2019 Lineup Thoughts

[FoxRU]

Getting antsy for the season to begin so going a little more in depth on the lineup this year. I’m a bit more optimistic than most. I’ll just post on 125/133 for now. Let me know if you all want me to continue after reading this. I’m sure Lex or WNG can do better but here goes.

125- Nic Aguilar, Shane Metzler, Sammy Alvarez
-Aguilar is undersized but a total stud. People forget he won Fargo at both the cadet and junior level. Once he fills out, we could be looking at Darian Cruz level talent/results. I bet he AA’s at least once in his career. Metzler is a real hard worker but not sure how high his ceiling is. Great for the room. Not sure why Alvarez cuts to 125 unless he is a real threat to be a NQ or more/the cut isn’t too bad. He is a phenomenal talent, 3x NJ state finalist winning OW last year beating Robbie Howard. Per above it may make sense to wrestle a more comfortable 133 and get acclimated to college/grow into his lanky frame. I think we have a NQ at 125 this year.
133- Sammy Alvarez, Malcolm Robinson, Zach Firestone
-If Alvarez stays up and kills it in opens then maybe he starts here and drops later in the season if Nick returns second semester at 133. Kind of rough for whoever the 125 starter if Nick comes back and wrestles 125 instead. Way better if Nick stays up at 133 so Alvarez can keep redshirt/cut to 125 second term. Really tough on Aguilar to lose a postseason year if Nick wrestles 125. Sammy should probably focus on 133. Great upside with Malcolm Robinson just needs to keep developing. No clue where Firestone is re. weight/development post injury but he beat Paetzell in the state finals so talent is there. Looks like Brittan is here as well. Starter here needs to be NQ level (especially if Alvarez burns redshirt to wrestle). Good depth.

So, I think we can qualify both weights for NCAA’s. A lot more if Nick wrestles second semester. Best lineup seems to be Aguilar/Alvarez at 125 and Nick at 133.

 

[KidDagger]

Getting antsy for the season to begin so going a little more in depth on the lineup this year. I’m a bit more optimistic than most. I’ll just post on 125/133 for now. Let me know if you all want me to continue after reading this. I’m sure Lex or WNG can do better but here goes.

125- Nic Aguilar, Shane Metzler, Sammy Alvarez
-Aguilar is undersized but a total stud. People forget he won Fargo at both the cadet and junior level. Once he fills out, we could be looking at Darian Cruz level talent/results. I bet he AA’s at least once in his career. Metzler is a real hard worker but not sure how high his ceiling is. Great for the room. Not sure why Alvarez cuts to 125 unless he is a real threat to be a NQ or more/the cut isn’t too bad. He is a phenomenal talent, 3x NJ state finalist winning OW last year beating Robbie Howard. Per above it may make sense to wrestle a more comfortable 133 and get acclimated to college/grow into his lanky frame. I think we have a NQ at 125 this year.
133- Sammy Alvarez, Malcolm Robinson, Zach Firestone
-If Alvarez stays up and kills it in opens then maybe he starts here and drops later in the season if Nick returns second semester at 133. Kind of rough for whoever the 125 starter if Nick comes back and wrestles 125 instead. Way better if Nick stays up at 133 so Alvarez can keep redshirt/cut to 125 second term. Really tough on Aguilar to lose a postseason year if Nick wrestles 125. Sammy should probably focus on 133. Great upside with Malcolm Robinson just needs to keep developing. No clue where Firestone is re. weight/development post injury but he beat Paetzell in the state finals so talent is there. Looks like Brittan is here as well. Starter here needs to be NQ level (especially if Alvarez burns redshirt to wrestle). Good depth.

So, I think we can qualify both weights for NCAA’s. A lot more if Nick wrestles second semester. Best lineup seems to be Aguilar/Alvarez at 125 and Nick at 133.

Comparing Aguilar to ncaa champ Cruz is quite the comparison... Aguilar has a 7-7 record for rs season so he needs to have made a big leap

 

[RU23]

Good thoughts, but as described above too bullish on Aguilar based on what we’ve seen at the collegiate level. Maybe you’re right, we’ll see.

 

[ruwarrior]

maybe... OR ... Suriano at 125 and Alvarez at 133

Best lineup seems to be Aguilar/Alvarez at 125 and Nick at 133.

