A sorry decline from a program that often produced a team that finished in the top 10-15 in the country.
Is this NIL, coaching deficiencies,
other ??
Is this NIL, coaching deficiencies,
other ??
Grapplers
- Thread starter NorthNJCatsfan
- Start date
The team finished 6th in the country in 2022 but it’s been a quick and far fall since then. I know we have had some of our best wrestlers transfer out in recent years, so is that mostly because of NIL or other reasons? And we haven’t been able to bring in top recruits or transfers to replace those guys.
I doubt it has much to do with NIL. What schools are investing a boatload into Wrestling? Maybe the Top half dozen?
The value if the NU degree should be gigantic in non-revenue sports. Look at LaCrosse and Field Hockey. Those programs get top players and win. How much are the ladies making in NIL?
I have zero knowledge on the abilities of the Coaching staff. However, I do know the B1G is the premier wrestling conference and NU is the premier academic institution in that conference. With no professional future, ( that staged stuff don’t count), I would expect the staff to recruit at a much higher level and produce some All-Americans at some point. If they can’t recruit better, it doesn’t matter in their technical coaching abilities.
There actually is a new professional wrestling tour (RAF-Real American Freestyle) airing on Fox Nation. If this is successful, there may be professional opportunities for a select few even in the lower weight classes
Shut out by Nebraska. I realize they are very good, but getting blanked means something isn’t working. Time for change.
It has been a dreadful fall. We lost one of the Davison brothers to Michigan over $100K of NIL money.
This is one of the programs that will really struggle in the new era. Not that anyone is dethroning Penn State anytime soon…
We got destroyed by NIU. There are no excuses for that.
I was at the U of I match yesterday. Cats won 1 of 8 matches. None were really close. They don't physically look like a Big Ten caliber team. They have fallen so far so quickly. I like Coach Matt and he has had success but something is very wrong. I don't know if NIL plays that big a roll. I understand many top schools probably pay more but NU is at the bottom of the Big 10 now, save for Maryland and maybe MSU. Same with both BB teams now. Can't blame it on facilities.
I know nothing about Coach Matt. He was engaged with team in marches and saw him at a football tailgate with the Wrasslers, but something has to give.
NU can’t get smoked by SIU-Edwardsville and NIU even with zero NIL. Non-revenue sports is where NU should excel. The value of the scholarship should get you at least a competitive team. I doubt there is a ton of NIL money outside the top 10 programs for wrestling. I doubt they run it back.
I'd prefer women's bowling. One of our local high school girls got a full ride to Nebraska for that sport, and the Corn huskers are a national powerhouse in bowling Very little equipment cost and not many scholarships required.
Replacing our Wrestling program with Lacrosse or Women’s Bowling is a laughable proposition.
We will get kicked out of the Big Ten before that happens.
Well, it didn't happen to Nebraska, and they have the best women's bowling team in the country. Plus, it's a lot less expensive than men's lacrosse. Vanderbilt has one as well, and last I knew they were still in the SEC.
I’m all for a women’s bowling team but not to replace the wrestling program.
NU should have enough cash to add a women’s bowling program to increase the scholarship funds in wrestling, baseball, or maybe even start a men’s lacrosse program.
Getting rid of our wrestling program after we were in the Top 10 a few years ago is insane to me and friends like Jake Herbert, Matt Delguyd, Dustin Fox, and many more incredible NU wrestlers.
I would agree, and I never said anything about eliminating wrestling. I'm just concerned about the cost of adding men's lacrosse. If we have the financial wherewithal to do it, I'd be all for it. Unlike that nasty bully, CSC, I want no sports eliminated.
Returning to the original post in the thread, what happened to wrestling and is it fixable? The wrestling program has typically been a solid to good program but has significantly declined the past three seasons and is now firmly at the bottom of the Big 10. I assume that NIL is not a huge factor in wrestling as maybe only 10-15 programs have a robust NIL budget.