoltan Levai (Hungary) - 2022 World Silver medalist, 2017 European U23 champion Iuri Lomadze (Georgia) - 2x European medalist (2,3), 2x World 9th place Aik Mnatsakanian (Bulgaria) - 2x World Bronze medalist, 2x European Bronze medalist Viktor Nemes (Serbia) - 2017 World Champion, 2x World medalist (1,3), 4x European medalist (2x3, 3) Adlet Tiuliubaev (AIN - Russia) - 2024 European Bronze Medalist

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Wahoo via Iowa Western

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Pennridge

Faith Christian Academy

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Wyoming Seminary

The 2024 college coaching carousel is in full swing and was sort of turned on its head last night as the Oklahoma State job was filled by David Taylor. There are already plenty of rumors regarding Taylor’s potential coaching staff. Should those come to fruition, they could create even more movement on the coaching front. Taylor’s arrival should also put a handful of qualified ex-Oklahoma State coaches on the market, as well. Though Oklahoma State has been filled, there are still two active head coaching openings. Hofstra joined the fray after Dennis Papadatos stepped down to pursue an administrative position with the school. Also in New York, Columbia has not been filled. Pay attention to InterMat as there should be an announcement either late this week or early next week regarding both of Princeton's openings. I'd expect news regarding Pittsburgh's, as well. The first set of coaches have already accepted new positions during this hiring cycle. Even though the Esposito/Hall moves were announced during the regular season, they are still relatively recent and will spend their first season on a new bench in 2024-25. The second group is current openings that InterMat has been made aware of. If you don’t see one listed that needs to be please let me know earl@matscouts.com . As with the transfer portal feature, this is a fluid situation that will be monitored and updated regularly throughout the spring and summer. There will be no timetable for updates - just as more movement occurs. The links below are to the recent interviews with these new coaches. Offseason Coaching Movement Binghamton: Louie DePrez - Assistant Coach (Binghamton athlete) Buffalo: Donnie Vinson (Cornell Associate Head Coach) Campbell: TJ Dudley - Assistant Coach (Brown Assistant Coach) Central Michigan: Ben Bennett (Central Michigan Associate Head Coach) NC State: Zack Esposito - Associate Head Coach (USOPTC) Oklahoma State: David Taylor - Head Coach (USA Athlete) Penn: Matt Valenti - Associate Head Coach (Penn athletic administration) Princeton: Cody Brewer - Head Assistant Coach (Virginia Tech Assistant Coach) Utah Valley: Adam Hall - Head Coach (NC State Associate Head Coach) Utah Valley: Andrew Hochstrasser - Unannounced Role (Utah Club Coach) Virginia Tech: Zach Tanelli - Associate Head Coach (Columbia Head Coach) Current Openings Army West Point: Assistant Coach Binghamton: Assistant Coach Brown: Assistant Coach Buffalo: Assistant Coach(es?) Campbell: Assistant Coach Central MIchigan: Assistant Coach Columbia: Head Coach Cornell: Assistant Coach Edinboro: Assistant Coach Hofstra: Head Coach Pittsburgh: Assistant Coach Princeton: Assistant Coach (x2) Stanford: Assistant Coach Utah Valley: Assistant Coach(es?)