 

[MS-RU]

While the comparison to Cruz is a bit exaggerated at this point, I'm definitely high on Aguilar as well. I think he showed a lot of promise last year.

Yes, he was 7-7 but 5 of 7 losses were NCAA qualifiers last year. He also didn't have matches where he was dominated (pinned, TF, or even an MD) and his other losses were to upperclassmen.

NCAA Qualifiers:
Ferrante (UPenn): 3-5 Dec
Verner (Wyoming): 2-8 Dec
Moody (Oklahoma): 2-3 Dec
Chalifoux (Army): 3-6 Dec
Schroder (Purdue): 1-3 Dec

Other losses:
Petry (Minnesota-SR): 2-4 Dec
Tropea (Rider-JR): 4-6 Dec

 

[FoxRU]

While the comparison to Cruz is a bit exaggerated at this point, I'm definitely high on Aguilar as well. I think he showed a lot of promise last year.

Yes, he was 7-7 but 5 of 7 losses were NCAA qualifiers last year. He also didn't have matches where he was dominated (pinned, TF, or even an MD) and his other losses were to upperclassmen.

NCAA Qualifiers:
Ferrante (UPenn): 3-5 Dec
Verner (Wyoming): 2-8 Dec
Moody (Oklahoma): 2-3 Dec
Chalifoux (Army): 3-6 Dec
Schroder (Purdue): 1-3 Dec

Other losses:
Petry (Minnesota-SR): 2-4 Dec
Tropea (Rider-JR): 4-6 Dec

Also in HS, both as a cadet and junior he beat Cadet World Team member and 5th in the Cadet Worlds/now OSU Freshman, Dylan D’Emilio once by tech fall and the other a clear decision. The talent is definitely there if he can get big enough. But, yes, Cruz was more college ready because of such a stingy style/great positioning and defense. https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/roster/dylan-demilio/

 

[R U Crazy]

I thought Nic A. looked good in Freestyle off season.
He still looked undersized at 57 kg.
Shane M. has been a warrior, but I would hope the upside for Nic is higher.
I "think" Shane still has a red shirt ?
IIRC Shane burnt his red shirt up as a freshman filling in for Nick S. when he was injured at the end of the year 2 seasons ago.


Malcom R. looked good in freestyle as well, but I would hope Alvarez has a much higher upside as well.
If there is a chance for Nick Suriano to come back, Please do not Pull Alvarez's red shirt until we are positive Nick is not coming back.

 

[west2east]

Cruz was NCAA champ and 3 time AA you can't compare the two then say I think Aguilar can AA once.I think Aguilar is talented 1 time AA wouldnt be a stretch but to say he's Cruz would be

 

[R U Crazy]

Cruz was NCAA champ and 3 time AA you can't compare the two then say I think Aguilar can AA once.I think Aguilar is talented 1 time AA wouldnt be a stretch but to say he's Cruz would be

To compare anyone to a NCAA champ is kind of early.
I would be happy to see a 4 time NCAA Qualifier and 1 to 2 All Americans from the 125 pound position (if it is not manned by a guy named suriano) the next 4 years
(IIRC,... Cruz's build is similar to Alvarez.)

I would be pleasantly surprised if Aguilar claims the spot and wins one or two matches in the NCAA Tourney this season. That is what we need from our incoming or red shirt freshman.

 

[FoxRU]

