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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Nick Lecklider added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Jesse is probably my all time favorite buckeye. I remember watching him get beat convincingly in high school to Casey Swiderski in detroit. Never dreamed he would be as good as he is. Even his freshman year he took 9 losses and had to win three tiebreakers in a row to even become an all american. Lost to guys who are still wrestling like ragusin and cannon. He has jumped so many levels since coming here.
He has become a leader of this team and largely responsible for the success the team has had this year. He is deeply loyal to the buckeyes. He said he could have been paid a lot more money to go somewhere else but no money could buy what he has here he said. Hopefully he can now help the rtc get back go what they once were. Once Tom Ryan decides to retire hire this guy to be the next head coach.
Favorite buckeyes of all time
1. Jesse Mendez
2.Logan stieber
3. Tommy Rowland
4. Lance Palmer
5. Reece Humphrey. Wish he would take over our rtc
6. Sasso and Bo jordan
Hall of shame
1. Rocco welsh
2. Kyle Snyder
3. Will betancourt. lol he’s actually having a decent year 16-7.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Roe Fox added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Hall of shame
1. Rocco welsh
2. Kyle Snyder
3. Will betancourt. lol he’s actually having a decent year 16-7.[/quote]
Snyder? Tough crowd. I tend to thank a guy who stayed 4 years and gave us 3 titles and a 2nd. After college, he can do what he wants.
Mendez is now a legend. But 1st over Logie Bear?
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Nick Lecklider added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Snyder I root against every time he wrestles. Him leaving really hurt the program. He will be proudly wearing his Penn state gear on Friday. I’m sure he helped sway away Rocco also. Then his off the mat behavior made it even easier. I’m ready for
Someone in the us to finally beat him.
Logan is the greatest wrestler Ohio state has had but Jesse’s leadership, and passion for the buckeyes make him my favorite. Love his confidence and you can see him taking guys like Davino under his wing and passing down that leadership role. No one ever has to worry about him leaving. He wants to win Olympic titles here and coach here. He also did this during Nil when he could have been making lots more money elsewhere. Penn state was said to pay Starroci over a million a year and he could have easily got that somewhere.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Quote from Roe Fox's post:
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"
Snyder? Tough crowd. I tend to thank a guy who stayed 4 years and gave us 3 titles and a 2nd. After college, he can do what he wants.
Mendez is now a legend. But 1st over Logie Bear?"
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Aside from those points, Rowlands is misspelled. Like, I'm not even sure what to do at this point. Rename him Gary Sommers, I guess. ;-)
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Jack Muni added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Quote from Nick Lecklider's post:
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"Snyder I root against every time he wrestles. Him leaving really hurt the program. He will be proudly wearing his Penn state gear on Friday. I’m sure he helped sway away Rocco also. Then his off the mat behavior made it even easier. "
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I often wonder who got in Rocco's ear about leaving. He was on board with OSU then went to Europe for a big freestyle tournament, then comes back and lo and behold he wants better workout partners, so he jumps ship and goes to PSU. Could that better workout partner be Kyle Snyder? The workout partners at OSU got him to the NCAA finals as a freshman.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Pat Costilow added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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I will throw my hat into the "Liking Mendez more than Stieber" crowd. Don't get me wrong, loved Logan. I saw a lot of his high school career, including his one loss to D.T., in person. He was great, at every level, and couldn't have represented the Buckeyes better. But Jesse's intensity and drive just resonate more with me than Logan just being a phenom and being technically superior in jist about every position. Jesse was a #1 overall recruit who has wrestled with a chip on his shoulder like he was overlooked or never got what he wanted, I have loved seeing him take big steps forward every year, and the way he will run anyone down. Just something about him as a competitor, man I'm going to miss him.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Ben Golden added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Wow. Pat and Nick hate Logie. Noted.
Another guy who competed with a ton of visible "intensity and drive" was NATO.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Quote from Ben Golden's post:
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"
Wow. Pat and Nick hate Logie. Noted.
Another guy who competed with a ton of visible "intensity and drive" was NATO."
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That’s exactly how I took it! :shrug:
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Scott Nicola added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Quote from Nick Lecklider's post:
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"Jesse is probably my all time favorite buckeye. I remember watching him get beat convincingly in high school to Casey Swiderski in detroit. Never dreamed he would be as good as he is. Even his freshman year he took 9 losses and had to win three tiebreakers in a row to even become an all american. Lost to guys who are still wrestling like ragusin and cannon. He has jumped so many levels since coming here.