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a collegiate wrestling team. To make a significant impact at the NCAA Tournament you need to have the horses. As college wrestling has evolved, we find out who the real thoroughbreds are earlier and earlier. Looking at the 2024 NCAA finals, 14 of the 20 finalists were ranked in the top ten overall in their respective recruiting classes. Only one wrestler was from outside of the top-50 (Mitchell Mesenbrink) and he would have been much higher had the class rankings dropped a month later. Detractors of Penn State’s dynasty have often said, “They just get the best recruits,” as if it were a jab at the staff’s ability to coach and develop. I look at it as them being great at an area that accounts for a large portion of the coaching duties. Now bringing this topic to current events - David Taylor was officially announced as Oklahoma State’s next head coach on Monday night. Some skeptics of the hire were unsure how it would work having a head coach at a power program in his first collegiate coaching gig. I’m confident he’ll hire an experienced staff that can help fill in the gaps as he learns on the job; however, one area in which I think he’ll excel immediately is recruiting. We’ll discuss a couple of ways that Taylor can improve an already strong Oklahoma State program by recruiting. Yes, these days, recruiting isn’t necessarily limited to kids coming out of high school. Wrestlers in the Portal Although the portal is closed for the season (aside from anyone looking to leave during a coaching chance), there are plenty of big names already entered. One of which has already visited Oklahoma State pre-Taylor hire - two-time All-American heavyweight, Wyatt Hendrickson. Sometimes you have to look at fits and personalities with transfers, but in this instance, the Air Force star is probably one that will fit in anywhere. He was interested in Oklahoma State before, I don’t see that going down and I can’t see Taylor being opposed to the best bonus-point scorer in the country. The only returning national champion in the portal is Andrew Alirez. Oklahoma State is rumored to be one of the schools that interest him. With Tagen Jamison (141) and Jordan Williams (149), returning, there isn’t a great need in Alirez’s weight range; however, he’s an undefeated national champion, so you probably figure out a way to make it work. This move could be dependent on a coach in Alirez’s range. Not on the same level as the two previously mentioned All-Americans is Penn State’s Terrell Barraclough. Barraclough entered the portal as a graduate student and has excelled when needed for the Penn State staff - anywhere between 157 and 174 lbs. With only one year remaining and never having a shot at the postseason before, Barraclough will probably pick his destination very carefully. With the addition of Caleb Fish and Dean Hamiti, there isn’t much of a need in this area; however, we thought it would be appropriate to mention Barraclough. Collegiate Wrestlers Not in the Portal Nobody likes poaching and trying to entice otherwise happy and satisfied wrestlers to enter the portal. Well, maybe a few people do, but by and large fans and coaches would prefer this element go away from the sport. We’re not trying to influence wrestlers seeking a transfer and I’m sure Taylor is conducting business on the up-and-up. That being said, the reality is that either some signees or existing Penn State wrestlers may want to follow Taylor to Stillwater. Two of Penn State’s current stars, Levi Haines and Tyler Kasak, did not wrestle at the high school level as seniors. Instead, they trained with Taylor’s M2 Training Center in order to have a smoother transition to college wrestling. Another Class of 2024 signee, Zack Ryder, moved from New York to do the same. He recently won U20 nationals in freestyle and is a two-time U17 World bronze medalist. Since wrestlers from the Class of 2024 haven’t hit collegiate campus’ just yet and the portal is closed, it’s more likely in the short team that you’ll get a commitment from someone who has signed an NLI and is requesting to back out of it to potentially pursue Oklahoma State. Future Recruiting Classes We are just over a month away from the first day (June 15th) that collegiate coaches are permitted to have contact with recruits in the Class of 2026. That should work out perfectly for Taylor as he has some time to lock up a staff, and work on securing commitments from wrestlers in the Class of 2024 and 2025 that have already committed to wrestle at Oklahoma State. Then he can move forward and work on the Class of 2026. The Class of 2026 has some huge names and three of the top-four wrestlers in that class are from Pennsylvania. Two of them are high school teammates, Jax Forrest and Bo Bassett of Bishop McCort. The two have already proven their mettle in freestyle at the Senior Level and could be game-changers in college. Forrest already has an interest in Oklahoma State - though that could have been driven by a relationship with Coleman Scott and Bassett is open. Both have had some sort of a relationship with Taylor through M2. The fourth member of this class is Adam Waters, an upperweight who trains with Chance Marsteller. Landing some combination of the three, along with existing talent, would make for an imposing Cowboy lineup in the future. Those are just the blue-chipper’s with Pennsylvania backgrounds. With the combination of Taylor’s name recognition and Oklahoma State’s status as a wrestling blue blood, Taylor should be able to draw recruits from all over the country. We glossed over the 2024 and 2025 classes to talk about 2026, but there is plenty in the cupboard with both classes and Taylor’s staff will need to work hard to ensure those wrestlers head to Stillwater, as planned. The 2024 Class is rather small but has some big names. First and foremost is #2 overall Cody Merrill, who appears to be the Cowboys heavyweight of the future. Merrill is a two-time Junior National freestyle champion and was in the 2023 Fargo finals alongside fellow Class of 2024 recruit JJ McComas. The 2025 Class also has the #2 overall recruit committed to the Cowboys in Ladarion Lockett. Just a few weeks ago, we saw Lockett dominating Cornell freshman sensation Meyer Shapiro at the Olympic Trials. Lockett leads a group that includes three other top-100 recruits who have committed to OSU. As far as the Class of 2025 goes, most of the top, top wrestlers have been spoken for and are committed to other institutions. Taylor’s arrival may change one or two of those wrestlers' thought processes. The only huge name from the Class of 2025 that is available is #3 Marcus Blaze. Blaze’s most recent top-six list did not include Oklahoma State - does Taylor’s presence change anything? Some of the recruits who have already committed to Oklahoma State are local kids in McComas and Lockett. We’ll have to see if any previous staff members are retained in any shape or form and if that has an impact on the kids like those two who have already spent significant time around the program.