Potential Freestyle Lineup for Next Olympics?

by **Wrestling17601** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:24 am

What do you guys think? Any current or soon to be college athletes have a shot at making the team besides kid dynamite?

by **Buckeyebison** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:39 am

Logan Stieber will make a strong push for 132 class.

Dustin M. and Jordan Oliver would be pushing hard in 145 class.

Kyle and David T. may have tougher path with both Jordan Burroughs and Andrew Howe returning.

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by **MA_Wrestler** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:48 pm

A lot can happen between now and the summer of 2016, but I think a few current college stars will be on the next Olympic team.

At 55 I really don't know what to think. We have had a different world/Olympic wrestler at this weight every year since 2008 and none of them since Cejudo have done much. I don't see us having any medal threats at this weight at the moment. I'd love to say McDonough could be the future here, but I can't imagine him being able to make 121 for another 4 years. Maybe Megaludis, Delgado has the speed, Alan Waters has Sammie Henson as his mentor now, so hopefully someone will emerge for us. Right now I see this as our weakest weight.

At 60kg I thnk Coleman Scott is still our world teamed for the next year, maybe two, but by 2015 I definitely see Steiber as our guy here. Steiber has already had success at the senior level and wasn't that far behind Scott last April. Scott developed into a world class wrestler, but he is getting older and Steiber hasn't even come close to his prime.

At 66 I think it will be a similar situation with Metcalf and Oliver. Metcalf will be our guy this, maybe next year, but by 15 or 16 Oliver will be the guy. He is one of the best technicians we have, he needs to bulk up to be a solid 66 and it may take a year or so of focusing on freestyle, but with John Smith and Coleman Scott to work with, he will be our Olympian by 2016.

At 74 it's hard to see anyone beating Burroughs if he stays healthy and focused. Neither of those things seem like a problem for him. He will be pushed by Howe, Dake and maybe Taylor, but I wouldn't bet on anyone other than Burroughs until I see him stay to slow down or show signs of losing interest.

At 84, I say wide open. Herbert will be too old by 2016 and I don't think he is fully healthy anyway. Not sure how many world teams he has left, but then again I don't see anyone on our Senior Circuit at this level yet that would be a serious threat. Quentin Wright has a nice style that could translate to freestyle, or Ed Ruth, just flat out phenom talent wise. Ruth would need to become more of a student of the sport, wouldn't be able to rely on natural ability and would have to make a serious commitment to freestyle, but with Cael as a mentor anything is possible. As a fan, I'm hoping Ruth decides he wants it.

96, Kilgore took the Olympic redshirt, spent time at OTC and got a good amount of international experience. Kid is a beast, and seems to want to continue at this level. I don't see him beating Varner for the 2013 world team, but I wouldn't rule it out for 2016.

120 I think we have two collegiately with a real chance in Dom Bradley and Tony Nelson. Bradley is already a junior world champ so he has the freestyle experience. Nelson reminds me of some of our better international heavyweights, he can move, attack legs and has a nice style that I think could transition well, if he decides to. Dlagnev is still our guy, and if he is fully healthy I think he could be world champ this year, but 2016 is a ways away, we'll see how long his health holds out. I could see Dlagnev as our guy all through 2016, or one of these college guys taking his spot before 2016.

by **catchwrestling** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 9:29 am

MA_Wrestler wrote:A lot can happen between now and the summer of 2016, but I think a few current college stars will be on the next Olympic team.

At 55 I really don't know what to think. We have had a different world/Olympic wrestler at this weight every year since 2008 and none of them since Cejudo have done much. I don't see us having any medal threats at this weight at the moment. I'd love to say McDonough could be the future here, but I can't imagine him being able to make 121 for another 4 years. Maybe Megaludis, Delgado has the speed, Alan Waters has Sammie Henson as his mentor now, so hopefully someone will emerge for us. Right now I see this as our weakest weight.

At 60kg I thnk Coleman Scott is still our world teamed for the next year, maybe two, but by 2015 I definitely see Steiber as our guy here. Steiber has already had success at the senior level and wasn't that far behind Scott last April. Scott developed into a world class wrestler, but he is getting older and Steiber hasn't even come close to his prime.

