FI: Iowa Season Preview - Hawkeyes Always in the Hunt
FI: Iowa Season Preview - Hawkeyes Always in the Hunt
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FI - Iowa Season Preview
Christian Pyles, College Analyst
Part 2 of our Team Preview series will feature the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa is coming off of a 4th place finish at NCAA’s. The standards for Iowa are unchanging regardless of the teams they face. Individual and team titles are the standard and an expectation for the team. The Hawkeyes had a pretty unfortunate run of health problems. McDonough, Ballweg, Evans and Telford one way or another had injuries adversely impact their NCAA production. Some of health is bad luck (Telford’s injury was exactly that), and some can be a by-product of training/other issues. Coach Brands will need to have his guys clicking and peaking if they want to get back on top and health will play a huge role in their ability to do just that.
The Hawkeyes will lose two starters from last year to graduation (Matt McDonough and Mark Ballweg). Iowa is fortunate that they should have fairly seamless transitions with the insertion of Cory Clark (or Gilman) and Josh Dziewa. Despite capable guys moving in, the Hawkeyes have a lot of questions to answer if they want to challenge for a title this year.
125
This weight has been hotly contested and discussed since the two hit campus last year. Thomas Gilman was regarded as the better, more coveted recruit coming out of high school. Since then Cory Clark has simply been the better guy from a results perspective. Clark initially caught people’s eye when he pushed McDonough to the brink in their wrestle off(after beating Gilman). Proving he was more than just a guy who could keep it close with McD, he went on to notch wins over National Champ Jesse Delgado(6-1), All American Jarrod Patterson (3-2), All American Trent Sprenkle(6-1). He also beat several other very tough wrestlers during his regular season campaign. An additional 2-0 win over Gilman, and wins over Sean Boyle and Dylan Peters capped off a phenomenal redshirt season. His defeats were to solid opponents as well: Jarrod Garnett and Christian Cullinan (in tiebreakers).
Cory primarily shoots a single and hi c. He is not always the most aesthetically pleasing finisher, but seems to still finish shots at a high percentage. He also has nice elbow control ducks and really solid go behinds from front head lock as you’d expect from most Hawkeyes. Clark does
fine on bottom and works bars on top almost exclusively. He’s got a great bar/half and can ride fairly well controlling wrists also.
There’s some talk that Cory may have outgrown 125, but just by an eyeball test, I don’t really see it that way. Looking at him at 60kg this spring he was not particularly filled out relative to the competition. It may not be the most comfortable cut, but Cory’s not a guy rife with options considering Ramos is at 33 and he’d be grossly undersized (in my opinion) at 141. Barring a crazy growth spurt, he’s the guy at 125.
All that being said, I think Gilman is quality enough competition to warrant a write up. Not many teams have Jr. World Team members on their bench, but that may well be the case for Iowa. He had a fine redshirt season beating a few solid starters such as Eddie Klimara, Dylan Peters, Evan Silver and Camden Eppert. His losses were only to Delgado, Kraisser and Patterson. All of which are quality opponents. If Cory Clark didn’t exist I could be very excited as a Hawkeye fan for Gilman coming in. I think he would have a great shot to place.
Unfortunately, as you compare the redshirt seasons, Clark has the better wins, two head to head victories and more acceptable losses. So it may be a year on the bench/spot duty for Gilman. Gilman is a very aggressive hand fighter, looking for snap downs and go behinds from neutral. He likes to use his snaps to get to a single leg as well. My biggest knock is his lack of consistent leg attacks against better opponents. He seems to be content at times to hang on the head and look for the guy to break position. Against the best guys, I just don’t see him being able to get the takedowns that Clark can. I’m sure improving this area is a real point of emphasis for the Iowa coaching staff, so I expect to see improvement in this area. Gilman is fine on the mat, but doesn’t have the elite top game that could make up for his lack of neutral attacks. I see him doing fine from underneath by and large as well. If Gilman get’s a go to leg attack it could cause me to rethink this assessment, but that type of skill doesn’t just appear overnight.
So this weight is Clark’s from where I’m sitting. He’s the guy with the better results in every measure. I think Clark has potential to be a top 4 guy with an outside shot at the title. Gilman I am fairly high on as well, but in defeat he was often blanked or really outmatched getting shut out by Clark and Patterson and losing by 8 and 5 points to Kraisser and Delgado respectively. Clark is ready to go and win right away. Gilman’s time will come.
133
The progression and excitement associated with Tony Ramos’ career has been extremely fun to watch. From the undersized Freshman who couldn’t get off the bottom, to one of the most physically daunting 133’s just a year or two later. He’ll never be a big guy for the weight but he proves every match how little that matters and how much mentality and training do matter. Ramos really turned a corner from between his Freshman and Sophomore year. Finishing in the round of 12 to a third place finish is a big jump, but when you look at the number of high quality guys he beat (including one Jordan Oliver) it makes the jump look even bigger. As a Senior the hunger and fire that makes Ramos great can only be growing. Ramos has steadily climbed the ladder of success in the 133 pound weight class, and I believe this year he reaches the top rung.
Ramos is an extremely complete wrestler, skilled in all three phases. He definitely has traditionally made his money from neutral. He’s extremely solid positionally, and one of the best hand fighters in D1 today. He is tactically very skilled at executing a given game plan. From match to match, you almost always see improvement the more times he wrestles a guy. He has a great inside reach single that his his go to shot throughout the years. He has since developed a nice double leg as well. In addition to those attacks, Ramos also is phenomenal with his re-attacks. Whether he’s in short offense, or just firing off a reshot, he is a major threat to score when guys attack his legs. Defensively he is tough to take down using great hip pressure when guys do get to his legs. He doesn’t initiate many scrambles, yet is comfortable in many scrambling positions if his opponent should initiate them.
Ramos is a guy who is constantly adding layers to his game. We have seen him go from someone who generally struggles to get off the bottom to a guy that even Logan Stieber at times struggled to ride. He has also developed a nice top game as well. He is an adept rider, able to get key ride outs or riding time, but he has also developed some nice turks as well for turning. Ramos is a phenomenal pinner, yet (much like Andrew Alton) a large number of his falls don’t come from traditional top, break them down, turn, then pin. He get’s a number of falls from his chin and arm series. His most famous pancake came in the PSU match where he threatened it a few times, and finally broke through and stuck Conaway. That proved to be a pivotal match in the dual and one Iowa fans won’t soon forget.
