Question from a VERY casual fan

[westlbcyclone]

I'll preface this post with this statement. I grew up a basketball player, have never wrestled in my life, and only have a very basic understanding of how the sport "works".

It seems like a very popular opinion that ISU needs to replace Jackson. With my very limited understanding, and only watching a few matches, I would say I agree. Where I run into trouble is, who does ISU get to replace KJ?

I quite literally only know 3 coaches in NCAA wrestling. Brands, Sanderson, and Jackson. Would ISU be able to go out and get a high profile/elite coach anymore? It is sad to even someone like me how far ISU seems to have fallen in the last 3-5 years. KJ has had enough time to get it back up where it belongs, but hasn't produced...

 

[CydeOut]

The best get we could hope for would be Rob Koll from Cornell. The guy has built something great there and recruits very well. Chris Bono would come to ISU if given the chance. If we look assistant coach, Donny Pritzlaff is an up-and-comer at Michigan who is a great recruiter by all accounts. I don't see us hiring an assistant, but you could do much worse. Personally, I would spend whatever I could to go get Koll...he would be the cream of the crop.

 

[Judoka]

There is no possible way that Koll would leave Cornell to come to Ames. They have better facilities, better funding, better recruiting grounds, and better support from their administration.

I'd love to see Koll at ISU, I think he's a great guy and a great coach, but he isn't leaving Cornell for Iowa State.

 

[cyadict]

What about either of the Paulson brothers?

 

[Judoka]

Would ISU be able to go out and get a high profile/elite coach anymore?

ISU isn't in a position to poach a high profile/elite coach unless some big donor money suddenly shows up. But we are in a position to lock down a quality up and comer if Pollard makes a good hire. Assuming Jackson is gone after this year he'll be leaving the program in much better shape for the future than Sanderson did. Sanderson left a great senior class and a totally bare cupboard to follow them. Now we have some depth in the room and our scholarship money isn't totally focused on one class.

 

[CY88CE11]

What about either of the Paulson brothers?

They might still be set on Olympic training, and I'm not sure how that could impact coaching, but I would assume it'd be very difficult for a head coach.

 

[Bobby45]

There is no possible way that Koll would leave Cornell to come to Ames. They have better facilities, better funding, better recruiting grounds, and better support from their administration.

I'd love to see Koll at ISU, I think he's a great guy and a great coach, but he isn't leaving Cornell for Iowa State.

Very Depressing Post but I suppose its the TRUTH.....

 

[buf87]

If it came to that, Iowa State ties for head coach would be any assistants at Penn State, Heskett, and Bono.

Outside Iowa State ties - some mentioned would be Mark Perry (at Illinois, fromer Iowa), Pritzlaff and Bormet (assistants at Michigan), possibly Kish (Head Coach at NDSU), maybe Jared Frayer.

For assistants - any of current staff (I like our staff, not sure why the results haven't shown up), need to talk to Jake Varner, Jake Herbert, and Coleman Scott.

 

[clonedude]

ISU isn't in a position to poach a high profile/elite coach unless some big donor money suddenly shows up. But we are in a position to lock down a quality up and comer if Pollard makes a good hire. Assuming Jackson is gone after this year he'll be leaving the program in much better shape for the future than Sanderson did. Sanderson left a great senior class and a totally bare cupboard to follow them. Now we have some depth in the room and our scholarship money isn't totally focused on one class.

I don't know much about wrestling either, but this post above makes it sound as if we should give KJ a few more years, right?

If Cael left the cupboard bare when he left, and KJ has finally gotten some decent depth in the wrestling room, then shouldn't he be allowed to see what he can do with this depth when it gets a bit older?

 

[buf87]

I don't know much about wrestling either, but this post above makes it sound as if we should give KJ a few more years, right?

If Cael left the cupboard bare when he left, and KJ has finally gotten some decent depth in the wrestling room, then shouldn't he be allowed to see what he can do with this depth when it gets a bit older?

Maybe - We need to see some guys start developing. It needs to start tomorrow at the UNI Open and next week agaist NDSU. I'm not dismissing KJ and the staff yet. I like our staff; it needs to transfer over to results now.

 

[Judoka]

I don't know much about wrestling either, but this post above makes it sound as if we should give KJ a few more years, right?

If Cael left the cupboard bare when he left, and KJ has finally gotten some decent depth in the wrestling room, then shouldn't he be allowed to see what he can do with this depth when it gets a bit older?

If the season turns around then yes. But right now it looks like the talent he's brought in isn't being developed. At this point his guys are redshirt freshmen and sophomores. And righ tnow they aren't showing that they are any better than they were a year ago. In many cases they look to have regressed. It is a young season yet so Midlands and January might change a lot of things. But right now it just isn't there. Jackson's recruiting has been fine and he did a wonderful job turning our "good" wrestlers into "great" wrestlers, but at this point he needs to turn a bunch of young kids into college wrestlers, and we aren't seeing that happen.

 

[Cyclonetrombone]

The cupboard being bare SHOULD have been a major selling point for Jackson. He should have been able to walk over to every top shelf recruit and say "you come to ISU and you start four years" and they should have been here. Instead his first full Jackson class was full of "diamonds in the rough" We are getting a couple great guys once in a while but they are not being developed. And then we are putting elite DII level wrestlers in the other areas. Yes, Cael bailed and left us in a rut but other schools are stealing recruits from us (most notibly the Cornell kid two years ago). There is something funky going on and we all have heard stories about recruits coming in and just having no interest after leaving. That is on the coaches.

