Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Does AJ Ferrari returning to Iowa makes sense? NCAA Wrestling Championships recap

Starting point is 00:00:00 Water is wet. Penn State wins another national title, but they got to replace three starters. David Taylor coached two wrestlers to unexpected NCAA titles and Iowa got three finalists, but only one of them won and that guy is moving on. So, everybody, all the top programs here in college wrestling certainly have their work cut out for them this off season. You are locked on College Crossover, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. You are locked on to College Wrestling. Thanks so much for checking out this Locked On. I'm Zach Seiko, the host of locked on and Nittany lines. That is Cody Stovall, the host of locked on Oklahoma State and Trent Condon, the host of locked on hot guys teaming it up to recap the NCAA tournament.

Starting point is 00:00:55 But we got to go through the off season expectations of vibe check. If you will to get see where Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State are going into next season. What work has to be done, how Nebraska could potentially be a threat in all of this and the transfer portal. There's already chaos. So we're going to talk about all of it here. Penn State is replacing three starters. One of them is the one and only five time national champion in Carter Starachi. I still expect Penn State to be a national champion at the end of the team, when the team national champion next season as well They just picked up an insane commitment from a former world champion and Masanose Ono

Starting point is 00:01:33 They're going to most likely have Zack Ryder slide in at 184 I think there's some questions around heavyweight and everything else But Penn State should be in another similar situation where all 10 wrestlers could be all Americans. Cody, you kind of had the surprise upsets there with Ryan Hendrickson and Dean Hamadie winning titles at Oklahoma State, but similar to Iowa, the Cowboys and David Taylor are going to have to go back to the transfer portal if they want to fill a complete lineup again. Well, I mean, thankfully we've already kind of kicked this thing off, adding Iowa State

Starting point is 00:02:04 All-American Casey Swirowski to the lineup. I think that's going to be huge, whether he's the start to happening in the transfer portal. One thing I will say is, Troy Bradley was a transfer who competed for a national championship. Dean Hamity Jr. was a transfer that did win a national championship, and Wyatt Henderson, also a transfer that won a national title, over arguably what is one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the sport, and Gable Stevenson. So I do think that if you are a transfer, and you're looking to get the most out of your opportunities, Wyatt Henderson, Dean Hamity Jr. and Troy Spratley just proved that the magic man has magic in pursuing some

Starting point is 00:02:50 of the best talent in the country that can get better by coming to Stillwater. That's a massive selling point. Iowa's gotta go up against that. I don't think Penn State doesn't need these overhaul type of changes through the transfer portal but Oklahoma State and Iowa are gonna be going up against each other, Trent, for these coveted transfer portal entries. And it's already starting. It absolutely does.

Starting point is 00:03:12 And when you look at Iowa, the lineup questions that are there, after 133, definitely 141. That was the one weight that Iowa did not even have a qualifier. So you start right there, what they're going to do. There are plenty of options at 49. Really the best thing for everybody is if everybody could shift down in terms of the team race for Iowa,

Starting point is 00:03:30 if you could get Arnold down to 74, you could get a Kennedy down to 65 and Caliendo down to 57. But when you're asking that many guys to do it, you guys know the reality of that situation. To ask one guy to cut, sometimes physically they can handle it. But to ask three, maybe four guys to cut, it's just not going to happen. So because of that, that would be their best lineup. I don't see that happening. And there's still the looming question at 197

Starting point is 00:03:56 that I'm sure we're going to get to a little bit later. Oh, are we going to get to it later? Because I was going to throw it right back at you. AJ Ferrari popped in the transfer portal the second we started this show. So is Ferrari, what are the odds that he ends up back at Iowa to be alongside his brother Angelo? So it's such a crazy situation.