Here goes 141 and 149.
141- Pete Lipari, JoJo Aragona or one of the previously mentioned 133lbers if there are injuries and/or JoJo redshirts. Lipari did a great job last year. He is a good/close to elite scrambler, has some nice attacks on his feet and that killer switch on bottom. Also, seems like a very hard worker. My concern with him is that he seems a little undersized for the weight. He was overpowered a few times last year, especially against Okie State, and had trouble getting out from bottom/finishing/defending shots against the elite, full size guys. I hope he has put on some muscle this summer because he seems right on the cusp of a big jump this year. Barring injury, I hope he starts and JoJo redshirts. JoJo reminds of Ashnault as a true freshman. Really good on his feet by being tenacious and hating to lose but needs to work on takedown defense (watch the match against Victor Voinovich) and also has a lot of room to develop on top (he rides well but doesn’t have a lot of offense on top yet). Good on bottom but not yet college elite on bottom. Most importantly, like Ashnault as a true freshman, seems like he still has some room to physically mature. Maybe he just needs a few months in the room to acclimate. But, with a NQ like Lipari there why wrestle him unless he has a legitimate chance to AA this year. Should have a NQ/rd of 12/outside shot AA here.
149- Santos, Benner, Angelo and Vulakh. This weight seems like a total wildcard here. Santos really surprised before getting injured and missing last year. Great motor and a bulldog. Not sure how much he has developed with the layoff. Benner is strong on top but has work to do on his feet and on bottom. Some of that can be attributed to wrestling up a weight/getting thrown in against elite guys due to injuries last year. He has a funky style but just not sure how well it translates to college. He reminds me a bit of Joey Langel. Haven’t watched enough of Angelo to have an informed opinion. Then there is Vulakh. With all the uncertainty here, he may be a guy to wrestle right away if his first semester results merit it. He seems physically mature, holds great position, is very stingy and seems the most advanced of the freshman class on top. I’m not sure how good he is on bottom or know how his neutral attacks translate to college but he will keep things close and give himself an opportunity to win with his ability to ride, turn an his takedown defense. No clue who wrestles here or what we’ll have in terms of end of season finish. Just have to watch first semester results and hope for the best. Once again, don’t really want to burn a redshirt unless there is real potential to NQ or better.

 

[Racpack]

125 Malcolm Robinson

133 Zach Firestone

141 Pete Lipari

149. Ryan Vulakh

 

[Clearscreen25]

125 Malcolm Robinson

133 Zach Firestone

141 Pete Lipari

149. Ryan Vulakh

I'd be stunned if Robinson could make 125.

 

[obrats]

I'd be stunned if Robinson could make 125.

Don’t be.

 

[Leonard23]

I'd be stunned if Robinson could make 125.

Why?

 

[R U Crazy]

If Firestone could hold down 133 and allow Alvarez to red shirt, this would be great.
Haven't seen much of firestone competing in any tournaments or in the off season.
Granted, i only watch wrestling on Flo :)

 

[wngarbarini]

Malcolm is trying to get there and I would bet on vulakh going to 157

 

[R U Crazy]

WNG
How is Glasgow's progression to 149?
Is he still a potential down there?

 

[MS-RU]

Glasgow wrestled at 152 in HS, right? I guess he feels more comfortable around that weight and maybe feels too big/stiff up at 165. Hopefully he makes it and stays injury free, I'm sure we would all love to see him wrestle at his full potential. He was so damn good.

 

[Clearscreen25]

Why?

It just seems like a big weight drop to me. He wrestled 138 in high school and 133 last year. I don’t remember seeing that 125 was in the cards for him.

I hope he can make it and have success there.

 

[RutgersAlum]

Malcolm is trying to get there and I would bet on vulakh going to 157

Wow that means we have a 5 man bracket wrestle off - Vanbrill, Glasgow, Vulakh, Kannaird & Harrison.A serious log jam at the weight with only one spot. A good problem to have with 4 out of the 5 still having a redshirt.
Maybe Vanbrill is our starter for this year or Vulakh ascends based on his progression.I just don't see Glasgow getting down to 149 except there is some nutritional plan in place.We don't want a repeat of Vanbrill sucking down with no energy.Maybe Glasgow redshirts too with the hope he jumps levels as we expected.

 

[RutgersAlum]

It just seems like a big weight drop to me. He wrestled 138 in high school and 133 last year. I don’t remember seeing that 125 was in the cards for him.

I hope he can make it and have success there.

It sounds like a stretch for Robinson to get to 125.If he gets down how does he hold it for the entire season?

