Looking to next year

USAFhawk

Well-Known Member
Here is some info that I have gathered from my own observations and by talking to the coaches and wrestlers themselves on what I think the lineup could look like next year.

125 - I believe Steel will return at this weight next year. He had no problems maintaining the weight at all, he was unsure when I asked him if he thought he would return, but he also said making the weight will not be a problem unless he grows.

133 - Moore is the guy here and I know there has been a lot of talk about Ramos holding his own with Steel and Moore, but I'm not sure that is all true. Does he get a few TD's against those guys from time to time, yes, but from what I have seen Moore has handled Ramos in the room prior to getting sick.

141 - Marion will be back at this weight and I look for another large leap in improvement from him this offseason. Having Metcalf in the room will continue to help him tremendously, but getting Dennis and Slaton to stick around another year could help him get over the top.

149 - This spot is Carew's to lose. I know the coaches share a lot of the same feelings I have when it comes to Dylan. When you talk to them about Carew you get a sense that they are trying there best to curb their excitement when they talk about him.....almost like they don't want the secret to get out. Coming in there were questions about his toughness and dedication to the sport. Dylan has been progressing nicely to the whole buying in theory and if people questioned his toughness they won't now. He is a hammer on top and has turned some damn tough wrestlers in the room, he needs to progress on his feet and he has since being in the room. Some people may think Ballweg could be the guy here. If Ballweg does drop here he needs to improve his feet, that is what is holding him back. He has terrible motion and that keeps him from being able to set up his opponent and to stop scoring attacks.

157 - I think we will see St. John at 165, so it will be another year of Kerr/Janssen if both choose to come down again. There also could be a bit of a surprise at this weight.

165 - The transformation has already started for St. John to be the guy at this weight next year. He is as talented as they come and with the added strength he is going to be tough next year.

174 - Ethan Lofthouse is the frontrunner and I just love this kid's style. He is a goer and is always going to be in every match.

184 - Gambrall is the guy, but he needs to start living the lifestyle. I think he will now that he knows he will be the guy.

197 - Luke Lofthouse and Brodie Ambrose will battle it out here. We all saw what Luke was capable of last year filling in for Beatty and I think he will get even better. Ambrose has a lot of potential, but he needs to get dedicated and not making weight can't happen this year.

HWT - Rasing showed promise last year, but needs to continue working on his setups. He can score he just needs more attempts and with some added confidence he could score a lot of points in a vacated HWT. class.
 
Here is some info that I have gathered from my own observations and by talking to the coaches and wrestlers themselves on what I think the lineup could look like next year.

125 - I believe Steel will return at this weight next year. He had no problems maintaining the weight at all, he was unsure when I asked him if he thought he would return, but he also said making the weight will not be a problem unless he grows.

133 - Moore is the guy here and I know there has been a lot of talk about Ramos holding his own with Steel and Moore, but I'm not sure that is all true. Does he get a few TD's against those guys from time to time, yes, but from what I have seen Moore has handled Ramos in the room prior to getting sick.

141 - Marion will be back at this weight and I look for another large leap in improvement from him this offseason. Having Metcalf in the room will continue to help him tremendously, but getting Dennis and Slaton to stick around another year could help him get over the top.

149 - This spot is Carew's to lose. I know the coaches share a lot of the same feelings I have when it comes to Dylan. When you talk to them about Carew you get a sense that they are trying there best to curb their excitement when they talk about him.....almost like they don't want the secret to get out. Coming in there were questions about his toughness and dedication to the sport. Dylan has been progressing nicely to the whole buying in theory and if people questioned his toughness they won't now. He is a hammer on top and has turned some damn tough wrestlers in the room, he needs to progress on his feet and he has since being in the room. Some people may think Ballweg could be the guy here. If Ballweg does drop here he needs to improve his feet, that is what is holding him back. He has terrible motion and that keeps him from being able to set up his opponent and to stop scoring attacks.

157 - I think we will see St. John at 165, so it will be another year of Kerr/Janssen if both choose to come down again. There also could be a bit of a surprise at this weight.

165 - The transformation has already started for St. John to be the guy at this weight next year. He is as talented as they come and with the added strength he is going to be tough next year.

174 - Ethan Lofthouse is the frontrunner and I just love this kid's style. He is a goer and is always going to be in every match.

184 - Gambrall is the guy, but he needs to start living the lifestyle. I think he will now that he knows he will be the guy.

197 - Luke Lofthouse and Brodie Ambrose will battle it out here. We all saw what Luke was capable of last year filling in for Beatty and I think he will get even better. Ambrose has a lot of potential, but he needs to get dedicated and not making weight can't happen this year.

HWT - Rasing showed promise last year, but needs to continue working on his setups. He can score he just needs more attempts and with some added confidence he could score a lot of points in a vacated HWT. class.

Excellent evaluation from someone that is in the room. 1 question that may be stupid but why is mcdonough called steel?
 
I know two years ago Kerr wrestled some at 174. Is there any chance he moves up there...and if he would does anyone have any feel on how he would fare against Ethan?

Also USAFHawk you said there could be a suprise at 157. Would that suprise come from someone in the room or are you talking about someone who could join the room?
 
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What are the expectations for Tyler Clark? 2-year starter (and National Qualifer) for Iowa State and redshirted last year. Is he behind both Moore and Ramos at this point?
 
USAF......thanks for your information provided to this website. for those of us "not in the know", it's entertaining. cant waite for next year!
 
Great breakdown. I'm surprised to read that Carew's dedication was an item of concern. I've never really known him to be lacking at all in that department, though I really haven't talked to him in the last year or so. Those Carew boys turned my nephew from an OK wrestler to a beast in a couple short months.
 