With Stieber out of the picture, Ramos looks to be the odds on favorite to win 133. His top challenge will come from Tyler Graff. Graff is also a great technician who can (for a time) stand and hand fight with the best. Ramos’ pace have often proved to be too much for Graff as Ramos has taken victories late in both matches from Graff. I think as Tony wrestles Graff more, he will widen the gap more. While there are tough newcomers to this weight, I don’t see any of them providing the challenge needed to beat a guy like Ramos.
141
The Pennsylvania native Dziewa looks to be in position to finally earn that starting spot for the Hawkeyes. He’s been a high-quality backup for the Hawkeyes the last two years behind Montel Marion and Mark Ballweg. With those guys gone, and a considerable lack of depth at this weight for Iowa, Dziewa looks to be the only guy for the job.
Last year Dziewa was given the shot at 149 (when injuries befell the Hawkeyes at 149) after wrestling the season at 141. He represented himself well, but was bested by Andrew Alton and Caleb Ervin in tight matches. If the Hawkeyes want to challenge for a title, Dziewa is a key cog that must produce at NCAA’s.
Stylistically, Dziewa differs from many of the current (and former) Hawkeye starters before him. Dziewa is extremely comfortable in scrambles, rolling across his back and using upper body attacks as well. From neutral he works a lot of ducks from elbow control or from space (super duck). He can shoot singles as well but seems less comfortable shooting leg attacks.
He has a tendency to give up his legs too much and relies too heavily on his scrambling ability where he does a great job of passing legs when given the opportunity. The problem is, when guys are in deep on doubles, you aren’t left with many scrambling options. He’ll need to develop better head/hands defense if he wants to keep elite guys from taking him down with regularity. Dziewa does have great body awareness and can put guys on their back from neutral with throws, trips or just out-hustling a guy. On top he is a solid leg rider who looks to use a half nelson primarily. He rides with good pressure with spiral as well and still has some good stuff from his roll through half.
The key for Dziewa will be to find the balance of being fundamentally sound without abandoning the scrambling and wide open style that makes him dangerous. Athletically he is quick and flexible with great level changes and fakes from space. Those threats and fakes are going to be all the more effective as he learns to fire off shots from those positions, which will warrant reactions from his opponents. At this point, his fakes don’t earn great reactions because he so rarely will take shots from there. As his attacks improve he could become a dangerous wrestler in all phases. Until that time, he will remain a big question mark with exclamation point potential.
I see Dziewa as probably a Round of 12 guy based on the film and results I’ve seen from him. I think he’s squarely behind Stieber, Port, Carter, Ugi, Henderson, Dardanes and Nevinger and will fall somewhere in the Durso, Lazor Small, Dutton, Thielke tier. Barring real improvement placement will be tough, but you just can’t count out someone like Dziewa between his training situation and natural abilities.
149
Not much time can be spent on this weight, because frankly there is little to say at this point. The Hawkeyes once again find themselves lacking at this weight as the search for a capable Metcalf replacement enters its fourth year. It’s not for lack of trying on the Hawkeyes part as they have brought in a number of blue chip recruits for this weight. However, between Anthony Baldosaro, Jake Ballweg and Nate Skonieczny none stayed with the program long enough to help the Hawkeyes The long list of injuries to Dylan Carew derailed a once promising career as well. Maybe this is just poor recruiting of guys with the right makeup to remain with the program, but I attribute it to just poor luck. The Hawkeyes look to have an heir apparent for next year after Brandon Sorensen takes a redshirt. Even still, he looks to be a work in progress.
For this year the Hawkeyes will look probably to either Brody Grothus or Michael Kelly. Kelly is currently listed as a 157/165 on the roster, so it’s possible his days at 149 (which was always a brutal pull for him) are over. Kelly would be the better option between he and Grothus, but it doesn’t look realistic for Kelly to make it back down. Grothus faced a lot of elite competition last year but had no success against any of them. If you take out the Roger Denker Open(where he faced a combination of either teammates or non D1 competition) Grothus was 2-7 last year with the lone win being over Engle of Cornell (college…) as well as a win over Steven Sandefer of Cumberland.
Grothus is not a solution for the Hawkeyes based on what I’ve seen. I don’t see a solution coming this year. This is going to be a big time hole for the Hawkeyes barring a Daniel Dennis/Phil Keddy like turnaround. So far there’s little evidence to suggest that that is a possibility. I don’t see this weight qualifying for NCAA’s and if it does, production will be minimal.
157
The lone Hawkeye champ comes back for his Senior season. Derek St. John, like Ramos has had the logical progression from year to year placing 4th, 2nd and 1st. This weight returns a lot of talent that will make going back to back a real undertaking. In my mind, DSJ was the best guy all last year, and despite his Big 10 slip up and the loss to Kyle Bradley, I still felt that he was the guy to beat. Coming into this year, I still believe he’s the guy to beat and expect him to come away with another title. This will cap off a fantastic and perhaps underappreciated career (4,2,1,1). The top challenging 157’s in my mind (in no particular order) are Dieringer, Alton and Green. These are the only guys that I view as legitimate threats to win the title apart from St. John. DSJ is a combined 8-1 against those three with the lone loss coming to James Green. You look at that number and it tells you a few things. 1.) DSJ is fairly consistent even against elite competition. 2.) He is very comfortable in close matches. I think his ability to grind out tight matches consistently is one of his best skills. He doesn’t panic if he gives up a takedown and force his offense, he finds a way to claw back and win comfortably. DSJ comes off as a very even keeled wrestler who doesn’t let the high’s and low’s of a match impact his demeanor.
Stylistically DSJ is excellent on his feet, though not particularly dynamic. He does two things very well 1) He has a terrific sweep single that he finishes with extreme consistency. 2) He is a fantastic scrambler. He made a living beating Jason Welch at his own game match after match. He can take a bad situation where a guy could get in deep and make it advantageous and wind up with his own two points. He uses his length well and has great body awareness.
On the mat he is fine, but not spectacular. He is rarely ridden and does not struggle to get away. On top he can ride tough, but it is rare to see him get a turn against a tougher wrestler. He is great at getting riding time though with his deep waist and wrist ride. It seems like he is content to just ride guys, and that’s what he does. It works for him.
