Cowboy RTC and the next quad

[AtownPoke]

There is a lot for OSU fans to chew on as the next Olympic quad is officially on… We know that ncaa team titles have followed the schools that have the most senior level athletes training together since the early 2000’s (from the Gator WC with DC, Eric G etc to the NLWC now). We also know DT has been very verbal about the importance of us having an elite RTC to lay the foundation for our program while also giving our guys that senior level opportunity. It’s big talk and obviously a goal more than reality but just earlier this week he told a group of us that he basically wants us to run the US wrestling world from Stillwater… He wants us winning team titles with individuals champs at all 10 weights and then spring boarding that success to World and Olympic championships…. And that all starts now because the 2024 Olympics are closing and the senior level “portal” is officially open.

Things to discuss

DT has held off on naming a RTC HC… was he waiting for someone or does he intend for the staff to handle it theirselves in these early formative years?

Who are we going to immediately target to start laying the foundation. Zain is done and 65kg will be open….We all heard that Yianni came to town awhile back… does that materialize?

With Brooks going up to Snyder’s weight and the problems that causes in a room mixed with the NLWC finally making the slightest perceived misstep (questionable overall strategy and an overall lackluster offensive performance in Paris) which has led to them catching some heat in certain circles for the first time ever… will we see some transfers?

With Richison stepping up and offering to be so involved with the RTC (Not NIL) do we see most of our financial investments going to building up the RTC roster?

Can DTs brand of highly aggressive and exciting wrestling (mixed with Gilman and Kennedy) draw some of the best and help the USA reshape its senior level identity again?

Willie, Fellers and Basch had a pod today that slightly touched on some of these topics. It’ll be interesting to see how they play out and I hope we make enough of a splash that they have to dig alittle deeper into some of this (even though the PA mafia will despise it)

 

[PD4thespawn]

There is a lot for OSU fans to chew on as the next Olympic quad is officially on… We know that ncaa team titles have followed the schools that have the most senior level athletes training together since the early 2000’s (from the Gator WC with DC, Eric G etc to the NLWC now). We also know DT has been very verbal about the importance of us having an elite RTC to lay the foundation for our program while also giving our guys that senior level opportunity. It’s big talk but just earlier this week he told a group of us that he basically wants us to run the US wrestling world from Stillwater… He wants us winning team titles with individuals champs at all 10 weights and then spring boarding that success to World and Olympic championships…. And that all starts now because the 2024 Olympics are closing and the senior level “portal” is officially open.

Things to discuss

DT has held off on naming a RTC HC… was he waiting for someone or does he intend for the staff to handle it theirselves in these early formative years?

Who are we going to immediately target to start laying the foundation. We all heard that Yianni came to town awhile back… does that materialize?

With Brooks going up to Snyder’s weight and the problems that causes in a room mixed with the NLWC finally making the slightest perceived misstep (questionable overall strategy and an overall lackluster offensive performance in Paris) which has led to them catching some heat in certain circles for the first time ever… will we see some transfers?

With Richison stepping up and offering to be so involved with the RTC (Not NIL) do we see most of our financial investments going to building up the RTC roster?

Can DTs brand of highly aggressive and exciting wrestling (mixed with Gilman and Kennedy) draw some of the best and help the USA reshape its senior level identity again?

Willie, Fellers and Basch had a pod today that slightly touched on some of these topics. It’ll be interesting to see how they play out and I hope we make enough of a splash that they have to dig alittle deeper into some of this (even though the PA mafia will despise it)

Clackity clack, clackity clack, Boom, Boom, clackity clack, clackity clack.

 

[AtownPoke]

Clackity clack, clackity clack, Boom, Boom, clackity clack, clackity clack.

Amish drive by shooting? Man we pissed off the wrong PA mafia lol.

 

[Howie_Fartz]

I have zero inside information about the RTC. They could've been holding out and now that the Olympics are over really go after some great hires and athletes. Or, maybe Coach Taylor is simply focusing on the team and working hard to see improvement there? That's an easy statement to make because we know that they did not send many guys to U20s and U23s because they wanted to just focus on getting better.

Personally, and by that I mean in my opinion, I'd be very surprised if the don't make a hire within the next couple of months.

 

[osu2082]

The rumors of Dake as the RTC coach are still around and obviously would be a big hire but that’s only part of the equation.

Then we have to be able to land top end senior level athletes who are among the best at their weight. As long as funding is there we should be able to do so. Will be interesting (and critical) to watch it develop over the next year.

 

[AtownPoke]

I have zero inside information about the RTC. They could've been holding out and now that the Olympics are over really go after some great hires and athletes. Or, maybe Coach Taylor is simply focusing on the team and working hard to see improvement there? That's an easy statement to make because we know that they did not send many guys to U20s and U23s because they wanted to just focus on getting better.