Ok here are some of my thoughts about next year to add to USA's.

125: I hope Steel returns to 125 next year as he would be a favorite to repeat as champion! I would bet a fair amount of money that he repeats. I believe Long will move up to 133 and that leaves Precin(Northwestern) & Robles(ASU) as his main competition.

133: I honestly feel it will be Moore here. 133 clears out some and he could make a splash here. His main competition should be Graff(Wisky),Long(isu)& Hochstraser(Boise State) as I believe Oliver(Oky St.) moves up. I see NO reason why he shouldn't AA somewhere around 4-8!

141: Marion will be the guy here and it will be very difficult to repeat his run next year. With the likes of Oliver(oky st.),Russell(Mich.),Thorn(Minni.),Jones(Boise St.),Bailey(Oklahoma) and a few others. But I would count on atleast a mid AA out of him next year.

149: I'm with USA in that Carew will be the guy. He reminds a lot of a smaller Jaybo in how good he is on top! 149 will be loaded again next year with Molinaro(psu),Parks(oky st.)Chamberlain(Boise St.)Dake(Cornell) and Mason(Minni.) just off the top of my head!

157: I would really love if St. John could 157 but don't look for it to happen. I honestly feel it will be Janssen next year. Which means a lot of trouble for us next year. If he could make the rd. of 12 I would be extremely happy. With the likes of Taylor(psu),Dong(VT),Fittery(Amer.),Caldwell(NC St.), Jenkins(???) and Hall(Boise St.) it will be hard to get around those guys.

165: St. John is our guy and while he is going to be special 165 will be brutal again next year. Guys like Howe(Wisky),Boroughs(Neb.)Sponseller(ohio st.),Meade(Oky St.),Kerber(Cornell),Welch(Northwestern) and even Young(Indi.) Plus many more I did leave Reader out as I think he moves up to 174! St. John should finish somewhere between 3-8!

174: E. Lofthouse will be the guy and I REALLY like what he brings to the table. Outside of Reader(isu),Lewness(Cornell)Covington(Oregon St.),and Henrich(Virgina) He can beat anybodyelse. Look for a mid to low AA out of him.

184: Gambrall is the guy and he could suprise a few IF he devotes himself next year. Guys like Wright(psu),Smith(Boise St.),Foster(Oky St.),LeBlanc(Wyoming) and Kilgore(Kent St.) will push him but I really believe he CAN beat anybody IF he Wants to!!!!! I look for a 3-8 finish out of him.

197: Should be a intriquing battle I feel Ambrose is our best option IF he devotes himself similar to Gambrall. Guys like Simaz(Cornell),Brandvold(Wisky) will be tough to get around but 197 thins out quite a bit so I'm guessing he finishes somewhere around that 5-8 range.

Hwt: Another IF he buys into his posibilities he Could be special! Guys like Rey(Lehigh),Bradley(Mizzou),Berhow(Minni) & Wade(psu) could give him fits but I feel he can beat anyone of them but its up to Razor! I'm guesing he finishes somewhere around 3-8 and don't count him out to be a finalist!!!

I'm sure I missed a few names but there's my thoughts!!
 
Great breakdown guys!

Surprised about Carew...I remember a lot of doubt surround him in regards to whether or not he would buy into the program.
 
Brands loves to redshirt guys and as long as we can compete at a high level without true freshman in the lineup I would guess that all of them will redshirt. The redshirt year only helps these athletes out in my mind.
 
To answer some of the above questions I will first start with Kerr. Kerr is probably at his potential, however I think he missed some of the strength he had when wrestling up at 165. I don't think Kerr will beat out Ethan at 174, just for the simple fact that Kerr maybe a little small for that weight and Ethan is just that good. For what it is worth I think Kerr could end up having an outstanding freestyle career. As far as 157 is concerned there maybe an addition to the program that could make things interesting at that weight, but nothing is for sure yet. As far as Clark and Ramos are concerned I think they are both ultra talented and are for sure AA candidates if they could find a spot in the lineup. Ramos got a late start because of the knee injury, but really came on strong and I think he and Clark are neck and neck.

Again looking to next year I think we may see Precin go 133, Russell may go 149, I could see Dake all the way at 157, but I have no inside info on that. Another guy that should make waves next year for Michigan is Grajales who will be either 141/149.
 
As far as the redshirt questions go I don't see any of the Freshmen breaking the lineup next year. Dziewa is going to have to get use to the physicality of college and improve his handfighing. Ballweg, while I believe is the best of the bunch, has the same problem his brothers do with motion on his feet. Baldasaro I thought was the most college ready when it came to the physical part, but he obviously needs to make big strides in the mental game. I'm not sure what to think about Kelly, first off I hope he gets fully healthy. I think he has some great potential, but I just don't know where he fits in. I know a lot of people are high on Evans as I am too, but he really needs to work on his feet. We all know he is great on top, but he is going to have to take people down in college and that is his weakness. He has a great frame to add weight and I think he would be best suited at 197 in college. Teleford is going to be a monster at HWT. He still has a great frame to add muscle, but he is already pushing the weight limit. He has a great skill set for a HWT, but a year getting use to college competition will serve him very well.
 
Who is the last Iowa HWT to be close to the 285 weight limit? My recent memory has our big guys at around 220-240. Will be interesting to see a really big Iowa HWT out there.
 
Who is the last Iowa HWT to be close to the 285 weight limit? My recent memory has our big guys at around 220-240. Will be interesting to see a really big Iowa HWT out there.

Guys like Ryan Fuller, Josh Liddle, Erik Stroner, etc... were all pretty big guys from not so far back. Blake Rasing will also be quite a ways up there next year as well.
 
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