UNC Wrestling 2025-2026

[81Heel/M1]

I thought it curious that Intermat did not rank Santiago, but now I see that he is no longer listed on the roster. Don't know if it was the concussions that someone mentioned, competition, or just life that has changed that situation. Whatever the case I thank him for his time on the team and wish him well.

This changes the outlook for the 157 weight class this year. It hurts us immediately, but may be better for the team in the long run. While I still have questions about how ready Root is to take this slot, you get better with competition in the room and in matches. The competition in the room drops off, but Root should get matches to improve his wrestling. Santiago was ranked to earn .5-1 points at the ncaat, and those lost points might have impacted a spot or 2 in the final standings. That is not a huge loss from that standpoint.

So by the WS rankings Root (#30) would be the expected starter. The roster only has Showalter (WS #66) and Kane (#119) as the only backups. WS is projecting Darracott (#65) to drop down to 157 and also compete at this weight. This provides solid competition for the weight, and hopefully all of these wrestlers want the starting spot. Root will have to earn the spot, but that may also be best for Carolina Wrestling in the long run as it may hasten his development.

Bryce Hepner (WS #22) transferred in to strengthen the 165 weight class, and he should easily improve the results at this weight. I have not had time to look for a lot of videos with him, and cannot say much about his style or ability based on personal observation. He is ranked 40+ spots higher than Darracott from last year, and it is hard to believe there won't be some improvement. Note: I am still curious how last year would have been different for Darracott if he had the advantage of the full preseason and 1st semester wrestling rather than coming in mid season. It always felt like he was close to turning the corner.

Backing up Hepner is Alvarez (WS #53). He had some success this summer in Greco, and will be a solid workout partner for Hepner. Also at the weight on the roster is the freshman, Luke Sipes (#170), but he will almost certainly redshirt this year.

The WS rankings for these 2 weights suggests that we will only score 0.5 team points at ncaat from these 2 weights. If Santiago were coming back it would suggest that number would double to 1 point. Having Root take a starting spot as a redshirt freshman is a double edged sword. He certainly could exceed expectations, but he could also be a bust for the team at tournament time. I still say this should be a fun team to watch, and some of the young wrestlers will have some big surprises for us. The problem is timing the good surprises to the best advantage, and limiting the bad surprises if possible.

 

[Jriv23]

Great news indeed. Go Heels!

 

[DiverDownBrian]

Looks official

 

[81Heel/M1]

He has been removed from the goheels roster as well, though still on the THWC website as head coach. Will be interesting to see how they fill this role.



Added link to Facebook post with schedule.

 

[heelwrestler07]

Part of the success of Coach Koll has been based on his ability to identify and hire quality coaches, hopefully he can find us a quality replacement

 

[Jriv23]

I hope so too.

 

[NYHeel92]

I like the schedule. Start off with matches against two solid programs that should be pretty evenly matched with us (N Colorado and Navy). Then a day of cupcakes.

December is a winnable match against a Big 12 program (WV) followed by two extremely stiff tests on the road (Neb and N Iowa) where our guys will get great experience and plenty of chances for upsets. Everything is pretty spread out pre-New Year which hopefully helps to avoid injuries or burn-out.

the ACC is really good, no need to load up on brutal non-conference schedule. I think this schedule balances well.

 

[81Heel/M1]

For anyone interested Ethan Ramos went 1-1 at the world championships.

 

[Jriv23]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Picking back up with the 174 weight class, the return of Ogunsanya (WS #15) has this weight very well positioned for the season. Last season he did not finish as well as I would have hoped, but he is ranked 2 wins shy of AA status. He is backed up by O'Boyle (R-So & WS #72), Carrigan (R-Fr & WS #80), and Cade Tenold (R-Jr & WS #101). While I would like at least 1 of our backups to be top 40-50, I believe O'Boyle and Carrigan may be ready to take a step forward this year based on success they had in the freestyle events this summer. To the extent that their success can translate to folkstyle, they should have room to move up potentially 20-30 positions in the ranking. If I am right, the early season tournaments will be especially important for them.

Unlike 174, the 184 weight class is wide open. Going by WS rankings the list includes Dailey (R-Fr & WS 39), Fea (R-Jr & WS #41), Murabito (R-Jr & WS #55), Portella (R-So & WS #81), Carson Tenold (R-Jr & WS #112), and Schlett, (R-Fr & WS #133). With Ogunsanya solidly predicted to hold down the 174 spot, I should add that O'Boyle beat Fea in a close match in a freestyle tournament this summer, so he and Carrigan may bump up to challenge if Ogunsanya is solidly in control of his spot.