 

[RutgersAlum]

Here goes 141 and 149.
141- Pete Lipari, JoJo Aragona or one of the previously mentioned 133lbers if there are injuries and/or JoJo redshirts. Lipari did a great job last year. He is a good/close to elite scrambler, has some nice attacks on his feet and that killer switch on bottom. Also, seems like a very hard worker. My concern with him is that he seems a little undersized for the weight. He was overpowered a few times last year, especially against Okie State, and had trouble getting out from bottom/finishing/defending shots against the elite, full size guys. I hope he has put on some muscle this summer because he seems right on the cusp of a big jump this year. Barring injury, I hope he starts and JoJo redshirts. JoJo reminds of Ashnault as a true freshman. Really good on his feet by being tenacious and hating to lose but needs to work on takedown defense (watch the match against Victor Voinovich) and also has a lot of room to develop on top (he rides well but doesn’t have a lot of offense on top yet). Good on bottom but not yet college elite on bottom. Most importantly, like Ashnault as a true freshman, seems like he still has some room to physically mature. Maybe he just needs a few months in the room to acclimate. But, with a NQ like Lipari there why wrestle him unless he has a legitimate chance to AA this year. Should have a NQ/rd of 12/outside shot AA here.
149- Santos, Benner, Angelo and Vulakh. This weight seems like a total wildcard here. Santos really surprised before getting injured and missing last year. Great motor and a bulldog. Not sure how much he has developed with the layoff. Benner is strong on top but has work to do on his feet and on bottom. Some of that can be attributed to wrestling up a weight/getting thrown in against elite guys due to injuries last year. He has a funky style but just not sure how well it translates to college. He reminds me a bit of Joey Langel. Haven’t watched enough of Angelo to have an informed opinion. Then there is Vulakh. With all the uncertainty here, he may be a guy to wrestle right away if his first semester results merit it. He seems physically mature, holds great position, is very stingy and seems the most advanced of the freshman class on top. I’m not sure how good he is on bottom or know how his neutral attacks translate to college but he will keep things close and give himself an opportunity to win with his ability to ride, turn an his takedown defense. No clue who wrestles here or what we’ll have in terms of end of season finish. Just have to watch first semester results and hope for the best. Once again, don’t really want to burn a redshirt unless there is real potential to NQ or better.

Overall the coaches do have redshirt options with Aragona & Vulakh.We can certainly give them the opportunity to develop with the open tournaments.

 

[MS-RU]

Overall the coaches do have redshirt options with Aragona & Vulakh.We can certainly give them the opportunity to develop with the open tournaments.

I hope we can redshirt as many guys as we possibly can this year. I know coach said they all want to wrestle, but given the expectations this year and with Suriano taking his redshirt as well we could come back ready to make some real noise next season. Let them wrestle and develop in the open tournaments unless someone is 100% ready to roll and absolutely dominating in the room.

 

[mjckrash]

With a lot of big names taking Olympic redshirt, wouldn't this make some sense for our big recruits to not redshirt and try to AA this year? I would like to have someone wrestling at Nationals with a chance to AA. Already have my tickets so want to be able to see 1 or more of our guys wrestling on Saturday.

 

[R U Crazy]

Who ever RU wrestles at 165, 174 or 285 will be in a rough group of B10 Wrestlers.
Quick look has 4 of the 5 top wrestlers in that weight coming from the B10.

That may be a good reason to have a 165/174 pound redshirt (Turley) instead of facing that meat grinder....

 

[RutgersAlum]

Who ever RU wrestles at 165, 174 or 285 will be in a rough group of B10 Wrestlers.
Quick look has 4 of the 5 top wrestlers in that weight coming from the B10.

That may be a good reason to have a 165/174 pound redshirt (Turley) instead of facing that meat grinder....

Grello is definitely going this year with a redshirt already exhausted.We don't even know if Turley will be starting - Is he beating Donner in the room? Wrestle offs will answer those questions by next week.He could also develop into the starter role as the season progresses.

 

[32prosper]

So what is the projected lineup now? Think any freshman will start?

 

[Abro1975]

Wrestleoffs are Oct 26, Media day is Oct 31 so a lot of answers should be revealed by Oct 31. Coach Goodale said in his latest podcast that the starters really won't be firmed up until Early January as they will get a lot of looks at guys at the Navy Classic and Journeyman Tourney. Should be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

 

[32prosper]

What weight is Glasgow going at?

 

[dollarbill]

Will we have wrestlers at the Princeton Open Nov. 3rd? Thanks. $$$$

 

[Abro1975]

Will we have wrestlers at the Princeton Open Nov. 3rd? Thanks. $$$$

I would think the redshirts would be there. Probably most of the freshmen. Since it is the day after the Quad meet at the RAC, I doubt the starters who wrestled in some of those matches will be at the Princeton Open. I good question for Media Day.