I don’t see St. John as someone who will add more layers to his game, rather, I think he will improve in the areas where he’s already elite. For that reason I think his season will be similar to last year’s. It probably will be tough for him to go undefeated if he continues to let tough guys have close matches with him. If he does that he may have a loss or two going into NCAA’s. He will still be the guy I put my money on going into NCAA’s where the only guys he’s lost to in a collective 3 years are David Taylor, Steve Fittery and Kyle Dake.
165
Nick Moore looks to be the guy to beat at 165 for the Hawkeyes this season. I don’t see him being challenged by anybody new coming into this year. He had a pretty solid season last year. His start was pretty rough, dropping early matches to Corey Lear and Mark Lewandowski. Both tough guys, but guys you’d expect a blue chip Hawkeye to beat. His seasons high point was his major decision victory over Cody Yohn. He was actually 3-1 against Yohn, but lost the last match in the Big 10’s. He also beat Mike Moreno (All American) early in the year, yet dropped the far more important NCAA match in round 1. So you can see a big key for Moore is going to be consistency. Guys he beats, he should beat consistently. Until he does that, there will always be some nervousness about Moore going into any match.
Nick is a pretty basic, fundamental wrestler. He likes to counter a lot from his feet and has some tough defense and good scrambling ability. That being said, his leg attacks are a bit lacking. He has a nice high-crotch that he can shoot and finish effectively when he uses it (lots of times as a re-shot). At times he simply struggles to give himself enough opportunities to score. He is solid on the mat, using turks to earn nearfall and generally can get out on bottom.
Moore and Iowa could be the beneficiary of a pretty weak weight class. After Taylor and Caldwell (who Moore wrestled to a 3-2 match) this weight is fairly marginal. Monk, Moreno, Sulzer Massa are probably the next ranked guys with Josh Veltre probably the only other guy that would be ranked ahead of Moore to start the year. So to start the year he’s probably the number 8 guy, but given the wrestlers ahead of him it is conceivable he could finish in the 5-8 range. If he continues to progress and gets more consistent overall, I think he could have a nice season and wind up on the podium. I’m picking a low AA finish right now.
174
The ‘stache is back. Mike Evans has been a lightning rod for discussion. Between his candid interviews, his 70’s you-know-what stache and his Carver Hawkeye heroics, he’s given people lots of reasons to talk about him. He faltered at the end of the year, losing to a few guys he had beaten earlier in the year. I always felt he was just a bit lacking on his feet and that set him just a bit behind some of 174’s elite ultimately. He’s wrestled Storley to a few tough matches, he’s beaten Brown, Kokesh, Walters and Heflin. Yet at NCAA’s he fell to Kokesh whom he previously didn’t just beat but dominated, and was pinned by Heflin who he had previously beaten in a tight match. Between those facts and the mummy wrap on his leg at NCAA’s last year it is pretty easy to deduce that Evans wasn’t clicking on all cylinders at NCAA’s. His health, consistency and a few technical tweaks will help him to earn a higher placement next year. It must be noted that 174 is going to be a bear this season as well. Adding Andrew Howe to a mix that only loses Nick Heflin and Jordan Blanton (whom Evans owned) is going to make a high finish a considerable challenge.
I have been critical of certain aspects of Evans game. While he’s improved from his Freshman season, he still has some areas that prevent him from reaching the next echelon. From neutral he lacks quality set ups. This leads to poor shots from space where he can get extended. He has a decent low single that he’s developed, but he hasn’t shown he can use it against the better guys on a consistent basis. He’s shown he has a nice straight single leg as well and he used this takedown against Storley (the only takedown he’s earned against Storley, in fact) but I didn’t see it much since then. His neutral defense is excellent. It’s what keeps him in a lot of matches as he is extremely tough to takedown and can occasionally turn his opponents shot into his own score (remember the PSU Iowa dual against Brown?). He’s solid at hand fighting and likes to control the mat. However, his forward pressure and pushing has been used against him frequently as guys use that pressure for their own attacks (slide by’s, as well as leg attacks). If he can learn to properly manage his pressure and convert more attacks he will score more offensively and give up fewer takedowns.
Evans was known for his punishing leg riding in high school. He loved to ride double legs and turn with a power half. He has other turns too including some nice tilts. That being said, I don’t view him as an elite top wrestler. In fact, in certain situations his aggressive top wrestling gets him reversed. This is less of a problem if he can get away immediately as it serves basically as an escape. A few times last year he gave up a crucial reversal, and struggled to get away. So between his inability to ride/turn tougher guys, and the frequency in which he gets reversed it is possible that top wrestling is doing him more harm than good. He will need to make some adjustments to be able to use his top game as a consistent weapon.
While the weak 165 helped the Hawkeyes, the brutal 174 will prove to be a tough hand for Mike Evans and the Hawkeyes to deal with. Regarding placement this season, I think Evans sits squarely behind Howe, Perry, Storley and Brown. I think he will be the next man in just ahead of Robert Kokesh. Barring some real adjustments I think we see him as the 4th/5th best guy this year. I’m leaning towards 5th.
184
Ethen Lofthouse comes in for his final hurrah for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Utah native has earned two All American finishes to date, one at 174 and one at 184. I was skeptical as to how he would do up a weight given his short stature. While the transition wasn’t without some serious setbacks (losses to Rizqallah, Larson and Chionuma as well as briefly losing his spot to Gambrall come to mind). He really hit his stride at the end of the year. He hit the toughest competition the last 10 matches and only lost to Ruth, Bosak and Ben Bennett. Meanwhile he earned victories over Ihnen, Dallago, Steinhaus, Beard, Sheptock and Larson. If he uses the momentum from this last season and begins next year at an already high level, he could improve on his finish from last year.
There’s not too much to say technically about Lofthouse. He’s extremely fundamental in all positions. He hits basic leg attacks effectively with very efficient finishes. He has developed strong re-attacks as well to complement his tough front headlock and short offense game. On the mat there is little to say. He by and large gets away on bottom, doesn’t ride the better guys and struggles to even turn lesser competition. He’s a solid guy, but never one to light up the scoreboard.
