No, the problem is we saw Penn. St. show their continued greatness in the finals again. I did not think that RBY would win Nationals and have 2 years left. I thought Lee versus Eierman was an even battle bit Lee won. I thought Kemmerer would wreck Starocci like he did in the Big 10 finals but he didn't. Starocci has 4 years left. Brooks has 3 years left and was undefeated this year. They have Kerkvliet who is injured but is an All American and he has 4 years left. Beard is an All American and he has 4 years left. Berge got injured in the quarters and medical forfeited. He has 3 years left. True freshmen Bartlett and Howard look very good and were top 10 recruits. Besides having 2 of the top 3 recruits in the country coming in next year Facundo and VanNess. Yes things are looking much better for us. However Plott has struggled with serious injuries' for 2 straight years so we don't know what he can do. Older Mastro was pretty good for a true freshman but Howard has beaten him every time they have wrestled. It appears to me that Penn. St administration and financial backing is 10 times better than ours. Cael and his staff have clearly demonstrated they are superior Coaches to ours( we can not get a better Coach than John Smith). I think we will get team trophies for the next 5 years but I really question if we can beat Penn. St. in that time period. Iowa may beat us most of those years also. I really don't like it that Daton lost but I really don't like that 2 years ago Daton would have kicked RBY and lost to him tonight where RBY was clearly the better wrestler. Now my biggest problems is expectation of a team Championship in less than 20 years since we won our last 1. Coach Smith rigidness is a concern and that he did not push for upgrades like he should have. John thinks old school where you don't want shiny new stuff because you will become soft. Again I stress unless we could get Cael we can not find a better Coach. Also the sky is not falling . But I am left wondering how will we beat Penn. St. although Iowa did this year ( they have pulled in some great transfers and of course Spencer Lee).
That’s the hope with Little (Big) Mastro @ 157 & Big Voinovich @ 149What weight is Anthony “freight train” Ferrari projected at? 165? It is safe to say he will be high All American level his true freshman year.
AJ could not have been better prepared for the NCAA’s because of the talent in the Big 12 at 197
Adams has the power that prepared him for Amine
Buchanan is a bit under horse powered but an absolute cobra
Last might was a perfect storm for Fix that RBY was prepared to take advantage of
Another thought on this "fair weather" fan stuff. For whatever reason, OSU fans have always enjoyed attacking "fair weather" fans mostly over OU football. It was some defense mechanism to make our fandom more pure and better.
The big problem is fair weather fan revenue spends the same as an alums or someone who is staying with the program even when it sucks.
Fair weather fans is a sign of great success, branding, and marketing. Those revenues can boost your program far past what the alum base can support, any great program needs them. Fair weather fans jumping off the boat is usually the earliest sign you have a problem. These are fans that whose emotions are not tied in to the school and they want to identify with a winner and they want to be entertained and so for them this nothing more then spending their entertainment budget.
In a sport like wrestling, that has a very small fanbase to begin with and one that is knowledgeable and loves the sport, once you lose interest from the fair weather fans, it is that much harder to get back.
I started at OSU in the fall of 1979, the OSU/OU bedlam wrestling ticket was by far the most coveted on campus. I know times have changed, but there was serious passion for wrestling.
Making fun of someone as a fair weather fan from an old loyal alum, is usually coming from a defense mechanism to somehow elevate ourselves over our competition and silence those who perhaps who are not as emotionally involved.
The current HC and administration inherited the best sports program in all of North America, college or pro. It is their job to be good trustees of the program, a so called fair weather fan does not care about excuses. You sucked them in with excellence, they will run when you start to fail. The oddity of it all? It is those fair weather fans at OU in football that keep the bar raised high and non-alums sending their football playing son to OU, when they lose they run, and it hurts economically. Anyone remember the number of fans in the stands for OU/A&M for that blow out by A&M? Got their attention fast.