Currently WS has Dailey as #33 when only ranking the starters, meaning that he would project as the last wrestler to make the ncaat. Qualifying as a freshman would be great, but that position doesn't project to score any points for the team at the tournament. That said, Devon Kane got a pin in the pigtail match a few years back, which was good for 2 points I believe.

I only have 1 more of these to do, and it should be quick, so I will add in some thoughts about the coaching staff with the 197 & 285 weights.

 

[Bates]

Part of the success of Coach Koll has been based on his ability to identify and hire quality coaches, hopefully he can find us a quality replacement

Looks like this will be put to the test soon.

On the Mat in 2026: IMG Academy to Launch Wrestling Program | IMG Academy

To lead its newly launched wrestling program, IMG Academy has appointed Enock Francois as its Wrestling Director. Francois brings a distinguished track record of athletic and academic excellence, along with extensive coaching experience at top collegiate programs. He comes to IMG Academy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as an assistant wrestling coach under Rob Koll, an NCAA National Champion, four-time All-American, and three-time ACC Champion.

 

[81Heel/M1]

An interesting turn of events, losing 2 coaches in the 2 months prior to the season. I will come back to the coaches, and again remind you that I have no inside information.

Finishing up with the weights, we have 2 wrestlers at 197, with the expected starter to be R-Fr Robert Platt. WS has him ranked #23, which would basically qualify for the ncaat and win 1 match for 0.5 team points. Note that he is nearly 40 spots higher than Lautt was for us last year, and although he had some good matches he did not qualify for the ncaat (this year WS has Lautt up to #41). He will be backed up by freshman Michael Calcagno (WS #135 and should be redshirting if all goes well) and/or any of the 184 wrestlers that lose that spot and are capable of bumping up (Schlett, Tenold, etc.).

Similarly Nolan Neves (R-Jr, WS #22) is expected to start at heavyweight, and be backed up by freshman Jacob Levy (WS #152 and should redshirt). If we lose both these wrestlers, it is possible that Calcagno could bump up, but it might be likely that we would simply forfeit the weight in most cases.

A long time ago UNC had a 177 pound wrestler that could bump up to heavyweight whenever we needed to not get pinned at heavyweight. Charlie Quaile was a unique wrestler, and was able to stay in matches with wrestlers weighing nearly 150 pounds more than he weighed. Back then there was no weight limit for heavyweight, and in 1 match he survived against a 320+ pound AA wrestler/defensive tackle from ECU when they still had a wrestling program). Not sure if there is anyone like that on this team to back up this weight class.

Note that both Moore and Lautt project as starters for Illinois currently on WS, ranked #20 and #41 respectively (with Lautt moving up roughly 20 spots from the end of last year). Based on WS rankings the addition of Terukina was close to an even trade ranked at #23. Also note that Guantajauto has been moved back up to 133 (ranked #27) and Darracott has been moved back up to 165 (ranked #49) on WS since I did my weight by weight analysis on those weights. The current ranking of our expected starters are Terukina - 23, Oakley - 16, Scott - 33, Simcox - 12, Root - 30, Hepner -22, Ogunsanya - 15, Dailey - 41, Platt - 23, and Neves - 22.

Coach Koll has been successful at recruiting wrestlers and coaches over the course of his career. This year we will learn more about the first class of wrestlers he recruited to UNC, with many getting their first chance to fully participate after their redshirt year. A few will almost certainly be starters, and will be needed to move the team forward. With good progress from this group and the 6 transfers that will be counted on this year, we should be a solid dual match team. I still see challenges at the ncaat level, unless a few wrestlers are able to make a big step forward to at least replace points lost by McNeil transferring to Michigan (I saw an instagram clip that Michigan did on McNeil, and there was a huge emphasis on him moving closer to his home/family in Canada).

While I value Coach Koll's experience and leadership, I believe coaches Ramos and Darmstadt will be the primary mat coaches mixing it up with the team. We know coach Ramos's history with AOC and McNeil, and hopefully he can help our lower weights progress. Ramos was a 3X AA, and a ncaa champion at 133 (2014) for Iowa. He also has international experience as a 2X U.S. World Team Trials champion. Coach Darmstadt should be working with the upper weights, and until today I thought Coach Francois would be helping here (note that Francois has likely been working with Eichens and Alvarez on Greco based on his background). Coach Darmstadt was a 2X AA for Cornell in college, and was coaching with Coach Koll at Stanford prior to coming to UNC.

Coach Koll obviously has a lot of contacts, and I have no idea what he is thinking about regarding replacing lost coaches at this point in the year. One easy place to look, that may not make sense at all, is the Tar Heel Wrestling Club. Athletes associated with the club that have graduated already include Kizhan Clarke (65kg Germany and former ncaat runner up for UNC), Ehan Ramos (86kg Puerto Rico, former UNC AA wrestler, first UNC Olympic wrestler, and current dook asst. coach), Shannon Hanna (65kg Bahamas and former Campbell wrestler/3X ncaat qualifier), Tyler Eischens (79kg U.S. Greco and 4X ncaat qualifier), and Chris Foca (86kg Domenican Republic and 3X AA for Cornell).