With the exodus of some elite talent from this weight from a year ago (Hamlin, Bosak, Bennett) Ethen sets up well for a nice finish. It is conceivable that he could make the finals considering the returners include Ruth, Steinhaus, Sheptock and Loder. Ruth is obviously in his own galaxy as far as this weight is concerned, but in that 2nd group, he’s in the mix with all those guys. My personal preference for the number 2 at this weight would be Steinhaus, but there are some rumors circulating that he has a bit of an injury. I think Ethen winds up in the 2-4 range this year, especially if he is able to peak like he did last year.
Note: Iowa will have two very capable guys backing up the 174/184 range in Alex Meyer and Sammy Brooks. They’re both going to be very tough, but they’re behind two All Americans. What can ya do? I’m sure Coach Brands will use them at times to spell his starters and give them valuable mat time. Beyond an injury to Ethen or Evans, I don’t see either starting.
197
I’m perhaps irrationally high on Nathan Burak. He really impressed me last year. Though his record was never amazing, sometimes numbers don’t tell the whole story. I saw a big, strong kid who was technically skilled and D1 ready right away. He didn’t fit the common mold for an Iowa wrestler who almost always take a redshirt season first. Burak spent a year at the OTC the year before, and between that fact and the fact that the Hawkeyes had no other reasonable options, Burak was the guy. His ability to get to legs always impressed me, as I view that as one of the more difficult skills to obtain. Though his finishing typically left something to be desired (reminds me of Luke Lofthouse before he was an All American) he still made strides in this area as the year went on.
Early in the season there was lots of evidence to suggest Burak may not be ready. Losses to John Bolich, Tyler Lyster and Alex Collidge (if you don’t know who those guys are, don’t worry, me either) certainly did little to suggest he was ready to qualify for NCAA’s, much less contribute. His early signature win was over Campolattano at Carver Hawkeye. At the time, I viewed this as a huge upset, but as the years went on and we learned more about both guys, it is just another nice win. He went on to beat Mario Gonzalez, James Fox, Brandon Palik and Nathan Schiedel all of which are solid, rankable guys. His late season surge and round of 12 finish gave Hawkeye fans some hope for the future.
I like what Burak brings to the table. He works a lot from the Russian tie, but was able to diversify his arsenal as well. Despite not racking up many points he has moments where he’s very aggressive on his feet. He will fire off a high volume of leg attacks, which is not common for a lot of upper weights. He shoots a really nice inside reach single and high crotch. Finishing, as I mention was an issue. He could get in crazy deep, but seemed to let guys get their hips on him and escape the hold. I really expect a lot of this issue to get resolved. Fortunately for Burak, despite a low conversion rate, his leg attacks rarely were converted into scores for his opponents. With his large number of attacks, even if he’s never as proficient a finisher as Ramos or St. John, he will score lots of points just through persistence. Defensively, Burak has great hips and is tough to take down as he holds great stance which is pretty low for a guy his size. Additionally, he’s got great flexibility and scrambling instincts that he can use when guys get in deep. He’s got a great frame for a 197 with maybe a little more room to pack on some muscle, though I never thought he was outsized or out-muscled.
You might think that someone with a strong Freestyle background in their first year of college competition would struggle getting away from bottom. Honestly, he had very few struggles on the mat, and while he wasn’t much of a turner/pinner (just two on the year) , there is plenty of room for improvement if he puts the time in.
While I’m high on Burak, relatively speaking, 197 is going to be a tough weight for me to put my finger on. This weight has Meeks, Gadson, Schiller, Rosholt, Heflin, Rutt (at least I think this is where Rutt will be) and McIntosh. While the weight really drops off after that, that is 7 really tough guys. He has shown he can wrestle the elite guys tough (losing to Gadson and Rosholt by 1 and Schiller in SV), but I think close losses tend to get a bit over-rated. It will take some real improvement for him to get over the hump and beat guys in that first tier. I think he’s squarely the best of the rest at 197 as is, but those 7 will take some adjustments and improvements. I see him winding up on the podium, likely in the 6-8 range.
285
The Hawkeyes took a huge blow when Bobby Telford injured his knee and had to default out of NCAA’s. He had a nice draw and looked to be wrestling really well coming off a great Big 10’s where he wrestled Nelson extremely close in the semi’s and proceeded to dominate Mike McClure, Adam Chalfant and Connor Medbery. There’s little word on his current state of health and recovery from his knee injury, so a lot of this is going to be guess work.
Telford is long and tall, even by heavyweight standards. It is possible that his dimensions make attacking legs pretty tough for Bobby. That’s my explanation anyways. Regardless, the fact remains that he doesn’t fire off many leg attacks. He’s great defensively, yielding very few takedowns, and tough on top. Telford has a nice slide by that he likes to use from neutral as well as a high single leg. He scores a number of points from counter offense when guys take poor shots. He likes to punish on top working hammer lock, and even the occasional leg ride. While his top game hasn’t translated into turns against the better guys, he is still a threat in this area. Telford can get away by and large from bottom (save Tony Nelson when he does that ridiculous spiral ride that stymies nearly everyone).
As far as potential placement it is tough to say right now where he falls. While he’s shown he can make Nelson work, it remains to be seen that he can actually beat him. I’m on the side that he never will. The next tier I have McMullan and Gwiazdowski. I think he’s probably behind both of those guys as well. So I think Telford’s zenith may be at the 4 spot. Perhaps if he was 100% healthy this off season, I could leave the door open for a higher finish. As it is right now, I’m skeptical that he can do that.
Overview
This is a team with more questions than answers at this point. Can Clark make the weight and build off of last year and contend for a title? Can Burak, Moore and Dziewa jump levels and place? How healthy is Bobby Telford going to be? Can a team with a hole like they have at 149 actually contend for a title?
All that being said, they have two odds on favorites to win the title with Ramos and DSJ. Clark could be title number three potentially, but Clark will have his work cut out for him for that to become reality. I don’t see this team winning a title as it is currently constructed. They will need some guys to have some Dan Dennis/Phil Keddy like improvements. If Brands can pull that off, perhaps they are the team that can unseat Cael and the Nittany Lions. As it is right now, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen Iowa send out a wrestler who makes drastic improvements like we saw a few years ago when Iowa ripped out 3 in a row. This is not a knock on Coach Brands, who is a phenomenal developer of talent. It’s an observation that sometimes you find gems that can become elite, and sometimes guys are who they are. I see this team winding up in the two or three spot battling Minnesota for the runner-up position.