This is not about who should be fired or not, it is not about the quality of your fans, or what fans opinion should be listened to. It is about winning, that is the way it is in this state when it comes to OU football and at one time OSU wrestling.
I am willing to bet, that wrestling as a men's team sport at the collegiate level, the dispersion of national titles among the number of schools that have won one, is the least of all men's sports. Not only that, you have fewer programs. To finish in the top 10 at nationals each year? OSU should be able to do it falling out of bed.
We need to get at least 3,000 of those fair weather fans back to dual meets and at least sell out the lower bowl 4 or 5 times a year.
If we can't get in to the BIG, schedule the top 5 BIG teams each year and use that to get some sell outs and prepare your team for nationals.
Wrestling has changed over the decades, so many reasons why. It could be the alums and diehards without some new juice behind the program may have to lower their expectations just like the fair weather fans figured out years ago and decided to invest in something more rewarding to them.
It is a complicated situation, but doing the same thing is not working, and we should be situated based on our branding to do something about it but we are losing our branding. We will be getting close here soon that an 18 year old recruit will have never seen OSU win a NC in wrestling in his lifetime, and yet he is to believe while he is at OSU it is going to happen? For that 18 year old, OSU winning a NC is ancient history.
need better overall talent pool to win a team trophy. Look no further than AJ, No 1 recruit in the country and comes in and wins it. Problem is Cael brings in 2-3 of the top 10 every year and doesn't miss much on the eval. Is it a coincidence that our last team title came a year before he was named a head coach?
You only show up once a year. Thats the problem. Harley is a miserable SOB but he is here day in and out rooting on the Cowboys.
This team is on a big time upward trajectory. Will it be enough to catch PSU at some point? No clue but we are starting to get the ammo in the program that is needed.
What is your fix for all this? Fire John and hire who? Who out there can we hire that is going to slay Penn State.
We have had two years number 1 recruiting classes.Are underclassman outwrestled there seeds other than Fix . Future looks bright . Fix has chance to be an all time great.The notion people are freaking out because a sophomore with 3 careers loses is a disappointment is ludicrous. It shouldn’t surprise me with this place but it is truly insane.
We just turned an NCAA performance everyone has been begging for and somehow this board is in a worse mood than a week ago when people thought a top 5 finish was a pipe dream.
Penn State finished 14 points ahead of us and they had 4 champs and we had an all-American sitting at home with an injury. It doesn’t seem like the hill is insurmountable or we are doing something drastically wrong.
We can tell you never wrestled .LOL. I lurk on here all the time to get info but that is how you measure my fandom? Number of posts? Is this another one of those sacred OSU fan tests? Don’t like the truth so attack me?
I have a gift coming for you sorry SOB’s, Big Dave down the road will be uploading the entire finals from our last National Championship from my video catalogue. Yeah, I am one rotten SOB fan.
I probably follow the wrestling program more
than 85% of OSU grads. Not my problem to fire or hire anyone.
I think in my earlier posts I spread plenty of blame. But there is no doubt our administration and HC have put this program in decline. Maybe if more OSU fans were on her posting we would have better fans? Is that your BFD point?
I hope you are right about our trajectory, I have read a lot about that as well over the years on here, maybe I should have posted more often to
develop more street cred?
I never wrestled, but I got a student pass to wrestling and I never missed a dual. Admittedly
been a long time since I went to dual but NO ONE in family or my friends gives 2 shits about the sport. I catch us on TV anytime we are on.
You seem more miserable to me and a sorry SOB for measuring a fandom based on number of posts. That seems real mature. Program needs more fans, message her seems to be drink the kool aid or leave. Obviously, you OSU wrestling fans are so much better than anyone else, I will admit it gets more elite each year.
LOL. I lurk on here all the time to get info but that is how you measure my fandom? Number of posts? Is this another one of those sacred OSU fan tests? Don’t like the truth so attack me?
I have a gift coming for you sorry SOB’s, Big Dave down the road will be uploading the entire finals from our last National Championship from my video catalogue. Yeah, I am one rotten SOB fan.
