Recruiting
- Thread starter Racpack
- Start date
Said months ago, getting a Delbarton wrestler to come to RU is a super hard thing to do. No matter how much the wrestler likes the staff, it is a tough sell for Mom and Dad at their cocktail parties to tell their friends oh yes he is going to Rutgers. And Cornell has very easy admittance requirements compared to other Ivies.
That sucks. Good luck to him but wish some of these kids give us a shot.
When we took in Blanchette it was a clue that Cerchio was going elsewhere. Ashnault leaving seems to have hurt our instate recruiting. Let’s get Rivera and a big man coach. Let Pollard run the SKWC. Most kids are attracted to coaches with credentials. Donny, Rivera, and a former AA big man coach would be a great staff.
We are ranked 10th in flo’s recruiting class rankings :
#22 Conner Harer (165)
#55 Alex Nini (133)
#58 Nate Blanchette (174/184)
RU recruiting took an uptick. Everyteam (except psu) take a hit. Iowa couldnt give away 6 figures NIL and missed a few times before the brothers committed
No word on yesterdays boom? I saw not a portal transfer, so a HS kid. Do we know anything else? NJ or out of stat? What weight?
I think having Cornell on his list was the clue. He was a critical get that we didn't. Two more on the list are as critical: Knox and PJ Duke. Maybe also Luddington.
I saw nothing humorous about your post, yet there is someone giggling.
Lower standard, obviously. It’s what they do, and yet some actually believe the Ivys are still academics first.
Really hoping we can land the transfer portal guy we are going after. I would think he would be making a decision soon.
Most go to the AG school they have much lower standards. Then if your grades really blow it's Finger Lakes CC like @mikemessner mentioned. Finger Lakes just so happens to be where their wrestling club is and is not located far from Cornell.
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FLCC is a BS way to get around their own rule. The Ivys created rules like no RS because they are supposedly academics fist, then find ways to circumvent them. It’s a joke.
Question; If you were Cerchio would you want to wrestle for the Cornell or Rutgers?
Credentials of Rutgers Coaches
Scott Goodale - NCAA qualifier & 2nd place NJ State Tournament
Donny Pritzlaff - 2 World Bronze Medals - Twice National Champ - 4 Time All American & 3 time NJ State Champ
Joe Pollard - 3 year letter winner at Rider and placed at national prep tournament
Jeff Buxton - NCAA qualifier - National Prep Champ - Very successful high school coach - over age 65
Credential of Cornell Coaches
Mike Grey - 2 time All American - 4 time NJ State Champ
Kellen Russell - Two Time National Champ - 4 Time All American - Three Time National Prep Champ
Donny Vinson - Former All American
Nick Gwiazdowski - 2 World Bronze Medals -2 Time National Champ - 4 Time All American @ Heavyweight
Summary
Rutgers - 2 National Champ Titles - 4 All American titles and 2 World Medals
Cornell 4 National Champ Titles -11 All American Titles and 2 World Medals
When comparing coaching credentials, Cerchio's decision is understandable. Donny is our only coach with competitive credentials
Credentials of Rutgers Coaches
Scott Goodale - NCAA qualifier & 2nd place NJ State Tournament
Donny Pritzlaff - 2 World Bronze Medals - Twice National Champ - 4 Time All American & 3 time NJ State Champ
Joe Pollard - 3 year letter winner at Rider and placed at national prep tournament
Jeff Buxton - NCAA qualifier - National Prep Champ - Very successful high school coach - over age 65
Credential of Cornell Coaches
Mike Grey - 2 time All American - 4 time NJ State Champ
Kellen Russell - Two Time National Champ - 4 Time All American - Three Time National Prep Champ
Donny Vinson - Former All American
Nick Gwiazdowski - 2 World Bronze Medals -2 Time National Champ - 4 Time All American @ Heavyweight
Summary
Rutgers - 2 National Champ Titles - 4 All American titles and 2 World Medals
Cornell 4 National Champ Titles -11 All American Titles and 2 World Medals
When comparing coaching credentials, Cerchio's decision is understandable. Donny is our only coach with competitive credentials
If you’re going to complain about the coaches, please list some replacement options and keep in mind that most of the guys on the list may not want to leave their current situations.