The above list may be more easily tapped than other potential candidates for the 2 positions, but I would like to think Coach Koll would at least use his access to take a run at Kyle Dake and/or Yianni Diakomihalis. While the positions are open. A guy can dream can't he? For any that might not know these 2 wrestlers, both were 4 time ncaa champions for Cornell. Both were recruited by Coach Koll, I believe, and Dake was coached by him through a most distinguished college career. Dake holds the distinction of being the only wrestler to ever win 4 ncaa championships at 4 different weights. Think about that.

Once again I remind you that I have no inside information. Hope Coach Koll gets the coaches he wants, and is able to successfully lead this team through a good year.

 

[Jriv23]

Hopefully, that coach can be a pipe line for future recruits to UNC.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Apparently state just picked up a transfer from The Citadel, Patrick Brophy. He is the #15 ranked wrestler at 197. With this addition they have us beating state this year by a single point. Once again we need several wrestlers to step up this year, and we really need Simcox and Platt to be the real deal by the end of the year.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Now that coaches Joseph and Francois have been removed from both goheels and the THWC websites, we are technically down to 3 coaches. I say technically because Bob Shriner is also listed as an assistant coach on the THWC site, though I believe he is employed by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Shriner was an AA wrestler at UNC, and one of the leading high school coaches in NC for nearly 30 years (Winning 5 dual team championships and 5 tournament championships). In addition to his wrestling credentials he is one of the most positive individuals you will ever meet, and the most genuinely good person that these young men could have helping them through the college experience.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Noticed that Max Martin is back on the roster at 133. Assume he is a designated student athlete.

Goheels has an article on wrestlers giving back to community with volunteer work at Ronald McDonald House.

Haven’t seen anything new on replacement assistant coaches yet.

 

[TommyAshley]

Regarding the questions earlier in the thread and an interview, wanted to let everyone know we've requested an interview with Coach Koll and will certainly do it and posted it if/when it's granted. Thanks for the list!

 

[81Heel/M1]

Regarding the questions earlier in the thread and an interview, wanted to let everyone know we've requested an interview with Coach Koll and will certainly do it and posted it if/when it's granted. Thanks for the list!

Thanks. Please make sure to ask about plans to address the 2 coaches that left in the last 2 months.

Also, I saw where a new 2027 commitment was reported on Intermat this week. Owen Clark from Lansing, NY is projected to be a 149 pounder.

 

[NYHeel92]

Regarding the questions earlier in the thread and an interview, wanted to let everyone know we've requested an interview with Coach Koll and will certainly do it and posted it if/when it's granted. Thanks for the list!

Awesome. We rarely get an opportunity to get extra color from the wrestling staff. Or most sports for that matter, so the interviews you’ve been doing are really interesting!

 

[81Heel/M1]

Another 2027 recruit posted on Intermat, Steel Meyers from Allen, Tx. He projects as a 174 pounder in college, and is listed as a top 20 wrestler at 175 as a high school junior.

 

[TommyAshley]

Recording with Coach Koll this week and have your questions from above loaded in.....we don't get too down in the weed for season previews but I'll go where I can with Rob....if anyone else has anything else specific, let me know. Should post early next week FYI

 

[81Heel/M1]

Thanks @TommyAshley

I would also like his thoughts on big matches coming in the Blue/White match in a week and a half.

A couple of changes have occurred with question 8. It had been reported by someone on the 247 site early summer that Sonny Santiago would not be back due to concussion issues. When the roster was originally posted, his name was included on the roster, but more recently it has been removed. So the question that may be appropriate is will Darracott drop down to 157 and challenge the freshman, Laird Root, for this starting spot.

Question 10 addressed 2026 recruiting, but a lot of 2027 recruits are committing now and the question could be expanded to ask how he feels about the 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes so far. Note that I updated the OP to include the current list of 2026 and 2027 recruits that have committed. Also listing them here for your information:

2026 recruits:
125 - Dunia Sibomana (Flo top 10 at 120, SI top 25)
133 - Lukas Littleton-Mascaro (SI top 15 at 132)
174 - Lincoln Jipp (SI top 2 at 190)
174 - Brody Kelly (SI top 15 at 175)
174 - Ronin Gault

2027 recruits:
149 - Owen Clark
165 - Kane Shawger (SI top 35 at 144)
174 - Steel Meyers (SI top 35 at 165)
174-184 - Ben Ziola


Finally, I would really like to know what is going on in the efforts to replace the 2 assistant coaches that left over the last 2 months. If he mentions Kyle Dake or Yanni Diakomihalis, that would be a really big deal, I would more likely expect 1 or more of Kizhan Clarke, Ethan Ramos, and/or Shannon Hanna because they are already a part of the Tar Heel Wrestling Club.