Thanks as always for reading. Be sure to tune in next week for my Oklahoma State preview!
Christian Pyles, College Analyst
Part 2 of our Team Preview series will feature the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa is coming off of a 4th place finish at NCAA’s. The standards for Iowa are unchanging regardless of the teams they face. Individual and team titles are the standard and an expectation for the team. The Hawkeyes had a pretty unfortunate run of health problems. McDonough, Ballweg, Evans and Telford one way or another had injuries adversely impact their NCAA production. Some of health is bad luck (Telford’s injury was exactly that), and some can be a by-product of training/other issues. Coach Brands will need to have his guys clicking and peaking if they want to get back on top and health will play a huge role in their ability to do just that.
The Hawkeyes will lose two starters from last year to graduation (Matt McDonough and Mark Ballweg). Iowa is fortunate that they should have fairly seamless transitions with the insertion of Cory Clark (or Gilman) and Josh Dziewa. Despite capable guys moving in, the Hawkeyes have a lot of questions to answer if they want to challenge for a title this year.
125
This weight has been hotly contested and discussed since the two hit campus last year. Thomas Gilman was regarded as the better, more coveted recruit coming out of high school. Since then Cory Clark has simply been the better guy from a results perspective. Clark initially caught people’s eye when he pushed McDonough to the brink in their wrestle off(after beating Gilman). Proving he was more than just a guy who could keep it close with McD, he went on to notch wins over National Champ Jesse Delgado(6-1), All American Jarrod Patterson (3-2), All American Trent Sprenkle(6-1). He also beat several other very tough wrestlers during his regular season campaign. An additional 2-0 win over Gilman, and wins over Sean Boyle and Dylan Peters capped off a phenomenal redshirt season. His defeats were to solid opponents as well: Jarrod Garnett and Christian Cullinan (in tiebreakers).
Cory primarily shoots a single and hi c. He is not always the most aesthetically pleasing finisher, but seems to still finish shots at a high percentage. He also has nice elbow control ducks and really solid go behinds from front head lock as you’d expect from most Hawkeyes. Clark does
fine on bottom and works bars on top almost exclusively. He’s got a great bar/half and can ride fairly well controlling wrists also.
There’s some talk that Cory may have outgrown 125, but just by an eyeball test, I don’t really see it that way. Looking at him at 60kg this spring he was not particularly filled out relative to the competition. It may not be the most comfortable cut, but Cory’s not a guy rife with options considering Ramos is at 33 and he’d be grossly undersized (in my opinion) at 141. Barring a crazy growth spurt, he’s the guy at 125.
All that being said, I think Gilman is quality enough competition to warrant a write up. Not many teams have Jr. World Team members on their bench, but that may well be the case for Iowa. He had a fine redshirt season beating a few solid starters such as Eddie Klimara, Dylan Peters, Evan Silver and Camden Eppert. His losses were only to Delgado, Kraisser and Patterson. All of which are quality opponents. If Cory Clark didn’t exist I could be very excited as a Hawkeye fan for Gilman coming in. I think he would have a great shot to place.
Unfortunately, as you compare the redshirt seasons, Clark has the better wins, two head to head victories and more acceptable losses. So it may be a year on the bench/spot duty for Gilman. Gilman is a very aggressive hand fighter, looking for snap downs and go behinds from neutral. He likes to use his snaps to get to a single leg as well. My biggest knock is his lack of consistent leg attacks against better opponents. He seems to be content at times to hang on the head and look for the guy to break position. Against the best guys, I just don’t see him being able to get the takedowns that Clark can. I’m sure improving this area is a real point of emphasis for the Iowa coaching staff, so I expect to see improvement in this area. Gilman is fine on the mat, but doesn’t have the elite top game that could make up for his lack of neutral attacks. I see him doing fine from underneath by and large as well. If Gilman get’s a go to leg attack it could cause me to rethink this assessment, but that type of skill doesn’t just appear overnight.
So this weight is Clark’s from where I’m sitting. He’s the guy with the better results in every measure. I think Clark has potential to be a top 4 guy with an outside shot at the title. Gilman I am fairly high on as well, but in defeat he was often blanked or really outmatched getting shut out by Clark and Patterson and losing by 8 and 5 points to Kraisser and Delgado respectively. Clark is ready to go and win right away. Gilman’s time will come.
133
The progression and excitement associated with Tony Ramos’ career has been extremely fun to watch. From the undersized Freshman who couldn’t get off the bottom, to one of the most physically daunting 133’s just a year or two later. He’ll never be a big guy for the weight but he proves every match how little that matters and how much mentality and training do matter. Ramos really turned a corner from between his Freshman and Sophomore year. Finishing in the round of 12 to a third place finish is a big jump, but when you look at the number of high quality guys he beat (including one Jordan Oliver) it makes the jump look even bigger. As a Senior the hunger and fire that makes Ramos great can only be growing. Ramos has steadily climbed the ladder of success in the 133 pound weight class, and I believe this year he reaches the top rung.
Ramos is an extremely complete wrestler, skilled in all three phases. He definitely has traditionally made his money from neutral. He’s extremely solid positionally, and one of the best hand fighters in D1 today. He is tactically very skilled at executing a given game plan. From match to match, you almost always see improvement the more times he wrestles a guy. He has a great inside reach single that his his go to shot throughout the years. He has since developed a nice double leg as well. In addition to those attacks, Ramos also is phenomenal with his re-attacks. Whether he’s in short offense, or just firing off a reshot, he is a major threat to score when guys attack his legs. Defensively he is tough to take down using great hip pressure when guys do get to his legs. He doesn’t initiate many scrambles, yet is comfortable in many scrambling positions if his opponent should initiate them.
Ramos is a guy who is constantly adding layers to his game. We have seen him go from someone who generally struggles to get off the bottom to a guy that even Logan Stieber at times struggled to ride. He has also developed a nice top game as well. He is an adept rider, able to get key ride outs or riding time, but he has also developed some nice turks as well for turning. Ramos is a phenomenal pinner, yet (much like Andrew Alton) a large number of his falls don’t come from traditional top, break them down, turn, then pin. He get’s a number of falls from his chin and arm series. His most famous pancake came in the PSU match where he threatened it a few times, and finally broke through and stuck Conaway. That proved to be a pivotal match in the dual and one Iowa fans won’t soon forget.
