Next Year’s Lineup '26

[bwel9339]

Here is my plan. You can bash it and tell me I'm an idiot but I already know that. This is "Operation Three-Peat 2028-30." It requires one year of sacrifice where we may finish 7th or 9th or worse. I do not think Penn State is beatable next year. After next year I think it's game on. So I am redshirting strategically and priming for a three-year Death Row lineup. Below is my 2027 Line-up:

125: Spratley
133: Ramirez
141: Hughes or a Rainey Brother
149: Swiderski
157: Routledge
165: Facundo
174: Guerrero or Transfer
184: White (for experience if he can make that weight)/ Transfer
197: Merrill
HWT: Amos

This would give us three years of having all of our studs in the lineup for the team race plus the Raineys and Ross for four years plus a redshirt year of development for them. I know NIL and transfer portal. I also think they all want to wrestle for David Taylor and this program and environment.

I know this will never happen but is there anyway to realistically stack-up to make a run after this year? Or forget about it and just have faith that we will recruit these level guys again? Which we can sit here and say and that sounds nice but we just produced the first two undefeated national champions since 1947 and another true freshman national champion which has never been done before. This is a very special class. The odds of it happening again are low. Like I said before I am obsessed with #35. I would take a last place finish next year to win a team title(s) in the next three,

It’s an interesting concept and would definitely pay off in 28,29 and 30. It seems like David wants to build with a new stepping stone each year. We hit second place this year and as you said Penn State won’t likely be beat next year. David has definitely shown that he wants the very best lineup each year no matter who wrestles or doesn’t. I really like your concept but just not sure surrendering a season is in David’s DNA.

 

[100TonsofOrangeFury]

It’s an interesting concept and would definitely pay off in 28,29 and 30. It seems like David wants to build with a new stepping stone each year. We hit second place this year and as you said Penn State won’t likely be beat next year. David has definitely shown that he wants the very best lineup each year no matter who wrestles or doesn’t. I really like your concept but just not sure surrendering a season is in David’s DNA.

Very well said. No way DT allows the momentum of his first 2 seasons to falter by throwing in the towel on season 3. He's not wired that way at all and you can tell neither are his guys.

 

[Btbw1968]

Why would a freshman champ ever redshirt. They want to win now. I personally think we will see some new wrestlers in the lineup
125 Spratley or Zincken
133 Rameriz or smaller Raney (Raney is one of the few guys to beat Jax)
141 Jax
149 Vega or larger Raney with Vega redshirting to adjust to 149
Robideau at 157
Dee at 165
Facundo or Ryder at 174
Mikey White or Ryder at 184. If Ryder is winning it would be awesome for White to Redshirt.
Panda at 197
Dreshaun Ross at Heavyweight I always like to see larger wrestlers redshirt as they tend to need more maturing, but I understand he is ready to go.

Next years class will be very good.

We may not win next year, but Cael thinks we could.

 

[bwel9339]

Why would a freshman champ ever redshirt. They want to win now. I personally think we will see some new wrestlers in the lineup
125 Spratley or Zincken
133 Rameriz or smaller Raney (Raney is one of the few guys to beat Jax)
141 Jax
149 Vega or larger Raney with Vega redshirting to adjust to 149
Robideau at 157
Dee at 165
Facundo or Ryder at 174
Mikey White or Ryder at 184. If Ryder is winning it would be awesome for White to Redshirt.
Panda at 197
Dreshaun Ross at Heavyweight I always like to see larger wrestlers redshirt as they tend to need more maturing, but I understand he is ready to go.

Next years class will be very good.

We may not win next year, but Cael thinks we could.

I like this lineup but I think Facundo needs to move down to 165. He just didn’t show the strength needed to win at Nationals at 174. He was beaten pretty regularly by BIG wrestlers through out the season. Kennedy, Minto and Mantanona and the Illini wrestler to close his season. This is not a knock on Alex, he’s a great kid and I think one of our better technical wrestlers but just think he would have more success at 165. I think you put he and Dee together and let the best wrestler win. Even if that happens to be one, the other might be needed in the postseason like Teague Travis was a couple of years back.

 

[Howie_Fartz]

Everyone saying Coach Taylor will put his best line up out every year is correct. But heres what everyone has to think about: how do we make up 50 points to catch psu?

Robideau isnt moving at all IMO. Will Jax and Vega be as dominant one weight up? Can Dee turn it around or does he shirt? Do we move Facundo down his last year? Does that mean we move Ryder down? How do we make up the points? Theres a whole thread about it but to catch psu we need to not only win, we need bonus! We left so much on the table in round 1! With guys moving around (I understand its necessary) I'm wondering how much bonus we lose/gain next year? Granted these guys will all IMPROVE under the staff.