Not related to the questions, but I plan to give my thoughts on what matches we may see in the Blue/White match next week at some point later this week. I have no inside information, but will give my thoughts on matches I would like to see take place. I will not be able to go to the match, but I am hoping someone will who is able to attend will provide their insights.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Next Saturday, Oct. 25, is the date for the Blue/White match, traditionally looked at as the final challenge match for starting spots on the team for the coming season. While there is still some of that purpose, I think coaches already know most of their starting lineups by this point and they use this match for other purposes. As this doesn't count for anything they are quick to hold wrestlers out that may have minor injuries, etc. The following week, Sunday Nov. 2, there is the Southeast Open tournament. Because it is an open tournament, any and all wrestlers can participate. Although the true freshmen class will likely all redshirt, the Blue/White match and the open tournaments (wrestling unattached) are opportunities to show the fans and coaches where they fit in the over all scheme of things. With this said I am giving my thoughts on what I would like to see and what I expect to see in next week's matches.

Note that rankings are changing routinely even before any competition starts, and the presumption is that is based on who is perceived to be available. WrestleStat (WS) does 2 rankings with 1 including all wrestlers and the other only starters. Because of this Terukina is ranked 25 on WS, but he is ranked 21 on WS's starters only ranking. This is consistent with the Intermat (IM) ranking of 20, as IM only includes the perceived starters in their ranking. For many of the freshmen that have a chance to start, like Simcox, Root, and Dailey, IM seems to be taking a wait and see or show me approach and not ranking these wrestlers. WS on the other hand has Simcox ranked 12, Root ranked 30, and Dailey ranked 39 (but 33 in their starters only listing - 33 represents the last qualifier for the ncaat). Also remember that rankings for true freshmen are typically in the 100-200 range with no body of work in college to judge against.

125 - On paper this one is simple, and should pit the transfer, Terukina, v. redshirt freshman Stinson. This should be a good match with Terukina ranked in the 20-25 range, and Stinson ranked 39 on WrestleStat (WS). If there is any chance at Guanajuato dropping and challenging for the starting spot at 125, then this could be a really interesting match. Regardless we should know if that is happening after the Southeast Open. If Guanajuato is not dropping down and either of the 125 pounders are held out, I would expect to see Tocci or 1 of the Freshmen 133 pounders wrestle here. Another option would be to not have a match for these wrestlers.

133 - Again, on paper this should be simple as a matchup between Oakley (ranked 14-15) and Guanajuato (WS 25). If that matchup doesn't happen, I would like to see Botello wrestle one of these 2. Botello comes in highly ranked, and it would be interesting to see how he stacks up early. If they do exhibition matches, it would be nice to see how the freshmen, Botello and Hickey, match up to Tocci (WS69) and/or Guanajuato.

141 - Like 125 there are only 2 wrestlers listed at this weight. Scott is the returning starter, and won a match at the ncaat last year for a top 24 finish. His WS ranking is 35, but the WS starters only ranking is 28, a little closer to his IM ranking of 23. Navida is the other wrestler here, with a WS ranking of 68.

149 - Absent any unforeseen movement to this weight, the obvious challenge match is between 2 redshirt freshmen, Simcox (WS 12) and O'Neill (WS 65). Both were highly ranked, though Simcox was #1 at 144 in high school. While I suspect that this match up is closer than the rankings suggests, I am hoping that Simcox is the real deal and earns his high ranking.

157 - On paper this one should have the redshirt freshman Root (WS 30) against R-Jr Showalter (WS68). That would be a good match, but I am holding out some hope of a Darracott (WS 50 at 165) vs. Root matchup here. It may not happen, but I don't see why Darracott comes back to back up Hepner at 165. Kane (WS120) is also in the mix here, or possibly dropping down to 149 (as he did some last year).

165 - The paper version of this match is Hepner (ranks 19 on IM and 21 on WS starters only) vs. Darracott, but for the reasons stated above I would rather see this with Alvarez (WS 56) as Hepner's opponent. Sipes is the true freshman coming in at 157-165, and I would like to see he and Kane in an exhibition match to see where he fits early.

174 - Ogunsanya (ranks 14-16) is the presumed starter again at this weight, but there is a group of wrestlers to challenge at this weight or 184. O'Boyle and Carrigan (WS 71 and 78 respectively) both had good summers in freestyle, and I could see either of them moving up in the rankings quickly if they get matches to prove their abilities. O'Boyle may also choose to bump up and challenge at 184, given a close win over Fea in the summer tournaments. So my guess is we might see Carrigan challenge Ogunsanya in the Blue/White match. Cade, Tenold (WS 97) is also at this weight.