He has become a leader of this team and largely responsible for the success the team has had this year. He is deeply loyal to the buckeyes. He said he could have been paid a lot more money to go somewhere else but no money could buy what he has here he said. Hopefully he can now help the rtc get back go what they once were. Once Tom Ryan decides to retire hire this guy to be the next head coach.
Favorite buckeyes of all time
1. Jesse Mendez
2.Logan stieber
3. Tommy Rowland
4. Lance Palmer
5. Reece Humphrey. Wish he would take over our rtc
6. Sasso and Bo jordan
Hall of shame
1. Rocco welsh
2. Kyle Snyder
3. Will betancourt. lol he’s actually having a decent year 16-7."
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Oddly enough I agree with most of what you have here with one notable exception. J Jaggers is my all-time favorite Buckeye wrestler. A complete gamer, loyal as they come, and has spanned the entire Tom Ryan era as a wrestler and a coach. The fact that he's a 2x NCAA Champ and a Cleveland sports fan only add to the appeal. My top 5 go:
1. Jaggers
2. Rowlands
3. Logie Bear
4. Pucillo
5. Palmer/Sasso (toss up)
I also completely agree about the Hall of Shame. You don't leave your school and go wrestle for the rival school just because you got a better deal particularly when you are getting great training and having success. Snyders best years of international wrestling were when he was at Ohio State. Wearing Penn State colors when they wrestle Ohio State shows a lack of character that was further illustrated by his legal troubles and failure to take any responsibility. You can talk all you want about Jesus but that doesn't absolve you of responsibility. Welsh was salty that they didn't pull his redshirt but in reality they were doing what was best for him. He wasn't beating Starocci or Keckheisen last year and they knew it. Sitting him for a year put him in position to be a 3x champ and a leader on an Ohio State team that could challenge for a title. Instead he decided to jump ship and take the easy money.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Dan Strope added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Hall of Shame? Rather surprised to see such a post on this particular forum. It really doesn't speak to the normal level of conversation here.
Snyder was the face of the program (and the USA for that matter) for years and will be a National Distinguish Member without question. And Rocco? Well, he has undeniably jumped levels since his move to Happy Valley. What is he guilty of? Wanting to go home?
I find it troublesome that anybody would even have such a list, particularly in regards to two individuals that represented the Buckeyes on such an elite level. What are they guilty of? Wanting to train in the best environment on the planet?
As Mike says, I could be wrong and I often am, but a Hall of Shame list shows a total lack of respect for these modern day gladiators.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Scott Nicola added to this discussion on February 9, 2026
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Quote from Dan Strope's post:
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"Hall of Shame? Rather surprised to see such a post on this particular forum. It really doesn't speak to the normal level of conversation here.
Snyder was the face of the program (and the USA for that matter) for years and will be a National Distinguish Member without question. And Rocco? Well, he has undeniably jumped levels since his move to Happy Valley. What is he guilty of? Wanting to go home?
I find it troublesome that anybody would even have such a list, particularly in regards to two individuals that represented the Buckeyes on such an elite level. What are they guilty of? Wanting to train in the best environment on the planet?
As Mike says, I could be wrong and I often am, but a Hall of Shame list shows a total lack of respect for these modern day gladiators."
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How has Rocco undeniably jumped levels since moving to Happy Valley? He was NCAA runner-up as a true freshman at tOSU and trained in Columbus for another year after that. He was favored to win a national title when he got to Happy Valley. How is it clear that he didn't jump levels prior to getting there. Mendez, Davino, Cannon, etc. all seemed to have jumped levels training at tOSU.
I am sorry that this list troubles you. As far as what Snyder is "guilty of" engaging in prostitution was the charge.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Michael Rodriguez added to this discussion on February 10, 2026
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There's part of me, however small, that can sympathize, at least a little bit with the Welsh hate. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. Freshman NCAA runner-up leaves for another school in conference and has great success. I can see how that might sting. I find it telling that the loss of an athlete of his caliber is blamed 100% on him. Coach Ryan gets no blame whatsoever for allowing a situation like this to be created and fester to the point of losing a proven talent like Welsh.
