Want to win? Recruit PA wrestlers

[aacoach61]

Iowa knocked off Penn State tonight with 4 PA wrestlers in the Hawkeye lineup. Tom Brands recruited these kids from across the country. Iowa’s Michael Kemerer (from just north of Pittsburgh) knocked off Penn State’s #1 Hall to seal the deal

Pennsylvania wrote the book on high school wrestling and until WVU and Coach Flynn start bringing in quality kids from our neighboring state we will continue to win only 1 of 10 matches against teams like Army, Recruiting Pennsylvania (or at least the WPIAL) has to be Coach Flynn’s top priority. If you don’t see 2-3 PA state champs or at least finalists in a WVU recruiting class, then it is not a nationally competitive class.

I am a WVU grad and WV native and want to start getting excited about Mountaineer wrestling. We’ve waited long enough.

[dunbar76]

My thoughts exactly. There is no reason previous coach or coach Flynn should not be able to go head to head recruiting these kids.

[Heath]

Iowa knocked off Penn State tonight with 4 PA wrestlers in the Hawkeye lineup. Tom Brands recruited these kids from across the country. Iowa’s Michael Kemerer (from just north of Pittsburgh) knocked off Penn State’s #1 Hall to seal the deal

Pennsylvania wrote the book on high school wrestling and until WVU and Coach Flynn start bringing in quality kids from our neighboring state we will continue to win only 1 of 10 matches against teams like Army, Recruiting Pennsylvania (or at least the WPIAL) has to be Coach Flynn’s top priority. If you don’t see 2-3 PA state champs or at least finalists in a WVU recruiting class, then it is not a nationally competitive class.

I am a WVU grad and WV native and want to start getting excited about Mountaineer wrestling. We’ve waited long enough.

The whole big ten is looking for those two or three PA state champs too. Plus you have psu getting pa state champs to walk on just to be room guys and never wrestle in anything other than an open tournament.

When we can't get the best wrestler in the state of WV to even consider coming to wvu, my personal opinions aside, then how are we going to get the best from PA?

I don't think it's Flynn mo but we need to be looking at the transfer portal hard.

[JoeGiovengo]

Coach Flynn is indeed recruiting and will continue to recruit PA. In next year's class there will be 2 or 3 very good recruits from PA. Caleb Dowling from St. Francis PA and Jack Blummer from Kiski Area PA are already committed and signed. Both are top 15 guys. Add that on top of Roberts and Hall from WV and you have yourself a great start to the class. Also included in this class is an Illinois State Champ.

The one kid from PA we missed out on that would have been a huge pick up is Sam Hilegas from Pittsburgh. That would have been huge. However, he chose Va Tech.

Coach Flynn has spent his entire career recruiting PA and that is not going to change anytime soon.

As far as Amos goes, it was going to be difficult for a new coaching staff to land him. Obviously any time you can get the #1 wrestler in the country on your team it would be great but don't forget that many project him as a 197 lber, and we have one that kinda good and still has 2 more years after this year. If Amos would have come to WVU I think he would have had to redshirt a year and there is no way he wants to do that. Otherwise if he comes in and takes Adams spot on the roster we most likely would have seen Adams in the transfer portal.

[Bearhugger]

Coach Flynn is indeed recruiting and will continue to recruit PA. In next year's class there will be 2 or 3 very good recruits from PA. Caleb Dowling from St. Francis PA and Jack Blummer from Kiski Area PA are already committed and signed. Both are top 15 guys. Add that on top of Roberts and Hall from WV and you have yourself a great start to the class. Also included in this class is an Illinois State Champ.

The one kid from PA we missed out on that would have been a huge pick up is Sam Hilegas from Pittsburgh. That would have been huge. However, he chose Va Tech.

Coach Flynn has spent his entire career recruiting PA and that is not going to change anytime soon.

As far as Amos goes, it was going to be difficult for a new coaching staff to land him. Obviously any time you can get the #1 wrestler in the country on your team it would be great but don't forget that many project him as a 197 lber, and we have one that kinda good and still has 2 more years after this year. If Amos would have come to WVU I think he would have had to redshirt a year and there is no way he wants to do that. Otherwise if he comes in and takes Adams spot on the roster we most likely would have seen Adams in the transfer portal.

As we all know, Dowling, Roberts and Hall are all at 152lbs this season. I hope there is a plan in place to spread these three out somehow.

[forthekids]

Coach Flynn will be just fine. People don't realize how bad it was when he took over. Give him 3 years. Look what he did with Noah in a year. YES 90% of it is Noah but the other 10% is important. The talent will come. Just look what he did at Edinboro.

[indywvu]

Coach Flynn is indeed recruiting and will continue to recruit PA. In next year's class there will be 2 or 3 very good recruits from PA. Caleb Dowling from St. Francis PA and Jack Blummer from Kiski Area PA are already committed and signed. Both are top 15 guys. Add that on top of Roberts and Hall from WV and you have yourself a great start to the class. Also included in this class is an Illinois State Champ.

