Iowa favorite for next year also?
- Thread starter Dunkindonuts
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What I love about this kid, he flew in a bit under the radar as a solid highly ranked wrestler, pretty late in the process for his class. The board was happy but not on the level most were with Brooks or Howard.
Through his own hard work and a bit of the magic from our room he looks to have jumped several levels during his RS year. Now we are almost giddy with the potential we have seen on the mat, not to mention Mark's praise.
I agree the sky is the limit. Flo will probably start him ranked around 15th, and we can just sit back and watch him climb the charts all the way up until he takes out Kemerer in the dual. Book it.
The reference to the point swing was at NCAAs Spencer is good for 25 points or so. PSU has been good for 0 at this weight. If Howard were to AA and score just 8 points that cuts into an Iowa differential.
There are those who day Howard can not beat Meredith. Others are saying that he will take a redshirt year or have shoulder surgery. Interesting take on your part.
After seeing what he did at the State Championships in a loaded weight class, without any tape or support on his shoulder, I would say that he is fully recovered and ready to compete at the college level.
Despite numerous reports of him being injured for several months and wrestling at maybe 80%, I don't think there have been any credible reports of shoulder surgery under serious consideration.
The kid is a battle tested unique talent in some very big tournaments. As much as I love Meredith's heart, I see little doubt Howard is sty the next level, I agree low AA potential as a true freshman.
He may RS, but an 8 point bump is not unrealistic. In contrast, I believe Meredith would qualify next year but the points potential remains very low.
The kid is a battle tested unique talent in some very big tournaments. As much as I love Meredith's heart, I see little doubt Howard is sty the next level, I agree low AA potential as a true freshman.
He may RS, but an 8 point bump is not unrealistic. In contrast, I believe Meredith would qualify next year but the points potential remains very low.
Injuries are obviously a concern with Howard, as they would be with any recruit with the struggles he's had recently, but I also think Howard has some deficiencies in his game that might not project as well to the next level. For example, he does not have consistent leg attacks. That is concerning. There's been a gap between his freestyle and folkstyle results. He's been untouchable domestically in freestyle the last 3 years and yet has taken several folkstyle losses in that time frame, many to guys that "shouldn't" be on his level.
I still think he's a great recruit. Elite athleticism and that quintessential Jersey tough guy attitude. He's also coming to the right place for developing consistent offense. For me, I think he go could two ways: Verkleeren or Starocci. Both came in with similar limitations. Verk is still close to the same guy he was stylistically. Very good, potential R12/AA threat, but doesn't score a lot (and obviously this level of success is very impressive for having diabetes). Starocci's offensive output exploded this year. I could see Howard being a perenial top 15/low AA threat kind of guy like Verk or I could see him developing into a title contender like I think Starocci will be starting next year. I do think he'll need the redshirt.
I still think he's a great recruit. Elite athleticism and that quintessential Jersey tough guy attitude. He's also coming to the right place for developing consistent offense. For me, I think he go could two ways: Verkleeren or Starocci. Both came in with similar limitations. Verk is still close to the same guy he was stylistically. Very good, potential R12/AA threat, but doesn't score a lot (and obviously this level of success is very impressive for having diabetes). Starocci's offensive output exploded this year. I could see Howard being a perenial top 15/low AA threat kind of guy like Verk or I could see him developing into a title contender like I think Starocci will be starting next year. I do think he'll need the redshirt.
I agree about your concerns about Robbie's health and that a redshirt would be ideal for him but nobody is really comparable to Verk. Having diabetes is the main reason Verk can't score a ton, he'll gas himself by the 2nd if he tried to wrestle a pace like Nick Lee. Hell, he can't even get too excited (can't imagine how hard that is since college wrestling environment is amazing) The opponent knows this also and literally can game plan around it and there's nothing Verk can do for the most part but try to win the way he does. Him even making it this far should be considered nothing short of inspirational.
But there's a reason Verk was essentially a walk on at Penn State. Cael put a documented full court press on Robbie for a reason. He clearly thinks his freestyle instincts are amazing and the folk style weaknesses in his game can be fixed no issues. Nolf lost to Ryan Diehl in HS and Zain to Brock Zacherl, almost nobody stays undefeated in HS. Robbie has 2 NJ titles and lost last year in SV to Sammy Alvarez. I think he was also previously undefeated against him and Alvarez was fantastic as a true freshman this year at 133. Also finally, Robbie is young for his class and has way more room to grow (one reason why I'll agree with you that it's better to redshirt)
Hard to believe we haven't scored a single NCAA point at 125 since Nico left in 2016.
Granted, it's been a strange combination of circumstances (injury, transfer, recruits not working out), but with all the success we've had, 125 sure stands out as an outlier weight class at PSU.
Howard, an improved Meredith or a transfer ... whichever ... I just hope Cael can put a national qualifier on the mat next year.
Granted, it's been a strange combination of circumstances (injury, transfer, recruits not working out), but with all the success we've had, 125 sure stands out as an outlier weight class at PSU.
Howard, an improved Meredith or a transfer ... whichever ... I just hope Cael can put a national qualifier on the mat next year.
Howard clearly has the PSU attitude of being unafraid of giving up points, believing he can score more. That caused some of his folk losses -- sometimes being reckless. Cael will harness and focus Howard's aggression.