Starting point is 00:04:17 And the Ferraris are unlike anything that we have in wrestling. We got personalities, right? We got some different type of people. Oh yeah, yeah. AJ though personally takes it to another level. And I have people that I trust on both sides. I have people that say it's a lock. He's there. And I've been saying that for months that he is coming back. I've had also people that I really trust and say there is not a chance in hell that he will ever be allowed even

Starting point is 00:04:43 back inside the city borders of Iowa City. So that's the dichotomy that we're dealing with here. It is one of those things where you talk to one person, they think they know you talked to another, they think they know and it's completely opposite stories. That's where I am. I'm at the point now where it is just kind of sit back because I feel like outside of actually having Tom Brands return my phone call, I'm not going to get a straight answer from anybody inside the wrestling program. And the people that wouldn't know or at least have an inkling, I get a thousand different responses. It is one of the more compelling situations I think that we've dealt with. And this new era of collegiate athletics, this is something

Starting point is 00:05:19 so wild because he wasn't, I was, but he wasn't a student there. And, and then Cody, you can fill us in with some details too, because I, like I said, there's plenty of people that do not want to see him back in Iowa City and believe he'll never be in Iowa City. And I'm sure you hear those same kinds of stories in Stillwater. Yeah. Well, you know, there's some things that should probably remain off air about his time in Stillwater, Oklahoma, but I can say wholeheartedly, there is not a single individual alive that would love nothing more than him never to come back to the state of Oklahoma.

Starting point is 00:05:49 But at the same time, Iowa I think understands that there is a little bit of a different landscape now in collegiate wrestling. They appear to be the number two with some competition potentially. And then Nebraska, they had a phenomenal run in not only the Big 10s, but in the national championships as well. And you mentioned you're cutting weight. Correct me if I'm wrong. You guys are the wrestling savants. I'm kind of a newbie. But didn't Nebraska have like three or four dudes cut weight just to kind of make this run? So it is a possibility and we can have the conversation about Nebraska. But AJ Ferrari, I hope that for the sake of everyone in Iowa City, that he does not end

Starting point is 00:06:25 up back at Iowa in any capacity unless it's going to be to face them. One of the most interesting things here, I think, is the conversation about Iowa State. Honestly, I'm just going to call a spade a spade. Anybody, anybody anywhere that is willing to bring in AJ Ferrari is less concerned about the morality and the potential issues than they are about just getting back to winning again. And I think that, I don't know, man, I don't think that's good for the sport of wrestling. I mean, look at the dude, he had zero humility, he loses.

Starting point is 00:06:56 And then the next thing he does is talk about how nobody in this building can compete with him yet he just lost. Like he's not going to change, right? He's going to give some facade of him being a different character, but this individual is proof that he has a large lack of character. I'm trying to keep words somewhat PG here. But yeah, Iowa fans should want nothing to do with the train wreck. And I would be disappointed if Iowa State is in fact getting desperate. I know Dresser might be this desperate but I think it's a bad look for any university to bring him in just because he's talented. Trent does

Starting point is 00:07:33 Iowa need him because I think I think Penn State is the number one. Again Nebraska's there now in the way. Oklahoma State because of David Taylor is always going to be in the thick of this. This there is a four team race right now. Penn State has a clear distance, but it's not that, oh, I was the clear cut. Number two. No, Oklahoma state can be there. Nebraska now, which we're going to talk about a little more in addition to the transfer portal.

Starting point is 00:07:56 So Trent do the hot guys aside from again, because that's how other programs see it. Well, let's put the morality aside. Let's put the character concerns aside. We want to win. How does Iowa look at it? Again, because that's how other programs see it. Well, let's put the morality aside. Let's put the character concerns aside. We want to win. How does Iowa look at it? Is this their best option

Starting point is 00:08:08 or do they have other options they can go to? Yeah, I just don't think there's another path. If you're talking about winning a national championship, I mean, we look at it this year. They had two guys that went down with injury. And even if both those guys wrestled for national championships, you're talking about at best with bonus points, what, 20 points for each weight class. You even add 20 points for each both those guys wrestled for national championships, you're talking about at best with bonus points, what 20 points for each weight class.

Starting point is 00:08:27 You even add 20 points for each of those guys. 40 total points to Iowa's total. There's still 60 points behind Penn State. And though we anticipate Penn State is going to come back a little bit more to the pack next year. You know, when you look at the team race, say the target number is, I don't know, 140 points. Can Iowa get to 140 points with their current roster or even adding a All-American? Probably not. You would need A.J. Ferrari to get to that number, and that is, are you selling your soul to the devil to make it happen? That's the kind of conversations that you get into. So if the question is, does Iowa need him to win the national championship next year? I think the answer is yes, but there is much more that goes into it than just the numbers. Well, he's not, again, there is Angela Ferrari there who is a title contender at 84. I know

Starting point is 00:09:14 there's Max McAnally, of course, Zach Ryder is the presumed replacement at 84 for Penn State. So we can talk about that a little more as far as what Penn State's lineup is going to look like, because you just said they're going to return to the pack a little bit, that they're going to take a step backwards. And it's hard for me to process that with some of the recruits that they have coming in that are ready to go and start right away. Penn State actually has too much talent that they don't have to go chasing it in the transfer portal, plus the Nebraska issue. We're going to talk about that all and more coming up next on this Lockdown Crossover.

