It was announced in December that Long was transferring to PSU after several run-ins with the law and being dismissed from ISU. About a month later, he made his debut.
Teasdale, after dealing with a substance abuse issue, returned to PSU. He left the program in Jan/Feb IIRC allegedly on his own accord. Several steps were taken to help him and hold him accountable at Iowa. He pissed hot for weed and ties were cut.
Long was a returning national finalist...a plug and play guy at an elite level. Teasdale had not touched the mat from the PA State tourney (March 2018) until the Luther Open in Nov 2019.
So yea...there was a big difference in known college talent level.
I agree with PSU85 in that coaches tend to believe that the closer a guy is to training everyday and surrounded by good teammates, the better off they are. But I do think Brands has been through this situation enough to develop a trust but verify attitude...they give guys a chance and the tools to be better but that's about it. Now, had Teasdale came into the Iowa room, whupped Desanto's ass, rolled through the season with a title at Midlands, Big Ten, and a #1 seed only to piss hot, would they still bounce him from the team? I really can't say. As Orwell said, "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." I do think we might have seen a few more "legalize weed" proponents