184 - This weight is wide open with Bailey (R-Fr, WS 39), Fea (R-Jr, WS41), Murabito (R-Jr, WS 55), Portella (R-So, WS 84), Carson Tenold (R-Jr, WS 115), and Schlett (R-Fr, WS 134). As I mentioned, it is possible that O'Boyle might also join the mix here, and they could do a round robin tournament at this weight for the Blue/White match. Not predicting this, but we should learn a lot here from the Blue/White match and the Southeast Open. On paper Bailey vs. Fea looks like the predicted match, but I think this could be the most interesting weight class as the season roles on.

197 - Platt (R-Fr, WS 23, IM 30) seems to be the presumptive starter here, with only the true freshman Calcagno backing him up. Really looking forward to seeing what he can do this year.

285 - Neves (R-So, ranked 20-22) is the presumptive starter here, and like 197 the only back up is true freshman Levy.

With a reminder that I have no inside information as I write this, I am looking to see if Guanajuato drops to 125, to see if Darracott drops to 157, to get any indication of the top side potential of the redshirt freshmen, Simcox/O'Neill, Root, Dailey, and Platt, and to see what unfolds at 184. It would be nice to see any real movement from the veterans Oakley, Scott, Ogunsanya, and Neves, but that is not likely visible in a Blue/White setting. It all starts in 8 days, so what are your thoughts?

 

[81Heel/M1]

Not helpful as far as predicting the season results, but Coach Koll offers insight on some of the wrestlers.

Super 32 starts today with 2026 UNC recruits Sibomana -120, Gualt - 175, and Jipp - 190, as well as 2027 recruits Ziola - 157 and Meyers - 165.

 

[81Heel/M1]

This popped up on my feed. Hoping the link works.

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[3397char]

Next Saturday, Oct. 25, is the date for the Blue/White match, traditionally looked at as the final challenge match for starting spots on the team for the coming season. While there is still some of that purpose, I think coaches already know most of their starting lineups by this point and they use this match for other purposes. As this doesn't count for anything they are quick to hold wrestlers out that may have minor injuries, etc. The following week, Sunday Nov. 2, there is the Southeast Open tournament. Because it is an open tournament, any and all wrestlers can participate. Although the true freshmen class will likely all redshirt, the Blue/White match and the open tournaments (wrestling unattached) are opportunities to show the fans and coaches where they fit in the over all scheme of things. With this said I am giving my thoughts on what I would like to see and what I expect to see in next week's matches.

Note that rankings are changing routinely even before any competition starts, and the presumption is that is based on who is perceived to be available. WrestleStat (WS) does 2 rankings with 1 including all wrestlers and the other only starters. Because of this Terukina is ranked 25 on WS, but he is ranked 21 on WS's starters only ranking. This is consistent with the Intermat (IM) ranking of 20, as IM only includes the perceived starters in their ranking. For many of the freshmen that have a chance to start, like Simcox, Root, and Dailey, IM seems to be taking a wait and see or show me approach and not ranking these wrestlers. WS on the other hand has Simcox ranked 12, Root ranked 30, and Dailey ranked 39 (but 33 in their starters only listing - 33 represents the last qualifier for the ncaat). Also remember that rankings for true freshmen are typically in the 100-200 range with no body of work in college to judge against.

125 - On paper this one is simple, and should pit the transfer, Terukina, v. redshirt freshman Stinson. This should be a good match with Terukina ranked in the 20-25 range, and Stinson ranked 39 on WrestleStat (WS). If there is any chance at Guanajuato dropping and challenging for the starting spot at 125, then this could be a really interesting match. Regardless we should know if that is happening after the Southeast Open. If Guanajuato is not dropping down and either of the 125 pounders are held out, I would expect to see Tocci or 1 of the Freshmen 133 pounders wrestle here. Another option would be to not have a match for these wrestlers.

133 - Again, on paper this should be simple as a matchup between Oakley (ranked 14-15) and Guanajuato (WS 25). If that matchup doesn't happen, I would like to see Botello wrestle one of these 2. Botello comes in highly ranked, and it would be interesting to see how he stacks up early. If they do exhibition matches, it would be nice to see how the freshmen, Botello and Hickey, match up to Tocci (WS69) and/or Guanajuato.

141 - Like 125 there are only 2 wrestlers listed at this weight. Scott is the returning starter, and won a match at the ncaat last year for a top 24 finish. His WS ranking is 35, but the WS starters only ranking is 28, a little closer to his IM ranking of 23. Navida is the other wrestler here, with a WS ranking of 68.