At 66 I think it will be a similar situation with Metcalf and Oliver. Metcalf will be our guy this, maybe next year, but by 15 or 16 Oliver will be the guy. He is one of the best technicians we have, he needs to bulk up to be a solid 66 and it may take a year or so of focusing on freestyle, but with John Smith and Coleman Scott to work with, he will be our Olympian by 2016.

At 74 it's hard to see anyone beating Burroughs if he stays healthy and focused. Neither of those things seem like a problem for him. He will be pushed by Howe, Dake and maybe Taylor, but I wouldn't bet on anyone other than Burroughs until I see him stay to slow down or show signs of losing interest.

At 84, I say wide open. Herbert will be too old by 2016 and I don't think he is fully healthy anyway. Not sure how many world teams he has left, but then again I don't see anyone on our Senior Circuit at this level yet that would be a serious threat. Quentin Wright has a nice style that could translate to freestyle, or Ed Ruth, just flat out phenom talent wise. Ruth would need to become more of a student of the sport, wouldn't be able to rely on natural ability and would have to make a serious commitment to freestyle, but with Cael as a mentor anything is possible. As a fan, I'm hoping Ruth decides he wants it.

96, Kilgore took the Olympic redshirt, spent time at OTC and got a good amount of international experience. Kid is a beast, and seems to want to continue at this level. I don't see him beating Varner for the 2013 world team, but I wouldn't rule it out for 2016.

120 I think we have two collegiately with a real chance in Dom Bradley and Tony Nelson. Bradley is already a junior world champ so he has the freestyle experience. Nelson reminds me of some of our better international heavyweights, he can move, attack legs and has a nice style that I think could transition well, if he decides to. Dlagnev is still our guy, and if he is fully healthy I think he could be world champ this year, but 2016 is a ways away, we'll see how long his health holds out. I could see Dlagnev as our guy all through 2016, or one of these college guys taking his spot before 2016.

Very good assesement

by **BigApple** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 9:05 pm

I don't have a good idea as to who will be at 121. Here is my assessment for the other weights

132. Logan Stieber overtakes Coleman Scott after his seniorbyear
145.5 Jordan Oliver and Kendric Maple. Oliver will make the next world team and maybe one more. Kendric has a lot "Burroughs" type qualities including a double leg he didn't have last year. Michael Lightner and Jared Frayer are capable of developing him into a world class freestyler. He is taller, and quicker than Oliver. I will make sure i get to see these matches in persin.

163 this has always been the best weight class for the US Bill Smith, Doug Blubaugh, Wayne Wells, Stan D, Lee Kemp, Dave Schultz, Kenny Monday, Brandon Slay, and Jordan Burroughs have all won at least one gold medal. Burroughs leads the pack with Andrew Howe and Kyle Dake in the hunt

184 Ed Ruth, plus a host of PSU guys, maybe Taylor fills out, Quentin Wright, and Morgan McIntosh

211 i think Varner retires. Dustin Kilgore's spot to lose

264 Probably someone new Hanke, Nelson are the two most athletic, so i think it will be one of them.

by **Stumpy** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 9:16 pm

2012 was a great performance for US.

Can we top 3 medals in 2016? I think so.

by **coach4title** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 10:29 am

Another young name at 184 would be Perry. He beat Wright off one world team already I believe... but oculd be wrong there.

by **dsnc471** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:04 pm

coach4title wrote:Another young name at 184 would be Perry. He beat Wright off one world team already I believe... but oculd be wrong there.

Perry has several wins over Wright in freestyle I believe, but he still has a long way to go to make a senior level World team. Since 84 kg is wide open with Cael retired and Herbert likely done, Perry has as good a chance as anybody, but he wouldn't be my favorite. I'd lean towards Ed Ruth if he got serious about freestyle training, which is of course a big "if". But the things he brings to the table that you can't teach are so impressive, that with some proper coaching from Cael and training with Varner, you have to like the guys chances at 84 kg, especially since he's grown in into that weight class.

by **silver-medal** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:40 pm

JD Bergman at 96K can still be a major factor. The issue with him is health. I love Kilgore and would be thrilled to see him emerge at this weight. Of course, Varner is fantastic and certainly capable of going another Olympic cycle.