Starting point is 00:09:48 And today's show is brought to you by Monarch Money. Do you ever check your bank account and wonder, where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, entertainment, it's easy to lose track and that's where Monarch Money comes in. Your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn't just a budgeting app, it's a complete financial command center. You can track all of your accounts, investments and spending all in one place. So you stop just managing your money, you start building wealth.

Starting point is 00:10:20 You'll get surprising insights. When I started using Monarch, I realized just how much I was spending on things like package deliveries or eating out, things like that, and now I budget smarter and I get to save more. The all-in-one convenience of it is great because instead of juggling multiple apps, you can use Monarch to check your finances, track your spending, and even plan long-term goals. You get easy collaboration moving forward.

Starting point is 00:10:42 Managing your money with your partner is smoother than ever. You can track shared accounts, personal accounts, and set goals and stay on the same page without the stress. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKDONCOLLege at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's right, 50% off your first year. That is MonarchMoney.com code locked on college for half off your first year. Looking at Penn State's lineup, they are replacing three starters, three national title contenders.

Starting point is 00:11:12 Now Gable Steveson's out of the way, but Greg Kirkfleet was a defending NCAA champion, picked up an injury in practice along the way, or, you know, who knows? Maybe that matchup again, that's a lot of what ifs, but Wyatt Hendrickson was the guy, if there was anybody that was going to take him out, so kudos to you, Cody, for calling that, that Wyatt Hendrickson was going to pull off the unthinkable, that he had the best chances to do it. And it happened. It actually happened. But to go off of Penn State, they need a replacement at heavyweight. They need to replace a five-time NCAA champion. And Bo Bartlett, who was a top three wrestler, no matter how how he just had the

Starting point is 00:11:45 Gendi Jesse Mendez issue. It was just the Jesse Mendez issue. Right. But Penn State has Masanosuke Ono coming in who could wrestle at 33-41 could potentially bump Braden Davis who just finished top five at 133. He could bump him out of the lineup. Maybe he takes a red shirt. Maybe he enters the transfer portal. Who knows? At 141, Marcus Blaze, the younger brother of Joey Blaze, who just came up second place, who just finished in second at 157 against Antrel Taylor of Nebraska. Younger brother's better. The younger brother was the top recruit in the class of 2025 and should be positioned to start right away at 141. Maybe they redshirt him. Maybe, um, what I'm getting at is that Penn State has options, whether that's at 33 or 41. They have too much talent where it's a logjam,

Starting point is 00:12:29 where Oklahoma State and Iowa are somewhat scrambling to kind of find, hey, what replacements can we get to keep up with Penn State? And that I think heavyweight is the biggest concern, if you will. Penn State could go to the transfer portal if they see somebody that they could use as a grad transfer or a one and done essentially somebody that is coming up towards the end of their eligibility. But I don't know somebody that fits that that wrestler profile at this point in time. Cole Marisola depending on his development no issues with him at heavyweight but that is there is a big drop off there you're going from somebody who's probably going to be a fringe all-american at best at best from someone who was an NCAA

Starting point is 00:13:06 champion and was only second when he was healthy to Gable Stevenson. So Penn State I think does take somewhat of a step back. They can still get 10 out of 10 all Americans. All of those wrestlers have all America potential. They still have NCAA title favorites at 25, whatever 33 and 41 look like 49, 57, 65, 74, 84 is is a question mark but Zach Ryder should be right there as an all-american Josh Barr was the runner-up at 97 his first season starting so Penn State is still going to win a national title but Trent I do agree with you that maybe a little just just a small step backwards a small step part of that that is because Nebraska is gonna be as strong and as loaded as they are returning,

Starting point is 00:13:48 essentially everybody but Ridge, Lovett and Caleb Smith. They'll find, I'm sure they'll find an answer at 125, but that lineup to return eight starters, Mark Madden and Nebraska had a phenomenal tournament. They finished second overall. Yes, it was 60 points behind Penn State, but remember, Penn state had a 100 point margin of victory the tournament before.

