Gable was winning when there was no social media. There were no cell phone no Internet forums and no TV channels with non stop coverage of wrestling. Non wrestling fans tuned into watch 1 hour of the national finals with short clips of certain matches. We need to try and make wrestling at least as popular as the WNBA. IMO competition for team titles will help. 1 great team is good for that teams fan but bad for wrestling.
Recruiting….
- Thread starter Lightweight87
- Start date
At least if some other teams could make the title run interesting. It's been a foregone conclusion before Nattys start. There might be a few tune in to see this great team that keeps winning but likely wont hang around long. Has to become more competitive but its also not on PSU to get there.
Exactly. I remember when Iowa was at the top on its run and how they promoted their competition all the time. They practically steered guys to their rivals just to have competition because winning all the time was boring.
I think your point is fair about the impacts of it being a foregone conclusion. Too many years of that in a row would be bad for viewership. I agree with @Nashville_Hawk that Ok State will be making it competitive soon. Though that might not be very comforting for Hawk fans.
recruiting is key and DT is already equal to or better than Cael in that race for the classes of 26 and 27…so yes, it’s going to start being a 2-horse race.
Looks like OkSt has 7 top 10 wrestlers in the 25/26 classes. Incredible haul.
New hot name, that is actually to be expected. Hell, even Zeke Jones did it at first. The key is if he can start stealing away PSU recruits and sustain that level of recruiting long term…
Cuz, make no mistake, PSU is still pretty much getting whomever they want….
No. Zeke had one hot year, bolstered by a dad making elite recruits in the west coast
and never followed it up. No trophy teams. (Until 2022) No multiple individual chips in the same year. No world medals/chips.
hell… zeke and co. got hit pretty hard after Anthony Valencia completely failed to develop.
Disagree strongly…PSU definitely not getting who they want with DT in the mix. He’s killing it in the upcoming classes and I know that can’t be ok with Cael.
Feels like PSU had no open spots unless you are elite, and OkSt had relatively open spots at most weights, so it’s easier to recruit (if your name is DT). The next class or two will tell the tale.
PSU has has had no opens spots for 15 years. Its never stopped them from grabbing every top p4p they want. Now OkieSt is doing the same. The next class will not tell the tale. The last 15 already have.
PSU has double digit top 10 lb4lb recruits in their room. Please name a guy they were heavily recruiting that went to OkState…as I said, THAT will be what OkState needs to do to truly be competitive let alone beat them…
I know exactly what you were talking about. But this is different. DT put 2 great classes together back to back. Zeke never did that.
Not to mention his back to back portal classes.
^^^ Can’t see the Forrest for the trees.
Dreshaun Ross
LMFAO. Is OkState even remotely competitive with PSU right now? NO. All I fricking said was 2 classes isn't some monumental achievement when even guys like Zeke Jones started off hot recruiting. See Tom Ryan as well.
Tell me how I am wrong about my overall stance. I said OkState will not only need to do the same thing consistently for years to come, but actually get guys that PSU is full on going after.
I have said over and over again that DT will have success. But, truly challenging PSU? He has a F***ton to do before that is even a remote consideration and many here are SUPER premature even beginning to go there....
Edited to add: I DO like the play on words with "Forrest", but wasn't he a heavy OkState lean from the very beginning? When I refer to taking PSU recruits away, I am talking about something like Spencer Lee where they are ALL IN at the very beginning and the guy is an absolute need at a specific weight.
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I didn't follow his recruiting very hard, but I didn't really hear much about PSU really ever being in the picture to start with. Hell, wasn't ISU the frontrunner to start with?
Even then, it doesn't change my point. For OkState to truly challenge PSU, they will need to do that on a consistent basis. On average PSU is landing nearly 3 top 10lb4lb recruits per season and those are almost always plug and plays right away. On top of that, they have taken top recruit transfers like Mesenbrink and Kerkvliet away from schools before they even officially wrestle a match for that school.
DT may very well prove to be the next "IT" guy. But, that doesn't mean they will ever truly challenge PSU under Sanderson, let alone soon....
Cael was on Ross hard and was until recently. He made a home visit and even slept on his couch
I think there is little doubt the DT factor is significant and is negatively affecting PSU.
Word has it Cael wants Ross enough that he still has not fully surrendered. Until Ross signs the LOI, the game is still on.
