FLO on Iowa and PSU
- Thread starter Ian
- Start date
125 - Probably Meredith this year and Howard in 2022 if he can hold weight
133- RBY for 2 years, then Howard after that
141 - Nick Lee this year, then Bartlett after that
149 - Verkleeren this year, then possibly Busiello/Barraclaugh/Boone after that. I think they are overestimating Busiello and underestimating Barraclaugh. But Barraclaugh wants to go 157 anyway.
157 - Berge/Pipher/Feite/Matt Lee
165 - Joe Lee/Mannville/Kraeszig/Dunbar
174 - Starocci/Edsell
184 - Brooks/Ball/Heywood
197 - Beard/Hoopes/Kurtz/Smith
285 - Kerkvliet/Nevills/Carmenatty
They said they were putting all true freshman at the bottom FYI. There was discussion about where Facundo fits, but he looks like a grower and he can gray shirt/red shirt if necessary.
Didn't see the Iowa stuff.
Iowas loses 6 starters next year, lots of talent coming in but guys like lee, marinelli and kemmerer aren't easy to replace.
Iowa depth chart:
125 - Lee(SR), then Aaron. Cashman(Soph). But probably 2021 recruit Drake Ayala
133 - Desanto/Teasdale/Jesse Ybarra/Cullen Shriever the two freshman probably redshirt
141 - Eireman(SR)/Happel(SR)/Stickley(SR)/Shaver (Soph)/Schroeder(FR)
Wyatt Henson is a 2021 recruit coming in
149 - Murin(JR)/Axmeer(JR)/Renya(FR)/Siebrecht (FR)/Schriever (FR)
157 - Young (SR)/Joe Kelly (Soph) 2021 recruit Taylor Rathjen
165 - Marinelli(SR)/Danny Murphy(SR)/Maybe Nelson Brands (Soph)
174 - Kemerer(SR)/Patrick Kennedy(FR)/Myles Wilson (JR)/Tristan McDonald (SR) - Kennedy almost certainly redshirts
184 - Assad(Soph)/Brands(Soph)/Preston Stephenson(SR)
197 - Warner (JR)/Zach Glazier(R-FR)/Cade Blownlee(SR)/Gabe Christensen(FR)/Conner Corbin(JR)/Sam Cook(SR)
285 - Cassioppi(Soph)/Aaron Costello(JR)
Zach Glazier is a threat to Warner at 197. Brands may drop to 165.
Iowa has some holes to fill.
125 - Lee(SR), then Aaron. Cashman(Soph). But probably 2021 recruit Drake Ayala
133 - Desanto/Teasdale/Jesse Ybarra/Cullen Shriever the two freshman probably redshirt
141 - Eireman(SR)/Happel(SR)/Stickley(SR)/Shaver (Soph)/Schroeder(FR)
Wyatt Henson is a 2021 recruit coming in
149 - Murin(JR)/Axmeer(JR)/Renya(FR)/Siebrecht (FR)/Schriever (FR)
157 - Young (SR)/Joe Kelly (Soph) 2021 recruit Taylor Rathjen
165 - Marinelli(SR)/Danny Murphy(SR)/Maybe Nelson Brands (Soph)
174 - Kemerer(SR)/Patrick Kennedy(FR)/Myles Wilson (JR)/Tristan McDonald (SR) - Kennedy almost certainly redshirts
184 - Assad(Soph)/Brands(Soph)/Preston Stephenson(SR)
197 - Warner (JR)/Zach Glazier(R-FR)/Cade Blownlee(SR)/Gabe Christensen(FR)/Conner Corbin(JR)/Sam Cook(SR)
285 - Cassioppi(Soph)/Aaron Costello(JR)
Zach Glazier is a threat to Warner at 197. Brands may drop to 165.
Iowa has some holes to fill.
Ayala is no Lee and Nelson Brands is no Bull, but Patrick Kennedy can fill Kem's shoes pretty well. It will be fun to watch Starocci and Kennedy go. Kennedy can have his shot at a title in 2025.For some....
Frankly, I'd rather see those 2 shirt. Howard can let that shoulder heal up from surgery, and Bartlett can work in the room with Lee for a year. That way he, Howard, and Facundo can be the transitional leaders after Brooks, Kerkvliet, Starocci, and Joe Lee move on.
Hmmm, no references to where Shane Van Ness slides in, he is on my list so..... ;-)
SVN the # 1 in my future 1-2 punch must get, to accompany Richie Figs.
And from a recent Flo article "One big thing to keep an eye on is if the nation's top-ranked recruit in the class of 2021, Richie Figueroa, stays committed to Arizona State. Ohio State is still in the mix for the three-time California state champion as well as Penn State."
SVN the # 1 in my future 1-2 punch must get, to accompany Richie Figs.
And from a recent Flo article "One big thing to keep an eye on is if the nation's top-ranked recruit in the class of 2021, Richie Figueroa, stays committed to Arizona State. Ohio State is still in the mix for the three-time California state champion as well as Penn State."
