By all accounts, Downey will be at 184 as of Midlands if he becomes eligible. This leads to a few questions.
1. Is Wilcke going 197 all year or is he competing with Downey for the 184 spot? If he is going 197, how is his size compared to last year?
2. How are the new guys (Warner and Cook) looking in the room? Will Warner be a redshirt regardless of what Lee does? As for Cook, if he is regaining his form then I then he could be dangerous by the end of the year with his athleticism.
I traveled the world this summer so have missed out on posting much. I am going to address a few things in one post.
Wilke has put on some size but doesn't look like a full 197. Warner is a stud who would compete well right now. Cook has been better than expected out of the gate. He has a ways to go with his cardio. He is nowhere near Downey and Brooks but can hang for awhile with some of the others. He is a great guy to have in the room.
Lee could go this year. It will be up to how he is feeling. He wants 4 healthy post seasons since he can win it this year if healthy. RS is risky because you lose that post season if you RS and get hurt another year. Last year I said less than 1% chance that Bull goes. This year my hunch is that Spencer doesn't RS if he is 100% late in the season.
This is an exciting year we could have 6 weights with different starters in January. Some will depend on where OSU and PSU are at with health. Carl has been tampering like crazy trying to get a 125 mid season transfer and he normally gets what he wants.
Downey was a great pick up. He is working hard and pushing those around him. He has a different feel and a load of talent. Hope PD2 stays off here and both guys let his wrestling do the talking. PD2 just needs to ignore the negative comments. He does a lot more bad than good when he sticks up for his son.
I thought Teske was a Hawk but maybe not. We have bigger needs and he will find out the hard way that Carl is a scumbag. Teasdale is going to try 125 his first year. If it goes well Teske won't see the lineup. Same with when Carl gets a top tier transfer.
I read someone say Nelson will possibly be an AA late in his career. That poster should ask a couple of our middle weight studs how much fun Nelson is to wrestle. I think he would have a different opinion on his career potential.
It is nice seeing less whining about recruiting. Usually there is a meltdown by now. I expect at least 1 more top guy to join a pretty good class. We still need to do better. I didn't like reading that we haven't contacted Brooks. We should be making contact with any kid that has made a cadet or jr world team, or AA"s at Fargo at a minimum. Gauge interest and bring them in for unofficials. If they are a fit than recruit the hell out of them earlier than any team in the country. We have to outwork the other schools since Iowa high school wrestling has been lagging.
Get your season tickets. We need to continue putting up big crowds even in a supposed down year. We claim to be the best fans. Prove it with season tickets. Buy 2 extra this year and donate or bring friends. It will cost you about $15 dollars a month for 2 extra tickets.