Personally, and by that I mean in my opinion, I'd be very surprised if the don't make a hire within the next couple of months.

He hammers on the importance of the RTC every chance he gets so I can't imagine him taking too long. It's definitely a priority for him. How he goes about it will be fun to watch.

 

[Stilly08]

I think it is important to keep the ball rolling and make a big RTC splash. If we got Dake and Yianni I think that would be an absolute home run. I think if we got 1 of the 2 it would be a great start.

It looks like Brooks and Snyder are going to be competing in the next quad for the 97kg spot, I doubt both will still train at the NLWC for much longer, I could see Snyder leaving and if he didn't go back to the revamped Buckeye RTC, he would be a great "name" to have even though he may be starting to hit the down slope of an amazing career (personally I would love to see Snyder take these next 4 years to gain weight and transition to 125kg for the next cycle (cowboy bulk job anyone?).

I think Valencia, Brooks, Snyder at 86, 97 and 125 would be pretty damn solid for Team USA

 

[McScoreley]

Random thoughts about CWC for next quad:

1. I wouldn't worry if there isn't a RTC HC hire right now. I'm not saying any names are or are not coming for the record. PSU/NLWC didn't hire a standalone RTC coach (Jake Varner) until 2021 and even then the biggest corner coaches are guys who were primarily college coaches (the 3 C's)

2. Going off point 1, you do have a RTC HC right now, it's basically David Taylor at the moment. I could be wrong but I think all RTC athletes overlap with the actual team minus Daton Fix? There really might not be a need until the team fills it out. You know the mantra, if you want something done right, do it yourself.

3. I expect DT to be obviously vetting athletes at every weight for next Olympics but as of right now

57 - My guess is Daton goes 61 in 24 - 26 then have a committed descent plan to 57 for 27 to try to get the OTT Finals Spot for 28.
65 - Yianni was rumored to have visited, I don't know if he's planning to be here permanately but there is smoke here.
74 - I fully expect Lockett to be treated as a legit 2028 contender by DT, kids are getting better and earlier. If Lockett wins the 74 Gold Medal later this summer like I expect him too, good god that is terrifying. Look at the past 74 Gold medalists (Hall, Mekhi, Mesenbrink, Keegan, Carr) .... ALL of them did it after their freshman year of college, if Lockett does it after his junior year in high school.
86 - I honestly expect Dean Hamiti to throw his hat in the ring here ... fill out that ridiculous frame (not unlike DT) EDIT: Obviously add Dustin Plott
97 - I'm sure DT is trying for Snyder if rumors of Brooks moving up is true
125 - Hendrickson committed to another quad

4. From what I hear, DT is not going to offer ridiculous sums of money to bring in senior level athletes. I expect the ones who stay and buy in will be rewarded but he's not going to outbid anyone even if he can. Setting a culture of "the why" is essential for DT right now and the why cannot be a payday.

 

[AtownPoke]

Random thoughts about CWC for next quad:

1. I wouldn't worry if there isn't a RTC HC hire right now. I'm not saying any names are or are not coming for the record. PSU/NLWC didn't hire a standalone RTC coach (Jake Varner) until 2021 and even then the biggest corner coaches are guys who were primarily college coaches (the 3 C's)

2. Going off point 1, you do have a RTC HC right now, it's basically David Taylor at the moment. I could be wrong but I think all RTC athletes overlap with the actual team minus Daton Fix? There really might not be a need until the team fills it out. You know the mantra, if you want something done right, do it yourself.

3. I expect DT to be obviously vetting athletes at every weight for next Olympics but as of right now

57 - My guess is Daton goes 61 in 24 - 26 then have a committed descent plan to 57 for 27 to try to get the OTT Finals Spot for 28.
65 - Yianni was rumored to have visited, I don't know if he's planning to be here permanately but there is smoke here.
74 - I fully expect Lockett to be treated as a legit 2028 contender by DT, kids are getting better and earlier. If Lockett wins the 74 Gold Medal later this summer like I expect him too, good god that is terrifying. Look at the past 74 Gold medalists (Hall, Mekhi, Mesenbrink, Keegan, Carr) .... ALL of them did it after their freshman year of college, if Lockett does it after his junior year in high school.
86 - I honestly expect Dean Hamiti to throw his hat in the ring here ... fill out that ridiculous frame (not unlike DT)
97 - I'm sure DT is trying for Snyder if rumors of Brooks moving up is true
125 - Hendrickson committed to another quad

4. From what I hear, DT is not going to offer ridiculous sums of money to bring in senior level athletes. I expect the ones who stay and buy in will be rewarded but he's not going to outbid anyone even if he can. Setting a culture of "the why" is essential for DT right now and the why cannot be a payday.

