Yeah.
One hand, I can't forget last year's struggles from AN. Other hand, I can't simply dismiss how well he wrestled in March of 2023.
Not saying he would certainly beat Davis. But he has proven that he can be very good in the not so distant past.
2024-25 PSU Lineup (The Dynasty Continues)
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One hand, I can't forget last year's struggles from AN. Other hand, I can't simply dismiss how well he wrestled in March of 2023.
Not saying he would certainly beat Davis. But he has proven that he can be very good in the not so distant past.
I think Nagao's struggles last year were him taking what he was learning in the room and just jumping in trying to apply those new skills. Talk about trusting in the process.
This year, those scrambling finishes will be stronger and quicker.
I also believe Davis will probably be a different animal.
It shouldn't surprise anybody if PSU has 2 top 4 kids competing for the 133 pound spot.
Penn State’s Projected Lineup - Who Starts?, Who Sits?, Who Redshirts?
That smells like fear. LOL.
i posted this year's lineup on the show today FWIW.
First of all, great show
I hope the "their lineup is vulnerable" talks keeps going and one of our guys has the Jason Kelce speech ready for next March
-LL will not be ready for the lights, 125 is cursed
-Nagao ain't healthy, Davis can't do it up at 133
-Bartlett's style will catch up at NCAAs
-SVN won't make it back all the way
-Kasak too small
-Mesenbrink ... well yeah nothing here
-Facundo will choke again, Levi ain't got it when he isn't bigger than the opponent
-Carter can't beat Keckeisen
-Barr too small, Mirasola ain't ready
-Kerk doesn't care, he's doing BJJ
Hopefully Cael is able to address all of this in the next 6-7 months but we know his track record isn't good.
I just request nobody moves the goalposts later if PSU pulls the unthinkable and wins and says "well duh, look at their lineup"
No one:
No one at all:
AJ Ferrari: Let me hump this medicine ball to get in wrestling shape.
Great stuff as always Willie. You and Fellers are creating a really good show as well.
So one champ and a bunch of boarderline AA's..seems about right
I know you're joking, but it is funny as it seems every year PSU dominates and somehow the team gets worse (even returning guys), while other teams get so much better in the offseason chatter. Then come December, it's oh shit, maybe next year we have a shot!
Just like when Martinez said Jason couldn't handle his pace.
It would've been a 1/4 hump if the ball had any weight on it. Full hump with air-only.
100% agree he's the best wrestler Carter will likely face in his career but I've seen Carter doubted every year basically. Maybe not by a particular challenger but nobody ever had Carter next topic.
2021: Obviously nobody was picking him to beat Kemerer
2022: A lot of people weren't sure how he would fare vs Hidlay and Mekhi, especially with a clear wrist injury
2023: A lot of people thought Foca would be a bad draw in the semis, especially since their previous match at National Duals was very close and Foca was on a war path
2024: Obvious injury and then a brutal seed and not wrestling for a month
Little revisionist history, everyone has been looking for a reason to say Carter isn't winning. Part of it is because obviously besides PSU fans, everyone wants to see him fail and it's what he thrives off of.
Oh, it wasn't a doubting Carter thing. I just think they're both truly elite-elite guys and that's going to be awesome to watch.
Adam's taking all the "Iowa is bad at coaching" takes, and applying them to PSU (6th year burnouts, injury bugs, etc) so their output is very much in question this year is very LOL. But good show.
I agree a Carter vs. Keckeisen bout to decide the Hodge on Saturday night will be a great match to watch (Carter dominates, but not via points, IMO).
I agree a Carter vs. Keckeisen bout to decide the Hodge on Saturday night will be a great match to watch (Carter dominates, but not via points, IMO).
Fellers also said "But it's Cael" with a smile when summarizing unknowns and potential quesiton marks. Basically saying, he always figures it out, gets it done. Fellers is tolerable to me, he gives credit where it's due always.
I've tried to like him more--I am warming to him--but it always seems like he's on the defense from jump street WRT to Iowa. Like he doth protest too much, ya know? He does make a nice foil to Willie and Basch--I suppose that makes the content tolerable to non-PSU fans. Personally, I don't want people to tolerate it.
I might have thought so before March of this year. Then I saw Carter shut out his last three opponents, including two NCAA champs and the other finalist. ON ONE KNEE. That’s crazy good defense. Can anyone name a better three match stretch defensively?
Not apples to apples here, none of those 3 guys (Mekhi, Griffith and especially not Welsh) are shooters, which allowed Carter to control the match. Parker Keckeisen is a very high volume and efficient shooter which is why so many people are saying it's a bad matchup for Carter.