Starting point is 00:14:08 So there was a foot they slashed away 40 points, 40 points. Are you guys concerned at all about Nebraska stealing some of the spotlight away from your respective programs? Cody? Um, yes and no. I mean, yes, obviously you have to take account what they just did that. And trail mother trucker is a bad dude who could move like seven cats put together. His performance was impressive. The story of them having a bunch of guys deciding to cut weight, that means they bought into

Starting point is 00:14:35 whatever's being sold in Lincoln, Nebraska at the moment. So, you have to take account that that is a problem. Yet, I will also throw in this caveat here. I think David Taylor just proved that he's gonna have his guys ready for Nationals even before everything else, right? Before Big 12s, before Iowa. That is the most important thing. And he showed up and he essentially showed out. So, I do think that Nebraska is gonna be a problem, but they're no longer a secret, right? So, everybody outside of the Big Ten had no idea that Nebraska was gonna be able to put up the numbers that they did in the Natties. Now we know, now there's film on most of that roster.

Starting point is 00:15:10 So I think when you have some of the David Taylor, the Kale Sanderson level teachers of the game, even Tom Brands, whenever you factor in what they're able to teach their guys now with the understanding that Nebraska is good, we've got film on these dudes, these guys are returning, I do think it's going to be more difficult for them to repeat what they did this season. Trent. I think Cody brought it up really well. It's going from being the hunter to the hunted, right? There you go. Yep. There's going to be a target on Nebraska's back and it's no more. Now, it also took a quarter century for Mark Manning to finally get to this level because there's been a lot of disappointments in his 25 years in Nebraska.

Starting point is 00:15:45 A lot of times it felt like they were trending towards something that we saw this past weekend and it didn't get there. So they got to prove it a little bit more to me. We talked in our preview episode, right, that I think all of us really like Nebraska and their chance and we talked about the odds that were out there of them finishing, you know, in the team race in second place and how good those odds were and we're able to make a little bit of money, which was great to see over the weekend. But that aside, this is going to be a different type of equation in doing that. And Cody, you mentioned it, those guys sucking down for this year, is that realistic for back-to-back years?

Starting point is 00:16:17 Are you going to be able to do that? Probably going to have to move back up. And suddenly, those guys are able to suck down and become All-Americans, become guys wrestling on Saturday night for the gold. Those guys no longer are quite at that level because they're bumping back up maybe to their more natural weight. So I think that's another piece of the component that you have to look at.

Starting point is 00:16:34 Are we concerned about any other programs because Ryan Crookham called his shot on social media. He didn't wrestle in this postseason due to an injury and unfortunate circumstance. I want to see the best of the best, make the NCAA tournament and make it as exciting as possible. But Crookham says that who it was posed who is going to be the first team to unseat Penn State and win a national championship. He says Lehigh. And at first I said, okay, this guy's just, you know, optimistic. He's around

Starting point is 00:17:02 his teammates. And then you start doing a little bit of digging. Lehigh is playing the long game here with, yes, you didn't have Crookham this time around, you had a strong showing from Michael Beard, but you start to get some other wrestlers back that took a red shirt or they were injured. For example, Luke Stanich is somebody that's going to join in the lineup and he's an NCAA title contender at the lighterweight. So, Lehigh, Ohio State maybe because they get Rocco Welsh back, Nick Buzakas, Brendan McCrone. So there are a lot of, Brandon Cannon, there are a lot of talented wrestlers that started to break out towards the end of the season that I look at the likes of Lehigh and Ohio State that maybe this isn't just a four team race or it's Penn State and then Oklahoma State, Iowa, Nebraska, that maybe

Starting point is 00:17:44 Lehigh and Ohio State really want a piece of the pie here too. Uh, I'll go real quick, Trent. I think you absolutely nailed it. But the one thing that I don't think people are paying attention to is of course, your Ohio State's going to be sneaky, good Lehigh, Cornell, Iowa State. Those are always going to be sneaky, good teams. But here's the difference that wrestling room and Penn State, the wrestling room in Iowa, the wrestling room in Stillwater has more competition than everybody else in the country. So you can have one of the top wrestlers at a Cornell, at a Lehigh, but the amount of knowledge in the wrestling room and the amount of competitiveness that is going to allow you to learn new moves and be able to implement them on the mat, I think are going

