Dogbone

In the moment it happened, there is no question it was Cael leaving ISU. He was given the HC job at like 26 with the intent to make sure he didn't bolt like Gable. Cael still left, and it set ISU back. They went from being in the top 5 consistently to a bottom program instantly and then fans had to deal with the realization that they couldn't even retain the greatest college wrestler ever at his alma mater. PSU fans might be bummed Taylor left but it won't have major impact on PSU. I won't be shocked if most PSU root for OkSt when they aren't competing against PSU. That wasn't the case at ISU when Cael left. Gables departure is more hindsight regret IMO. At the time, he was going from assistant to a HC. No one knew he would have unprecedented success so quickly.

If JB has too much Hubris, PSU fans must be really struggling to root for Starocci...

I think O'Toole has to be the favorite in Folkstyle (2 Titles at a higher weight and the best Folksytle wins over Carr) but it's not a foregone conclusion. Is PSU going to any big tournaments (no offense Black Knight Open) where Haines and KOT might meet? PSU coaches are great at making adjustments for NCAAs but not sure if they will see Mizzou before NCAAs.

So you don't like the head clubbing, a legal wrestling move in freestyle, but you do like MM's antic, which occur after the whistle and/orout of bounds?? I don't know why PSU keep saying he isn't a gracious loser except it fits their agenda. He typically shakes hands and walks off the mat. No incidents any World or international events when he has lost either. Regardless, show me a gracious loser and I'll show you a loser.

My take is almost everything always goes PSU way and some of their fans (not all of them) don't seem to handle it well when it is not 100% PSU love fest in the wrestling world. In the last 6 months: Carter called out JB then didn't show up at the weight Bo talked crap before one of his fights MM was pushing the line (maybe overstepped) and JB responded. (Askren admitted MM was over the line) Carter then talked more crap about what he would do if JB pushed him (Sidenote, where was Carter this weekend? He made this exact weight in March) PSU Fans boo JB at USAW wrestling event PSU fan then heckles and talk more crap. I don't see why JB has to turn the the other cheek. He feels a certain type of way about it and has the right to say whatever and whenever he wants. PSU fans/wrestlers can be more respectful if they choose or they can deal with being called out on their behavior.

Even in the NIL world, you have to be AA level talent and actually accomplish it to get the bold part. Not everyone is and its doubtful the ~10 kids he called out by name are all of that level. He isn't giving practical advise, he is taking a blanket stance that doesn't necessarily apply to all kids. Sure if you have the chance to earn half a mil, kids should take it, but lets not be naive enough to claim that any kid that steps on a mat has the opportunity to earn a half a mil before they graduate. About 1% of HS wrestlers compete in D1, less than that will start and even less will AA. We can teach kids to be smart entrepreneurs and good at statistics too. Every kid that gets held back and doesn't make that NIL $ is now a year later in the earning potential.

I agree it can make sense for some guys. It should be a family decision and its not right for everyone. Braken's speech (that the club itself posted to social media) seems to be a blanket approach everyone should do it and to me its an overstep for a club coach to push kids to be held back. If you need to game the system to have success, that tells me all I need to know about his ability to coach.

Are you talking about the $1.3M, because in that case he might be being facetious. But the criticism for why this coach is an idiot is because he telling, in a serious manner, all of his kids they should be held back. I doubt every kid he called out by name is a future D1 AA so that extra year isn't going to help most of those kids in the long run. I have never heard of this guy so I doubt if he had one more year of eligibility and all the sudden his life is different. Perhaps spend more time trying to get your kids better at wrestling and life than trying to facilitate 19 year old seniors.

Will just have to agree to disagree on whether 5th place is a worse finish than 4th place.

Yes, guys who enter college rooms get better. But do guys who wrestle in other college rooms get better after they transfer to PSU? Recently examples would suggest no. Truax got better at Cal Poly then transfered to PSU and objectively had his worst NCAA finish. He didn't transfer to PSU to get fifth. Claiming a guy who went from 7th to 6th is an improvement while stating a guy who went from 2nd to 3rd is a no change and 4th to 5th is a no change is not consistent. Sorry you are not cherry picking your selections just being inconsistent with how you apply improved v. no change in favor of PSU. For the record, I think most of them are no change and a podium spot one way or the other isn't inductive of a change. Heck a different ref in the Deprez quarter and Dean would of been a "got worse" when in reality he was about the same, wrested in a different weight class and came out on top before regressing his senior year. I can't believe how much better Cyler's got when he wasn't in the same conference as Jordan Burroughs. His previous coaches must not known anything about wrestling....