149 - Absent any unforeseen movement to this weight, the obvious challenge match is between 2 redshirt freshmen, Simcox (WS 12) and O'Neill (WS 65). Both were highly ranked, though Simcox was #1 at 144 in high school. While I suspect that this match up is closer than the rankings suggests, I am hoping that Simcox is the real deal and earns his high ranking.

157 - On paper this one should have the redshirt freshman Root (WS 30) against R-Jr Showalter (WS68). That would be a good match, but I am holding out some hope of a Darracott (WS 50 at 165) vs. Root matchup here. It may not happen, but I don't see why Darracott comes back to back up Hepner at 165. Kane (WS120) is also in the mix here, or possibly dropping down to 149 (as he did some last year).

165 - The paper version of this match is Hepner (ranks 19 on IM and 21 on WS starters only) vs. Darracott, but for the reasons stated above I would rather see this with Alvarez (WS 56) as Hepner's opponent. Sipes is the true freshman coming in at 157-165, and I would like to see he and Kane in an exhibition match to see where he fits early.

174 - Ogunsanya (ranks 14-16) is the presumed starter again at this weight, but there is a group of wrestlers to challenge at this weight or 184. O'Boyle and Carrigan (WS 71 and 78 respectively) both had good summers in freestyle, and I could see either of them moving up in the rankings quickly if they get matches to prove their abilities. O'Boyle may also choose to bump up and challenge at 184, given a close win over Fea in the summer tournaments. So my guess is we might see Carrigan challenge Ogunsanya in the Blue/White match. Cade, Tenold (WS 97) is also at this weight.

184 - This weight is wide open with Bailey (R-Fr, WS 39), Fea (R-Jr, WS41), Murabito (R-Jr, WS 55), Portella (R-So, WS 84), Carson Tenold (R-Jr, WS 115), and Schlett (R-Fr, WS 134). As I mentioned, it is possible that O'Boyle might also join the mix here, and they could do a round robin tournament at this weight for the Blue/White match. Not predicting this, but we should learn a lot here from the Blue/White match and the Southeast Open. On paper Bailey vs. Fea looks like the predicted match, but I think this could be the most interesting weight class as the season roles on.

197 - Platt (R-Fr, WS 23, IM 30) seems to be the presumptive starter here, with only the true freshman Calcagno backing him up. Really looking forward to seeing what he can do this year.

285 - Neves (R-So, ranked 20-22) is the presumptive starter here, and like 197 the only back up is true freshman Levy.

With a reminder that I have no inside information as I write this, I am looking to see if Guanajuato drops to 125, to see if Darracott drops to 157, to get any indication of the top side potential of the redshirt freshmen, Simcox/O'Neill, Root, Dailey, and Platt, and to see what unfolds at 184. It would be nice to see any real movement from the veterans Oakley, Scott, Ogunsanya, and Neves, but that is not likely visible in a Blue/White setting. It all starts in 8 days, so what are your thoughts?

outstanding work, thank you!

 

[TommyAshley]

Youtube interview and podcast with Coach Koll live....story coming soon....

 

[NYHeel92]

Great interview. Thank you @TommyAshley !!

Interesting insights on NIL / payments to wrestlers...wasn't complaining but said there are no wrestling programs that have positive profit yet there are some handing out very significant payments to wrestlers. Difficult to compete with. Difficult also when the rules are constantly changing and different schools interpreting those rules differently...with Carolina typically taking a slower, more cautious approach.

He didn't get into too much detail on the lineup, but said a few interesting things:
*8-10 starters expected to be guys that were part of his two recruiting classes or transfers he brought in. My interpretation is the only potential starters from prior to Coach Koll's arrival are Scott (141) and Fea (184). Using M1's post above as the baseline, I don't see many other possibilities (maybe Showalter or Murabito).
*He confirmed Fea is moving up to 184. Said he is one of the most talented wrestlers in the country but has had trouble converting that into matches. Basically said....National champion in the room, but has let his nerves get the best of him during matches. Hopefully we see a breakout this year.
*Said "about half the team" is a 184 pounder, confirming M1's analysis above
*Said there are 4 guys at 149 that could be the starter. Believes they'll be very good at 149 but pretty wide open on who the starter will be
*Hepner "looks great at 165" but has turf toe right now, which is a "very painful" injury

 

[heelwrestler07]

Thank @TommyAshley it is nice seeing some coverage of wrestling, and you did a great job getting him talking. This should be an interesting season, this starts the transition to Coach Koll's recruits and hopefully we see some bright spots that we can continue to build on

 

[TommyAshley]

Thank @TommyAshley it is nice seeing some coverage of wrestling, and you did a great job getting him talking. This should be an interesting season, this starts the transition to Coach Koll's recruits and hopefully we see some bright spots that we can continue to build on

Thanks...very enjoyable to talk to.....