Starting point is 00:18:23 to be more difficult for some of those universities be able to implement them on the mat. I think they're going to be more difficult for some of those universities as opposed to the three heavy hitters. This environment if you're talking about even five years ago, alright, you can make a

Starting point is 00:18:36 compelling case and maybe just maybe this can happen. We know who's spending money. It's Zach on our left Cody in the middle and me on the right. That's who's spending money. Yeah. And because of that, the likelihood that even if it all comes together perfectly for Lehigh, you know what's going to be coming. And all of a sudden you can wrestle your senior year and make six figures doing it, or you can finish up

Starting point is 00:18:57 your career at Lehigh. It's so difficult. And when we look at football, we look at basketball, the paydays that are still there at the professional ranks, they're not there at wrestling. And because of that, I think it's going to be even more difficult for that tier of team, even to get in the top five or top four and bring home a trophy. It's going to be so tough because by the time those guys are at All-American and they're going into their junior and senior year, they got one chance, maybe two years at a payday and they're going to be looking around and they're going to be looking at our three programs. Trent, I'm actually glad that you brought up that point

Starting point is 00:19:28 because it's a perfect segue as Arkansas Little Rock just lost two of its top wrestlers in the lineup, Nasir Bailey, Jordan Williams, going to the transfer portal. The first thing everybody says, they're going to Iowa. So let's address some of this transfer portal chaos and just react to the spectacle. Was that the greatest upset in all of combat sports?

Starting point is 00:19:47 I'm talking ever history with Wyatt Hendrickson upending Gable Stevenson. We'll discuss it more coming up on this Lockdown crossover. Today's show is brought to you by Nissan. We're all about the stats because numbers do not lie. And when it comes to the all new Nissan Armada Pro 4X, the numbers are on an MVP level. With the ability to tow up to 8,500 pounds, it can quite literally carry the whole team,

Starting point is 00:20:13 plus the gear wherever you need to go. It's powered by a twin turbo V6 engine, delivering the strength, perform, and performance to handle highways, back roads, and everything in between. And with room for up to eight people, the Armada Pro 4X is built for big crews, big adventures, and even bigger memories. Whether you're exploring off-road trails

Starting point is 00:20:33 or rolling up to the arena, the Armada Pro 4X brings power, versatility, and style wherever you go. Take your adventures to new heights in the all-new Nissan Armada Pro 4X. Learn more at NissanUSA.com. That is NissanUSA.com. The NCAA Tournament is here

Starting point is 00:20:48 and so is the Bracket Breakdown. Locked On Podcast Network and Amazon Fire TV channels are teaming up to deliver NCAA tournament coverage like never before. Watch studio shows featuring former players and Locked On's local experts as they guide you through every upset, buzzer beater, and bracket matchup.

Starting point is 00:21:05 Stream it all for free on Amazon Fire TV channels. Search bracket breakdown to see it all for free. It's your team, every day. So the transfer portal's already going crazy. Hey, Penn State actually, for what it's worth at this time of the recording, had that exodus that I set, you know, touted saying Penn State and Kale Sandison are able to hold it all together. And then five wrestlers, potentially more from what I've heard could enter into the

Starting point is 00:21:31 portal. So Penn State could have somewhere of seven, eight names leave. There's just not a lot of room. There's it's, it's different from football and basketball. It's not about minutes. It's not about snap counts. You have your 10 starters and that's that. So Alex Wakundo is a name that's been linked

Starting point is 00:21:45 to potentially going to Oklahoma State and following David Taylor. But I just look at the likes of you see there's turnover at Iowa State, you see there's turnover at Arkansas, Little Rock, which was one of those programs maybe comparable to Lehigh where they did get a hefty investment, but not hefty enough to go up against the big spenders, Penn State, Iowa, Oklahoma state. It's just the way the sport is. And Arkansas Little Rock committed around one and a half million dollars. And that's still not enough. Those names that were household names at Little Rock are now going into the portal, cashing

Starting point is 00:22:22 in on their success. Trent, I'm going to throw it to you, because everybody's already linking them to Iowa. What are the odds that Nasir Bailey and or Jordan Williams end up with the Hawkeyes? Well, you start with the Bailey part of the conversation. Of course, he wrestled at 33, got to the round of 16 before he moved to the back end of things.