41 clears out some but could you imagine Jax wrestling Luke Stanich? That boys a monster.
49 has a ton of guys back. Does Vega maintain his length advantage?
65 we saw Facundo hang with a lot of big tough 74s. Does he come down and muscle guys here?
74 same with Ryder here as Alex above.

A lot of questions. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. But like i said, its not just about winning to catch that damn blue team out east. We have to win and bonus!

 

[JAY45]

 

[OAMC99]

Why would a freshman champ ever redshirt. They want to win now. I personally think we will see some new wrestlers in the lineup
125 Spratley or Zincken
133 Rameriz or smaller Raney (Raney is one of the few guys to beat Jax)
141 Jax
149 Vega or larger Raney with Vega redshirting to adjust to 149
Robideau at 157
Dee at 165
Facundo or Ryder at 174
Mikey White or Ryder at 184. If Ryder is winning it would be awesome for White to Redshirt.
Panda at 197
Dreshaun Ross at Heavyweight I always like to see larger wrestlers redshirt as they tend to need more maturing, but I understand he is ready to go.

Next years class will be very good.

We may not win next year, but Cael thinks we could.

The ONLY answer would be for the good of the TEAM and to be a part of possibly three Team National Championships. All three of our champs seem like they are ego-less team guys who have bought into the program. They would still be getting paid and there are a lot of events to wrestle at nowadays. Plus they just did win, we don't know what they are thinking. Also for some guys it makes sense to let competition graduate. Example: Lockett at 165 with Messibrink.

 

[OAMC99]

I like this lineup but I think Facundo needs to move down to 165. He just didn’t show the strength needed to win at Nationals at 174. He was beaten pretty regularly by BIG wrestlers through out the season. Kennedy, Minto and Mantanona and the Illini wrestler to close his season. This is not a knock on Alex, he’s a great kid and I think one of our better technical wrestlers but just think he would have more success at 165. I think you put he and Dee together and let the best wrestler win. Even if that happens to be one, the other might be needed in the postseason like Teague Travis was a couple of years back.

I love this idea because if Facundo beats Lockett out, Dee has a redshirt year and it would probably benefit him greatly. Then we definitely get the best 165lber for 2027. And we get three years of a better Dee at 165 at worst case.

 

[TheJimReaper]

Everyone saying Coach Taylor will put his best line up out every year is correct. But heres what everyone has to think about: how do we make up 50 points to catch psu?

Robideau isnt moving at all IMO. Will Jax and Vega be as dominant one weight up? Can Dee turn it around or does he shirt? Do we move Facundo down his last year? Does that mean we move Ryder down? How do we make up the points? Theres a whole thread about it but to catch psu we need to not only win, we need bonus! We left so much on the table in round 1! With guys moving around (I understand its necessary) I'm wondering how much bonus we lose/gain next year? Granted these guys will all IMPROVE under the staff.

41 clears out some but could you imagine Jax wrestling Luke Stanich? That boys a monster.
49 has a ton of guys back. Does Vega maintain his length advantage?
65 we saw Facundo hang with a lot of big tough 74s. Does he come down and muscle guys here?
74 same with Ryder here as Alex above.

A lot of questions. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. But like i said, its not just about winning to catch that damn blue team out east. We have to win and bonus!

I feel like Jax would handle Stanich. He’ll be a beast no matter what weight he’s at. I’d be a little more worried about Sergio but you don’t just lose being a title contender cause you went up 8 pounds.

 

[OAMC99]

Am I correct in assuming our biggest areas of concern over the next few years are 165, 174, and 184? We currently only have an 8th place finisher on the roster and no identifiable super-recruits?

Lockett (3), Ryder (3), and Facundo (1) were all super recruits. All look good and have potential but not at the level of the other four freshmen. Mikey White looks to have a lot of potential but is not a super recruit. Should we try for a transfer or two? I checked the roster for my proposed lineup and there is no one else on it at those weights.

Every other weight seems to not only be covered but double-covered and in some cases log-jammed with uber talent. Creative redshirting will be needed. We do need a good backup heavyweight for Ross.

 

[Dvten25]

Here is my plan. You can bash it and tell me I'm an idiot but I already know that. This is "Operation Three-Peat 2028-30." It requires one year of sacrifice where we may finish 7th or 9th or worse. I do not think Penn State is beatable next year. After next year I think it's game on. So I am redshirting strategically and priming for a three-year Death Row lineup. Below is my 2027 Line-up:

125: Spratley
133: Ramirez
141: Hughes or a Rainey Brother
149: Swiderski
157: Routledge
165: Facundo
174: Guerrero or Transfer
184: White (for experience if he can make that weight)/ Transfer
197: Merrill
HWT: Amos

This would give us three years of having all of our studs in the lineup for the team race plus the Raineys and Ross for four years plus a redshirt year of development for them. I know NIL and transfer portal. I also think they all want to wrestle for David Taylor and this program and environment.

