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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Brian Mathews added to this discussion on May 15, 2025
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Now that the dust has more or less settled with the transfer portal, and most of the big name recruits have committed, I thought it would make sense to get a pulse for the feelings out there regarding the program.
A couple months ago, in the wake of a lackluster end to the season (Mendez & DD excepted), and Welsh's abrupt departure, there was major uproar on this board and most others about Ohio State, Tom Ryan specifically, his staff, and virtually all other elements of the program. Many called for his job. This included people on this board that I would generally categorize as more reserved in their judgment.
Since that time, Ohio State brought in three transfers that could all feature in the lineup immediately. None of them on their own likely to equal Welsh's impact. Quick summary of where we sit:
Outgoing Wrestlers:
Rocco Welsh (1x finalist, 3 years remaining)
Dylan D'Emilio (2x AA, graduated)
Sammy Sasso (OSU legend, graduated)
Brock Herman (backup)
Carter Neves (freshman recruit)
Hogan Swenski (career backup)
Gavin Brown (career backup)
Bryce Hepner (talented, oft injured)
Andre Gonzalez (talented spot starter)
Incoming Wrestlers:
Cody Chittum (2x NQ, former top recruit, 2 years remaining)
Ethan Stiles (RS FR AA, 3 years remaining)
Dylan Fishback (2x r12, 2 years remaining)
Maddox Shaw (top 30 recruit)
Ben Davino (off redshirt)
2026 Recruiting Misses:
Bo Bassett (Iowa)
Jax Forrest (OkSt)
Raney Brothers (OkSt)
2026 Recruiting Hits:
Adam Waters
Tyler Dekraker
Dom Munaretto
So I guess what I'm asking is--is it enough?
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Rob Wagner added to this discussion on May 15, 2025
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Solid topic of conversation, B Math.
Good enough for what we have to ask? No way they compete with Penn St, Iowa and Okie St next year.
D.T. recruiting game is A1, Penn St is Penn St, and Iowa will continue to reload each year by throwing out tons of cash in the portal. This doesn't even include potentials powers Nebraska, Michigan, VT and Cornell who recruit well and/or have money.
For the last 10 years, we've been spoiled with so many good teams, many of them heading into the season with National Championship aspirations. At least top 3 or else the season would be deemed a "failure".
Now, does leadership get hot again in the recruiting trail? (lacklsuter the past couple seasons) Do they compete with the big boys with $ for top transfers?
Something needs to happen, or we better get used to just crossing our fingers we could be a top 5-8 type team. Where anything in the top 5 would be considered a huge success.
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Quote from Brian Mathews's post:
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"Now that the dust has more or less settled with the transfer portal, and most of the big name recruits have committed, I thought it would make sense to get a pulse for the feelings out there regarding the program.
A couple months ago, in the wake of a lackluster end to the season (Mendez & DD excepted), and Welsh's abrupt departure, there was major uproar on this board and most others about Ohio State, Tom Ryan specifically, his staff, and virtually all other elements of the program. Many called for his job. This included people on this board that I would generally categorize as more reserved in their judgment.
Since that time, Ohio State brought in three transfers that could all feature in the lineup immediately. None of them on their own likely to equal Welsh's impact. Quick summary of where we sit:
Outgoing Wrestlers:
Rocco Welsh (1x finalist, 3 years remaining)
Dylan D'Emilio (2x AA, graduated)
Sammy Sasso (OSU legend, graduated)
Brock Herman (backup)
Carter Neves (freshman recruit)
Hogan Swenski (career backup)
Gavin Brown (career backup)
Bryce Hepner (talented, oft injured)
Andre Gonzalez (talented spot starter)
Incoming Wrestlers:
Cody Chittum (2x NQ, former top recruit, 2 years remaining)
Ethan Stiles (RS FR AA, 3 years remaining)
Dylan Fishback (2x r12, 2 years remaining)
Maddox Shaw (top 30 recruit)
Ben Davino (off redshirt)
2026 Recruiting Misses:
Bo Bassett (Iowa)
Jax Forrest (OkSt)
Raney Brothers (OkSt)
2026 Recruiting Hits:
Adam Waters
Tyler Dekraker
Dom Munaretto
So I guess what I'm asking is--is it enough?"
