Recruiting Coordinator

[legger]

**** The Time Is Now! If we do not make an investment in the future. we will continue to get bypassed by top recruits with all the $ being set aside for and by Power 5 schools.

Suggestion get rid of ALL Diversity, Inclusion and other Woke Initiatives currently in place and take the $ saved (Administrators and Programs) and ear mark it to Wrestling Rejuvenation. It Can and Must be done in spite of all the screaming that will occur from Woke Airheads. We were viewed among the best at one time unfortunately that will no longer serve us Now or in The Future!

[Justafan]

That seems pretty hyperbolic to me.

Recruiting doesn't really seem to be a huge problem that can't be fixed with a little money. Look at the credentials of our roster. It doesn't vary much from our "glory years". Like I mentioned on another thread, we now have 3 individuals who were Top 15 in their recruiting years. In the past supplemented we supplemented them with a host of 1 X state champions and less who for some reason managed to overachieve while at Lehigh.

Side note: I watch all Lehigh sports. Most have used the diversity initiatives to their advantage. They found that there were many great minority athletes that in the past never considered Lehigh. Wrestling should not be an exception.

[legger]

That seems pretty hyperbolic to me.

Side note: I watch all Lehigh sports. Most have used the diversity initiatives to their advantage. They found that there were many great minority athletes that in the past never considered Lehigh. Wrestling should not be an exception.

**** You missed my point. Minority candidates if they are good enough academically and athletically should still be heavily recruited like everyone else. Political Correctness does not build top athletic teams. The cream will rise to the top without special assistance. Get there on your merits not with quotas.

[Justafan]

I welcome the discussion.

Recruitment is a two way street. The student-athlete needs to be a good fit for Lehigh but also Lehigh needs to be a good fit for them.

In the past, it was difficult to get black students to even want to come here. There were only 12 on campus when I arrived. Talk to them and they would tell you that they felt isolated. They would gravitate to their own areas rather than try to integrate with the rest of campus.

Yes, it has changed and in my opinion for the better. But then again, the world is changing and like Bethlehem Steel if you don't adapt you perish.

Once again, my opinion.

[legger]

I welcome the discussion.

Recruitment is a two way street. The student-athlete needs to be a good fit for Lehigh but also Lehigh needs to be a good fit for them.

Yes, it has changed and in my opinion for the better. But then again, the world is changing and like Bethlehem Steel if you don't adapt you perish.

Once again, my opinion.

**** I respect your opinion. As you state the world is changing and if you do not adapt you perish. That is precisely what we are talking about in this thread and IS the situation Lehigh Wrestling is facing. Simply continuing to do what we always have done will Doom Us to a 2nd or 3rd rate status. We need leaders in power positions who want our program to not only find greatness But To Survive in A $ driven new order of NIL world. Just throwing a few scheckles at the problem is a band aid at best. Real $ and a Real Buyin from Lehigh Powers That Be are needed, or we will become obsolete real quickly.

[LUEngineer]

Not sure why all the panic as we are in our best position since the Letters/Zinc/Cooperman/Dillon era.

Calm down everyone until we see how this all settles out as it applies to wrestling vs the big time sports.

[Justafan]

Not sure why all the panic as we are in our best position since the Letters/Zinc/Cooperman/Dillon era.

Calm down everyone until we see how this all settles out as it applies to wrestling vs the big time sports.

Exactly!!!

Ironically, Letters and Cooperman were both top 15 guys, Dillon, Zinck, T. Frick only won 1 state championship between them. They overachieved. That was the formula for success and we are on the cusp of that again with 3 top 15 guys and Stanich, Taylor being overachievers already.

Recruiting is doing fine right now and will likely improve with time and NIL money. We just need to stay healthy and continue to produce over-achievers.

[martinsilvestri]

I wonder how Labriola (not Macchiavello - edit!) first year at Beca has gone. Im interested to see if that connection will yield recruits at some point. Even if there isn't a new position for recruitment, smart strategies at the local level could be huge.

[LUEngineer]

I thought it was Labriola from LVWC that was at Becahi?

[Mountain Hawk]

Not sure why all the panic as we are in our best position since the Letters/Zinc/Cooperman/Dillon era.

Calm down everyone until we see how this all settles out as it applies to wrestling vs the big time sports.

I'll tell you how its going to shake out. The money paid to the athletes will come out of the NCAA coffers which is essentially the schools themselves. Now the schools are forced to pay a new budget line item that they didn't have to before. This is all the P5's (the settlement extends down to Lehigh's level as well in football though much much smaller). So the end effect is a financial hit to schools going forward so where do you think they will try to recapture those losses? Track, wrestling, swimming, and other non-revenue sports will take the hit.