Love the take. Thanks for taking the time. You make some really good points that I wasn't thinking about in regards to DJ possibly filling his frame out and making a run and Lockett already being a possibility. Theyre probably pretty obvious but I just didn't think about it.

As far as '28 goes I think there's a good opportunity to show some development 65. It's wide open and it'd be cool for DT to put his stamp on someone (Yianni)

 

[chasepollard]

Love the take. Thanks for taking the time. You make some really good points that I wasn't thinking about in regards to DJ possibly filling his frame out and making a run and Lockett already being a possibility. Theyre probably pretty obvious but I just didn't think about it.

As far as '28 goes I think there's a good opportunity to show some development 65. It's wide open and it'd be cool for DT to put his stamp on someone (Yianni)

Yeah, @McScoreley hit a bunch there.

The RTC guys won’t be hired guns. It will be guys that want to train to win. I would expect if guys are chasing money, they might as well just coach…the money will be better guaranteed.

But, I don’t agree with the RTC being or appearing to be on the back burner. The RTC and its production are vital to prolonged success of the Program.

I fully expect to see/hear some great news and positive movement pretty soon.

 

[100TonsofOrangeFury]

With Richison stepping up and offering to be so involved with the RTC (Not NIL) do we see most of our financial investments going to building up the RTC roster?

Has this point been announced publicly? Can you elaborate?

 

[AtownPoke]

Has this point been announced publicly? Can you elaborate?

I’ve just been told. I don’t think it’s something that’s been announced.

 

[chasepollard]

Has this point been announced publicly? Can you elaborate?

Not in the official format of a public announcement.

But the mechanics of his involvement, CWC and an RTC have been discussed by people that know.

The RTC is important to the two most important men involved with the OSU Program. Richison and DT.

Richison made the commitment to fund coaches and RTC. An endowment has been tossed around and I fully expect that to come to fruition.

With that idea, you can’t expect to see us buying teams and RTC guys. The guys we get will have to be dreamers with action and have the understanding that realization of those dreams is a lottery ticket.

 

[Howie_Fartz]

4. From what I hear, DT is not going to offer ridiculous sums of money to bring in senior level athletes. I expect the ones who stay and buy in will be rewarded but he's not going to outbid anyone even if he can. Setting a culture of "the why" is essential for DT right now and the why cannot be a payday.

Great post my man. I quoted the above because the fact is, some of the $$$ rumors going around about guys getting big money are just that, rumors. And it may surprise you to know that not even DT was getting 6 figures at NLWC and of course he was an Olympic champ. If he didn't get that, he damn sure wont be paying that.

 

[McScoreley]

Going into the next quad (fun times!)

Overall analysis

57 - Feels like a Spencer next topic here and if he's healthy, it will be. Unfortunately and I hope I'm wrong, it's always hard to tell with Spencer. I expect Fix to definitely be a factor as well and some of the younger guys here (Lilledahl) I think Blaze, Forrest both are way too big for 57 by 2028.

65 - So there is rumors Yianni is kind of a tweener now and a difficult cut is one of the reason he hasn't been the same guy since 2022. He will be wrestling 70 during non Olympic years. I expect him back down here by 2028 though. Mendez looked phenomenal at OTT, Alirez is very much his equal and a lot of other young guys entering the scenes including upper AA college guys (Bartlett/Hardy/Lovett/SVN). A big wild card, if Bo Bassett continues his wild trajectory, who knows if he might be a man here.

74 - This is where it gets exciting ... Kyle Dake in theory could be competing here but I think he will be done by then. Nolf feels like the next man up after him obviously but unfortunately with the Olympics being a 4 year thing, he isn't going to be super young by 2028 (32) and guys like Keegan, Carr, Mesenbrink, Lockett entering their athletic primes. Just as a PSU homer (but also as a Jason Nolf fan) I would be so heartbroken if he never gets a shot.

86 - I think Zahid is clear king here .... Hidlay could give him a good match. I mentioned I see Dean Hamiti filling out and shooting his shot here. If Starocci is wrestling in 2028, he'll be at this weight ... I don't believe he will be though. Huge fan of Parker Keckeisen and think he has a style that could work very well in freestyle also but he might get outathleted by someone like Zahid (similar to how he did with AB) I imagine Dustin Plott will be fantastic here as well.

97 - I see this being an AB/Snyder battle. Maybe DT will pull a power move and wrestle 2028 trials (I think he already qualifies even if he doesn't wrestle another match similar to how PD3 was qualified off being on a team 5 years ago)

125 - A lot of questions here, Mason Parris is clearly the best at the US right now though but guys like Kerkvliet and Hendrickson will be working every day to close the gap. Big wild card, could Gable change his mind? I personally think if he doesn't make it in the NFL, Gable is going to MMA instead.

