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Head Coaching change-Is now the right time?

Without John Smith as Head Coach, Oklahoma State will get worse NOT Better.
Good Luck with trying to find someone more Knowledgeable on all facets of Wrestling Than John Smith. I hope he stays as long as he wants, he is NOT easily replaced.
I agree
 
Literally any specific detail would go a long ways towards convincing people. Is there a funding increase coming? Additional staff for 2024-25 season? Wooing of donors? Social media overhaul? Plans to have mailings go out before the season? Offers made to senior OSU athletes to come back and train in Stilly, has anybody on staff even spoken to Alex Dieringer? Etc.

The program is fully endowed. Funding isn't really an issue. When money is needed, it's found. As for the RTC, they've crossed the $1million raised mark in the 2023 fiscal year. They're being aggressive in trying to attract coaches/athletes, just nothing to announce yet, unfortunately. The Casino Night and some other events planned will continue to go a long way to help out there. Wrestlers are also a priority in the NIL collective Pokes With A Purpose. Daton has several deals, including with Campbell's... And AJ Ferrari had several deals lined up as well before, well, you know... Doucet, Surber, Jordan Williams, Voinovich, Carter all also have small deals with various groups. NIL is possible and available for all of them.

I hope they keep the current SID on staff as I think he's doing a good job. He's built some great relationships and is getting more resources for communications. He's been very helpful for me. I think this is improving for sure, but we have communications issues across the athletics department. Football's is way behind most of the rest of the conference.

The additional staff spot was filled by Gary Wayne Harding, which they didn't publicize for whatever reason. GWH is pretty well known to be one of the best up and coming coaches in the country. He’s very well respected. Austin O’Connor credits GW a ton in his national title.

Derek White was in Stillwater last week. Dieringer moved to Michigan for his now wife. I know that there were some rumors about him going to the New Jersey RTC as well but it all had to do with his wife’s master program. Ringer is part of OSU and if he wants to come back the door is open. It’s no longer a money issue. Former wrestlers that I have talked to… which is a lot of them… and some with not the rosiest experience on the mat in Stillwater… all rave about the family environment and how important OSU is to them and all of that stuff. Kevin Ward and Chris Pendleton both spoke last week about how John Smith helps them and has been an important rock for them in their careers. It’s important to these guys.

I also know they’re working out details on a facility. I don’t know those details or when an announcement should be expected.

The program is going to be fine. It’s really hard. There’s a massive issue in the sport right now in State College, PA… and every program is literally just looking up at that one and wondering how the heck they can catch it. Ohio State is trying to outspend them but they don’t have the development ability. Iowa is outspending them but is having trouble acquiring the talent and keeping them healthy. Of course they probably get two in 2020 and 2021, which I know we would kill for at this point too. I’m not saying that we just shrug and say “is what it is” to this. The RTC does need to get better and John needs to better embrace it in public. We do need new facilities yesterday. It has been too damn long since the program has won a title (although I’ve outlined at least four years since the last one that the team wins if literally one thing goes differently in each tournament).

Unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done about the past and things must move forward… and John said it himself last March that anybody and anything that is in the way, including himself, needs to get out of the way. He said that verbatim.

So yeah… I don’t have timelines. I wish I did. Every time I’ve been given a timeline it gets stretched a couple of months. And that sucks. So I can just say that it’s going to be an interesting 10 months and let’s see what all comes to fruition.
 
Without John Smith as Head Coach, Oklahoma State will get worse NOT Better.
Good Luck with trying to find someone more Knowledgeable on all facets of Wrestling Than John Smith. I hope he stays as long as he wants, he is NOT easily replaced.
Let’s revisit these thoughts on March 19th. The championship is in Tulsa. We need a good showing in our own backyard after last year’s subpar results. Bottom line….results matter.
 
The program is fully endowed. Funding isn't really an issue. When money is needed, it's found. As for the RTC, they've crossed the $1million raised mark in the 2023 fiscal year. They're being aggressive in trying to attract coaches/athletes, just nothing to announce yet, unfortunately. The Casino Night and some other events planned will continue to go a long way to help out there.
So we've raised over $1M in RTC funds and still haven't signed a D1 wrestler yet? That's nearly enough to endow a full-time post grad athlete. Trying to wrap my head around that one.

Lee, you also posted this in the Cowboy RTC thread previously...
I cheerlead it because I believe that the RTC is trying to get off the ground and get to a status that we all want it to be at. I've heard from the mouths of those in charge... Both John and the AD... That they support the RTC raising money and growing. This is what is happening. The golf tournament sold out.
It doesn't seem to line up with John's comments in Adam Engel's article. There's also the rumor that John rejected an offer to fully finance the RTC. Can you elaborate on what John said exactly? And the AD? Is there video somewhere, maybe OSU MAX?