 

[3397char]

 

[Jriv23]

Nice.

 

[81Heel/M1]

I note the social media campaign saying that they are in awe of the updated space, yet Coach Koll seems to have an even better image of the space he would like based on his interview.

Goheels has an article about the Blue/White match with the following projected lineup of matches.
Projected Blue and White Showcase Lineups
125: Liam Hickey vs. Cameron Stinson Jr.
133: Matthew Botello vs. Max Martin
141: Elias Navida vs. Luke Simcox
149: Mitchell Younger vs. Nick O'Neill
149/157: Nate Askew vs. Cullen Kane
165: Luke Sipes vs. Colin Nugent
184: Jake Dailey vs. Nicholas Fea
184: Marcus Murabito vs. Collin Carrigan
197: Mikey Calcagno vs. Robert Platt

Stinson, Martin, O'Neill, Kane, Nugent, and Platt get a match that will introduce the incoming freshmen. Simcox is on the roster at 149, but appears to be wrestling against Navida at 141. This reintroduces the question of will he stay down at 141, where he was last year, or bounce up to 149. If he goes down and takes the spot at 141, does Scott jump up to 149, and how does he compare to O'Neill? We may not know for certain until the Southeast Open next weekend what that may look like. Possibly not for a few more weeks if the matchups are close. The most interesting matches of the night will be at 184 with Dailey vs. Fea and Murabito vs. Carrigan. Personally I would have guessed O'Boyle bouncing up to 184 before Carrigan, but who knows what other matches might be going on to determine the starter at this spot.

If anyone is going to be able to attend, I would love to hear any reports on how the matches go. While I am sure the scores will be reported on goheels at some point, there is a lot of information that the box score doesn't provide. Also, if you are going you might take a look at the Tar Heel Wrestling Club site to make sure you can recognize Clark, Hanna, and Ethan Ramos, as potential assistant coaches candidates. If they are on the sidelines acting like coaches, it might be a clue as to the plan for replacements. Just a thought.

 

[NYHeel92]

Agree on the wrestling facility. Believe the quote from the interview was "lipstick on a pig".

I'm too lazy to look it up but I believe this lineup is similar to last year where the likely upper-classmen starters didn't wrestle in Blue-White (Terukina, Oakley, Scott, Hepner, Ogunsanya, Neves probably fit in this category this year). And some of the freshmen got matches against guys that are probably not in line to be starters (Martin, Kane, Nugent probably fit that category...probably Stinson as well with Terukina at 125).

Agree that the matches at 184 are probably ones that go into the thinking on starting position. Maybe 141 as well, as I think Navida had success last year.

Interesting about Simcox at 141 as it does imply that Scott is probably moving up to 149. But Coach Koll in the interview said there are 4 guys at 149 competing. I doubt Scott is just penciled in as a starter...and that makes sense given some of the young talent we have at 141 and 149.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Match day, and I have a few final observations. With a nod to NYH for the reminder that this has been a showcase event for younger wrestlers, rather than a challenge match against established starters and transfers brought in to fill in weak weights.

WS has reclassed a few wrestlers to different weights. Some don’t really make a difference, like Hickey moving from 133 to 125 for his redshirt year. Others are interesting like Darracott and Alvarez dropping from 165 to 157. This sort of makes sense if they can make the weight, given the perceived easier challenge for a starting spot between the R-Fr Root vs the grad student Hepner.

In the movement from 174 to 184 they show Carrigan joining others to go for the spot vacated by Kane graduating, following Fea and Murabito who are listed on the roster at 184 after wrestling 165 and 174 last year. Interestingly, WS left O’Boyle down at 174, and dropped Portella to 174 from his roster weight of 184. I believe O’Boyle has wrestled 184 for us in the past.

I also find it interesting that the match listing from goheels shows the Askew/Kane matchup at their roster weights, 149/157, while they show the Navida/Simcox match as only 141 (Simcox is on the roster at 149). It may be a situation where winner of tonight’s match gets to challenge Scott for this starting spot. This possibility makes the 141 match tonight similar to the 184 matches in terms of significance.

Following the logic above for the 141 weight class, if both Alvarez and Darracott were dropping to 157 I would have expected a match between them, or between 1 of them and Root. Of course my logic may be completely off, so take it however you choose.