With Stieber out of the picture, Ramos looks to be the odds on favorite to win 133. His top challenge will come from Tyler Graff. Graff is also a great technician who can (for a time) stand and hand fight with the best. Ramos’ pace have often proved to be too much for Graff as Ramos has taken victories late in both matches from Graff. I think as Tony wrestles Graff more, he will widen the gap more. While there are tough newcomers to this weight, I don’t see any of them providing the challenge needed to beat a guy like Ramos.
141
The Pennsylvania native Dziewa looks to be in position to finally earn that starting spot for the Hawkeyes. He’s been a high-quality backup for the Hawkeyes the last two years behind Montel Marion and Mark Ballweg. With those guys gone, and a considerable lack of depth at this weight for Iowa, Dziewa looks to be the only guy for the job.
Last year Dziewa was given the shot at 149 (when injuries befell the Hawkeyes at 149) after wrestling the season at 141. He represented himself well, but was bested by Andrew Alton and Caleb Ervin in tight matches. If the Hawkeyes want to challenge for a title, Dziewa is a key cog that must produce at NCAA’s.
Stylistically, Dziewa differs from many of the current (and former) Hawkeye starters before him. Dziewa is extremely comfortable in scrambles, rolling across his back and using upper body attacks as well. From neutral he works a lot of ducks from elbow control or from space (super duck). He can shoot singles as well but seems less comfortable shooting leg attacks.
He has a tendency to give up his legs too much and relies too heavily on his scrambling ability where he does a great job of passing legs when given the opportunity. The problem is, when guys are in deep on doubles, you aren’t left with many scrambling options. He’ll need to develop better head/hands defense if he wants to keep elite guys from taking him down with regularity. Dziewa does have great body awareness and can put guys on their back from neutral with throws, trips or just out-hustling a guy. On top he is a solid leg rider who looks to use a half nelson primarily. He rides with good pressure with spiral as well and still has some good stuff from his roll through half.
The key for Dziewa will be to find the balance of being fundamentally sound without abandoning the scrambling and wide open style that makes him dangerous. Athletically he is quick and flexible with great level changes and fakes from space. Those threats and fakes are going to be all the more effective as he learns to fire off shots from those positions, which will warrant reactions from his opponents. At this point, his fakes don’t earn great reactions because he so rarely will take shots from there. As his attacks improve he could become a dangerous wrestler in all phases. Until that time, he will remain a big question mark with exclamation point potential.
I see Dziewa as probably a Round of 12 guy based on the film and results I’ve seen from him. I think he’s squarely behind Stieber, Port, Carter, Ugi, Henderson, Dardanes and Nevinger and will fall somewhere in the Durso, Lazor Small, Dutton, Thielke tier. Barring real improvement placement will be tough, but you just can’t count out someone like Dziewa between his training situation and natural abilities.
149
Not much time can be spent on this weight, because frankly there is little to say at this point. The Hawkeyes once again find themselves lacking at this weight as the search for a capable Metcalf replacement enters its fourth year. It’s not for lack of trying on the Hawkeyes part as they have brought in a number of blue chip recruits for this weight. However, between Anthony Baldosaro, Jake Ballweg and Nate Skonieczny none stayed with the program long enough to help the Hawkeyes The long list of injuries to Dylan Carew derailed a once promising career as well. Maybe this is just poor recruiting of guys with the right makeup to remain with the program, but I attribute it to just poor luck. The Hawkeyes look to have an heir apparent for next year after Brandon Sorensen takes a redshirt. Even still, he looks to be a work in progress.
For this year the Hawkeyes will look probably to either Brody Grothus or Michael Kelly. Kelly is currently listed as a 157/165 on the roster, so it’s possible his days at 149 (which was always a brutal pull for him) are over. Kelly would be the better option between he and Grothus, but it doesn’t look realistic for Kelly to make it back down. Grothus faced a lot of elite competition last year but had no success against any of them. If you take out the Roger Denker Open(where he faced a combination of either teammates or non D1 competition) Grothus was 2-7 last year with the lone win being over Engle of Cornell (college…) as well as a win over Steven Sandefer of Cumberland.
Grothus is not a solution for the Hawkeyes based on what I’ve seen. I don’t see a solution coming this year. This is going to be a big time hole for the Hawkeyes barring a Daniel Dennis/Phil Keddy like turnaround. So far there’s little evidence to suggest that that is a possibility. I don’t see this weight qualifying for NCAA’s and if it does, production will be minimal.
157
The lone Hawkeye champ comes back for his Senior season. Derek St. John, like Ramos has had the logical progression from year to year placing 4th, 2nd and 1st. This weight returns a lot of talent that will make going back to back a real undertaking. In my mind, DSJ was the best guy all last year, and despite his Big 10 slip up and the loss to Kyle Bradley, I still felt that he was the guy to beat. Coming into this year, I still believe he’s the guy to beat and expect him to come away with another title. This will cap off a fantastic and perhaps underappreciated career (4,2,1,1). The top challenging 157’s in my mind (in no particular order) are Dieringer, Alton and Green. These are the only guys that I view as legitimate threats to win the title apart from St. John. DSJ is a combined 8-1 against those three with the lone loss coming to James Green. You look at that number and it tells you a few things. 1.) DSJ is fairly consistent even against elite competition. 2.) He is very comfortable in close matches. I think his ability to grind out tight matches consistently is one of his best skills. He doesn’t panic if he gives up a takedown and force his offense, he finds a way to claw back and win comfortably. DSJ comes off as a very even keeled wrestler who doesn’t let the high’s and low’s of a match impact his demeanor.
Stylistically DSJ is excellent on his feet, though not particularly dynamic. He does two things very well 1) He has a terrific sweep single that he finishes with extreme consistency. 2) He is a fantastic scrambler. He made a living beating Jason Welch at his own game match after match. He can take a bad situation where a guy could get in deep and make it advantageous and wind up with his own two points. He uses his length well and has great body awareness.
On the mat he is fine, but not spectacular. He is rarely ridden and does not struggle to get away. On top he can ride tough, but it is rare to see him get a turn against a tougher wrestler. He is great at getting riding time though with his deep waist and wrist ride. It seems like he is content to just ride guys, and that’s what he does. It works for him.