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So, some of us who said same thing at 125 again will be correct? Had a feeling that Howard will not go at 125. We hope Meredith will improve but it seems unlikely for enough improvement to qualify for the NCAA tournament. There is always hope though
See, I feel like Sanderson will probably have a wrestle off and go from there, so if Meredith defeats Howard then it goes from there. Usually?
Aren't easy to replace is putting it mildly. Spencer is their best 125 pound wrestler since at least his coach. Marinelli is the best 165 pounder in 20 years and Kemerer is their best 174 pounder in the same span.
Who knows, Iowa may replace these three in the same manner as Taylor, Ruth leading to Zain, Jason and Bo but I kind of doubt it.
Our line-up this year reminds me of 2011 and 2016. With 4, maybe 5, young studs stepping into starting roles this team will be a bigger threat than some fans think.
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The problem with shirting RH, is that he prolly isnt a career 125, and if we cant pick up a Figs/Poulin type we will be in the same boat come 2022. I say use him THIS year, we are gonna need all the firepower we can assemble to keep Iowa from breaking our “streak” anyway.
Didn't I read that he was planning shoulder surgery, but it was postponed due to elective surgery stoppage?
Maybe I just dreamed it.
Yes but he has recently had the surgery.Didn't I read that he was planning shoulder surgery, but it was postponed due to elective surgery stoppage?
Maybe I just dreamed it.
I think Brandon Meredith will surprise some people in 2021. He has heart, and you can't coach that up. He lost a lot of scrambles last year that made a difference in a lot of matches. You can coach that.
I like your enthusiasm, and I have had similar thoughts. Some of the guys over the last decade have struggled to learn how to dominate those scramble situations though. So while it is a coachable issue, it isn't necessarily an easy skill to learn even with elite coaching/teaching.. Until I see that skill manifest in his arsenal my expectations for the kid's success will remain minimal.
I did not say that, just that he completed the surgery - you can make your assumptions as you wish.
Obviously nothing is 100% and all cases are different.
But in the case of an incoming frosh who just had shoulder surgery in April, it might be prudent to lower expectations for the near future.
First of all, going under the knife for a shoulder injury in this sport is a roll of the dice. If you're not aware of that you're not paying attention. Its not a knee, it's a shoulder. For every Anthony Cassar - who took a couple of years to rehab and then ultimately had his NCAA career ended early with it - there are probably 9 guys at least who had shoulder surgery and never got back to their pre-surgical form. In this sport it is the worst place to get hurt
Throw in the transition that any true frosh has to work through - significant for all but a very, very few - and if you are not lowering your expectations for 20-21, well there is a good chance you're going to end up disappointed.
One positive in the face of this is if he's a 125, which IMO is probably easier to compete at earlier in your career.
But I'm not expecting him to take the mat for PSU in 20-21. Hope he's the outlier that proves me wrong.
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Way too early to proclaim anything about Robbie Howard. He's not spent one second in the Penn State room, and the coaches have a great handle on helping wrestlers be the best versions of themselves. No doubt about the young man's talent, but it's important to begin with the end in mind ... my hope is we're sitting here four or five years from now celebrating a solid career.
Lee and his bonus points will be difficult to replace, for sure. But, Iowa has always had a lot of success recruiting top lightweights - 2x champ, 3x finalist McDonough, NCAA Champ and 4x AA Cory Clark, NCAA Champ and 3x AA Tony Ramos, 3x AA and World Silver Thomas Gilman are all guys who have manned the first two weights in the past ten years. The success SL has had in college and will have internationally while at Hawkeye Club will make the top lightweights in the country Iowa's to lose. Landing Spencer Lee back in summer of 2016 was huge for Iowa and SL's impact will be felt for years after his eligibility is over. The fact that SL has listened to Brands- even if it didn't seem like the right path at the time- and had the success that he's had has given new life to a coaching career that seemed to be on the downward side.
Re: Marinelli being the best Iowa 65 pounder in 20 years... Marinelli is the disappointed owner of two 7th place awards. Mark Perry was a 2x champ and 4x AA (two 2nds, or a 2nd and 3rd...?) at 165 in the mid- to late-aughts. Replacing the Bull and Kemerer will be a challenge, but nothing like PSU's challenge to replace 3x champs, 4x finalists, and/or bonus point machines like Taylor, Ruth, Wright, Zain, Nolf, Cenzo, Hall, Bo - which PSU has seemed to be able to do.
Although I feel that Ohio State remains the bigger threat- mainly due to Ohio wrestling being better than Iowa and all Ohio people are absolutely fanatical about their Buckeyes, Ohio State having better overall national appeal (not just wrestling-specific) than Iowa, and tOSU's staff being a bit more accessible to recruits than the Hawks- Iowa isn't going away. The Brands will continue to fight, bite, claw, and absolutely will their way into keeping up with PSU and any other front-runners trying to keep up with the Nittany Lions' pace.
Iowa will have the team to beat in 2021. Although, they'll drop off after next year, they're not going away as long as Tom Brands is coach and Spencer Lee is part of their program.
The answer I was looking for. Thanks for the accurate assessment. Good post.
Perhaps Meredith can build from the upset in the b1g tournament he had.
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