Pretty good leg attack at 6:30 to beat a top opponent:
Pretty good leg attack at 6:30 to beat a top opponent:
Howard attacks and attacks. Many points given up by Howard are a result of not finishing his attack. Just guessing, but I think his finishes improve dramatically and that improvement will allow the kid's wrestling imagination to blossom.
I am not saying he will be the next Jason Nolf because Jason is a one of a kind. However, like Jason it isn't going to surprise me to watch Howard go from the guy who moves in, out and in relentlessly attacking going forward to the guy who relentlessly attacks and develops deadly basic finishes as well as multiple and unique finishes.
I believe if this kid stays healthy he is going to be a blast to watch.
I am not saying he will be the next Jason Nolf because Jason is a one of a kind. However, like Jason it isn't going to surprise me to watch Howard go from the guy who moves in, out and in relentlessly attacking going forward to the guy who relentlessly attacks and develops deadly basic finishes as well as multiple and unique finishes.
I believe if this kid stays healthy he is going to be a blast to watch.
I just hope if he DOES RS, he can hold 125, if theres a chance he cant, then y not start him,and get at least one year of him at 125?
I can see him growing out of 125 in a year. If he is a go I would love to see him in the lineup straight away.
I wonder about all wrestlers right now. Without a sweaty room and someone to go at it, maintaining weight for the next 7 months let alone an outside possibility of 12+ months could prove very difficult.
There is only so much off the mat cardio you can do.
I wonder about all wrestlers right now. Without a sweaty room and someone to go at it, maintaining weight for the next 7 months let alone an outside possibility of 12+ months could prove very difficult.
There is only so much off the mat cardio you can do.
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I don't get this thinking. Body composition is basically lean muscle, bone, fat, and water. Bone mass should be constant barring a David Taylor growth spurt.
Fat and water can be maintained now, and if needed lost when wrestling training resumes. Off the mat conditioning is limited only by imagination and willpower. Countless world class athletes maintained conditioning without a mat -- say, Jerry Rice with his infamous uphill wind sprints.
Muscle mass is the variable that would cause a wrestler to outgrow his current weight class. It's also (after bone mass) the least likely to grow without access to strength equipment and trainers. Gaining muscle without adding resistance is very difficult.
howard has the mindset I think to be special, for the reasons you note. However, I think he needs that room time this summer to maximize his true freshman potential. Which I happen to think is blood round with a legit debate that he could be a true freshman AA.
Im hard pressed under the current circumstances to see how RH starts the season as the 125. I see it more as the normal progression....get there, start school, get acclimated, do some lower level tourneys build to January and then take the reigns from there. Which the path is some what constricted if the guys cant be there training this summer, taking some classes and chasing the muff around before the season kicks in.
Its the most fair I think to Schnupp and Brandon. You get what you earn kind of thing. No pressure on RH to come and jump right in.
#staysafeoutthere
#godblessthefrontlinefolks
#ineedahaircut
#turkhopeyourdoingwell
Very stupid question KK. Meredith beat Schnupp at the Army Invite Tournament, as you well know.
if school reopens, and he gets some summer & fall time, i'd think he'd follow the normal rs progression i.e, rs and wrestle in open tourneys, etc till they see what they've got. then if they need him or he looks very competitive, pull the shirt. if not, it stays on. meredith can handle 125 till one or the other occurs.
At least the B&W fans can rest assured that I'll never become a Penn State fan like Cropkiller.
Finally some good news!
According to a March 27, 2020 article (published March 29 in the CDT), the NCAA Division I Council is voting tomorrow (Monday) to give one more year of eligibility to Spring Sports student-athletes, and are considering Winter Sports student-athletes, though there is little support for Winter Sports. Most likely result of the vote is to delay a decision, as no one knows how this will play out for Fall Sports.
https://www.centredaily.com/news/business/health-care/article241561961.html
So that would be a "you get what you earn" kind of thing also, then.Very stupid question KK. Meredith beat Schnupp at the Army Invite Tournament, as you well know.
Thinking about how this likely will play out next season, just us and Iowa...
1) Iowa will be the prohibitive favorite pre-season, and early season.
2) Penn State starts climbing the predictive team points ladder, as the freshmen start climbing the rankings. Iowa holds steady, as their wrestler rankings were all high to start with.
3) By the end of the season, heaven only knows. For some of our guys, the end-of-season climb should be substantial and the gap has been closed. "The process" will determine how much.
1) Iowa will be the prohibitive favorite pre-season, and early season.
2) Penn State starts climbing the predictive team points ladder, as the freshmen start climbing the rankings. Iowa holds steady, as their wrestler rankings were all high to start with.
3) By the end of the season, heaven only knows. For some of our guys, the end-of-season climb should be substantial and the gap has been closed. "The process" will determine how much.
I think could have a chance with Scarlett Johansson if I was younger, richer, smarter, better looking and far more talented...….just sayin'
I think could have a chance with Scarlett Johansson if I was younger, richer, smarter, better looking and far more talented...….just sayin'
Richer being the most important of those.
I think could have a chance with Scarlett Johansson if I was younger, richer, smarter, better looking and far more talented...….just sayin'
It's good to see Scarlett back in the forum! Sportfan, I just looked it up and she is single (again) and now is the time as ever to go for it. By Government decree, she is probably sitting alone at home right now. Everything can't be pushed back a year!
Good luck, keep us posted as they say.
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