2024 Offseason

[WrestlingMom]

Dawson in portal now too

[Big Bird]

Dawson in portal now too

Wow, that is a terrible, terrible look for the staff. Dawson was brought in by Obe after the exodus and was one of the few guys that showed genuine progress throughout the year.

The freshmen they have coming in won't be the answer any time soon IMO. Huff is raw and just went 0-2 at folkstyle nationals and Jones isn't athletic enough.

The administration needs to be taking corrective action if we're losing this many guys. I'm not saying firing Obe is called for, but this level of turnover, and the level of turnover of guys who were here just Obe's lone year as HC is a huge warning sign.

[Big Bird]

NDSU picked up Bradley Whitwright from North Idaho CC. Took 4th last year and the limited videos I watched, he doesn't look close to a capable D1 starter.

[Big Bird]

NDSU also picked up a commitment from Andrew Blackburn-Forst today, a HWT from Northern Colorado with 4 years of eligibility.

Had a rough freshmen year with a couple big losses to D2 HWTs who didn't qualify for the D2 national tourney, but is a former 16U greco runner up. He also led Wyatt Hendrickson 7-2 in a match last year, before ultimately trailing and getting pinned.

He's likely going to put up worse results than Dawson, but he does have a lot more eligibility. I'm just glad they brought somebody in from the portal.

[NDSU_grad]

I’m wondering if Brenot or Cherne plan to bump up to 197. It would be nice if Cherne could eventually use his redshirt year.

[PaBizon]

The focus has obviously turned to kids with Greco backgrounds. Bold move? Probably, but I’m willing to be patient and see where it goes. Basketball and football are going thru the same thing as this is the new world of college sports for mid Major programs. This isn’t the only place this stuff is happening and the ones that it hasn’t hit will get it sooner or later.

[Big Bird]

The focus has obviously turned to kids with Greco backgrounds. Bold move? Probably, but I’m willing to be patient and see where it goes. Basketball and football are going thru the same thing as this is the new world of college sports for mid Major programs. This isn’t the only place this stuff is happening and the ones that it hasn’t hit will get it sooner or later.

My concern is with Pedro Velazquez entering, that's now 12 since the regular season ended. No other program in the country, other than Buffalo, had seen anything close to that number. Buffalo went through a coaching change this offseason, so they have a pretty easy reason.

Looking at the portal, some guys with multiple years of eligibility and probably won't be sought after by the big dogs:

Ethan Stiles would be a home run but I imagine he's out of our range and 157 is likely an area they feel ok about.

Jacob Joyce at 125 would bring 4 years of eligibility and a decent pedigree.

Logan Frazier or Shepherd at 133 would be nice.

Rylan Rogers at 184 is a former big time prospect and has 3 years of eligibility. A guy like Max Hale for a year to allow Cherne and Brenot to redshirt would be fine.

[Big Bird]

NDSUs best wrestler, Gaven Sax is now in the portal.

This program is in shambles

[NDSU_grad]

NDSUs best wrestler, Gaven Sax is now in the portal.

This program is in shambles

That one stings. If I were a betting man I’m thinking Obe and Hidlay jump ship. I don’t know what the next step would be at that point. They’re going to have a difficult time putting together any semblance of a lineup.

[Big Bird]

That one stings. If I were a betting man I’m thinking Obe and Hidlay jump ship. I don’t know what the next step would be at that point. They’re going to have a difficult time putting together any semblance of a lineup.

The portal hasn't been nearly as active this offseason with starter caliber guys, and the weights with the most impact guys are probably the middle weights, and that's where are whole team already is.