It's never about how these people live, it's only about what they say. Sexual assault? No problem just say you're a Christian and everybody will pretend it never happened.
No guarantee Welsh can even win a spot. No way he can beat Levi so he'll have to beat Ryder to get a spot and there's no reason to think Zach can't beat him.
As it stands this is their bench for 2026:
125-Desmond
133-Davis
141-Nagao
149-Perry
157-Duke
165-Sealey
174-Henckel/Cunningham
184-Ryder
197-Mirasola
285-Bundy/Frichionne
It's not nuts to think Davis, Nagao, Duke, Henckel, Ryder and Mirasola could all AA.
It is truly mind boggling what's going on in Happy Valley. They literally just under-performed and set a new points record and then a few days later added an absolute hammer in Ono and a top recruit for 2026 while having what might be their best recruiting class ever in 2025.
The biggest loser here is Jax, he's gonna have to deal with Ono or Blaze now.
Also, could this be the greatest recruiting class ever:
Ono, Blaze, Duke, Henckel, Cunningham, Desmond, Perry
If you think about it he doesn't have to figure out how to get out from bottom, he just has to figure out how to not get turned. Giving up one RT point isn't going to matter when he plays catch and release the other five minutes of a match.
That being said, with his skills and as hard as he works he'll figure it out pretty quickly. He'll be working with some all-time hammers on top in the room (Zain, Nick Lee) which will accelerate his development.
But it is, it might not be official but it is. How do you think Ringer won it when he beat Zain, it was based on past performand. Zain had more wins, an 89% bonus rate while Ringer's was 82%. 4xers always get it (unless there are two) so you have to give it to a 5xer. Carter is friggin' 25-0 in the NCAA tournament, if that doesn't win the Hodge then nothing should.
Based on everything he's done. He hasn't lost a match on the mat for 4 years, only 5x champ, undefeated, 85% bonus rate. Both he and MM wrestled much tougher schedules in the Big Ten. You don't win the Hodge based on one upset, he spent the regular season coasting by being in the Big 12.