I'm not in the room, so I don't know if it's true or not, but the stated point of contention being the "forced red-shirt" seems to be a massive (and rare) unforced error by Coach Ryan and his staff. If it meant that much to Welsh to be on the mat last year, then they should've let him, period. I agreed with the red-shirt. I thought it was the right call, but if it was going to drive away a potential 4X AA and National Championship contender, then the staff has to make that work. That's part of the job. Why would any coach want to die on that hill?
The Snyder hate I simply cant wrap my head around at all. He gave you four years, he was a huge part of your ONLY National Championship team and he made tOSU the center of the college wrestling world for a short time. While he was at Ohio State he conducted himself with respect and was viewed positively by almost the entire community. Then, After staying on AFTER GRADUATION, he decided to chance his training situation and move to a different school to see if elevate his game and keep up with the World's best. He continues to be part of the world's elite wrestlers and shows no signs of relinquishing his dominance (particularly on the national level).
I feel like both these situations make Ohio State (and its fans) look awful. By the Snyder standard, Jessie Mendez HAS TO serve tOSU program for the rest of his career to stay "loyal" to The Buckeyes? It seems clear, that regardless of how you shower him with praise right now, the Oio State faithful will turn on Jessie Mendez if he dares stray from the path of tOSU. What other program holds their wrestlers to that standard?
If I was a blue chip recruit, Ohio State would suffer from the fact that I don't get to choose whether or not I can compete for the starting lineup and that if I don't spend my ENTIRE competitive career training as in Columbus, I would be vilified by the people who used to cheer me on. It's a bad look.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 10, 2026
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Quote from Michael Rodriguez's post:
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"There's part of me, however small, that can sympathize, at least a little bit with the Welsh hate. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. Freshman NCAA runner-up leaves for another school in conference and has great success. I can see how that might sting. I find it telling that the loss of an athlete of his caliber is blamed 100% on him. Coach Ryan gets no blame whatsoever for allowing a situation like this to be created and fester to the point of losing a proven talent like Welsh.
I'm not in the room, so I don't know if it's true or not, but the stated point of contention being the "forced red-shirt" seems to be a massive (and rare) unforced error by Coach Ryan and his staff. If it meant that much to Welsh to be on the mat last year, then they should've let him, period. I agreed with the red-shirt. I thought it was the right call, but if it was going to drive away a potential 4X AA and National Championship contender, then the staff has to make that work. That's part of the job. Why would any coach want to die on that hill?
The Snyder hate I simply cant wrap my head around at all. He gave you four years, he was a huge part of your ONLY National Championship team and he made tOSU the center of the college wrestling world for a short time. While he was at Ohio State he conducted himself with respect and was viewed positively by almost the entire community. Then, After staying on AFTER GRADUATION, he decided to chance his training situation and move to a different school to see if elevate his game and keep up with the World's best. He continues to be part of the world's elite wrestlers and shows no signs of relinquishing his dominance (particularly on the national level).
I feel like both these situations make Ohio State (and its fans) look awful. By the Snyder standard, Jessie Mendez HAS TO serve tOSU program for the rest of his career to stay "loyal" to The Buckeyes? It seems clear, that regardless of how you shower him with praise right now, the Oio State faithful will turn on Jessie Mendez if he dares stray from the path of tOSU. What other program holds their wrestlers to that standard?
If I was a blue chip recruit, Ohio State would suffer from the fact that I don't get to choose whether or not I can compete for the starting lineup and that if I don't spend my ENTIRE competitive career training as in Columbus, I would be vilified by the people who used to cheer me on. It's a bad look."
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The only thing I'll state is that it does not make OHST fans look bad; it makes those espousing such views look bad. I have zero ill-will towards Welsh or Snyder. Now...towards Kevin Hoy (USAF) - yeah, I harbor some bitterness.
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Discussion Topic: Jesse Mendez article
Bill Splete added to this discussion on February 10, 2026
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Jesse has developed well at OSU, dude is a leader. The part that grinds my gears is him knowing he had larger opportunities else where. It’s safe to assume they are out there at his level, but what I got was he absolutely knows the numbers…of all the NIL issues this is the one that goes overlooked and under addressed. Can Bo Nickal reach out to Feldman and offer him more money to come to PSU with zero repercussions…the answer is yes…I get it’s a buyer beware world that drives gambling in young people to increase viewership, but are the no guardrails…I know every horse all the time everywhere is for sale all the time…but that’s horses, have we really gone the way of horse racing with our athletes…damn
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