by **PRyan2012** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 7:43 am

The PSU guys will go 163 Taylor, 185 Ruth, and 211 Wright. Wright is like 6' 3" so I can not see him cutting to 185 again. Varner handles both wright and ruth pretty easily from what I hear so making a world team this year seems like a lofty goal but I do agree Ruth has the best chance at 84k since it is wide open this year. Wright looks nice and healthy this year at 197 and is throttling everyone so far. I think wright has a winning record against Ruth head to head. And mega at 121? mega is good but very young at this point.

by **wrestlingnerd** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:29 pm

A few additional comments:

121: One guy to watch is Cornell's Nahshon Garrett. He is very young and, like fellow Californian Mark Schultz, started late, trying out for the sport during the 8th grade. Also like Schultz, he is very athletically gifted: explosive, quick, and strong for his weight (he apparently does not cut much at all despite his long, lean frame). As a freshman, he has already developed into an AA threat in spite of his relatively poor mat wrestling (which won't matter for freestyle) and seems to improve meaningfully every time I see him. He has a style that lends itself well to freestyle with varied attacks to both sides of the body, both leg attacks and explosive upper body moves that work against top competition (e.g. in a losing effort, he threw #3-ranked Alan Waters of Missouri to his back at the Scuffle in the final seconds of the match despite Waters being in final second defensive mode). If he can hold the weight, by the time 2016 rolls around, I can see him as not only an NCAA champion but also a threat to make our Olympic team.

132: I agree that Logan Stieber could be the man. Despite being an NCAA champion, I feel he's one of the most improved AAs from last year. I would rank him as the most likely to make the team of all the current college guys. His career goal is to win the Olympics, and he is certainly putting in the time post-season to train freestyle, as evidenced by his efforts last summer. Stieber has incredible mat sense, which will be a big asset to him in freestyle. He also has very good hips, which allow him to hit a lot of unconventional counters to takedowns that take guys right to their backs. And, no offense to Kyle Dake, I think Stieber is the best mat wrestler in college right now, so I expect him to adapt those skills well to par terre in freestyle.

I would not count Oliver out of this weight class. While he is clearly positioning himself to go 145.5, making weight with one-hour weigh-ins is very different than making weight in freestyle, and if he does not find success at 145.5, I can see him cutting down to challenge Stieber. If he does so, I think he is as capable as Stieber of making the team. Even with the summer lifting, I'm not sure he's more of a fit at 145.5, where he's still a bit of a tweener, than at 132.

by **xander** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 8:24 pm

I think Varner will retire only after world gold

by **doubleleg121** » Sat Feb 02, 2013 2:04 pm

At 55kg I could see Nick Simmons trying to make one more run. He will be older, but I think he will stick around like Hazewinkle and Bono (even though Bono didn't ever make the Olympics). He hasn't got his shot yet and I think he will give it one more run. While not a consistent medal threat he is a threat to medal on any given day with his style.

At 60 kg I hope it is Coleman Scott. I think we need the experience. Steiber will just be wrapping up his college career and I don't see him pulling off a Burroughs and winning it out of the gates. I think Coleman is it for one more. I am not an OSU fan but I think John Smith is may be the best developmental coach in the country for in freestyle. Maybe the best ever for the U.S.

At 66 kg I think it is going to be Oliver. I love Metcalf and his passion and drive for the sport. He is a warrior. I think he has come pretty close to reaching his ceiling and any gains he makes will be small. His last tournament was great, but I just don't see that being the norm through the next cycle. Oliver jumped up at the trials after missing weight and was right in the mix. He still has lots of room for growth and will have a couple world tournament seasons to help him prepare.

At 74 Kg If only we could space this group out in age or weight. Howe, Dake, Taylor, Caldwell, and then Burroughs. These may be 5 of the top 7 or 8 wrestlers we have in the country pound for pound, and they are all at the same weight. Still I don't think anyone is beating Jordan. He has already said he wants to break John Smiths records so I don't see him stopping till he does. That is at least a cycle away. Maybe two. I can see Dake possibly trying to drop his muscle mass and go to 66 kg. That would make it difficult for Oliver. I could possibly see Taylor trying to go up or down. The good the is we have depth. The bad thing is someone is going to miss out.