When I see the results from the Blue/White match I will focus on the match at 141 first, followed by the matches at 184. After that, I will look at 197 and heavyweight, as those freshmen are the only backups listed at these 2 weights. Botello/Martin is another match I will look at, given that Botello was our highest rated freshman. At 125, 149 and 165 I am mostly looking to see where the true freshmen stack up against returning wrestlers. Bottom line is that tonight will be interesting, but we will learn more next week at the Southeast Open.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Winning a big match is significant, but we all know the stories of individuals and/or teams that win in upsets when the other individual/team would likely win 9 out of 10 times. With that said, Simcox leads the night with the only pin, and generally Coach Koll's recruits were very successful on the night. This may be the first glimpse of why Simcox is so highly rated, pinning a reasonably highly ranked recruit 1 year into both of their college careers. Jumping up to 184 redshirt freshmen Dailey and Carrigan won close matches against redshirt juniors Fea and Murabito. True freshmen Hickey, Botello, Younger, Askew, and Sipes all won their matches. Platt was also a winner over true freshman Calcagno.

For those that caught my error this morning, there was no heavyweight match. I can only plead temporary insanity, as my kids and grandkids are visiting.

Without personal observation to supplement the results, I will note that Hickey and Younger winning may be the biggest surprises to me. The Hickey vs Stinson match is interesting if for no other reason the the 1-0 final score. The Dailey and Carrigan wins at 184 may have more impact on the future starting lineup than other matches, though with 2 freshman competing at 149 it is possible that 1 could save their redshirt year until later and actually start if they can win the spot. Still, Simcox and Scott would be the likely favorites to hold down those 2 starting spots. If anyone saw the matches I would love to hear their thoughts.

On a separate note WS ranks this team the #20 dual meet team, and the #31 tournament team. We should have a solid starting lineup top to bottom, which I believe justifies the dual meet ranking, but without at least 1 solid AA at tournament time they will struggle to be top 30-31 in the tournament finish. Even with a wrestler making AA, it will not necessarily guarantee a top 30 score, as we learned last year with McNeal being the only significant scoring wrestler at the ncaat. Hopefully we take a full slate of wrestlers to the Southeast Open next week, and that they have a strong tournament. That will tell us more about where we stand, but even then we will not know for sure what to expect from this team. I think this may be a fun year to be watching Carolina Wrestling, and hope we have some great wrestling to discuss in the next several months.

Finally a note just for curiosity. I still go over and look at the 247 wrestling thread on this year's team, and I think I have made the last 2 posts (though much more limited than anything I have posted here since the move). I follow the views on these threads to see how many are checking in on the content. The view count on 247 is up around 1950, and over half of those views came in July, I believe. I think today this thread topped 7000 views. I have been happy to see that most of the posters from 247 came over with the IC transition, and encourage any contributions to the conversation here.

Blue And White Showcase Results (From goheels.com)

125lbs: Liam Hickey (Blue) over Cam Stinson (White): 1-0 Dec
133lbs: Matthew Botello (Blue) over Max Martin (White): 22-7 TF
141lbs: Luke Simcox (White) over Elias Navida (Blue): Fall
149lbs: Mitchell Younger (Blue) over Nikolus O'neill (White): 13-10 Dec
149/157lbs: Nate Askew (Blue) over Cullen Kane (White): 14-4 MD
165lbs: Luke Sipes (Blue) over Colin Nugent (White): 15-1 MD
184lbs: Jake Dailey (Blue) over Nick Fea (White): 4-1 Dec
184lbs: Collin Carrigan (White) over Marcus Murabito (Blue): 5-3 Dec
197lbs: Robert Platt (White) over Mikey Calcagno (Blue): 6-3 Dec

 

[NYHeel92]

I think most of these results are mostly how I’d want to see it go:
All the 1st year guys who wrestled our 3rd stringers dominated (Botello, Askew, Sipes)

Younger and Hickey beating O’Neill and Stinson is a little surprising but a great sign for them, beating some of our RS Frosh.

184 is interesting, with the 2nd-years beating veterans. I’m a little disappointed with Fea losing to Dailey but very good win for Jake. And Murabito had some success so Carrigan beating him is a solid win.

We really need Platt to be successful, and was glad to see him with a good win against the new guy.

Agree with M1 that it’s also encouraging to see the pin from Simcox. We also really need him to be successful. Would love to know the details of how the match was going when the pin occurred.

 

[heelwrestler07]

My overall take away was it was a good day for freshmen and hopefully that is a good sign for our future. It is tough to know what you are seeing when you are going up against your own teammates, but I agree, after Coach Koll's comments about Fea not seeing a win from him is frustrating, though hopefully it just means good things for Dailey.

 

[81Heel/M1]

Based on a social media post by UNC Wrestling, it looks like it was a big weekend for recruits on campus. A hs sr. 165# ranked 14 by Flo and 6 by SI, and 4 juniors in the 113-132 weights ranking between #6-18 in the 2 rankings.

 

[NYHeel92]

Great!! Saw this post from Coach Ramos as well. Seems like it went well.