Besides PSU bias, the reason I am not picking against Carter is because I'm not over thinking it, the dude has always figured it out under different circumstances even when he seems down and out. Not to mention obviously our coaches know Keckeisen pretty well as he's wrestled our guys multiple times and will have a good game plan.
Lets be real, neither Mekhi nor Griffith were at their career peaks last year. Griffith, who was also hurt pretty bad, almost went down to the 26 seed in the quarters and Mekhi got pinned in his consi-quarter and got bailed out because his foot brushed a chair as he got stuck.
I'm taking Carter, but I think Keckeisen will be his toughest match since Kemerer in the NCAA finals. That's all I'm saying. It's the first time in years where I think there's an actual chance of him losing.
Your last sentence is the important one. Time and again, we have seen PSU coaching staff be superior in game planning a specific bout.
I think it's going to be a very entertaining 4-2 match for Starocci.
Maybe not but Carter was stationary and still won. Discount Lewis an Griffith all you want, but credit a one legged guy with running the gauntlet with zero points given.
Fellers did talk about how he didn't think Carter would get inside Keck's head, and at first I thought "WTH are you talking about?" but yeah, I think all 3 dudes should have opened up a great deal more than they did vs. one-legged CS. Easy enough to say, but Parker won't be shy. I still think Carter shuts his offense down and guts out the points he needs to win.
My notes:
Teemer ain't as big as someone told you. When he was in AZ he was south of 180.
Carter is still wearing a knee brace. That worries me against Keck, who won't stop shooting. But I think Fellers is underselling Carter's athleticism. He's as athletic as Aaron - It's not a good matchup for Keck, methinks.
Do miss you on FRL. You were bound to give one outlandish statement that would leave CP shaking his head, knowing someone (coach) would be calling him 10 minutes after the show.
Excellent use of "bootlicker," LOL
Also - the whole idea of Kasak being a small 157 is completely due to him starting at 141 last year. The kid is competitive and thought he had a shot against Bartlett at 141, the minute Van Ness went out and Kasak went on full feed, he ballooned even without lifting during season and was at least a decent sized 149 if not a big one with a decent cut (losing first match of NCAAs and winning out is usually a tell tale sign, though some might be nerves). Then after NCAAs, he got even bigger when he was lifting. Looking at his recent pictures, he's filled out.
Am I predicting he'll decimate everyone at 157? No but it won't be because he's small. But I'll tell you, I like a 2nd year Cael wrestler who is now full of confidence at a weight.
Mesenbrink volunteered to make a cut to 157 to get Levi into the lineup at 165 but like I mentioned, Mesenbrink is a kid you just want to wrestle where he's happy and not overthink it.
Why does he always look so dumb, doofy, and un-athletic in these videos?
All seriousness, another takeaway for that show is the one weight Willie said he's not sure about is 197. He was more confident in Levi redshirting and Facundo going than Mirasola redshirting and Barr or Cochran is going. Similarly he was confident in Davis going at 133 despite having a redshirt available. Seems at this point, Cael wants his best guys going period.
I take that as a sign that Mirasola might be too good to keep out of the lineup (especially if Barr is undersized) .... that or Askren's theory that Cael refuses to coach an undefeated 4 timer and needs to undercut Connor (/s) 197 is pretty open. Buchanan is rightfully preseason number 1 but he isn't next topic over Cardenas, Elam (he entered as an 8 seed last year). Similarly, if Michael Beard can ever put together the lungs for a 3 day tournament, who knows with him.
I take that as a sign that Mirasola might be too good to keep out of the lineup (especially if Barr is undersized) .... that or Askren's theory that Cael refuses to coach an undefeated 4 timer and needs to undercut Connor (/s) 197 is pretty open. Buchanan is rightfully preseason number 1 but he isn't next topic over Cardenas, Elam (he entered as an 8 seed last year). Similarly, if Michael Beard can ever put together the lungs for a 3 day tournament, who knows with him.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck .....
(he is quite athletic though)
Beard cannot get out of his own way. He literally has all the tangibles - athleticism, long, big - but his gas tank is 100% between his ears.
I wonder if Cael saw that, and remembering the Altons, decided to try Dean instead.
Naw. Max recruited himself, and they battled it out for the starter position.
Barr isn't going to be undersized at either 184 or 197. He is a huge 184 pounder if that is where he wrestles and not a small 197 pounder if that is the weight. He is minimum 200 pounds with no fat. While talking with him I was surprised at how big he is.
If Beard wanted to find the miracle of lungs looking in Bethlehem seems to make sense, but Lehigh certainly ain't the lung doctor.
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