Starting point is 00:22:39 Well, I would just had a finalist at 33. So Drake Aiella, does he have another season at 33? Or do they anticipate he's gonna grow into 141? Or is it Bailey? That's the one that's gonna grow into 141. We know that Iowa does have a pretty big hole there. I take a next step with Jordan Williams. Is he a guy at 49 that makes sense?

Starting point is 00:22:57 They have a lot of depth there. The guys have some guys coming back off of injury, Ryder amongst them. So there's a lot of names in the mix there at 49 for Iowa. I would say of the two, again, it comes down to size. And I think the Sierra Bailey though, would be the one at least to me that would make the most sense just depending on what they see going forward, both with his weight and possibly bumping up or as a Drake Ayala. Well, Cody, at one point in time, Jordan was Jordan Williams was at Oklahoma State.

Starting point is 00:23:26 So does he return and then Alex Facundo seems like a strong contender to transfer because of the David Taylor Penn State connection. What what names are you looking at on the portal that say cowboy? He has cowboy written all over him. Well, I do think that the the Penn State connection with David Taylor is always going to be a conversation every single year. So I do think that that the the the Penn State connection with David Taylor is always going to be a

Starting point is 00:23:49 conversation every single year. So, I do think that that addition makes the most amount of sense. Him coming back to Stillwater seems obviously pretty unlikely but at the same time, I will admit that when we did have some transfers go out,

Starting point is 00:24:00 he was really the only one that Oklahoma State fans felt like, you know, kind of got away and we like our storylines. It's so funny to me that Thomas Gilman wanted to fist fight John Smith years ago and now he's a diehard Oklahoma State cowboy at the

Starting point is 00:24:13 same time. We just got uh Swarovski from uh Iowa State whom lost to Jordan Williams in the big 12s two years ago and through uh AJ Ferrari level conniption fit on the mat. Um it's it's kind of ironic that this guy hated his match with Jordan

Starting point is 00:24:29 Williams and talked a bunch of crap. Now, Jordan Williams is on the move and now he's a cowboy. There's there's so many storylines to all this. It's crazy. Um I'm excited to see where Jordan Williams go and this year, Bailey's an absolute

Starting point is 00:24:41 beast that I think I agree with Trent. It does make the most amount of sense for him to end up there. Casey Swiderski, former All-American, was that Iowa State wrestler that moved on and is committed to Oklahoma State. Cody Chidum entered the transfer portal as well. He was an All-American with Iowa State. And something that people have pointed out is that,

Starting point is 00:25:00 well, when Chidum goes into the portal, it's because a Ferrari is going to join that program. So just keep an eye on that. Maybe that's, let's read the tea leaves writing on the wall that Ferrari could end up at Iowa state. Let's get into the home stretch here because we did witness history. We saw Carter's. You're damn right.

Starting point is 00:25:18 We did. We saw Carter's to Rachi lead off, lead off with winning a fifth NCAA title. And it didn't feel close in the moment. He always, he was the aggressor in that match. Parker Kekheisen kind of seemed like he, his back was against the wall and that's Starachi. There was no pressure, no issue. And he won accordingly, even though it was close four to three.

Starting point is 00:25:38 But I'm going to push, I'm going to push back a little bit there. All right, go for it. Now Kekheisen, yes, Starachi obviously is better. But the gap wasn't that significant. And there were a couple of shots there, especially early on. Kekkeisen had opportunities in that match.

Starting point is 00:25:52 Starachi, all right, I'll give you your flowers. You won your fifth national championship. But don't be talking down to the Panther over there, Zach. All right? I'm not trying to argue that, oh, Kekkeisen's not in the same class as Starachi. They are. But I'm arguing that in this moment, again, when I watched the

Starting point is 00:26:07 NWC All-Star Classic, that one felt like Kakeisen had a better chance to defeat him than this time around when a fifth NCAA, there's no pressure in that one pressure comes to shove and Starachi responds and now is going to be the only five time NCAA champion. I'm not trying to dismiss Parker Kakeisen. I know he's as good as he is, but it did feel like Starachi was in more of control this time around with something larger on the line

Starting point is 00:26:31 than the NWCA All-Star Classic. So the gap's minimal, but it did a little bit. It moved a little bit. Starachi moving ahead, taking the title as it is. Wyatt Hendrickson against Gable Stevenson. So awesome. Cody, I- Dude, that was just great for the sport. That was absolutely phenomenal for the sport.