The one kid from PA we missed out on that would have been a huge pick up is Sam Hilegas from Pittsburgh. That would have been huge. However, he chose Va Tech.

Coach Flynn has spent his entire career recruiting PA and that is not going to change anytime soon.

As far as Amos goes, it was going to be difficult for a new coaching staff to land him. Obviously any time you can get the #1 wrestler in the country on your team it would be great but don't forget that many project him as a 197 lber, and we have one that kinda good and still has 2 more years after this year. If Amos would have come to WVU I think he would have had to redshirt a year and there is no way he wants to do that. Otherwise if he comes in and takes Adams spot on the roster we most likely would have seen Adams in the transfer portal.

As we all know, Dowling, Roberts and Hall are all at 152lbs this season. I hope there is a plan in place to spread these three out somehow.

I think they will spread out 149, 157, and 165. Blumer might be 174.

[wv16refgk]

Coach Flynn is an outstanding coach and recruiter but every school has good coaches, great recruiters and tradition going for them as well. Its not the big time recruits that really matter because there are twenty kids across the country who are potentially just as good. (Amos being the exception) Each recruit if they are smart are looking for the best fit for them and the amount of money they can get and all of the other stuff that comes into play!!! We are ranked in the top 25 for the first time this year by FLO and the recruiting class is one of the best in recent years. A lot of times big time recruits don't stay in school and end up not wrestling at all for various reasons!!! Transfers are ok if they are Grad transfers because academically they have made the grade!!Recruiting is a complex issue and I know Coach is on top of his!!!!!GK

[mscoach57]

I expected some attrition when Coach Flynn took the reins. From what I hear Coach Henson’s social expectations for our wrestlers were more flexible than Coach Flynn’s. I didn’t expect Schmitt to leave. I am not sure what exactly his departure means about the state of the program. Maybe it means nothing and Matthew was homesick?

WVU is young and Coach Flynn deserves our support and patience. At some point he will need to be accountable for the success or failure of his team. I’m not sure when it is fair to start grading him. Certainly not year 2 but is it fair to expect results in Year 4? Year 5?

When I read George’s comment I thought he was mistaken about our ranking.

WVU is ranked 10th out of 12 teams in the Big 12 as a dual team.
WVU is ranked dead last in the Big 12 as a tournament team.
Yet somehow WVU is ranked 25th in the nation as a team.

Can anyone explain this to me? If WVU can produce one finalist (Noah) then it will crack the top 25 at the national tournament but only having one placer at Big 12 will leave us pretty far down the standings for that smaller tournament. Maybe that’s what they’re basing our ranking on?

[forthekids]

I expected some attrition when Coach Flynn took the reins. From what I hear Coach Henson’s social expectations for our wrestlers were more flexible than Coach Flynn’s. I didn’t expect Schmitt to leave. I am not sure what exactly his departure means about the state of the program. Maybe it means nothing and Matthew was homesick?

WVU is young and Coach Flynn deserves our support and patience. At some point he will need to be accountable for the success or failure of his team. I’m not sure when it is fair to start grading him. Certainly not year 2 but is it fair to expect results in Year 4? Year 5?

When I read George’s comment I thought he was mistaken about our ranking.

WVU is ranked 10th out of 12 teams in the Big 12 as a dual team.
WVU is ranked dead last in the Big 12 as a tournament team.
Yet somehow WVU is ranked 25th in the nation as a team.

Can anyone explain this to me? If WVU can produce one finalist (Noah) then it will crack the top 25 at the national tournament but only having one placer at Big 12 will leave us pretty far down the standings for that smaller tournament. Maybe that’s what they’re basing our ranking on?

I think it is based on projected points Noah can get. Could be wrong.

[aacoach62]

You can not change a culture overnight. Coach Flynn deserves a chance to bring in three or four recruiting classes.

[Goherd989]

I am not positively sure this is true as it is second hand info; but it did come from a person whom is connected to Parkersburg South Wrestling.
Drumroll...I was told that Amos didn’t consider WVU, because WVU never offered him ANYTHING!!! I was flabbergasted. Amos may be the best wrestler to ever come out of our state. Supposedly WVU claimed they didny have any scholarship money to offer.
Anyways, food for thought. Borderline insanity if it’s true.

[JoeGiovengo]

WVU recruiting class this year:
Peyton Hall 4x WV State Champ #2 Ranking by Intermat
Roberts 3x WV State Champ #5 Ranking by Intermat
Caleb Dowling PA State Champ 2020 #10 Ranking by Intermat
Jack Blumer PA 4th place 2020 #20 ranking by Intermat
Excellent Class. This team is going to be good in 2022!
WVU now has 2 Bog 12 Champions since joining the league. Both are from WV.

[indywvu]

Don't forget Colton Drousias IL State Champ 2019 @ 113 and placed 3rd in 2020 @ 120.