Well the ink is still wet on this year's championship banner, and here we go:
With nearly the whole team eligible for Olys or Traditional redshirts, I think the prospect of a punt year is an unfortunate and undeniable possibility.
We have Classic or Oly RS availability for our starters at 141, 149, 157, 165 (cadet medalist), 174, 185, Hwt, not to mention traditional RSs for kids coming in at 125 and 133. 197 appears to be our only non-RS slot in the lineup.
Utimately the kids themselves and not the coaches may decide this one. If say both Carter and Aaron decide to go Oly, the dominos may start to fall. We won't know jack until November and speculation will fly until then. Ugh.
Clearly going into next year with the points we are returning we will be the preseason favorites to repeat. It seems only injury or Oly RS can derail that train. Imagine a NC favorite team takes a punt year. The thought is unsettling on many levels.
RS aside I don't think any of our kids get full rides, and even one more year of partial ain't cheap. Maybe in the age of NIL this is no longer the challenge it once was.
One final note is the pipeline is full at the middle weights I think Oly RS may hurt as much as it helps.
If the criteria from last cycle holds true, to apply for an Olympic redshirt, wrestlers must meet at least one of the criteria for eligibility:
1. Past national team members (top three from the World or Olympic Team Trials)
2. Top eight at the 2023 Senior U.S. Open
3. Top three at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championship; or NCAA champion from a previous year AND top two from the 2023 U23 World Team Trials (must accomplish both)
4. Previous Cadet, Junior, U23 world medalist
With nearly the whole team eligible for Olys or Traditional redshirts, I think the prospect of a punt year is an unfortunate and undeniable possibility.
We have Classic or Oly RS availability for our starters at 141, 149, 157, 165 (cadet medalist), 174, 185, Hwt, not to mention traditional RSs for kids coming in at 125 and 133. 197 appears to be our only non-RS slot in the lineup.
Utimately the kids themselves and not the coaches may decide this one. If say both Carter and Aaron decide to go Oly, the dominos may start to fall. We won't know jack until November and speculation will fly until then. Ugh.
Clearly going into next year with the points we are returning we will be the preseason favorites to repeat. It seems only injury or Oly RS can derail that train. Imagine a NC favorite team takes a punt year. The thought is unsettling on many levels.
RS aside I don't think any of our kids get full rides, and even one more year of partial ain't cheap. Maybe in the age of NIL this is no longer the challenge it once was.
One final note is the pipeline is full at the middle weights I think Oly RS may hurt as much as it helps.
If the criteria from last cycle holds true, to apply for an Olympic redshirt, wrestlers must meet at least one of the criteria for eligibility:
1. Past national team members (top three from the World or Olympic Team Trials)
2. Top eight at the 2023 Senior U.S. Open
3. Top three at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championship; or NCAA champion from a previous year AND top two from the 2023 U23 World Team Trials (must accomplish both)
4. Previous Cadet, Junior, U23 world medalist