I was just stating the facts and asking posters to make an objective decision and not an emotional one. I trust Pat Hobbs in his choice of head coaches. He has done a good job so far with other hires. Rutgers pays more than most colleges and quality head coach credentials will attract quality assistants. You need a leader that other coaches would want to work for. Goody has done a very good job. Just believe that he has reached his apex of success. If we want to move up the ladder, change is probably needed.
So you trust Hobbs to hire coaches but you don’t trust his decision to continue to keep Goodale around?
People enjoy complaining. It’s why God created message boards.
I'd much rather have Leonardis back than Pollard. Pollard's a good guy for the SKWC but he brings zero credentials for being a B1G coach. Starter at Rider really doesn't move the needle. It was a desperation promotion by Goodale which is troubling.
Our upperweights under Pollard have been better in both recruiting and development than under Leonardis. Possible coincidence but still hard to argue against.
In my opinion Pollard is an upgrade over Leo. Leo was a better wrestler than Pollard, but he also did not move the recruiting needle. Pollard does have a good relationship with many HS wrestlers who trained or train at SKWC. While I agree with some of the sentiments that with Goodale, Pollard, Mytich and Buxton we have zero AA's and some are a little older for HS recruits to relate than other staffs which may hurt us in landing guys. I know a lot of money is going to the NIL, but we somehow also need to add more AA wrestlers to the SKWC to help with recruiting.
Goodale has done a good job. He is under contract and doesn’t deserve to be let go. He has taken us a long way and we should not forget what he achieved. But, has only made the top ten once. If we want to advance the program, the leadership needs to change. When Goodale’s contract is up, he should move on. I trust Hobbs to hire a coach that will consistently have us in the top 10.
I'm not sure many people on here realize the strong relationships Pollard has with many of the youth, MS and HS wrestlers and parents that we'll be recruiting.
All schools use the rules and work the system to fit their situation so they have the best team possible. Most schools use redshirting. The Ivy use grey shirting. Other kids are home schooled their senior year and train at a college RTC. The military academies have prep schools they often send incoming freshman to for a year. For the Naval academy it is NAPS located in Newport RI.
Remember Ashault redshirted one year and got an extra year for medical reasons. His was in grad school when became a national champ. If he was at an Ivy, he would not have been able to wrestle while he was in grad school.
Each school uses the rules to their advantage. Does one really believe that Cerchio could not have gotten into Rutgers?
The Ivy leave rule not permitting the use of red shirt is a self imposed rule by the league, it is not an NCAA rule for them. They created the rule out of the intention for maintaining an academic first focus. So their use of grey shirting to circumvent the rule is BS. You don’t make a rule for reasons you believe in and then go seek ways to get around it.
I don’t deny that the use of grey shirting is used to circumvent the Ivy rule. Many Ivies do it for a number of sports. The fact remains that a kid doesn’t get more years to wrestle varsity. In fact, graduate students can’t wrestle varsity in the Ivies. We used this to our advantage to get the really good Harvard heavyweight.
We need to stop complaining. The coaches need to consistently produce on the recruiting front.
I don’t disagree with that. I am however drawing distinction between an NCAA rule verses a self imposed rule. The Ivy education label is very often referenced as a distinction of academic excellence from other universities. But in the modern climate, their actions are very much like everyone elses when it comes to such things, all a bit hypocritical.
I agree they are hypocrites. It just isn’t an excuse for us not consistently getting top recruits who excel.
“We need to stop complaining. Here’s my complaint:”
No one in the Ivy has their own personal Community College to stash recruits with their wrestling club also located there. No one in the Ivy has an AG school with lower standards to get recruits in. Why do you think Cornell has been so dominant in the Ivy for so long? There's bending the rules and then making up your own outside of the Ivy guidelines and reach. The work the system you describe for Ashnault every single school is able to do the same exact thing(except Ivy) within NCAA guidelines.
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I know DeLucia from Blair who was at practice the other day
Looks like Jared Franek and Michael Caliendo are transferring to Iowa. We could have used either of these All Americans.
Franek finished 4th at 157 and one year left. Caliendo finished 7th at 165 last year and 3 years left..
Seems like w/ this move Iowa hoping Franek will be a one year title contender rental so Seibretch sits a year. Caliendo and Kennedy both around same lvl at 165 and same timeline so not sure how that works.. unless one of them bumps up to 174 and that bumps Brands up to 184 taking Assad out the lineup.
