There's nothing disingenuous about it. The NCAA isnt going to do it willingly. Now that kids are getting paid, somebody is eventually going to take the NCAA to court and win.
EARLY 2026-27 lineup projections/discussions
- Thread starter backdrft76-1
- Start date
The NCAA is broken. The only question now, is if it's even worth it to fix it...
Hint: It's not. Put it down.
Hint: It's not. Put it down.
This morning, Flo made it seem like it's fairly established that James will be taking a gap year. Is this something any of you actually connected have heard?
FRL also stated that most likely PJ Duke will be 165 and Mitchell 174...
He’s not listed on the PSU’s roster for the weight management certification on Trackwrestling.
Messenbrink at 174 is awesome. One less podium position at a weight where Okie St. is relatively weak.
I’ll overstate the obvious here. If MM goes 174, Duke slots at 165 and a fully healthy Kasak goes 157 (with James taking the gap year), this is going to be an unstoppable freight train of a team that will be just so fun to watch. And if Blaze/Ono fully figure out how to optimize 133/141…ooofff…I can’t wait.
I agree, but even if Kasak can’t go, Joe Sealy would also be a great option. Embarrassment of riches
if that all plays out like you say:
125 Luke
133 Ono
141 Blaze
149 SVN
157 Kasak
165 Duke
174 Mitch
184 Rocco
197 Barr
Hvy Connor (possibly Cole)
That is a crazy lineup!
Sealy and / or JaydenI agree, but even if Kasak can’t go, Joe Sealy would also be a great option. Embarrassment of riches
That lineup would be way better if they did photo shoots with cowboy hats on
But, but just this morning Kozak said there was a "very real chance Okie State beats Penn State this year" . He stated "only one or two kids at PSU have to slip a little ..."
I wonder if Flo makes more money when the season has a little intrigue, or when the evil empire just keeps rolling…
Truth be told, the wrong injury or something could make things tighter than we want—even with our insane depth, holes in the lineup are still theoretically possible.
Same can be said for okie state, wrong kids have injuries and they may be out of trophy contention
Ignoring the obvious is the dead giveaway sign of a shill or an agent provocateur.
As is the tired trope of the other team’s guys always improving and our guys stay the same - just to inject some suspense into the discussion.
An inactive guy like Cody Merrill is just as likely to pull a Lockett flame out as he is to repeat 2nd.
So if kasak ends up having issues who we got Sealy and who else
In the end the silly boys have to have a perfect tournament which may be harder to accomplish then depending on us to slipI wonder if Flo makes more money when the season has a little intrigue, or when the evil empire just keeps rolling…
Truth be told, the wrong injury or something could make things tighter than we want—even with our insane depth, holes in the lineup are still theoretically possible.
I liked PJ and Mitchell up only 1 weight class, JJ turning grey back then, even back in March when all of this banter started. If the rumors are true, I like it even better now. Optimal!
He's listed as a graduate student. So don't give up on him wrestling this year.
Not really. Their depth is 2nd only to Penn State. It would take a lot of injuries for the Pokes to miss the podium. Look at the point differential between currently 3rd place favorite Nebby and the next tier of teams.
To add, Penn State is still going to win handily but the gap between Penn State and Okie State is far less than the gap between Okie State and missing the podium.
Last edited:
With that line-up and depending on NCAA seeds, it isn't bonkers to see nine of them in the Semis with hopefully most of the nine making the Finals. My order of who I think is most likely to make the Finals is:
1. Mitchell (Need I say more?)
2. Josh (So tough, and 197 is also a weak weight this season)
3. PJ (I don't see anyone at 165 challenging him)
4. Luke (Some decent guys at 125, but Luke is better)
5. Marcus (133 or 141 will be loaded)
6. Tyler (Robideau and Taylor are here, and Kasak has beaten Taylor. You also have Webster and Cannon)
7. SVN (Sergio Vega (supposedly), Aden Valencia, Caleb Henson and Echemendia are here )
8. Ono (I need to see him against some top folk style guys before I move him up)
9. Rocco (He wrestles a lot of close, defensive matches and McEnelly, Sinclair and Ferrari are tough)
10. Connor or Cole (Lots of top talent here including Doucet or Ross, Kueter, Feldman, Carroll and Amos)
This is such an uber-talented team that 4-8 are almost interchangeable.
I would have gone with vintage bathrobes but cowboy hats work too.
Sure, but by the same logic, if PSU’s wrestlers wrestle up to potential and it’s a couple of the OKSt wrestlers who “slip a little” Penn State could, in this hypothetical dual meet, end up pitching another shutout.
I was reading Marcus wrestled 138 in his senior year of high school before moving up to 150 to let someone else take the 138 slot. I assume his move up to 141 won’t be too tough, but anyone think it will be tricky for Marcus to move up to to 141 after going 61kg at world’s?
Concern with this lineup configuration would be Kasak making it through the season healthy. Maybe they’re comfortable with Sealey’s upside in that situation.
Would prefer to have Jayden as an option at 157 but it might not have been feasible.
Would prefer to have Jayden as an option at 157 but it might not have been feasible.
