It also sucks for the other 125 lber that had his shirt pulled to pinch hit for Lee and now probably will not get any more starts. Just looked him up, Jesse Ybarra.The whole argument is moot because the situation is the polar opposite. 2022 is Iowa's strongest team projected for the next few years. It is now or never. That was not the case for PSU in 2015.
So Ayala will have his shirt pulled without a doubt. It makes sense for everyone but Ayala, but I doubt he wants to sit this one out. If he kept the red shirt, he would be a force for the next 4 years at 125/133. Now he'll be a force for the following three years, whether that is 2023-2025 or 2024-2026.