I know this will never happen but is there anyway to realistically stack-up to make a run after this year? Or forget about it and just have faith that we will recruit these level guys again? Which we can sit here and say and that sounds nice but we just produced the first two undefeated national champions since 1947 and another true freshman national champion which has never been done before. This is a very special class. The odds of it happening again are low. Like I said before I am obsessed with #35. I would take a last place finish next year to win a team title(s) in the next three,

I was playing around with how that might look the next year and it made a lot of sense to me. It just doesn’t seem like that is the way DT operates. Some thought he should have redshirted everyone who could last year. DT just seems like he’s going to put his best lineup out there to compete every year.

 

[glorycowboy]

This is first year of competing for both Dee and Zack. They will both get better. Facundo was 0-2 in NCAAs at PSU, he is 2-2 here. He definitely got better and will continue to get better.

Its a great idea on theory to RS Dee and Make Facundo and Zack to get one weight lower. But, not sure how the cut is going to be for those guys. And White is too inexperienced to directly take mantle at 184. He is not like Jax,Vega,Landon. He started wrestling late and he will need RS.

My ideal lineup will be Spratley, Raney, Jax, Vega, Landon, Facundo, Ryder, Transfer, Merrill, Transfer. For this to happen, we might lose some guys we love to portal too (Like Tagen or Swiderski). So not sure what I want.

 

[Cowboy1989]

This is first year of competing for both Dee and Zack. They will both get better. Facundo was 0-2 in NCAAs at PSU, he is 2-2 here. He definitely got better and will continue to get better.

Its a great idea on theory to RS Dee and Make Facundo and Zack to get one weight lower. But, not sure how the cut is going to be for those guys. And White is too inexperienced to directly take mantle at 184. He is not like Jax,Vega,Landon. He started wrestling late and he will need RS.

My ideal lineup will be Spratley, Raney, Jax, Vega, Landon, Facundo, Ryder, Transfer, Merrill, Transfer. For this to happen, we might lose some guys we love to portal too (Like Tagen or Swiderski). So not sure what I want.

That lineup makes sense if Locket wanted to redshirt

 

[chasepollard]

That lineup makes sense if Locket wanted to redshirt

After his last 6 weeks of NCAA Wrestling, it’s not his choice.

 

[Chasingthirty-five]

After his last 6 weeks of NCAA Wrestling, it’s not his choice.

5am Chase before the sun is up hits different!

 

[osufanatic4life]

I’m putting my bet on that Dee earns his spot between now and next season and wrestles at 65 and doesn’t shirt.

Im also kind of thinking PSU might go 57 kasak, 65 duke, 74 mm. Duke looks like a 65 to me right now and I think mm would be just as dominant at 74 if he wanted to. I’ve heard the flo guys speculate on that and I felt that it made a lot of sense to me.

 

[chasepollard]

5am Chase before the sun is up hits different!

My bad!

I never said I was pleased, I just said I wasn’t going to bag on him…and wish others wouldn’t as well.

He’s a kid, loved by his teammates and family. He was most likely doing lots of mental gymnastics during the mentioned time with his brain teetering between boy and man.

 

[Chasingthirty-five]

My bad!

I never said I was pleased, I just said I wasn’t going to bag on him…and wish others wouldn’t as well.

He’s a kid, loved by his teammates and family. He was most likely doing lots of mental gymnastics during the mentioned time with his brain teetering between boy and man.

It was one of the most logical/reasonable takes you’ve had. I’m just messing with you.

I agree with @osufanatic4life that Dee figures it out and earns the spot again. He has so much talent which I think is the main reason we were all more frustrated with him. But as frustrated as we got, I can’t imagine how he felt and I hope this offseason he can figure out the direction he wants to take. Maybe offseason freestyle will be good for him. Just like Jax, I do think his freestyle is better.

 

[StillyBoy08]

I have a feeling Jordan Raney is going to have a hard time finding a spot with Jax, Vega and LR holding down 141-157 for another 3 years. Putting this puzzle together is going to be a very tough (good) challenge for Coach Taylor

 

[StillyBoy08]

I don’t think it would be a bad idea for Dee to take a reset and redshirt and get his head right and come back looking to dominate. I could be wrong but I think Zain redshirted after his freshman year and never lost a match again

 

[StillyBoy08]

I love that Zinkin is going to be in the room next year with Spratley to learn from, he should hopefully be able to step right into his shoes and be another 4 year guy at 125

 

[Howie_Fartz]

Am I correct in assuming our biggest areas of concern over the next few years are 165, 174, and 184? We currently only have an 8th place finisher on the roster and no identifiable super-recruits?

