I know it's been discussed but I can't help but feel Nick Lee's career goes differently if he redshirted. Scary to think because he has been damn good. But a redshirt similar to the Zain redshirt where he just bulks up and I think he would possibly be mentioned as an all timer for us. His relentless pace already compensates for what seems like a lack of size. He still manages to turn some really good opponents.
Hindsight 20/20 we could have afforded to drop his points in 2019 probably (obviously cushion is nice) I think the kid sacrificed a lot always for the team. Can't believe he's technically a senior already and if not for the free year, this would be it for him. Feels just like yesterday his gutsy run in the consolation bracket made the difference in the 2018 Team Race after getting pinned round 1.
An interesting topic. As an old-timer I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, particularly in light of how the sport has shifted over the years from one where freshmen couldn’t wrestle varsity to one with kids who should still be high school gaining early entry into college wrestling rooms plus all the redshirts, grey shirts and Olympic shirts that result in 25 year olds wrestling in college.
Along those lines I have a a couple of general questions for you regarding the concept of “bulking up”
1. For every wrestler that that successfully adds muscle, there seems to be individuals whose bodies don’t respond as well. They have the same access to trainers, diets, coaching, etc., but never seem to progress on the strength front. Do you think there are body types that simply don’t respond the same way others do? And if so, do you think the coaches sense this?
2. Bulking up seems to lead to a higher weight class for many champions - Cassar, Taylor, Dake, while a few others can do it while increasing strength but maintaining the same relative weight is the ticket for others - Nico, Zain, Nolf come to mind. While increasing strength is the real objective for all, do you think there are different outcomes for wrestlers who go down this road?
3. Do you think coaches in general (not just ours) discourage or encourage some wrestlers specific weight where they think they can perform best or the team needs them?
4. As an old-timer I’ve always viewed the original redshirt benefit as having multiple purposes for some - a chance for some (particularly us immature, late bloomers) to focus on improving skills, gaining experience in the room and physically and emotionally maturing before making the transition from wrestling boys to men. Do you think that has changed as a result of high school kids leaving their schools to jump start their training at colleges before they even graduate?
5. With the college wrestling season taking up approximately 4 months, doesn’t the offseason offer sufficient time to hit the weights if you want to improve strength? I hear people say there is no off-season anymore, but doesn’t that imply that if you want to bulk up don’t you have to change your training allocation percentages during the redshirt to focus more on conditioning and strength training than wrestling?
Back to your original question, I think Nick could benefit by taking an off year, but only if he remained focused on adding strength and staying at his current weight as he already has all the other components you mentioned.