At 84 Kg If Ruth decides to make a run I think he could be the guy. He might be the only guy in the country who could pull what Burroughs did. Burroughs didn't have a ton of freestyle experience, but he had speed and talent unmatched even at the world level. Ruth is a freak talent too. If he trains the next two world cycles he could he could potentially explode onto the world level. At that weight his speed will match anyone in the world. Taylor could come up to this weight but I still think Ruth, unless Ruth went up which won't happen with Varner.

At 211 Kg I think it will be Varner if he stays in it. Otherwise Kilgore or Ruth if he goes up (which I doubt).

At 120 Kg I really think it will be Dom Bradley. He won every major tournament in his Division. When he hits the Senior level full time I think he will be our guy. I even look for him to make the World Team after this year. I can see him heading somewhere else to train.

by **The_Education** » Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:59 pm

55 kg - Nico or Earl Hall
60 kg - Scott or Steiber
66 kg - Oliver
74 Kg - Burroughs
84 Kg - Ruth if he wants to try freestyle, otherwise Wright
211 Kg - Varner if he wants it, otherwise Kilgore
120 Kg - no idea

by **stevep34** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:26 am

At 55kg I can see simmons going after it again and having a good shot at it. I also like how Earl Hall performed at the trials and he is very young and very talented when you add a few years of development this kid could very well be our man here. I also think Obe Blanc has a little left in him and could see him contending come 2016.

At 60kg I would like to see Scott again but this weight class will be developing into a battle come 2016. Should be Scott, Hochstrasser, Russell, Stieber and Kennedy beating eachother up for the next few years should be very interesting and fun to watch.

at 66kg now that Frayer is out of the mix. I would have to still say that metcalf is still young enough and has enough drive to take this weight come 2016. I am a huge Oliver fan but you can not say that someone was in the mix of the competition when he went 0-2. Metcalf,Hall and Ware will all still be here in the mix of this weight and then add Maple and a few others this should be fun to watch.

At 74kg this is so deap for the the US it's crazy. Our champ is still here so that should be great but our young guns coming up will push him. but at the end I don't see anyone beating Burroughs for the spot.

at 84kg I still think that if Herbert is healthy this is his spot but Askren has made huge improvements along with Reader. I think that Gavin and Lewnes will still be around too. This weight will be wide open if Herbert is not there and if some of the current 74kg's grow into this weight. I almost forgot about Pat Downey he should be able to make a push by 2016 also.

At 96kg I see Varner still here. He does not show any sign of slowing down and is still very young. Kilgore should be there to push him along with and from what I have heard about Tanner Hall seems to be very promising also.

At 120kg I like the chances of Bradley or Nelson like MA_Wrestler mentioned earlier.

by **rd149** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:15 pm

Ramos 55kg Logan 60 66 Oliver 74 Burroughs 84 Ruth 96 Killer 120 G

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by **PRyan2012** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 6:06 pm

55k Mega - I say why not. He is going to have no trouble making 121 McD will struggle to make this weight. He is perfect for the weight and will be coming into his prim by 2016.

60k Steiber - I say heavy favorite barring injury

66k Oliver - I say heavy favorite barring injury

74k Burroughs - Not heavy favorite because of Howe and Dake

84 Ruth - Herbert will be long done.

96k Varner - Word is he will continue another cycle. Can't see anyone beating him. Bergman will be too old by then.

120k Bradley - Full size heavyweight with the drive and skill. Tervel for this year but watch out after that. Maybe Nelson.

by **FATMANROLL** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 4:37 pm

Nelson will make a great workout partner for whomever makes the squad. He wrestles like an Eastern European with his stand around tactics and wait for the otherguy to do something offense.

by **DuckFor2** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:23 pm

how much FS does Ramos wrestle? suprised it too so long for him to be mentioned....i have a feeling some names that will be in the mix have not even been mentioned. we're still a long way away from 2016.

by **xander** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:14 pm

Reader looked great at OTC sunkist this past weekend

by **tec87** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:51 am

DuckFor2 wrote:how much FS does Ramos wrestle? suprised it too so long for him to be mentioned....i have a feeling some names that will be in the mix have not even been mentioned. we're still a long way away from 2016.

He won the 2011 Fila Junior Nationals in FS at 60kg while Logan Stieber finished 3rd. 3rd at 2010 University FS Nationals at 55kg. 5th at 55kg at the 2009 FS Junior World Championships. He actually beat Stieber in the wrestle-off final in 2009 for the Junior World Team Spot at 55kg.