Barracuda141

I don't see how anyone can even be competitive with PSU for the foreseeable future...and realistically, we all know Cael and co. isn't going to forget how to recruit or develop kids in the room. That lineup has 6 LIKELY NCAA Champs (LL, Blaze, SVN, Duke, MM, and Levi). Davis, Barr, Mirasola will AA. That leaves Hvy as the only question mark. There's not an All-Star team out there that can beat them.

I bet they make the top 5

I'll take Volk, Bailey, Peyton Hall, Braunagel, Feldman, and PSU to go 5-0.

When Levi beat KOT at WTT, Levi was the bigger human. He will be a solid sized 174. I don't anticipate seeing much, if any, size difference between Levi and Arnold

lmao and people thought letting athletes get paid was a good thing. This is the end result. College programs will drop every men's sport besides football & basketball. The women's side will be basketball, volleyball, and whatever keeps them compliant with title 9. We're so obsessed with watching college football, we are going to destroy every other sport besides basketball. Hope it was worth it. *At the water cooler on Monday* "Damn Bob that's a real shame the alma mater just cut 15 men's sports. Anyway, did you catch the Iron Bowl!?!? Can't believe that Alabama wide receiver is only 17!!"

Agreed. In fact, I believe Davino is the favorite to win the spot. Bouzakis' brutish style isn't conducive to major collegiate success. Takes a little more than a head in the hole cradle, and cow catcher to win. Also..just went 0-1 at u23 worlds

So they now have 3 RTC coaches for 2 athletes...and 2 total coaches for the college program. Do we see Coleman Scott in Madison as an assistant?

125- Ayala 133- Crookham 141- Bartlett 149- Van Ness 157- Messenbrink 165- Haines 174- O'toole (Unless Starocci comes back) 184- Keckeisen 197- Buchanan 285- Kerk

Webster & Scoles are nice pick ups. I like Chris Moore too. However, lets not act like Poeta is lighting the recruiting trail on fire. If he was really crushing it, maybe one high end transfers like Illinois boys Caliendo & Hamiti would've decided Champaign, IL was a great fit. Also of note, Poeta failed to recruit 3 of the last 4 blue chippers. No Nasir Bailey, Davino, or Mendoza. Next question, how is attendance looking at Illinois home matches? Not great is the answer. It's frustrating to turn on Big Ten Network and see mostly empty bleachers. 569 fans vs Minnesota 1757 fans vs Iowa 563 fans vs UNC & Central Michigan 1258 fans vs SIUE 338 fans vs Navy

I didn't say he didn't get a facility. Someone suggested the reason why Illinois didn't get Davino or Mendoza was because a decision had to be made between getting a facility and securing NIL deals for Davino & Mendoza, which by the way isn't true. I simply stated that he, Poeta, should be able to do both.

Welcome to the Big 10. Figure it out Poeta. Somehow Iowa can figure out how to fundraise $30+ million for a new wrestling facility. Somehow Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State can all figure out how to raise a boatload of money for improved facilities in addition to competing for recruits in the NIL era. It's part of being a head coach today. If he can't mange to work the phone and bring in enough money to be competitive, then Illinois needs to bring in someone who can. Illinois as a state qualified 32 for the NCAA tournament last year #2 behind PA and this year qualified 22 for the NCAA tournament, 4th most this year. U of I qualified a pathetic 3 this year, two of which were done Day 1.

I mean..that's the reality of today's D1 world. Figure it out Poeta or just resign yourself to being a mid to bottom tier Big 10 team. The choice is yours.

There's been no uptick in recruiting under Poeta. It looks like a continuation of the Heffernan regime. Lost out on Ben Devino to Ohio State and Seth Mendoza to Missouri. Can't keep talent instate which has been a constant issue since Mark Johnson left. If Poeta can't figure it out in the next two years, he needs to go. Find somebody that can turn a top 5 hs wrestling state into a perennial trophy contending team.

John Smith should be held accountable for Okie State's recent failures as a team and whether him or his staff haven't been able to develop the talent in the room. With that being said, Fix should also be held accountable for his lack of development. Being in an elite division 1 room with one of the greatest wrestling minds of all time and he's ADDED NOTHING to his offense. In 4 finals matches, he's scored 0 takedowns. He's regressed in just about every aspect of his wrestling. He used to be a savage on top. Now? Not a feared rider/turner. So yes, John Smith needs to be held accountable..and so does Fix. Now for the "abuse" directed at Daton. Athletes get booed all the time so I'm not sure why people are disappointed in the boos. People are booing his boring style, not him as a person. If he doesn't want to get booed, then be offensive and aggressive. Nobody is booing Vito, Austin Gomez, Messenbrink, Aaron Brooks, etc. Why not? They're being offensive and exciting. When you back up, have a defensive mindset, only look to counter, take zero committed shots, etc. you're going to get booed. Also, people boo other athletes all the time. Who cares? That's what happens when people pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to watch a product. Fix is older than Tua, Trevor Lawrence, and the same age as Justin Herbert and Justin Fields. He's a grown man. If those athletes are preforming poorly, they get booed too.