2021 Line Up

[Richb-3]

Is it possible Karam has gone on an intense weightlifting and rehab effort, possibly giving Josh a chance to REdshirt at 157

[Oracle]

After this bizzaro season, the idea of RS for Humphreys is a good idea. Let Deakin, Hidlay and Kaleb Young all graduate. Still has to deal with Carr, Teemer and Monday but it's a much more manageable group. Also would give Josh an opportunity to improve his arsenal. Bringing Meyer back down to 157 then becomes an option where he would be very tough.

[jdalu75]

I'm not saying I believe what I've heard, but what I've heard is that more than one of our 149-pounders are looking at 141 for the future. Paetzell's success at a lower weight may be impressing some.

[jdalu75]

Alternative scenario (a phrase I prefer to Bizzaro World, which has 1960s Action Comics connotations):

The reality:

125: Paetzell
197: Jakobsen
285: Wood

Then the speculation begins:

133: Farro or Lane
141: Moran or Hines or Karam or Hoffman or McGonagle (don't you love the specificity?)
149: Hoffman or Karam or McGonagle or maybe Bryant. Or Hines.
157: Meyer or Haubert or Bryant
165: Ruth or Lawrence or Frinzi (But it says here we'll never see Ruth at 165. Nowhere else, but here it says that.)
174: Ruth or Logan or Lawrence
184: Ruth or Logan or Grape (I also like Elijah Jones but I doubt he can make 184)

[TMH]

After this bizzaro season, the idea of RS for Humphreys is a good idea. Let Deakin, Hidlay and Kaleb Young all graduate. Still has to deal with Carr, Teemer and Monday but it's a much more manageable group. Also would give Josh an opportunity to improve his arsenal. Bringing Meyer back down to 157 then becomes an option where he would be very tough.

I fully understand your logic but.... am I the only one concerned that a trend may start or may have already started of taking one's 5th year as a grad student at another school that offers the combination of money, major and wrestling that suits them? Div 1 schools are allowed to offer 9.9 scholarships. I don't pretend to understand the nuances of it but we seem to be spreading that aid over 5 years to some combination of 40 wrestlers.

Weiler may or may not be catalyst for others. I've seen it happen often now in basketball on both the men's and women's side and they really don't offer red shirts. They simply amass enough credits in 3 years to graduate. Do we risk losing a year of eligibility for an increase in production for a limited time? It's just a thought.

[Oracle]

The number of wrestlers taking a grad year as their 5th year elsewhere has always been an outlier. Very few actually do it preferring to stay where they have built relationships, yet when someone does it's mostly key, high-quality guys like Weiler. So --- hard to address your concern. We have to have faith our guys have been taken care of and have a sense of loyalty. Not a stretch.

[gimpeltf]

The number of wrestlers taking a grad year as their 5th year elsewhere has always been an outlier. Very few actually do it preferring to stay where they have built relationships, yet when someone does it's mostly key, high-quality guys like Weiler. So --- hard to address your concern. We have to have faith our guys have been taken care of and have a sense of loyalty. Not a stretch.

Outside of Ivies/F&M yes.

[TMH]

Outside of Ivies/F&M yes.

I think therein lies my problem. Lehigh is a high academic, private college with high standards and equally high tuition much like the Ivies/F&M. With the emergence of the transfer portal, athletes have the ability to explore their options far easier than in the past. The outlier may become much more mainstream as times go on.

[mookie]

The transfer portal system is a net positive for the student-athletes, and a chance for the athletes to explore their opportunities. What's the problem?

[TMH]

The transfer portal probably is a net positive for the athlete. The issue to me however is as the portal becomes the new normal, should it factor into a coach's decision to red shirt a wrestler when he is already a significant contributor in the hope that it improves his productivity on the back end when he may not be here then.

There was always the possibility of an injury or HEW (Parker) but now with the portal there are a lot more options to explore in terms of graduate degrees (medicine, law, PT, Pharm etc.) not offered by Lehigh, available scholarship $ or just cost, or even wrestling opportunities (Penn St, Iowa etc). Should that factor into the red shirt decision.

With no sports available right now, I have a lot of time on my hands.