I don’t see St. John as someone who will add more layers to his game, rather, I think he will improve in the areas where he’s already elite. For that reason I think his season will be similar to last year’s. It probably will be tough for him to go undefeated if he continues to let tough guys have close matches with him. If he does that he may have a loss or two going into NCAA’s. He will still be the guy I put my money on going into NCAA’s where the only guys he’s lost to in a collective 3 years are David Taylor, Steve Fittery and Kyle Dake.
165
Nick Moore looks to be the guy to beat at 165 for the Hawkeyes this season. I don’t see him being challenged by anybody new coming into this year. He had a pretty solid season last year. His start was pretty rough, dropping early matches to Corey Lear and Mark Lewandowski. Both tough guys, but guys you’d expect a blue chip Hawkeye to beat. His seasons high point was his major decision victory over Cody Yohn. He was actually 3-1 against Yohn, but lost the last match in the Big 10’s. He also beat Mike Moreno (All American) early in the year, yet dropped the far more important NCAA match in round 1. So you can see a big key for Moore is going to be consistency. Guys he beats, he should beat consistently. Until he does that, there will always be some nervousness about Moore going into any match.
Nick is a pretty basic, fundamental wrestler. He likes to counter a lot from his feet and has some tough defense and good scrambling ability. That being said, his leg attacks are a bit lacking. He has a nice high-crotch that he can shoot and finish effectively when he uses it (lots of times as a re-shot). At times he simply struggles to give himself enough opportunities to score. He is solid on the mat, using turks to earn nearfall and generally can get out on bottom.
Moore and Iowa could be the beneficiary of a pretty weak weight class. After Taylor and Caldwell (who Moore wrestled to a 3-2 match) this weight is fairly marginal. Monk, Moreno, Sulzer Massa are probably the next ranked guys with Josh Veltre probably the only other guy that would be ranked ahead of Moore to start the year. So to start the year he’s probably the number 8 guy, but given the wrestlers ahead of him it is conceivable he could finish in the 5-8 range. If he continues to progress and gets more consistent overall, I think he could have a nice season and wind up on the podium. I’m picking a low AA finish right now.
174
The ‘stache is back. Mike Evans has been a lightning rod for discussion. Between his candid interviews, his 70’s you-know-what stache and his Carver Hawkeye heroics, he’s given people lots of reasons to talk about him. He faltered at the end of the year, losing to a few guys he had beaten earlier in the year. I always felt he was just a bit lacking on his feet and that set him just a bit behind some of 174’s elite ultimately. He’s wrestled Storley to a few tough matches, he’s beaten Brown, Kokesh, Walters and Heflin. Yet at NCAA’s he fell to Kokesh whom he previously didn’t just beat but dominated, and was pinned by Heflin who he had previously beaten in a tight match. Between those facts and the mummy wrap on his leg at NCAA’s last year it is pretty easy to deduce that Evans wasn’t clicking on all cylinders at NCAA’s. His health, consistency and a few technical tweaks will help him to earn a higher placement next year. It must be noted that 174 is going to be a bear this season as well. Adding Andrew Howe to a mix that only loses Nick Heflin and Jordan Blanton (whom Evans owned) is going to make a high finish a considerable challenge.
I have been critical of certain aspects of Evans game. While he’s improved from his Freshman season, he still has some areas that prevent him from reaching the next echelon. From neutral he lacks quality set ups. This leads to poor shots from space where he can get extended. He has a decent low single that he’s developed, but he hasn’t shown he can use it against the better guys on a consistent basis. He’s shown he has a nice straight single leg as well and he used this takedown against Storley (the only takedown he’s earned against Storley, in fact) but I didn’t see it much since then. His neutral defense is excellent. It’s what keeps him in a lot of matches as he is extremely tough to takedown and can occasionally turn his opponents shot into his own score (remember the PSU Iowa dual against Brown?). He’s solid at hand fighting and likes to control the mat. However, his forward pressure and pushing has been used against him frequently as guys use that pressure for their own attacks (slide by’s, as well as leg attacks). If he can learn to properly manage his pressure and convert more attacks he will score more offensively and give up fewer takedowns.
Evans was known for his punishing leg riding in high school. He loved to ride double legs and turn with a power half. He has other turns too including some nice tilts. That being said, I don’t view him as an elite top wrestler. In fact, in certain situations his aggressive top wrestling gets him reversed. This is less of a problem if he can get away immediately as it serves basically as an escape. A few times last year he gave up a crucial reversal, and struggled to get away. So between his inability to ride/turn tougher guys, and the frequency in which he gets reversed it is possible that top wrestling is doing him more harm than good. He will need to make some adjustments to be able to use his top game as a consistent weapon.
While the weak 165 helped the Hawkeyes, the brutal 174 will prove to be a tough hand for Mike Evans and the Hawkeyes to deal with. Regarding placement this season, I think Evans sits squarely behind Howe, Perry, Storley and Brown. I think he will be the next man in just ahead of Robert Kokesh. Barring some real adjustments I think we see him as the 4th/5th best guy this year. I’m leaning towards 5th.
184
Ethen Lofthouse comes in for his final hurrah for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Utah native has earned two All American finishes to date, one at 174 and one at 184. I was skeptical as to how he would do up a weight given his short stature. While the transition wasn’t without some serious setbacks (losses to Rizqallah, Larson and Chionuma as well as briefly losing his spot to Gambrall come to mind). He really hit his stride at the end of the year. He hit the toughest competition the last 10 matches and only lost to Ruth, Bosak and Ben Bennett. Meanwhile he earned victories over Ihnen, Dallago, Steinhaus, Beard, Sheptock and Larson. If he uses the momentum from this last season and begins next year at an already high level, he could improve on his finish from last year.
There’s not too much to say technically about Lofthouse. He’s extremely fundamental in all positions. He hits basic leg attacks effectively with very efficient finishes. He has developed strong re-attacks as well to complement his tough front headlock and short offense game. On the mat there is little to say. He by and large gets away on bottom, doesn’t ride the better guys and struggles to even turn lesser competition. He’s a solid guy, but never one to light up the scoreboard.
