We need to keep it relative guys. I know how high our expectations are, and after 35 years or so of the Iowa wrestling that we and the rest of the nation have seen, they should be high. With that said, maybe it just isnt realistic to expect that anymore. I say this for several reasons:
1. Brands is great, one of the best ever, but there isnt another name like that of Gable(unfortunately maybe 'til Sanderson showed up). Hell, look at John Smith, arguably the best USA international wrestler of all time, and he hasnt been able to keep it up at Okie State( I can assure you all, they too are killing themselves down there wondering how they are going to stop PSU)
2. Lets not kid ourselves, the move 9.9 scholarships evened the playing field a little bit, just like it did when D1 football went from 100 to 85. It limits our ability to stockpile kids for the future while also limiting us from getting in marginal recruits that pan out and turn into all-americans.
3. The previous poster is right. Recruiting is an issue. I remember when Cael signed to go to PSU. It was all about the cash, right?. I recall reading an article that said the year before he showed up(I may be off a little bit) either 5 or 6 of the NCAA champs that year came from within a 5 hour drive of PSU campus. That part of the nation may not produce any better talent than the state of Iowa, it just naturally produces more of it due to its population base. We have done well in Ohio, Penn, New York and New Jersey over the years, but Sanderson's name out there has and will make it more difficult. Some of our best wrestlers came from Caels neck of the woods: the Banachs(new york),Mike Deanna(Ohio), the Heffernans(ohio) just to name a few. But keep in mind, at our peak we recruited who we wanted from wherever we wanted, not just east of Iowa.
4. Its not just PSU that has gotten better. With Gables "coaching family" now reaching most every conference all over the country, other teams have gotten better, and now battle us for recruits as well. Oregon State, Boise State, UNI, over half the Big Ten etc...
5. The talent isnt as spread out as it used to be. At the height of Iowa's dominence( I would say the mid 80's) there were significantly more D1 programs allowing the talent to be spread out(more programs=more scholarship money--also see point 2), where now, with only around 80 D1 programs the top talents have less choices.
I am not making excuses and I too am very frustrated while trying to be realistic. I was there this weekend. My stepson had little league tryouts and he called me to let me know how he did. It was while Ramos and Ballweg were in their semifinal matches. Well, who was in the tunnel right below me? Gable. He was pacing around like he was getting ready to wrestle and at the least, I would say he was "concerned", but in all reality, he looked pis-ed off. Its pretty easy to see that the kind of wrestling we are seeing out of the Hawks isnt the style that Gable wants or is used to. With that said wrestling has changed from even when Brands was in school.
SORRY for the story, but there is a point: About 5 or 6 years ago, we were at a bar in St Louis after the semis and Les Anderson walked up to us and asked us how we were doing. We said fine and we asked him what he thought of the wrestling. In a very frustrated tone, he said, "Well, if a person showed up tonight that didnt know a thing about wrestling and was asked what the sport was all about, he might say, 'that the objective was to grab hold of an ankle and hold on as long as possible'. " That is a true story and it has stuck with me since. My point here is that the sport has changed and along with it the officiating which allows the pace of matches to slow down, working against our style. Many of today's wrestlers(top wrestlers) would have gotten stalled out 20 years ago with all of the "hanging" on that happens. And what I think is happening, is that even though Brands is recruiting kids that fit our style as best as he can, the fact remains, is that most kids are coached this way from an early age now... Or maybe I am just full of crap.
One last thing, I think we will be fine, but 9 NCAA's in a row wont happen again(by anyone). PSU is having their day and we will too again. The "shine" of our program will never rub off in recruits eyes if they continue to come into Carver and see 10 or 15 thousand wrestling fans, so we just need to suck it up and support Brands & Co and whoever they put out on the mat(including our 149 pounder).
Go Hawks!