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Jared Ball added to this discussion on May 15, 2025
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I for one, was heartened to see the Bucks respond and make adjustments with the change in tactics in the transfer portal. The shift was necessary and to me is representative of a staff that is realistic and reflective enough to shift approach. The current state of D1 wrestling is an arms race fueled by three programs replete with well financed backers. Ohio State is clearly not in that tier currently. While the knee jerk reaction, me included, following ncaas is to push for a change in coaching I know personally am not of the opinion that alone would launch OSU into that tier. Perhaps the goals should be to shoot more at a Nebraska style of approach. Ohio State is much closer to that than the other three. That approach appears to be reinforced by development and smart recruiting. I agree with everything that was stated above. Although I would add not getting Blaze to that list. That miss hurt more than most.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on May 15, 2025
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Bucks peaked close to covid and have been slowly sagging since. Tom Ryan is past his prime and his increased reliance on religion as a tool for recruiting is limiting the program. David Taylor to Oklahoma State....NIL dollars...also hurt. There are four programs with huge money--PSU, Okie State, Iowa and Michigan. Bucks need to recruit smarter and coach up better athletes. They also need to change up the staff. Personally, I'd like to see big changes but don't expect that to happen. Bucks are still a top ten program although closer to 10 than 1. Jesse Mendez is keeping them relevant but he's got one more season.
It would help to have a billionaire booster. Bucks do appear to have access to money but not the type we're seeing at the programs I mentioned.
#1 improvement would be to do a better job coaching up their talent.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Brian Mathews added to this discussion on May 15, 2025
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Quote from Jared Ball's post:
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"Although I would add not getting Blaze to that list. That miss hurt more than most."
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Fair add. I initially included 2025 recruiting misses, of which Blaze was the most glaring and impactful, but took it out as it was getting a bit long.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Drew Taylor added to this discussion on May 16, 2025
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Good discussion, Brian.
The Bucks are suffering from three things:
-limited resources in the NIL space
-David Taylor waking up Oklahoma State, and doing it quickly
-uneven results by elite recruits
Let’s examine the last one.
By my count, Ohio State signed 13 top 10 overall recruits in the 10 years between 2015 and 2024.
Four panned out - Myles Martin, Luke Pletcher, Sammy Sasso, and Jesse Mendez.
Five didn’t- Gavin Hoffman, Jordan Decatur, Paddy Gallagher, and because they didn’t stick around long, Rocco Welsh and Greg Kerkvliet.
I’m tempted to put Carson Kharchla in the above category based on his inability to stay healthy and his 0-2 showing at nationals. But I’m in a good mood and he’s got another year to reclaim his early career mojo. We’ll wait.
Nic Bouzakis and Nick Feldman are entering pivotal years. Bouzakis is staring at the bench unless he makes a brutal cut to 125. Feldman needs to regain confidence in his offense after a sophomore slump.
Ben Davino, the remaining top 10 recruit, is just getting started.
That’s not a terrible track record but it’s also not great. Top recruits are taking notice.
The Bucks did good work with non-top 10 recruits Kollin Moore, Ethan Smith, Kaleb Romero, and Dylan D’Emilio, and Joey McKenna got a lot better at Ohio State after his transfer.
But the blue chip flameouts is something that can’t be ignored when analyzing the direction of the program.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Sean Koran added to this discussion on May 16, 2025
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I've waited to chime in on the status of the program until the post-NCAA transfer and recruiting period cooled off. It appears that reports of the program's imminent demise were overstated.
In 2023 OSU finished 4th at NCAAs. In 2024, OSU would have very likely finished 2nd at Nationals but for Sammy getting shot. In 2025 OSU largely did not have a good national tournament and still finished 5th. That is a solid 3-year run.
OSU was also 1 of only 4 teams in the country to send 10 wrestlers to NCAAs this year.
Since NCAAs OSU has lost an AA, gained an AA, and also brought in a 2x R12 guy and a former #1 recruit. OSU also added 2 more top 20 recruits (1 in the top 10) to add the 1 we already had, forming a solid HS recruiting class.
Going into 2026 there are certainly questions about who will wrestle at what weight. But as the roster stands right now, OSU has 4 AAs on the roster, 4 more R12 guys, 2 former #1 recruits who have made R16, a 2x NQ, and Davino who is anticipated to be at an AA level when he enters the lineup this year.
Only 4 teams at NCAAs this year had more than 3 AAs. So, based on what OSU will be working with next year, you'd like to think 4-6 AAs and a podium finish is definitely achievable. PSU and Iowa seem like the only two teams that are in a different class, unless Okie State's young/unproven talent really shines.
Has OSU taken a step back from the 15-20 run where it was the clear #2 program in the country. Yes, but slightly, not dramatically. And that seems to be by and large a product of NIL. Not saying that to be an excuse, but as a reflection that if a new coach was brought in the situation would still be same. Okie State and Iowa will both be more powerful than they were before because of their financial backing.
I am also optimistic that OSU will be in a better position than it has been over the past few years due to the end of the extra Covid eligibility. OSU did not pull in any Covid transfers, while its main competition was laden with them (Okie State - Hendrickson, Fish, Amine; Iowa - Buchanan, Teemer, Parco; Neb - Smith).