 

[McScoreley]

Great post my man. I quoted the above because the fact is, some of the $$$ rumors going around about guys getting big money are just that, rumors. And it may surprise you to know that not even DT was getting 6 figures at NLWC and of course he was an Olympic champ. If he didn't get that, he damn sure wont be paying that.

Rumors are DT pulled the plug on Alirez to Ok State when he heard the alleged price tag (which was offered before DT accepted the job). Everyone thought it was a done deal. It's a shame because I think he was a perfect fit from both college and RTC and there definitely is a personality and lifestyle fit as well.

But DT wasn't going to have his first move as HC be bringing in a highly paid transfer. They couldn't come to an agreement after (and it's hard to fault Alirez either since it's never easy hearing one thing and then ultimately getting another)

 

[oberebo]

I hope that the talk of women's wrestling going by the wayside is incorrect. I believe having a women's team will be a draw for men's wrestling. Women's sports is growing and we need to embrace it. I am going to say this one more time as OSU starts classes this week and Sakamoto is not on the roster. This is troubling to me.

 

[McScoreley]

I hope that the talk of women's wrestling going by the wayside is incorrect. I believe having a women's team will be a draw for men's wrestling. Women's sports is growing and we need to embrace it. I am going to say this one more time as OSU starts classes this week and Sakamoto is not on the roster. This is troubling to me.

I don't think womens wrestling is going wayside at all when you look at participation numbers at the HS level but P4 teams adding it unfortunately doesn't have any momentum right now.

In terms of someone like Sakamoto, could be any number of reasons, possibly with admissions getting all transcripts from high school or possibly NCAA clearing house (they might do a little extra digging to make sure Sakamoto wasn't a professional already) but I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[chasepollard]

I don't think womens wrestling is going wayside at all when you look at participation numbers at the HS level but P4 teams adding it unfortunately doesn't have any momentum right now.

In terms of someone like Sakamoto, could be any number of reasons, possibly with admissions getting all transcripts from high school or possibly NCAA clearing house (they might do a little extra digging to make sure Sakamoto wasn't a professional already) but I wouldn't worry too much.

He’s talking about women’s Wrestling at OSU.

There’s not much talk around it currently.

 

[McScoreley]

He’s talking about women’s Wrestling at OSU.

There’s not much talk around it currently.

Doesn't sound like it unfortunately and as someone mentioned, WVB is ahead in line.

 

[chasepollard]

Doesn't sound like it unfortunately and as someone mentioned, WVB is ahead in line.

Which is BS.

Women’s Wrestling is downright booming…and we’re going to miss the boat on it.

Or at least buy a speedboat to catch up

 

[Air_Thurman]

I think the biggest thing is if the Richison money is real and/or as much as been rumored. I have no idea if it is or isn't but I'm pretty skeptical until it happens.

 

[osu1988]

There will not be a sport added at OSU unless another sport is dropped.

 

[chasepollard]

I think the biggest thing is if the Richison money is real and/or as much as been rumored. I have no idea if it is or isn't but I'm pretty skeptical until it happens.

It’s real, but he’s not paying for NIL stuff as I understand it.

That’s why CWC is still very important.

 

[Air_Thurman]

It’s real, but he’s not paying for NIL stuff as I understand it.

That’s why CWC is still very important.

His money is real until it isn't. If we have cashed the check and it is in the bank awesome. Until that point you are in the wind on his whims.

 

[Howie_Fartz]

It’s real, but he’s not paying for NIL stuff as I understand it.

That’s why CWC is still very important.

You are correct- there will be no NIL money from him.

 

[GableBeer]

 

[Pennstate1985]

I would give my left kidney to see it be Spencer Lee.

 

[GableBeer]

I would give my left kidney to see it be Spencer Lee.

Spencer’s under contract for 4 more years

 

[Pennstate1985]

Spencer’s under contract for 4 more years

I already gave my right kidney when he broke that contract yesterday.

 

[GableBeer]

Willie said on the Iowa board it’s not Yianni or Dake.

 

[Pennstate1985]

Willie said on the Iowa board it’s not Yianni or Dake.

I'm thinking an NLWC guy

 

[GableBeer]

I'm thinking an NLWC guy

Maybe Nolf?

Mineo is implying it’s Yianni.

 

[Pennstate1985]

Ringer? Coming home?

 

[Pennstate1985]

Maybe Nolf?

View embedded media

Mineo is implying it’s Yianni.

No alcohol required with Mineo's koolaide

 

[Pennstate1985]

Maybe Nolf?

That was first guess, but when I went over the NLWC roster, Ringer stuck out.

 

[AtownPoke]

RBY?

 

[Pennstate1985]

RBY?

Good guess with Fix in the room, although if they will be competing at the same weight internationally, not so much.

 

[GableBeer]

Switched his tune very quick now he’s implying it’s RBY

 

[driad]

Who