Starting point is 00:26:49 It was needed. Well, yeah. I mean, Gable kind of stirred the match before it ever even started, talking about, I'm the only Olympic champion that deserves to drape a flag, da da da da da. I think he did some stuff to inspire Wyatt to a different level, right? I think that was huge for the sport of wrestling. Obviously you're seeing it being trending all over the country right now. Um, and it just proves what David Taylor can do.

Starting point is 00:27:12 I can tell you as a lifelong Oklahoma State fan, right? Had season tickets since the mid nineties. That is one of the top Oklahoma State moments I've ever witnessed in my entire lifetime. And my favorite shot is of the background of the crowd. 95% of that building was not Oklahoma State fans, but they were going to absolutely bonkers for what white Hendrickson did because of the buildup, because of the, the, the viewership, the eyeballs.

Starting point is 00:27:39 And what a massive name Gable Stevenson is not just in wrestling, but all across the country, WWB NFL, whatever the case may be. That was a true David versus Goliath moment and it was phenomenal for the sport of wrestling that he won it which is why I know Srirachi first five winner of all time but White Henderson's gotta win the Hodge. Ain't that right, Trent? I'm with you. Absolutely. I'm with you. I'm I'm actually with you too. I because look objectively speaking for what the hodge trophy stands for is my I mean,

Starting point is 00:28:11 people are on the Penn State side of things are trying to make the argument for Mitchell mess and break that oh, it's not Carter's to Rachi. It's not Wyatt Hendrickson basically pinned his way through through the entire regular season through the NCAA tournament up until Greg Kirkfleet and then knocked off not one but two back-to-back reigning NCAA champions in the semi-final and the finals accordingly when he was not expected to. Now he might have been expected to in in the Oklahoma State Circle and maybe some other people that hey we know how serious Greg Kirkfleet's situation is with his leg, with his injury. But when you ask the general public, oh, it's probably going to be Stevenson

Starting point is 00:28:49 all over again. He'll defeat Kirkfleet. And that's that. No, Wyatt Hendrickson disrupted all of that. I want to go as far as, and now I am not an expert when it comes to every single combat sport, whether it's MMA, you know, USC, MMA, WWE. But I have to say that this conservatively goes down as one of the best upsets of all time across all combat sports. Trent, maybe you can attest to that a little more. Yeah, I don't have the depth of knowledge either. I am, I'm strictly a college wrestling fan and because of that, I don't have the depth of

Starting point is 00:29:23 knowledge into it. Um. I'll just tell for somebody that has been following collegiate wrestling since the 1980s that was a scene unlike anything that I can think of. There's been some incredible moments, some big upsets of things that have happened in the past but when he kind of coupled everything together on what it meant, Steve's in coming back after being away for so long and the domination that we still saw from him and then that ending in that kind of moment, that is going to be an all-timer. And I think that's going to be one that we're going to be talking about for years and years and years. Where were you when that

Starting point is 00:29:54 happened as it pertains to the world of college wrestling? Cody, get the final word in. When it comes to other combat sports, I would put it up there with a McGregor loss, right? That absolutely shattered the world or Ben Askren catching a knee the absolutely phenomenal. Hopefully, this is kind of a transcendent moment for the sport of wrestling to get more eyeballs on it to make it more of a national viewership level sport. That's certainly the idea. And that's why we have these types of conversations with this mega locked on crossover featuring myself, Zach Seiko, Locked on Nittany Lions, Cody Stovall of Locked on Oklahoma State, and Trent Condon of Locked on

Starting point is 00:30:43 Hawkeyes. Follow up with your respective teams, subscribe to each of our YouTube channels and wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date with everything Penn State, Oklahoma State and Iowa related. Thank you gentlemen so much for the time. Thank you everyone for checking out this Locked On crossover and we'll have more conversations about your favorite teams here on the Locked On Podcast Network.

Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Does AJ Ferrari returning to Iowa makes sense? NCAA Wrestling Championships recap

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.