 

[Leonard23]

Wrestleoffs are Oct 26, Media day is Oct 31 so a lot of answers should be revealed by Oct 31. Coach Goodale said in his latest podcast that the starters really won't be firmed up until Early January as they will get a lot of looks at guys at the Navy Classic and Journeyman Tourney. Should be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Makes sense

 

[FoxRU]

Interesting that those in the know think Robinson cuts to 125 and Vulakh goes 157. Robinson wrestled 138 as a senior but may have wrestled up due to guys like Mastro taking lighter spots. With that said here are thoughts at 157 and 165. Lots of youth at both weights but many of these guys were very high recruits coming out of HS.

157- Vanbrill, Vulakh, Kanniard, Harrison and possibly Glasgow
Vanbrill is tough to figure out. He has shown a lot of promise. He’s got good leg attacks but has to work on his finishes. Solid on top and like his brother, he is a dangerous wrestler who goes for the throw and pin. His biggest area for improvement is on bottom. There has been a lot of talk about how difficult the weight cut was for him last year. Hopefully up a few weights he can wrestle to his potential. What that potential is remains to be seen. Is Vulakh physically strong enough to compete with BIG 10 wrestlers at 157 as a true freshman? Not sure. Same question for Kanniard. Harrison probably needs a year to develop. So, the big questions are what weight will Glasgow go and how healthy is he? If healthy he’s probably the best option at 157.
165- Glasgow, Turley, Kanniard, Donner, Oliveri
Glasgow got overpowered here last year. Is he bigger, stronger and more importantly healthier? Don’t think Kanniard is physically mature enough to start here, especially against the beasts of the BIG at 165. Donner has experience but hasn’t shown he is a BIG starter. Oliveri is tough but seems like a depth guy. The intriguing guy here is Turley. He wrestled 182 last year and clearly did not cut weight but was strong enough to compete with and beat the best guys in his weight. Watch his match against Nijenhuis who just beat Poznanski. He is an unconventional, big move guy, a really good scrambler especially on his feet with takedown defense. He is strong but doesn’t rely on strength to beat guys. He looks sloppy at times but that may just be due to his unorthodox style. Like Nolf and Nickal he doesn’t mind putting himself in danger to score points. I’m just not sure if it makes more sense to RS him to allow him to adjust to college. Early results in opens will answer that question.

The safe play here is to wrestle MVB at 157 and Glasgow at 165. Thoughts?

 

[RutgersAlum]

Interesting that those in the know think Robinson cuts to 125 and Vulakh goes 157. Robinson wrestled 138 as a senior but may have wrestled up due to guys like Mastro taking lighter spots. With that said here are thoughts at 157 and 165. Lots of youth at both weights but many of these guys were very high recruits coming out of HS.

157- Vanbrill, Vulakh, Kanniard, Harrison and possibly Glasgow
Vanbrill is tough to figure out. He has shown a lot of promise. He’s got good leg attacks but has to work on his finishes. Solid on top and like his brother, he is a dangerous wrestler who goes for the throw and pin. His biggest area for improvement is on bottom. There has been a lot of talk about how difficult the weight cut was for him last year. Hopefully up a few weights he can wrestle to his potential. What that potential is remains to be seen. Is Vulakh physically strong enough to compete with BIG 10 wrestlers at 157 as a true freshman? Not sure. Same question for Kanniard. Harrison probably needs a year to develop. So, the big questions are what weight will Glasgow go and how healthy is he? If healthy he’s probably the best option at 157.
165- Glasgow, Turley, Kanniard, Donner, Oliveri
Glasgow got overpowered here last year. Is he bigger, stronger and more importantly healthier? Don’t think Kanniard is physically mature enough to start here, especially against the beasts of the BIG at 165. Donner has experience but hasn’t shown he is a BIG starter. Oliveri is tough but seems like a depth guy. The intriguing guy here is Turley. He wrestled 182 last year and clearly did not cut weight but was strong enough to compete with and beat the best guys in his weight. Watch his match against Nijenhuis who just beat Poznanski. He is an unconventional, big move guy, a really good scrambler especially on his feet with takedown defense. He is strong but doesn’t rely on strength to beat guys. He looks sloppy at times but that may just be due to his unorthodox style. Like Nolf and Nickal he doesn’t mind putting himself in danger to score points. I’m just not sure if it makes more sense to RS him to allow him to adjust to college. Early results in opens will answer that question.