I probably follow the wrestling program more
than 85% of OSU grads. Not my problem to fire or hire anyone.
I think in my earlier posts I spread plenty of blame. But there is no doubt our administration and HC have put this program in decline. Maybe if more OSU fans were on her posting we would have better fans? Is that your BFD point?
I hope you are right about our trajectory, I have read a lot about that as well over the years on here, maybe I should have posted more often to
develop more street cred?
I never wrestled, but I got a student pass to wrestling and I never missed a dual. Admittedly
been a long time since I went to dual but NO ONE in family or my friends gives 2 shits about the sport. I catch us on TV anytime we are on.
You seem more miserable to me and a sorry SOB for measuring a fandom based on number of posts. That seems real mature. Program needs more fans, message her seems to be drink the kool aid or leave. Obviously, you OSU wrestling fans are so much better than anyone else, I will admit it gets more elite each year.
Exactly, now get ready for the “did you have to wrestle to be a fan?”We can tell you never wrestled .
There is a lot of that in this thread. Your reply was to one of many who appear to be helicopter fans. And just like helicopter parents, they are just here to bitch because they think they know stuff.You only show up once a year. Thats the problem.
There is a lot of that in this thread. Your reply was to one of many who appear to be helicopter fans. And just like helicopter parents, they are just here to bitch because they think they know stuff.
I don’t think you have to wrestle to be a fan . It’s not easy making it to the finals of the national championship. All the those men our outstanding world class athletes and should be respected. When people start talking about coaching changes it’s comical. We placed third. Who we going to hire Brands or Sanderson?Goodluck.Exactly, now get ready for the “did you have to wrestle to be a fan?”
Gather up enough money and Cael will come. Iowa can keep Brands. Speaking of Brands, did they have Terry on double secret probation during the tournament? I don’t recall seeing him on the bench.I don’t think you have to wrestle to be a fan . It’s not easy making it to the finals of the national championship. All the those men our outstanding world class athletes and should be respected. When people start talking about coaching changes it’s comical. We placed third. Who we going to hire Brands or Sanderson?Goodluck.
Lifelong resident of PA and wrestling fan. Actually got to talk to Cael briefly at the 2019 national championship PSU after party and (selfishly, because I want to see them dominate for decades to come) asked him how long he plans to coach. He was gracious, funny and non-committal, but I got the sense that he fully realized how good he has it at PSU - right smack in the middle of the best wrestling state high-school wise (50+ of the 330 wrestlers at nationals this year are from PA), full administrative support and a rabid alumni/fan base that vigorously supports the program. He's only 41 - I think he could be at PSU for 20 or 30 more years.I’ll also say some of my optimism is the fact I’m resigned to the fact PSU is going to dominate. As long as Cael is there I think they will win the bulk of the titles. The best you can hope for is to be that team that is waiting in the wings to catch them when they are down. We were that team early in the PSU run but never broke through, then it was Ohio State and now Iowa. I 100% think we are that next team. It’s Nick Saban at Alabama on steroids. You just hope the dude retires at some point.
We better get busy!Just in case anyone else was wondering; if Cael continues to win championships at his current rate (8 out of 11) he will tie our 34 Championships record in ... 2058. That's 47 years and that assumes we win no more championships. If Iowa wins all of the rest in that time period they will have 31.
I think you can add move our university to Pennsylvania as that is where the recruits are. Kids want their parents to watch them wrestle. Oklahoma kids grow up wanting to wrestle in the orange and black as do Pennsylvania kids want to wrestle for Penn State.
I think you can add move our university to Pennsylvania as that is where the recruits are. Kids want their parents to watch them wrestle. Oklahoma kids grow up wanting to wrestle in the orange and black as do Pennsylvania kids want to wrestle for Penn State.
what school did this?That is true! With each passing year, we are being removed from THE destination for a wrestler.
What we really need is for OSSAA Wrestling to make a major comeback...which would be helped by an RTC, camps, events in Oklahoma and community involvement.