Regarding Lawson - he had no data and never wrestled for a different institution post HS so I don't know how you can say he improved when he didn't wrestle anywhere else, just like Kerk and MM With regard to the bold, I am just saying be consistent, you want to say they all stayed the relatively the same, that's fine I would agree, but you took every PSU guy who when up and said improved and everyone one that went down and said no change. You're cherry picking results to fit your narrative.

Same question for: Jimmy Lawson - 1x AA finishing 6th as a senior. Improved. From What? Not to mention, claiming Long went from 2nd to 3rd is a no change but Dean went from 2nd to 1st to 7th is an improved?? I get 2nd to 3rd is marginally the same but you have to be consistent with everyone who went up or down a few podium spots then. I also enjoyed how Cyler went from 7th to 6th but was an improved because he won the B1G when he never wrested in the B1G before. His previous coaches must of been terrible Good thing PSU improved him...

I can't say I didn't see this coming. Despite the long odds I was hoping he would make it to, if nothing else, eliminate 6 months of speculation on whether he will wrestle 2nd semester. Making the NFL always seemed like a very long shot which is why him pursing it over taking the Iowa offer signaled to me that he just doesn't want to wrestle anymore.

I believe he stated it was only a 1 year thing and he plans to purse the NFL after the FB season. Even if he doesn't get invited to combine, he will plan to workout for teams to pursue the NFL.

I am already looking forward to @Wrestleknownothing trend lines over the last 10 years of NCAA AA's per height/inch of depth!

That is comical. In reality, Cael was actually accepting transfers in who had a drinking issues and were kicked out of their previous school. Good for Cael for setting a strict policy now. Of course, when you are winning NCAAs by 50+ points its easy to say my way or the highway, but that wasn't always the case.

5 of the 12 golds so far with two finalist tomorrow. Just amazing.

Scoring was questionable for sure, but I don't think I could score it differntly with USA glasses on and have Dake on top. Dake lost because he didn't move his feet enough and the Takatani was great at finishing once he hit the low single. Dake scored when he got to his offense but Japan was quicker on the attack.

Jokes on Takatani, little does he know that if he wins gold, he will have to deal with an asterick on message boards since Sidakov wasn't there

I mean, sure that sounds bad but that is more points than Michigan State scored at the 2017 NCAAs.

What if said opponent was 82-0 internationally and never lost outside of Japan, still surprised if it played out? No one seemed to be aware of the current rule and Phogat has filed an appeal to share the Silver Medal.

Certainly this is the case, but she also wouldn't be the first wrestler to misrepresent how much they ate after getting off a scale.

I do feel bad for her as I think she should be given the Silver since she beat everyone she faced on the mat. But, according to India, she made 50KG yesterday, only ate a little and weighed 53KG after competing and couldn't get back to 50 KG 12 hours later, despite cutting her hair, drawing blood, not eating and doing sauna/working outs the entire night. She also competed so well sucked down that she beat Susaki fresh off the scale. I don't buy all of that. I'm guessing she re-hydrated to feel as close to 100% in order to take on Susaki (understandably) and then was well over weight and she couldn't get back down in time. Imagine how big she would of been during the gold medal match if she didn't have to ever make 50KG again.

The only US wrestler who I thought got a bad draw was Coon as he might of medaled with a decent draw. Bey was the very last wrestler in. Tough to complain about any draw he got. Yes, US has been unlucky but after the draw that Sara is getting, I don't think we can complain. No other draw would of allowed her to avoid Susaki. Hopefully she can win gold!! Dom was unlucky but with the size of the bracket, she could be 1 repachage win away from going for bronze. Ideally a better draw might of allowed us to win 1 Greco match. I'll take unfortunate circumstances and luck that might allow us to bring home another gold (go Sara!) over slightly better Greco draws.

In the match,No. I am sure both guys have put everything into winning the Olympics. Neither guy is giving 99% but now that they can do it for JC or Allah they will give 100%. Will post match comments create an international incident? Unlikely but its a non zero chance something is said.