With the exodus of some elite talent from this weight from a year ago (Hamlin, Bosak, Bennett) Ethen sets up well for a nice finish. It is conceivable that he could make the finals considering the returners include Ruth, Steinhaus, Sheptock and Loder. Ruth is obviously in his own galaxy as far as this weight is concerned, but in that 2nd group, he’s in the mix with all those guys. My personal preference for the number 2 at this weight would be Steinhaus, but there are some rumors circulating that he has a bit of an injury. I think Ethen winds up in the 2-4 range this year, especially if he is able to peak like he did last year.
Note: Iowa will have two very capable guys backing up the 174/184 range in Alex Meyer and Sammy Brooks. They’re both going to be very tough, but they’re behind two All Americans. What can ya do? I’m sure Coach Brands will use them at times to spell his starters and give them valuable mat time. Beyond an injury to Ethen or Evans, I don’t see either starting.
197
I’m perhaps irrationally high on Nathan Burak. He really impressed me last year. Though his record was never amazing, sometimes numbers don’t tell the whole story. I saw a big, strong kid who was technically skilled and D1 ready right away. He didn’t fit the common mold for an Iowa wrestler who almost always take a redshirt season first. Burak spent a year at the OTC the year before, and between that fact and the fact that the Hawkeyes had no other reasonable options, Burak was the guy. His ability to get to legs always impressed me, as I view that as one of the more difficult skills to obtain. Though his finishing typically left something to be desired (reminds me of Luke Lofthouse before he was an All American) he still made strides in this area as the year went on.
Early in the season there was lots of evidence to suggest Burak may not be ready. Losses to John Bolich, Tyler Lyster and Alex Collidge (if you don’t know who those guys are, don’t worry, me either) certainly did little to suggest he was ready to qualify for NCAA’s, much less contribute. His early signature win was over Campolattano at Carver Hawkeye. At the time, I viewed this as a huge upset, but as the years went on and we learned more about both guys, it is just another nice win. He went on to beat Mario Gonzalez, James Fox, Brandon Palik and Nathan Schiedel all of which are solid, rankable guys. His late season surge and round of 12 finish gave Hawkeye fans some hope for the future.
I like what Burak brings to the table. He works a lot from the Russian tie, but was able to diversify his arsenal as well. Despite not racking up many points he has moments where he’s very aggressive on his feet. He will fire off a high volume of leg attacks, which is not common for a lot of upper weights. He shoots a really nice inside reach single and high crotch. Finishing, as I mention was an issue. He could get in crazy deep, but seemed to let guys get their hips on him and escape the hold. I really expect a lot of this issue to get resolved. Fortunately for Burak, despite a low conversion rate, his leg attacks rarely were converted into scores for his opponents. With his large number of attacks, even if he’s never as proficient a finisher as Ramos or St. John, he will score lots of points just through persistence. Defensively, Burak has great hips and is tough to take down as he holds great stance which is pretty low for a guy his size. Additionally, he’s got great flexibility and scrambling instincts that he can use when guys get in deep. He’s got a great frame for a 197 with maybe a little more room to pack on some muscle, though I never thought he was outsized or out-muscled.
You might think that someone with a strong Freestyle background in their first year of college competition would struggle getting away from bottom. Honestly, he had very few struggles on the mat, and while he wasn’t much of a turner/pinner (just two on the year) , there is plenty of room for improvement if he puts the time in.
While I’m high on Burak, relatively speaking, 197 is going to be a tough weight for me to put my finger on. This weight has Meeks, Gadson, Schiller, Rosholt, Heflin, Rutt (at least I think this is where Rutt will be) and McIntosh. While the weight really drops off after that, that is 7 really tough guys. He has shown he can wrestle the elite guys tough (losing to Gadson and Rosholt by 1 and Schiller in SV), but I think close losses tend to get a bit over-rated. It will take some real improvement for him to get over the hump and beat guys in that first tier. I think he’s squarely the best of the rest at 197 as is, but those 7 will take some adjustments and improvements. I see him winding up on the podium, likely in the 6-8 range.
285
The Hawkeyes took a huge blow when Bobby Telford injured his knee and had to default out of NCAA’s. He had a nice draw and looked to be wrestling really well coming off a great Big 10’s where he wrestled Nelson extremely close in the semi’s and proceeded to dominate Mike McClure, Adam Chalfant and Connor Medbery. There’s little word on his current state of health and recovery from his knee injury, so a lot of this is going to be guess work.
Telford is long and tall, even by heavyweight standards. It is possible that his dimensions make attacking legs pretty tough for Bobby. That’s my explanation anyways. Regardless, the fact remains that he doesn’t fire off many leg attacks. He’s great defensively, yielding very few takedowns, and tough on top. Telford has a nice slide by that he likes to use from neutral as well as a high single leg. He scores a number of points from counter offense when guys take poor shots. He likes to punish on top working hammer lock, and even the occasional leg ride. While his top game hasn’t translated into turns against the better guys, he is still a threat in this area. Telford can get away by and large from bottom (save Tony Nelson when he does that ridiculous spiral ride that stymies nearly everyone).
As far as potential placement it is tough to say right now where he falls. While he’s shown he can make Nelson work, it remains to be seen that he can actually beat him. I’m on the side that he never will. The next tier I have McMullan and Gwiazdowski. I think he’s probably behind both of those guys as well. So I think Telford’s zenith may be at the 4 spot. Perhaps if he was 100% healthy this off season, I could leave the door open for a higher finish. As it is right now, I’m skeptical that he can do that.
Overview
This is a team with more questions than answers at this point. Can Clark make the weight and build off of last year and contend for a title? Can Burak, Moore and Dziewa jump levels and place? How healthy is Bobby Telford going to be? Can a team with a hole like they have at 149 actually contend for a title?
All that being said, they have two odds on favorites to win the title with Ramos and DSJ. Clark could be title number three potentially, but Clark will have his work cut out for him for that to become reality. I don’t see this team winning a title as it is currently constructed. They will need some guys to have some Dan Dennis/Phil Keddy like improvements. If Brands can pull that off, perhaps they are the team that can unseat Cael and the Nittany Lions. As it is right now, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen Iowa send out a wrestler who makes drastic improvements like we saw a few years ago when Iowa ripped out 3 in a row. This is not a knock on Coach Brands, who is a phenomenal developer of talent. It’s an observation that sometimes you find gems that can become elite, and sometimes guys are who they are. I see this team winding up in the two or three spot battling Minnesota for the runner-up position.
Thanks as always for reading. Be sure to tune in next week for my Oklahoma State preview!