The biggest change I think OSU needs to make is figuring out how to reduce injuries, as this has seemed to be a recurring issue over the past few years. Getting to NCAAs with a healthy squad is critical to meet the program's expectations.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Nick Lecklider added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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Ohio state has dropped from a top tier program to a second tier.
At the first tier is Penn state, Iowa , Oklahoma state. Every top recruit and transfer is going to these big three. Then the rest of the teams basically get the leftovers. Until the nil rules change this is how it will remain. Theses top three teams are just too loaded financially and Iowa is just straight using boosters to poach guys which hopefully is illegal in the future.
Munaretto, fish back, stiles, dekraker, chittum were not being persued by an of these teams. Waters was only being perused by Oklahoma state. It’s going to be very hard to get top level talent anymore against these three. Basically need the big threes lineups to be set at those weights to be able to get top tier recruits now.
I think a coaching change is also needed. Need a young fresh face to take over the program to bring some new life into it. Kyle Dake would be my favorite candidate at this point probably but he plans on another Olympic cycle I believe. The university will not fire Tom Ryan and eat his remaining contract. The athletic department lost money overall last year and part of it was eating holtmanns contract. So Tom Ryan has two more years at least. When the job becomes available it will be the fourth best job in the country behind the big three so should be able to get a great list of potential candidates.
This year Ohio state will be competing for a trophy but clearly behind Iowa and Penn state. Third to fifth is where this team likely ends up. This is the last year Ohio state may be able to beat Oklahoma state however as D.T. will have a superstar class about to come in.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
J.P. Barner added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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Quote from Nick Lecklider's post:
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"Ohio state has dropped from a top tier program to a second tier.
At the first tier is Penn state, Iowa , Oklahoma state. Every top recruit and transfer is going to these big three. Then the rest of the teams basically get the leftovers. Until the nil rules change this is how it will remain. Theses top three teams are just too loaded financially and Iowa is just straight using boosters to poach guys which hopefully is illegal in the future.
Munaretto, fish back, stiles, dekraker, chittum were not being persued by an of these teams. Waters was only being perused by Oklahoma state. It’s going to be very hard to get top level talent anymore against these three. Basically need the big threes lineups to be set at those weights to be able to get top tier recruits now.
I think a coaching change is also needed. Need a young fresh face to take over the program to bring some new life into it. Kyle Dake would be my favorite candidate at this point probably but he plans on another Olympic cycle I believe. The university will not fire Tom Ryan and eat his remaining contract. The athletic department lost money overall last year and part of it was eating holtmanns contract. So Tom Ryan has two more years at least. When the job becomes available it will be the fourth best job in the country behind the big three so should be able to get a great list of potential candidates.
This year Ohio state will be competing for a trophy but clearly behind Iowa and Penn state. Third to fifth is where this team likely ends up. This is the last year Ohio state may be able to beat Oklahoma state however as D.T. will have a superstar class about to come in."
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So, glass half-empty or half-full depending on one's perspective. Either way, here's hoping Congress puts a cap on this NIL BS and re-levels (to a greater extant anyway) the playing field. Go Bucks!
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Michael Rodriguez added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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Why do you think congress should put a cap on NIL money? Are you in favor of congress getting involved to limit coaches’ salaries or other vocations like doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs?
Why should young people putting forth the time and work be the only ones whose earning potential be limited by the government? This is how capitalism works.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Drew Taylor added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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Michael, college coaches at most schools are paid with taxpayer money. Doctors and lawyers in private practice aren’t.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Michael Rodriguez added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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Agreed. But so is NIL money.
I want to be clear, I have no issue with the government limiting how much a person can earn. But I lean way more socialist than I assume most on this forum do.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Drew Taylor added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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No. NIL money isn’t paid for with taxpayer money. Private donors foot the bill.
Ohio State needs more and wealthier donors.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
Michael Rodriguez added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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I know that NIL isn’t tax payer money. That’s why I’m saying most would be against it being regulated by the government.
And I know I keep beating this drum, but the problem with tOSU wrestling program isn’t NIL. In the pre-NIL (Tom Ryan) era they were a top three team. It the post NIL era they’re a top five team. Iowa and OSU have been top tier for decades and Penn State has been the number one team for like 15 years now. NIL doesn’t seem to have changed that much of the broad stokes of the college wrestling landscape. There’s a lot of moment and noise, but the same teams (including Ohio State) are near the top.
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Discussion Topic: State of the Program: Ohio State
J.P. Barner added to this discussion on May 17, 2025
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Quote from Michael Rodriguez's post:
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"Agreed. But so is NIL money.
I want to be clear, I have no issue with the government limiting how much a person can earn. But I lean way more socialist than I assume most on this forum do."
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I said that for two reasons - it appears the gov't is going to get involved like it or not, and I don't trust the NCAA to regulate anything anymore.
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