Very well spoken kid (not surprising at all) and still has his award winning worthy smile
Few highlights:
-The kids memory is amazing. Without hesitation knew his U23 quarters was D'Emilio and when the interviewer thought he wrestled Carlson his last match at U23s, he immediately said "It was Saunders actually"
-Cited his match against Saunders was something he was really proud of because he went down big early and shot and scored his way back in. @CSauertiegPSU has said he should just watch the 2nd half of that match on repeat.
-Actually said the cut to 143 was a bit of an adjustment right after the season because he did bulk up for 149 and now he's leaner (and quicker as a result)
-Says what we want to hear (obviously doing is different) about offense: He realizes good things happen when he attacks and pushes the pace, bad things happen when he doesn't. It's been the focus of his wrestling practices this summer.
-Says simply going to a lower weight isn't going to make him better (touche, he's correct) but he has done the following in addition to focusing on offensive moves this summer:
-Nutrition was significantly improved (This was interesting and I didn't even consider it, I wonder if he wasn't eating the best to keep his weight up at 149 which might result in him being sluggish in matches. By comparison, Max Dean I don't believe needed to cut for 197 but still lived off of what he described as "kale salads and protein shakes" during wrestling season)
-Mental game (he says he realized he doesn't need to compare himself to any of the national champions, even said he didn't fully feel he fit in at first because he wasn't one of those guys)
-Says his gymnastics videos was just a break from wrestling in the offseason since he does that all year. Mentions it's nothing new, he's been doing it all his life.
-Says he got a lot of NIL inquiries but he's rejecting all of them until March 21st, 2023. Full focus on the season now.
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