With Sealey as a back up they will be fine. Imagine Pierce would be the next man up after that
My mother used to make that kind...put lots of nuts in it!
I am a pretty happy guy today. If all rumors hold true, it means we get to see:
Check - Kasak, PJ and Messenbrink all at some pretty logical weights. Beautiful.
Check - Jayden James gets a real shot at being a 5xer. (And no I don't think he would have been our starter this year had he not grey shirted)
Check - our lineup has 9 legit finalist candidates, if injuries leave us alone it's going to be an epic season start to finish. Murder's row has been redefined from 3 guys to 9.
Granted it is really bittersweet missing out on Levi not crushing everything in his path this year. Both the NCAA and our legal system once again have their heads up their asses.
One of the many lawyers amongst us can help explain. The "N" in NCAA stands for national. Why then must each affected student athlete like Levi and Jesse Mendez file individually in their own state, and thus individually bare the cost and risk for litigating the very same issue. Could this actually mean some win and some lose? Considering this hits nationwide, kids across all sports, with an extremely narrow category of eligibility in question, why the hell can't they be considered a class?
Check - Kasak, PJ and Messenbrink all at some pretty logical weights. Beautiful.
Check - Jayden James gets a real shot at being a 5xer. (And no I don't think he would have been our starter this year had he not grey shirted)
Check - our lineup has 9 legit finalist candidates, if injuries leave us alone it's going to be an epic season start to finish. Murder's row has been redefined from 3 guys to 9.
Granted it is really bittersweet missing out on Levi not crushing everything in his path this year. Both the NCAA and our legal system once again have their heads up their asses.
One of the many lawyers amongst us can help explain. The "N" in NCAA stands for national. Why then must each affected student athlete like Levi and Jesse Mendez file individually in their own state, and thus individually bare the cost and risk for litigating the very same issue. Could this actually mean some win and some lose? Considering this hits nationwide, kids across all sports, with an extremely narrow category of eligibility in question, why the hell can't they be considered a class?
Last edited:
I can't see Cael not using James this year in some capacity unless he is that sure of what he has elsewhere.
Yes, we have reason to be worried about Kasak's concussions but I imagine Cael thinks either him or Sealey can win 157. I think a lot of people discount Sealey since he got off to a slower start. But he had a surgery the fall of his freshman year and clearly came back extremely out of shape and IMO is really just hitting his stride now. Whoever wins the 157 spot for PSU will be a contender.
Another thing to consider, I think just because PJ can make 157 doesn't mean he should. I would hate another situation where the cut gets PJ day 2 of the tournament again (yes the reffing fiasco was awful but you could tell PJ was far from himself on Friday night, when cutters are picked off usually). I truly believe he will be optimized at 165.
Mitch is Mitch, he's going to be himself at any weight and the fact he didn't want to make 74 right after NCAAs makes me think on full feed, he'll be equally as effective.
I think we have our squad
LL
Ono
Blaze
SVN
Sealey/Kasak
Duke
Mitch
Rocco
Barr
Connor
Yes, we have reason to be worried about Kasak's concussions but I imagine Cael thinks either him or Sealey can win 157. I think a lot of people discount Sealey since he got off to a slower start. But he had a surgery the fall of his freshman year and clearly came back extremely out of shape and IMO is really just hitting his stride now. Whoever wins the 157 spot for PSU will be a contender.
Another thing to consider, I think just because PJ can make 157 doesn't mean he should. I would hate another situation where the cut gets PJ day 2 of the tournament again (yes the reffing fiasco was awful but you could tell PJ was far from himself on Friday night, when cutters are picked off usually). I truly believe he will be optimized at 165.
Mitch is Mitch, he's going to be himself at any weight and the fact he didn't want to make 74 right after NCAAs makes me think on full feed, he'll be equally as effective.
I think we have our squad
LL
Ono
Blaze
SVN
Sealey/Kasak
Duke
Mitch
Rocco
Barr
Connor
Didn't realize he still has eligibility but nothing shocks me with the NCAA. Learn more about the future star
It's so amazing on this team that guys the caliber of Asher and Henckel are afterthoughts. Asher's only loss as a redshirt was to Rocco, he won the Southern Scuffle, and beat an All-American (4th place Campos who had wins over Rider and Conway). And Henckel was an even more highly rated as a recruit with a freestyle U20 world silver. Given that neither Asher nor Hanckel are going to challenge MM or Barr, the 184
Love this line up, but I see Ono and Blaze reversed. You know the reason why.
Are we sure Jayden James is okay with a grey shirt? I can see Taylor (and a number of other coaches) throwing a lot of money his way to transfer. Any chance he’s listening?
Latest
-
01
BWI
Penn State Notebook: Trust, Rocco Becht and the questions facing the Nittany Lions in Week 1
-
02
BWI
Projecting Penn State's injury report heading into the Nittany Lions' season opener
-
03
BWI
Penn State wants to play its backup quarterback; a note on two new starters, more takeaways from Tuesday before Marshall
-
04
BWI
Penn State - Marshall visitor list features several recruits who could earn an offer
-
05
BWI
Matt Campbell on Cooper, Tatsch and Burkle: Where injured Penn State players stand for week one; will anyone have a snap count?