I have made a small effort in my hometown and many other citizens have made a significant effort to revitalize Wrestling down here. Title 9 seems to have hurt it, but big-time Football and sport specialization have been the major culprit.
I sat with our AD several years ago and discussed the benefits of having a strong Wrestling Program.
-more kids coming to school here versus the school on the west side of town. (they at least try at Wrestling)
-Lineman that can't be beat one-on-one by a non-Wrestler.
-Skill players that have a better toughness.
-Easier path to coach kids because they are not "sissies."
All that must have fallen on deaf ears as we hired a Linebacker coach who never Wrestled past the 9th grade to head up our Wrestling program.
We definitely need to invest in our youth program. A grass roots effort would raise all recruiting levelsThat is true! With each passing year, we are being removed from THE destination for a wrestler.
What we really need is for OSSAA Wrestling to make a major comeback...which would be helped by an RTC, camps, events in Oklahoma and community involvement.
I have made a small effort in my hometown and many other citizens have made a significant effort to revitalize Wrestling down here. Title 9 seems to have hurt it, but big-time Football and sport specialization have been the major culprit.
I sat with our AD several years ago and discussed the benefits of having a strong Wrestling Program.
-more kids coming to school here versus the school on the west side of town. (they at least try at Wrestling)
-Lineman that can't be beat one-on-one by a non-Wrestler.
-Skill players that have a better toughness.
-Easier path to coach kids because they are not "sissies."
All that must have fallen on deaf ears as we hired a Linebacker coach who never Wrestled past the 9th grade to head up our Wrestling program.
Great post...#5 is spot on. Everything West of the Mississippi & South of the M-D Line should (and for the most part has been) the Target Environment.1) cut the party culture. Not all, but a lot of the team for years has not had the right work ethic. Some can do both but most can’t. JoJo and Kaden exhibits A and B.
2) get the RTC going NOW. Facilities may take time but funding for a handful of guys could be done tomorrow. Chris and Tyler need help. Need to lock them in as well.
3) John is fine as a coach other than his RTC issue and handling the party culture.
4) with our family and Stillwater connections we are primed for a run with a select few additional recruits. Genius getting families to move to Stillwater from out of state. Saves our schollies to give more to some elite national guys.
5). become known as the warm weather alternative and try to lock down the west and south(need to not cede that to ASU) as much as possible. Schedule 3 B10 a year with at least one being Iowa or PSU.
Questions.....who would you have as our next coach.....Perry, Branch, Espo, Pops, Scott or other? Love Espo but what does he excel at? I’ve heard he is a great teacher, but how about recruiter (how bad was Guerrero hurting us)? Feelings are going to be hurt when we choose one. Does anybody know if John is willing to go RTC now?
1) cut the party culture. Not all, but a lot of the team for years has not had the right work ethic. Some can do both but most can’t. JoJo and Kaden exhibits A and B.
2) get the RTC going NOW. Facilities may take time but funding for a handful of guys could be done tomorrow. Chris and Tyler need help. Need to lock them in as well.
3) John is fine as a coach other than his RTC issue and handling the party culture.
4) with our family and Stillwater connections we are primed for a run with a select few additional recruits. Genius getting families to move to Stillwater from out of state. Saves our schollies to give more to some elite national guys.
5). become known as the warm weather alternative and try to lock down the west and south(need to not cede that to ASU) as much as possible. Schedule 3 B10 a year with at least one being Iowa or PSU.
Questions.....who would you have as our next coach.....Perry, Branch, Espo, Pops, Scott or other? Love Espo but what does he excel at? I’ve heard he is a great teacher, but how about recruiter (how bad was Guerrero hurting us)? Feelings are going to be hurt when we choose one. Does anybody know if John is willing to go RTC now?
And who is thatOne thing to keep in mind: listen to who AJ references constantly. That seems to be a key indicator as to the ace recruiter on staff.