 

[Cyclonetrombone]

For an example of what I am talking about... look at intermat we have four commits

Loren Williams (unranked) 149/157
Adrian Cordova (unranked) 125
Eric Hanzel (unranked) 157
Daniel Woiwor (#82) 157/165

All three of Iowa's commits are ranked. I know we have issues at the light weights but we have 3 guys around 157 and only one of them is anything to overly brag about. Jackson hasn't announced class signings for several seasons because there is really not much to announce. THAT is the problem. Don't get me wrong, we have had a few great gets, but there are a lot more that bring a big ol' "meh?" Wrestling is a dying sport so why are we getting outrecruited by virtual upstart programs, sorry UNI, and Cornell... history of wrestling says that while you're programs are not bad, they are not great.

 

[ThatllDoCy]

As another casual fan, and from reading everybody on here, and there are some very knowledgable people, it is one of two things. A. Cael's departure left the cupboard bare and we are digging out of a big hole or B. KJ is a terrible Coach who is not making the wrestlers we have better. To further confuse everything the injury bug has plagued the team and we have lost good wrestlers to concussions.

I like KJ from watching interviews, and I don't think it is for a lack of passion for ISU or effort. I am somewhat comforted that Bobby Douglas oversees the program and if poor training and coaching were endemic you would think he would be on top of it.

 

[Judoka]

Wrestling is not a headcount sport so simply looking at commits only tells you half the story, especially since the recruiting season is nowhere near over. How much money recruits are getting (which isn't released) is very, very important. Wrestling coaches only have 9.9 scholarships to spread out over 5 classes. Being able to get guys for smaller amounts, or getting guys to walk on and be depth contributers here rather than go D-III and be all stars is huge in wrestling. Places like Iowa and Penn State can get elite guys to walk on or take very small scholarships (and Cornell is Ivy League so doesn't do scholarships period). ISU doesn't have that luxury.

 

[Cyclonetrombone]

Wrestling is not a headcount sport so simply looking at commits only tells you half the story, especially since the recruiting season is nowhere near over. How much money recruits are getting (which isn't released) is very, very important. Wrestling coaches only have 9.9 scholarships to spread out over 5 classes. Being able to get guys for smaller amounts, or getting guys to walk on and be depth contributers here rather than go D-III and be all stars is huge in wrestling. Places like Iowa and Penn State can get elite guys to walk on or take very small scholarships (and Cornell is Ivy League so doesn't do scholarships period). ISU doesn't have that luxury.

Use to be able to... I know guys came just for Cael but guys also came for Douglas. Personally, I wonder why we don't go after Barlow McGee 120 from Rock Island? Or what about Doug Minor from Spirit Lake? Or Eric Lux 180 South Tama? I won't call out specific players because they are both nice guys but how much of our scholarship money was blown on wrestlers of little accomplishment before they even set foot on ISU's campus. Iowa's requirement seems to be "hey win a state title or I guess you can come here and practice" seems like a decent requirement. Wrestling is a sport where you need to come in ready to rumble and spending 3 years developing a guy for them to MAYBE get AA as a senior is a waste of time effort and money.

 

[Yellow Snow]

Wrestling is not a headcount sport so simply looking at commits only tells you half the story, especially since the recruiting season is nowhere near over. How much money recruits are getting (which isn't released) is very, very important. Wrestling coaches only have 9.9 scholarships to spread out over 5 classes. Being able to get guys for smaller amounts, or getting guys to walk on and be depth contributers here rather than go D-III and be all stars is huge in wrestling. Places like Iowa and Penn State can get elite guys to walk on or take very small scholarships (and Cornell is Ivy League so doesn't do scholarships period). ISU doesn't have that luxury.

Well... Sorensen took a half scholly to Iowa over a 3/4 scholly here. So there is that.

Edit... we also told him he'd be bumped to full scholly if he AA'd. Still chose Iowa.

 

[Judoka]

Use to be able to...

Wrestling isn't what it was 20 or 30 years ago. It isn't just the Iowa and Oklahoma schools anymore. ISU not being a destination isn't a Jackson problem, its an ISU problem. We're still in the upper tier of facilities and support, but while there are fewer D1 wrestling schools nowadays the schools that still have wrestling are pumping in a lot more money than they used to. Guys who want to be national or Olympic champions don't have to pick between Iowa, ISU, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. They have dozens of schools to pick from. There is more talent coming up from the high school ranks nowadays but there are also more schools vieing for it.

The second tier of college wrestling is also growing tremendously. Smaller liberal arts schools recognize that Football and Wrestling are great ways to get males to attend their schools, and since they are non-scholarship they come out ahead because tuition/fees of a few hundred guys coming to play sports covers the cost of the AD. So a not quite elite guy who would have come to a school like ISU in the past and been a depth guy who might break the lineup as a senior is now instead going the D-III route and starting four years at a small liberal arts school.

 

[NEICyFan]

What about either of the Paulson brothers?

One of them scheduled his BACHELOR PARTY and WEDDING during wrestling season. Enough said.

 

[Wesley]

I don't know much about wrestling either, but this post above makes it sound as if we should give KJ a few more years, right?

If Cael left the cupboard bare when he left, and KJ has finally gotten some decent depth in the wrestling room, then shouldn't he be allowed to see what he can do with this depth when it gets a bit older?

I do not know if we have ten years to wait.