Matthew Burns

Senior Les Gutches looked bored. I would put him in the running. Tough as they come. Absolutely dominant in his Hodge year. Retherford, Nikal, and Ruth during their Hodge years were similar. I'll mention the obvious. Cael Sanderson. I don't think anyone had better "feel' from neutral. I don't think I ever saw him breathing hard.

I'm being sincere. I'm a PSU fan. All the metrics describe an epic season. However 2 for 5 in the finals was a bit of an emotional let down. Troll thread or no, I chose to participate. Great night for Cornell, great night for PSU. I get to participate in little more college content.

What am I missing? He "didn't like his physique" at 149. I'm not seeing the lines I need to read between.

There's a"yeah but" there. 10 of 20 finalists were Big 10 wrestlers. I don't think it's a shaky assumption that team scores from other conferences are mediocre without their top 4 schools. I would love to see the ACC push the Big 10. Heck I'd love it if the PAC 12 actually had more than 4 member schools with programs.

It amazes me how quickly we get desensitized by success; 2 national champions both returning. 3 additional finalists, 2 returning. 2 third place finishes, returning 1 more All American to total 8. Team championship. Somehow this gaudy list of achievements is disappointing. I'll admit it feels like a down year for PSU. Where are the 5 champs? When are there going to be 10 All Americans? Keep spoiling us with this ridiculous level of dominance. 5 Nittany Lion finalists is starting to feel common.

Trying to be dismissive for effect. Blue chip prospects are just that, and Lee was the best get at his weight. The point I was trying to make is Spencer wasn't always considered automatic in college. Gimpy knees and the footwork of Sebastian Rivera sometimes made me doubt him.

Mason Gibson? Before Lee built his resume he was simply a blue chipper He has "only" been the top seed at his weight twice in the tournament.

He doesn't. Iowa had the top recruiting class that year with; Lee, Warner, Murin and Costello all rated in the top 75. With the guys already in the room there was likely little to no scholarship money available. Lee was the prize recruit at 120. Desanto would have been parody at that weight. Cory Clark was graduating and Seth Gross had been kicked off the team so 133 might have been an option. I don't know if ADS projected as a college 133. It was Lee that recruited Desanto to Iowa, not the Brands brothers. Both wrestlers have said so in interviews. In fact that started right after their match at the state tournament. ADS probably benefited from the lower profile Drexel program. I think he matured a little under Matt Azevedo's staff. He was part of a top 25 recruiting class and a national qualifier. I don't think he qualifies in the loaded Big 10 133 lbs field as a freshman, but an at large bid would be pretty likely He was my favorite Hawkeye to watch while he was there. I just think his ceiling was the semi finals.

I'm a PSU honk, so obviously Nittany Lions but; I picked Spencer Lee as a freshman when he beat Nato coming out of redshirt. I want to see him close out the 4 pack. I would like to see Austin Gomez finish his college career with a title. His swing for the fences style has always been fun to watch. Even though I am routing for Levi Haines, a Bryce Andonian win would be fun for me. Austin Gomez type reasons there. I'll route for Yonger Bastida in the 197 bracket because he entertains me. Fun to watch. Penn State is awful good this year, but they are missing a guy that I truly love to wat like Taylor, Ruth, Nolf, or Nikal.

4 of the 5 "easy" weights have a high seed that is a multiple time champ that has dominated his class for 3-4 seasons. The field may be less accomplished, but the top is pretty heavy.

Of the 78 D1 NCAA schools 28 or so had AAs last season. Doubling that doesn't seem realistic. High profile legacy programs exist for a reason. Elite high school wrestlers generally want to participate in programs that take the sport very seriously. Becoming an All American at Cal Baptist or Little Rock is a noble goal. Unfortunately wrestling is already a niche sport and only low level recruits are headed to fringe programs.

Illegal. Called properly on the mat. I don't think it was intentional. Gomez is a pedal down, physical, throwing brawler. Positions like that happen. Gomez has also lost time to concussions. He doesn't seem to have a rep as a dirty guy.

Cam Caffey Been convinced he was podium material since his Big 10 finals match with Aaron Brooks. Time for him to get on the podium.

The trip was a second move off of 3 or 4 duck variations. He isn't deeply versatile from neutral, but that's a lot of guys.

Dom Demas , Ranked in the top 25 or so all year long. Placed ...3rd at 141 in 2019. He's probably still living off of the lunch money he took from Nick Lee in that match. I wanna see him in a round of 16 match VS a top 10 seed like Parco or Murin.

Looks like Kordell Norfleet is back in the mix at 197.

"In some years" would have better expressed the point. Thanks, that statement was sloppy. Currently the member schools with wrestling programs in the PAC 12 total 3. It takes 3 more non member affiliates to round the field to 6. At best it's a 6 man bracket. The point I tried to make is that a single allocation is not as unfair as it may appear. Im a California boy born and bred. I coach at a local high school. Our lone state qualifier went 0-2 and finished out his season today. His effort received zero interest outside the wrestling community. This part of the USA simply doesn't care about wrestling outside of well funded prep programs, or communities with legacy coaches. Until that attitude shifts a single guaranteed spot to the national tournament is all the PAC 12 is worth IMO.

Regarding Pac 12 tournament AQs... I thought the NCAA was stingy with those allocations on the surface. Dig a little deeper and it makes more sense. I many years the PAC 12 has a 4 man field for an entire weight class. 2 wins and you at league champion. That's a pretty humble march to a title. In fact IIRC Shane Griffin won the PAC 12 title with a single win over Anthony Valencia recently. At large bids help take care of the rest of that field.

Finding his removing a shoe to make a point inadequate, Tom Brands resorts to dropping trow. Hawkeye fans start chanting "stalling" on March 12. Penn State recruits a 125 with the ability to stand on the podium.

125 Noah Surtin 133 Mickey Philipi 141 Cael Happel 149 Paniro Johnson 157 Will Lewan 165 Carson Kharchla 174 Edmond Ruth 184 Lenny Pinto 197 Braxton Amos HW AJ Nevills

I was 0- fer my first 2 years in high school.

We could see a year with two 4 timers and three 3 timers... Lee levels up in March. I picked Seabass to beat him, I was wrong. He's my pick as a lock. After that RBY. He seems to have solved Fix. Every other weight class has legit landmines. 197 and 165 could have a lot of high seeds slipping on banana peels.

Rather than repeat some of the above examples I'll throw some love to Trent Hidlay. I loves me some underhook goodness.

I'll pick one. Cam Caffey of Michigan State at 197.

Nolf has 3 losses; 1 medical forfeit. 2 close loses to Isiah Martinez, A two time champ. Nolf pinned him in their first meeting. The devil is in the details. Nolfs career looks an awful lot like Gable Stevenson's, only longer, better, and lacking a Hodge.