The safe play here is to wrestle MVB at 157 and Glasgow at 165. Thoughts?

You can always redshirt Glasgow if needed but I think he is better suited at 157.Vanbrill might actually do more damage at 149.Weight classes in high school is so much different in college.Turley might be stronger at 165 now that he is cutting down.

Watch out for Vulakh he can definitely be a factor.

 

[Harleyr1]

Interesting that those in the know think Robinson cuts to 125 and Vulakh goes 157. Robinson wrestled 138 as a senior but may have wrestled up due to guys like Mastro taking lighter spots. With that said here are thoughts at 157 and 165. Lots of youth at both weights but many of these guys were very high recruits coming out of HS.

157- Vanbrill, Vulakh, Kanniard, Harrison and possibly Glasgow
Vanbrill is tough to figure out. He has shown a lot of promise. He’s got good leg attacks but has to work on his finishes. Solid on top and like his brother, he is a dangerous wrestler who goes for the throw and pin. His biggest area for improvement is on bottom. There has been a lot of talk about how difficult the weight cut was for him last year. Hopefully up a few weights he can wrestle to his potential. What that potential is remains to be seen. Is Vulakh physically strong enough to compete with BIG 10 wrestlers at 157 as a true freshman? Not sure. Same question for Kanniard. Harrison probably needs a year to develop. So, the big questions are what weight will Glasgow go and how healthy is he? If healthy he’s probably the best option at 157.
165- Glasgow, Turley, Kanniard, Donner, Oliveri
Glasgow got overpowered here last year. Is he bigger, stronger and more importantly healthier? Don’t think Kanniard is physically mature enough to start here, especially against the beasts of the BIG at 165. Donner has experience but hasn’t shown he is a BIG starter. Oliveri is tough but seems like a depth guy. The intriguing guy here is Turley. He wrestled 182 last year and clearly did not cut weight but was strong enough to compete with and beat the best guys in his weight. Watch his match against Nijenhuis who just beat Poznanski. He is an unconventional, big move guy, a really good scrambler especially on his feet with takedown defense. He is strong but doesn’t rely on strength to beat guys. He looks sloppy at times but that may just be due to his unorthodox style. Like Nolf and Nickal he doesn’t mind putting himself in danger to score points. I’m just not sure if it makes more sense to RS him to allow him to adjust to college. Early results in opens will answer that question.

The safe play here is to wrestle MVB at 157 and Glasgow at 165. Thoughts?

I’m seeing a Vanbrill and Glasgow wrestle off for 157 ....don’t think SG wants to do 165 again ...

 

[ruwarrior]

Please NOT Glasgow at 165!!! his frame is just too small for 165 and he got beat up physically at that weight last year. He needs to be at a (lower) weight where his elite athleticism can be used to his advantage.

The safe play here is to wrestle MVB at 157 and Glasgow at 165. Thoughts?

 

[32prosper]

Please NOT Glasgow at 165!!! his frame is just too small for 165 and he got beat up physically at that weight last year. He needs to be at a (lower) weight where his elite athleticism can be used to his advantage.

The safe play here is to wrestle MVB at 157 and Glasgow at 165. Thoughts?

Agree. Want to see what he can do at 157

 

[R U Crazy]

So 165 may come down to Turley , Kanniard or Donner?
If Glasgow loses wrestle off at 157, does he try to go 165?
Perfect chance for one of the freshman to win a spot and trade RS seasons....

Best case scenario is Donner beating both of the freshman (Not sure that happns)

 

[brentx35]

So 165 may come down to Turley , Kanniard or Donner?
If Glasgow loses wrestle off at 157, does he try to go 165?
Perfect chance for one of the freshman to win a spot and trade RS seasons....

Best case scenario is Donner beating both of the freshman (Not sure that happns)

I’d like to see him at 149. I believe someone said last year he weighed 157-158 lbs as his natural weight. If he’s healthy at this weight I believe you’ve a potential AA candidate.

 

[KidDagger]

I’d like to see him at 149. I believe someone said last year he weighed 157-158 lbs as his natural weight. If he’s healthy at this weight I believe you’ve a potential AA candidate.

Has Glasgow beaten any NCAA qualifiers yet??