Lockett (3), Ryder (3), and Facundo (1) were all super recruits. All look good and have potential but not at the level of the other four freshmen. Mikey White looks to have a lot of potential but is not a super recruit. Should we try for a transfer or two? I checked the roster for my proposed lineup and there is no one else on it at those weights.

Every other weight seems to not only be covered but double-covered and in some cases log-jammed with uber talent. Creative redshirting will be needed. We do need a good backup heavyweight for Ross.

Mikey White is coming. Heard he was asked if he can make 84 last weekend and w/o batting an eye said, yes I can.

I have a feeling Jordan Raney is going to have a hard time finding a spot with Jax, Vega and LR holding down 141-157 for another 3 years. Putting this puzzle together is going to be a very tough (good) challenge for Coach Taylor

Red shirts and O-shirts and what the heck ever they can find lol. I see us injecting both Raneys in the line up and literally not losing any points as crazy as that sounds. Think Kasak/Duke at psu, practically the same. Its gonna be glorious!

 

[chasepollard]

It was one of the most logical/reasonable takes you’ve had. I’m just messing with you.

I agree with @osufanatic4life that Dee figures it out and earns the spot again. He has so much talent which I think is the main reason we were all more frustrated with him. But as frustrated as we got, I can’t imagine how he felt and I hope this offseason he can figure out the direction he wants to take. Maybe offseason freestyle will be good for him. Just like Jax, I do think his freestyle is better.

Logic and reasonable are reserved for end of the season haha.

During the season, I predict 10 champs!

 

[StillyBoy08]

Mikey White looks to have a lot of potential but is not a super recruit. Should we try for a transfer or two? I checked the roster for my proposed lineup and there is no one else on it at those weights.

what is your definition of a super recruit? Mikey White is the #1 ranked high school wrestler at 190lbs. You can’t compare everyone to Jax’s pedigree

 

[glorycowboy]

What if Kasak at 157, MM 165 and Duke 174? PSU wrestlers seems to jump two weights almost without any issue (?!).

Levi, Barr did. Desmond will do it next year maybe.

 

[Btbw1968]

Duke looked massive while wrestling Landon. Thought he looked like a 174 pounder. I would think they would shift up both Duke and MM. Duke is great, but not as great as Messenbrink.

 

[Inky29]

So the question becomes how do you make up 50 points. Clearly it's not going to be we score 51 more points, it's going to have to be a combo of a couple of things.

Take 165-174, we got 3 points from those weights, I don't think getting +20 from those weights is out of the realm of possibility.

Then you start looking at each weight.

125- TS scored 12 points (can't find the official numbers but these are my best guesses) and finished 5th. Not a guy in the class he can't beat but next year 5th is once again his most likely landing spot. A repeat of his sophomore year would be great and get us about 4-5 more points.

133 - I kind of see us winning this weight regardless of who wrestles for us. So no gain here maybe a decrease because of bonus points but Raney's know how to score.

141- Let's assume Jax moves up then I'd expect the same as what he got us this year. That's a +4 due to bonus points

149- I'm assuming Sergio bumps up so that's a +10 (could be more) at this weight.

157- I expect same results but for just speculation reasons I'm going to say -4, although I don't see why LR wouldn't repeat but it's a tough weight.

165 - Previously discussed +10

174 - +10

184 - No change

197 - I'm gonna stick with no change

285- This is the only one I'm unsure of. KD picked up 16.5 points after finishing 4th. The highest any FR Hwt has finished is 2nd so at best we are talking maybe +5 points but history says if we stayed around the 16.5 team points that would be outstanding. So I'll just say no change here.

That would put us at 161 points next year, then do we see PSU losing 20+ points? It really comes down to this, whomever beats PSU is going to need help. It's going to take some upsets at 125 and 149, guys that did make the finals but failed to make the finals next year (-8). Maybe some guys don't get as many bonus points so there's another 3 or 4 points, although I don't see that happening. I'd also imagine they hope to get more out of 141 and 285. There will likely be a drop for them at 174 but that weight is wide open and the PSU kid looks salty. I could see him winning it all so only a slight drop in points from Levi.

The gap is closing but the margin for error is still so small. Looking forward to seeing how guys respond to success and failure this offseason.


Now if someone saves this and pulls it back up a year later to show how wrong I am, the person who does it suffers from ED and likes to dress up in their mom's dresses. ( Unless its someone like FG or Wally who does it and I will not disparage them )