Wrestling Penn State Wrestling Notebook: Addressing the Offseason Rumor Mill
- Thread starter Richie O
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Is that a question or a statement? Asking for others.
Sounds like you got something extra in the glove box of your new truck. Like some insider info. LOL
Levi started his first two years. Mitchell and Facundo both redshirted their first year. Facundo also took an Olympic redshirt this past season. Of the three, only Levi can redshirt this season.
With ncaa in Philly and Carter coming back for #5, you can’t punt some weights
Need the best lineup out there
If Levi wins 174, sorry to Alex , but this year you need the best
Need the best lineup out there
If Levi wins 174, sorry to Alex , but this year you need the best
Hard to see punting ever again. The log jam gets worse if guys aren’t using their eligibility. Hard to see a single weight where the best guy won’t be going if available.
Nobody is talking about Joe Sealey for 157. He’s a beast and probably has a size advantage over Kasak. People forget that he basically drew with the supposed top recruit Ferrari last year.
All signs point to Levi taking a redshirt and he’s obviously the best guy at 174.
Who knows? Not everyone's walking around weight is the same, some guys are maintaining their wrestling weight year round eating clean, while other guys don't.
I remember talking with Keith Gavin who told me he was never fluctuated more than a couple of pounds year round.
Interesting observation, though. Going to be hard to challenge for 174 there.
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I'm picking Levi too, if it comes down to that matchup. But I'm not dismissing those 2 takedowns out of hand simply because freestyle. H2H, Facundo was better on feet.
Checking the track roster - thanks, @LemonPie - it looks like we've added another Utah wrestler coming off mission.
Dawson Bundy. Looks like he was a 2x State Champ, 3x finalist. Heavyweight.
Dawson Bundy. Looks like he was a 2x State Champ, 3x finalist. Heavyweight.
No. But I doubt anything is decided yet.
I posted in the golf thread that Levi wasn't giving out any information there, but it also didn't seem like he was fibbing when he said not sure yet.
What signs? A bunch of wrestling junkies sitting around making up scenarios.
There have been NO credible signs that Levi is taking a RS. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, but that information isn't being shared by Levi or PSU.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but didn’t we all watch Kasak take 3rd as a true freshman and bonus the #1, 3 and 9 seeds in the process? The automatic dismissal of him claiming a starting spot over others is mind boggling to me.
I'm holding out hope that Barr will be wrestling Glazier in the Finals.
I really cannot see Mitchell going any other weight than 165, it is his to lose imo. Levi shouldn't have to choose either, but if he cannot make 157, then maybe he bulks for 174? It would solve most of the issues, right? Barr is going 86kg, which means he can probably bulk to 197 and Carter is at 184. Who am I missing?
Dawson Bundy is an incredible name. Like the leader of a bunch of cattle rustlers/hornswogglers in a Clint Eastwood movie
Sheriff - You know the Bundy Bunch holes up in Ransom Canyon don’t ye?
He didn't bonus the 3 seed but did beat him, also beat the 5 seed and bonused the 11.
I have a hard time taking anything away from a freestyle match in terms of folkstyle besides talent tier. I've posted this over and over.
Even on your feet. People are always posting things like "well, a TD is the same in both styles." This is not true.
You have different engagement on your feet, different ways of defending, different shots and scrambles available between the two styles. People have to bail much quicker in freestyle. You might have to be much more judicious with your go-to shot in freestyle because you can't work your way through to a TD without leaving yourself susceptible to exposure, etc. It's just not the same no matter how hard people try to make it.
The only thing you can take from the Facundo-Haines match in terms of folkstyle is that Facundo belongs on the mat with Levi. Levi could beat him 8-0 in a freestyle match for all we know. Or not.
Why? Long-term I think 174 puts you in as good or even better position to man 74kg for the world team.
I tend to think that MM has some goals beyond NCAA s.
I mean merely because he is poised to wreck that weight class. Get him a natty then move is what I think makes more sense.
I don't think that's the way it works in the room.
Levi is poised to wreck that class as well. They are not going to make lineup decisions based on equitable distribution of Natty's.
I don't know who's going where, you don't know who's going where, and I'm not sure they know who's going where right now.
The only thing we know is that it will work out, because they are both NC guys at whatever weight they go. The only guy that can hang with them is KOT and I'm not betting against the PSU guy in that match either.
I’ve been a huge Sealey for a long time but I feel like he could really use a redshirt. He’s incredible from neutral but his mat game needs some work
I agree, with the caveat that because of the pushout and exposure rules, neutral in freestyle is wrestled a little differently than in folk.
Of course. It's all speculation until we see people in action. Can't go wrong with either of them.
You want credible? There are definitely signs. I just checked my magic 8-ball, and it clearly indicated "It's decidedly so".
Would love to see him wrestling Little for the Championship. And Davis/Nagao wrestling against Bailey!
To piggyback off of @LemonPie 's comments about Facundo, here are the wrestlers who have completed certification so far:
125 -
133 - Braedan Davis
141 - Beau Bartlett
149 - Shayne Van Ness
157 -
165 - Alex Facundo
174 -
184 -
197 -
285 -
- Braedan Davis - weighed in less than 141 - this probably tracks for 133.
- Beau Bartlett - weighed in less than 157 - looks like Beau is packing on some muscle, still can track for 141 if he weighed in at 150 or so, he'll likely be a big 141 this year
- Shayne Van Ness - weighed in less than 157 - tracks for 149
- Alex Facundo - weighed in less than 165 - does NOT really track for 174. Maybe he's taking his shot at what he thinks is his best weight, maybe he is making a big cut to try to fit in the lineup.
125 -
133 - Braedan Davis
141 - Beau Bartlett
149 - Shayne Van Ness
157 -
165 - Alex Facundo
174 -
184 -
197 -
285 -
Usually guys wrestle 1-2 weights below their certification weigh-in. So could Facundo be taking a shot at 157? Seems like a crazy cut, but no crazier than some of Shak's cuts.
Seems to me, until we hear differently one would have to put Facundo at 157, no? You have every kid on your list needing to lose weight to get down one class below his cert except Alex. Short of coming off a big illness, I see no other reason he would weigh in below 165 at this point in the calendar, it certainly looks to me like he is challenging Kasak or the decision to shirt Kasak may have been made. That would be news to all, but the tea leaves are intriguing. I personally don't get it. Alex is long and lean with a frame that can handle a lot more weight. Can he be as competitive at 157? I am not a fan at all for any of our guys to have a big cut. The Levi shirt and Alex at 165 or more likely 174 seemed like solid more logical options. Maybe, just maybe, that posting is in error. I hope so.
The only cut that makes sense to me (from the proverbial eyeball test) is MM to 157.
That allows Levi to move up to 165 and allows Facundo to muscle up to 174.
Of course, the ole eyeballs arent what they used to be either.
That allows Levi to move up to 165 and allows Facundo to muscle up to 174.
Of course, the ole eyeballs arent what they used to be either.
This might be the biggest shocker I've seen in a while. A lot of people thought he was a huge 165 and would do better at 174. Turns out he isn't cutting much at all.
Also shows the team like always is trolling people with weights since many credible people reported Facundo is 100% going 174. He was Olympic redshirting this year and had all summer to lift weights (he definitely has the frame to pack muscle) if that was his intentions.
Interesting. I know it was a close match but I thought Kennedy was able to push him around a bit when they met. Alex actually had a pretty good year and would have been better if he could have finished 'in bounds' a few more times.