Your posts seem to indicate John is fully and actively driving the RTC initiative. I think many on this board are looking for some confirmation of it.
 
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So we've raised over $1M in RTC funds and still haven't signed a D1 wrestler yet? That's nearly enough to endow a full-time post grad athlete. Trying to wrap my head around that one.

Lee, you also posted this in the Cowboy RTC thread previously...

It doesn't seem to line up with John's comments in Adam Engel's article. There's also the rumor that John rejected an offer to fully finance the RTC. Can you elaborate on what John said exactly? And the AD? Is there video somewhere, maybe OSU MAX?

Your posts seem to indicate John is fully and actively driving the RTC initiative. I think many on this board are looking for some confirmation of it.

Well they are about to sign the #1 class... It's an evolving situation. They are actively trying to get athletes and coaches. I promise you that conversations are happening. They've taken some big swings and missed. Which sucks. But they're swinging... Which is better than sitting on hands.

They also need to be able to provide support for the guys in the program now that have those senior level aspirations. Daton, Plott, Williams, Voinovich, Mastro, Young, and soon to be Carroll and Thompson, are all going to be competing for world team spots. Voinovich obviously for Serbia. Thompson legit might make the Olympic team after a year in the room. Carroll has a great shot at making the Greco team. Mastro and Plott both made U23 finals with Plott winning. Carter made U20 finals. OSU Wrestling doesn't pay to put those guys in tournaments. The RTC does. So that RTC budget has to grow to support those guys and take that burden off of their family.

And I was told these things directly from those involved. John said that the RTC is important at the golf tournament. Chad I asked directly. The stuff he is doing with the Rangers with Bout at the Ballpark is his idea to help grow and spread the OSU wrestling brand. There's a broader plan in place that he is taking action on, and is very focused on getting wrestling back on top. It's one of his priorities. I've been pushing for a public statement on it. But I'm just some guy. So we will just have to see when it all comes out.
 
I think is Lee is 100% telling the truth about positive things John has said about the RTC to a lot of people. John unfortunately shit the bed in that last interview.

It seems like Lee gets told deliverables/timelines and it doesn’t come to fruition. I appreciate what he does with the pod and posts. Not his fault people can’t get shit done.
 
The program is fully endowed. Funding isn't really an issue. When money is needed, it's found. As for the RTC, they've crossed the $1million raised mark in the 2023 fiscal year. They're being aggressive in trying to attract coaches/athletes, just nothing to announce yet, unfortunately. The Casino Night and some other events planned will continue to go a long way to help out there. Wrestlers are also a priority in the NIL collective Pokes With A Purpose. Daton has several deals, including with Campbell's... And AJ Ferrari had several deals lined up as well before, well, you know... Doucet, Surber, Jordan Williams, Voinovich, Carter all also have small deals with various groups. NIL is possible and available for all of them.

I hope they keep the current SID on staff as I think he's doing a good job. He's built some great relationships and is getting more resources for communications. He's been very helpful for me. I think this is improving for sure, but we have communications issues across the athletics department. Football's is way behind most of the rest of the conference.

The additional staff spot was filled by Gary Wayne Harding, which they didn't publicize for whatever reason. GWH is pretty well known to be one of the best up and coming coaches in the country. He’s very well respected. Austin O’Connor credits GW a ton in his national title.

Derek White was in Stillwater last week. Dieringer moved to Michigan for his now wife. I know that there were some rumors about him going to the New Jersey RTC as well but it all had to do with his wife’s master program. Ringer is part of OSU and if he wants to come back the door is open. It’s no longer a money issue. Former wrestlers that I have talked to… which is a lot of them… and some with not the rosiest experience on the mat in Stillwater… all rave about the family environment and how important OSU is to them and all of that stuff. Kevin Ward and Chris Pendleton both spoke last week about how John Smith helps them and has been an important rock for them in their careers. It’s important to these guys.

I also know they’re working out details on a facility. I don’t know those details or when an announcement should be expected.

The program is going to be fine. It’s really hard. There’s a massive issue in the sport right now in State College, PA… and every program is literally just looking up at that one and wondering how the heck they can catch it. Ohio State is trying to outspend them but they don’t have the development ability. Iowa is outspending them but is having trouble acquiring the talent and keeping them healthy. Of course they probably get two in 2020 and 2021, which I know we would kill for at this point too. I’m not saying that we just shrug and say “is what it is” to this. The RTC does need to get better and John needs to better embrace it in public. We do need new facilities yesterday. It has been too damn long since the program has won a title (although I’ve outlined at least four years since the last one that the team wins if literally one thing goes differently in each tournament).

Unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done about the past and things must move forward… and John said it himself last March that anybody and anything that is in the way, including himself, needs to get out of the way. He said that verbatim.

So yeah… I don’t have timelines. I wish I did. Every time I’ve been given a timeline it gets stretched a couple of months. And that sucks. So I can just say that it’s going to be an interesting 10 months and let’s see what all comes to fruition.
That’s awesome. Thanks! I think we just want to hear more of what’s going on. If we never hear anything, it seems like nothing is happening. What I really don’t get is why we don’t publicize things like GWH and Chandler coming back. GWH helped coach an NC. Chandler had 14,000 pins. Maybe recruits get that info, but it seems like if we had a little more support in administration we could be blasting those hires on repeat and making sure everybody in the country knows how bad@$$ those hires are.

Always a critic, this guy! 😆
 
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Well they are about to sign the #1 class... It's an evolving situation. They are actively trying to get athletes and coaches. I promise you that conversations are happening. They've taken some big swings and missed. Which sucks. But they're swinging... Which is better than sitting on hands.

They also need to be able to provide support for the guys in the program now that have those senior level aspirations. Daton, Plott, Williams, Voinovich, Mastro, Young, and soon to be Carroll and Thompson, are all going to be competing for world team spots. Voinovich obviously for Serbia. Thompson legit might make the Olympic team after a year in the room. Carroll has a great shot at making the Greco team. Mastro and Plott both made U23 finals with Plott winning. Carter made U20 finals. OSU Wrestling doesn't pay to put those guys in tournaments. The RTC does. So that RTC budget has to grow to support those guys and take that burden off of their family.

And I was told these things directly from those involved. John said that the RTC is important at the golf tournament. Chad I asked directly. The stuff he is doing with the Rangers with Bout at the Ballpark is his idea to help grow and spread the OSU wrestling brand. There's a broader plan in place that he is taking action on, and is very focused on getting wrestling back on top. It's one of his priorities. I've been pushing for a public statement on it. But I'm just some guy. So we will just have to see when it all comes out.
Well that's a lot of words. You posted the below and I simply asked what was said exactly about the RTC. If I understand your reply correctly, John said some comments at the golf tournament and Chad talked about some non RTC stuff.

BTW, I heard what John said at the golf outing - it was very brief, maybe 30 seconds. More of a courtesy thank you to the attendees than anything else.
I've heard from the mouths of those in charge... Both John and the AD... That they support the RTC raising money and growing. This is what is happening.
 
I think is Lee is 100% telling the truth about positive things John has said about the RTC to a lot of people. John unfortunately shit the bed in that last interview.

It seems like Lee gets told deliverables/timelines and it doesn’t come to fruition. I appreciate what he does with the pod and posts. Not his fault people can’t get shit done.
I've heard differently. More in line with Adam Engel's quotes in the article.
 
Jim Zalesky was fired at Iowa after winning 3 National Titles. We haven't won one in almost 20 years. I'm sorry but 5 National Titles in 33 years when 4 of them came in one stretch isn't that great for the best program in wrestling history.

Pat Pop, Pendleton, Coleman, Cormier..............or the dream which is David Taylor or Jordan Burroughs are all better option than Coach Smith in 2023. Might be hard to hear but it is the truth.
It's interesting, and I hadn't thought about it like this before. But when we think about wrestler development,
So we need to get use to finishing 5-20th on average? I don't agree. There are coaches out there who would gladly come to OSU. I think there are a number of D1 coaches who have done more with less.

Doug Schwab (don't want him),Pop,Coleman, and the guy at Iowa State could all do as well as John Smith at OSU right now. The next coach has to have experience with RTC and be open to the obvious.
Yes - that is what that sentiment means. If we're satisfied with where we've been for the past decade, we're good. If we want to win another title, ever, we will have to do something different. Nothing against John - heck, if he wanted to drive changes, great. But I don't think anyone can say that if we just wait another 25 years, it'll get better...
 
The key is going to be development. Whatever we are doing isn’t working. Surely high level RTC training partners would help but there are more things at play. Coaching, injuries, weights etc
 
Outsider looking in- John Smith is one of the most respected people (coach, athlete and wrestling ambassador) the sport has. If/when a change is made, I just hope he is handled with the respect he deserves. I don’t know what that looks like exactly, but at some point it will. Good luck to you guys the rest of the way.
 
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