Other notables include xfers lost to OSU Facundo and Zach Ryder. IMO I think Ryder has a higher ceiling than a clear top 4 Rocco Welsh, and in time we may/will regret Rocco coming in to disrupt the apple cart. I wish that fiasco never happened.
As for 2026, there really wasn't much room at the inn and with the xfer portal and NIL it's going to be really hard going two deep at more than just a weight or two. Cael secured one really great one in 2026, but I think it was a purposeful pass year for the most part.
Cael has a relatively predictable pattern of every other year recruiting waves grabbing big classes.
2027 will big a big proof point, as will the Bo Bassett (2026) & Miller presumed 'package' deal still in flight. Oddly enough, there is actually a gap post Shane Van Ness in the PSU lineup for Bo to fit perfectly, and everyone wants Miller who appears to be even more elite. PSU will be fine without either of them, "however" if they both commit to OSU then I think we have reached the tipping point where future (2028ish) OSU becomes very real.
In short Cael gets most of the kids he wants, but there are many examples where he lost out on big name must gets. Snyder, Jesse Mendez, Shapiro, Ross, ... even a lot of past Hawks.
PS - I feel for you guys. I wish 'commitments' actually meant something, but considering we are dealing with 17-18 year olds the waffling seems to be somewhat justified. Losing Bo really hurts.
Thanks for the info. That is a big one since it does fall into their one and only "need" weight. However, that would need to happen pretty much yearly for quite some time for them to become even remotely competitive with PSU. Maybe that does happen. But, they are still a LONG ways away from that and I don't see how that can even begin to be denied...Cael was on Ross hard and was until recently. He made a home visit and even slept on his couch
It’s so hard to call Ross a miss with a blue chip Mirasola having 4 years of eligibility and a possible multi time AA not having entered the lineup.
His football choices are the only reason Mirasola could be the better choice. But, strictly wrestling, I definitely think Ross is a step up...
I’m not suggesting he’s a better choice. But for anyone to suggest this is a need weight or a miss to not get Ross is laughable. He just beat him for the u20 spot and won world bronze. The cupboard is not bare
. I’m agreeing with u that psu is the top dog by far till someone proves otherwiseI hear ya. PSU’s “hole” is about 75 or so teams’ bright spot. Still, I was just giving credit to DT for landing Ross over PSU.I’m not suggesting he’s a better choice. But for anyone to suggest this is a need weight or a miss to not get Ross is laughable. He just beat him for the u20 spot and won world bronze. The cupboard is not bare
I am interested to see what happens when a blue chip is out there and is a true need for PSU(if that even happens anytime soon). If PSU doesn’t land him and OkState does, then PSU may actually need to start worrying.
Still, I wouldn’t suggest anyone should hold their breath…
Tom read the tea leaves correctly on this one, giving only passing interest in Ross and pretty much focusing on Mocco. Had Ross committed to Iowa he likely would have been poached.Cael was on Ross hard and was until recently. He made a home visit and even slept on his couch
My dad started taking me to PSU matches when I was 5 years old (I'm 51 now, and Dad is long gone). There are a LOT of PSU fans who started following wrestling after Cael came to town, but, trust me, there are a LOT of PSU wrestling fans who have been in it from their early days.
I might be in the minority on this, but, I do look forward to having better competition for titles than the last few years have produced. Having Bo Nickal get a pin to win the title for himself and the team on Saturday night is memorable. Going into Saturday with it in the bag already is great as a fan, but, it isn't nearly as exciting. I think it's also more fun when your rivals are competitive.
Stumbled in here hoping for some Hawks recruiting news and thoughts but most is our rivals recruiting. I know it's off-season but this on3 just doesn't have that cesspool feel. Time will tell I guess.
Go over to the 2nd place thread that was derailed for two days about lawn mowing, that will bring back the cesspool nostalgia.
well to be fair, they are recruiting better than we are...
But yeah, given the events of this summer, it's no surprise that a lot of old posters are quiet.
its been this way for so long I dont know why anyone would expect anything different anymore. No offense.
I mean nothing positive to discuss for Iowa recruiting. So it veers to other programs or other topics.
Speaking of old posters, where is IRONBIRD!!!!!???????
I miss Grip.
I was thinking about this. Now that we're settled into our new digs, who are the big names we've lost since the move?
I miss Grip's posts as well. No one wore thicker Black and Gold glasses than Grip.
I agree, I stop in and check to see what is being posted but it definitely does not have the cesspool feel. I haven't found many topics/discussions I have any interest in posting/commenting.