Ian McCutcheon Contributed to this article. Flowrestling did the poll.
We took a poll of Division I coaches as well as members of the wrestling media to determine who the top ten coaches in the country are. Though not necessarily an order of the most successful, these are the coaches that do the best jobs with their programs. No surprise, most of the top programs in the country are represented here. There also was a poll taken to determine what coaches will need to see improvement in the next few years, or they may be feeling the heat, because of tradition, funding, or recruiting base. Below are the results of the poll, with small assessments of each selection.
Top Ten Coaches in the Country
1. Tom Borrelli, Central Michigan (MAC Conference) Athletic Director Dave Heeke: Nobody in the country does more with less. Borrelli tops this list because he has built a national powerhouse out the Central Michigan Chippewas in his 17 year reign. A year ago, he led the Chippewas to a 7th place finish at the NCAA Tournament, which is astonishing considering that he operates with a fraction of the budget of the Big Ten and Big 12 schools he consistently beats. He is 188-85-6 in his career at Central Michigan, and has won nine MAC Championships. But his most impressive accomplishments are beyond the MAC. Every year there are a host of Chippewas contending for medals and championships, which is really the hallmark of any top program. No other school in such a small conference has mirrored Central Michigan's success. He has been able to draw top talent to Central Michigan despite the MAC as a whole being hampered by the old qualifying system. With qualifiers opening up, even more wrestlers may be drawn to Mount Pleasant. This is a scary proposition, seeing last year CMU had the nation's top ranked recruiting class. The one piece missing from Borrelli's impressive resume is a NCAA Team Title, but that could be a very real possibility in the near future.
Some things to look out for in 2009: His right hand man and first NCAA Champion Casey Cunningham was lured away by Iowa State. Mark Disalvo, a 2x All American (and a classic Central Michigan overachiever) has filled in nicely but who will train the Central Michigan upper weights? Wynn Mikahlik, NCAA Runner-up, and the Sinnott twins are going to have to try and fill the shoes of Casey Cunningham. This year's version of the Chippewas will be a little wet behind the ears, but they sky is the limit for this young team in the coming years. 2. Tom Brands, Iowa (Big Ten) Athletic Director Gary Barta: Its hard to argue with winning. Tom Brands restored the marquee program in college wrestling to prominence by winning the NCAA tournament with Iowa in just his second year as their head coach. It is hard to imagine how things could get any better, but he just might make it happen. Brands brought in a ridiculously talented staff this year with over half the Freestyle Olympians now residing in Iowa City. It is going to be hard to knock off Iowa this year no matter what the polls say. Wrestling is king in Iowa and Tom Brands is making the best of all the tools he has at his disposal. And at Iowa you certainly have tools. Unlike any almost any other program in the county, Iowa is the golden child of the athletic department, as well as the marquee athletic team in the talent rich state. But with that comes a serious pressure to win, as seen by Jim Zalesky being replaced after finishing 4th at NCAA's. Some coaches would struggling to handle those sometimes unrealistic expectations. But Brands is not most coaches. Widely regarded as the most intense man in a sport full of intensity, Brands' greatest strength is the faith his wrestlers have in him. The sign of a great leader is people's willingness to follow, and six kids were willing to give up a year of their college eligibility because they felt Tom Brands was the guy who was going to make them accomplish their goals. Few higher compliments can be paid to a coach. That certainly was a legal and public relations mess, but it solidified his place as a guy kids want to wrestle for. But it's not just the "Iowa Style" kids that Brands has made successful. One of this best moments as a coach had to be Mark Perry's first NCAA title. Perry was hardly a physical, in your face wrestler, and he and Brands butted heads on more than one occasion. But Brands was able to get Perry over the hump, snap an eight match losing streak to Johny Hendricks (who is the type of guy I'm sure Brands dreams of coaching) and won his first NCAA title, as well as the first title for one of Brands' pupils.
Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Loaded. They could All American at eight weight classes, and they have six wrestlers legitimately competing for a national title. Iowa is the odds-on favorite. 3. Brian Smith, Missouri (Big 12) Athletic Director Mike Alden: Upon graduating from Michigan State, Brian Smith entered the coaching ranks by putting Western High School in Fort Lauderdale Florida on the state map. He slowly moved up the coaching ladder, stopping at Cornell and Syracuse before taking the Missouri job in 1998. Mizzou at the time was perennially in the cellar of the Big 12 and rarely considered for the top 25. Since that time Brian Smith has made the Tigers contenders for a national title. During the 2006-07 season they became the 11th program in the history of college wrestling to hold a #1 ranking, completing an astonishing rebuilding job. They finished 3rd in 2007 and are currently ranked 4th for the 2008-9 season. Furthermore they are consistenly in the top ten in attendance, a sign of the change in culture in Columbia. Missouri high school wrestling has also entered the national radar with such a strong college program in the state. The Columbia community is actively involved in the push to bring home a national title. So far, Brian Smith's coaching highlight was when his team stormed the stage in 2007 with two of the top individual awards at the tournament given to Ben Askren (Outstanding Wrestler award) and Matt Pell (most Pins in the least amount of time). From Big 12 doormat, to National Championship threat, Smith's epic rebuilding job solidifies his spot. Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Currently ranked fourth, Mizzou has outstanding upper weights. Can they punch through to the next level and produce multiple NCAA Champions. They have plenty of oppurtunity with Raymond Jordan dropping to 174 and Nick Marable holding the preseason top ranking at 165. Also look out for Georgia native Dorian Henderson at 184 lbs. Showing outside promise is Max Askren who wrestled at the Olympic Trials and Mark Ellis at HWT. They are one of the teams that has visions of knocking off Iowa. 4. Tim Flynn, Edinboro (EIWA) Athletic Director Bruce Baumgartner: Tim Flynn is proof that it's not how much you have but what you do with what you have. Flynn has produced 20 All Americans and National Champions Josh Koscheck and Gregor Gillespie in his decade long run at Edinboro. What makes this impressive is that Edinboro is a 7,000 person school in the remote northwest corner of Pennsylvania where wrestling is the only sport that competes at the Division I level. Part of the success is due to a strong tradition and support from his athletic director, former Olympian Bruce Baumgartner, but any coach that can keep Edinboro on the national radar year in and year out is worth his salt. Flynn has less than every coach on this list in terms of budget and state of the art facilities, but keeps attracting and developing top talent. His Fighting Scots have dominated the EWL, finished as high as 8th at the NCAA Tournament, and have done it all without the glitz and glamor of programs like Iowa and Oklahoma State.
Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Edinboro made headlines this summer by accepting the transfers of mega-talent Garrett Scott and former NCAA Champion Paul Donahoe, who each were dismissed from their previous schools. Donahoe will wrestle during the 2nd semester, and joins a lineup with former NCAA Champ and human highlight film Gregor Gillespie, as well as potential All Americans Jarrod King and Chris Honeycutt. Look for another EWL championship and a high finish at NCAA's for the Fighting Scots. 5. J Robinson, Minnesota (Big 10) Athletic Director Joel Maturi: J Robinson built Minnesota from the ground up. He left Iowa over an ugly dispute over camp funds and set out to make his mark at a new program. He left coaching altogether, before resurfacing in the Big Ten at Minnesota. He took the team that was an afterthought and made it a perennial powerhouse squad. In his 17 years at Minnesota he is 318-103-3, and has coached 11 wrestlers to National Titles. His team has also won three national titles and holds more trophies at the University of Minnesota than any other program. In 2001 after several heartbreak finishes at the NCAA championship J Robinson won the Tournament without a single NCAA Champion but an unheard of 10 All Americans. In 2002 the Gophers successfully defended their title. He also added a National Title in 2007. J Robinson is nothing less than an iconic figure in wrestling and to some extent, in the Twin Cities metro area. However, his real legacy and influence may be made with his intensive camp system he pioneered. His camp blueprint has created one of the major systems of funding for college wrestling, and its alumns include a host of All Americans and National Champions. He also is one of the great ambassadors of the sport, and his contributions extend far beyond competition. Few market wrestling quite like J Robinson. He started the Border Brawl event between Iowa and Minnesota that became the biggest dual in the sport. He has done everything under the sun to promote his program and wrestling at University of Minnesota, particularly with his outside the box and controversial thinking. Besides his team making headlines he will often make the news in the Minneapolis area with his outspoken opinions. J Robinson holds more titles than anyone else on this list except for John Smith. He is not invincible, as his Gophers underachieved last season, where they were predicted to run away with a National Championship, but Robinson's squad is looking to turn the page and return to glory this year. Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Marty Morgan, J Robinson's right hand man left the staff to coach one of Minnesota's all time best wrestlers Brock Lesnar in MMA. How will the Gophers staff and team respond? The Gophers shouldn't be in title competition right now but they have an extremely young and talented team. They had arguably one the best recruiting classes in the nation last year, even after losing Jake Deitchler to the Olympic Training Center. And while a team title may be a stretch, they have plenty of wrestlers capable of winning it all. Jayson Ness was the odds-on favorite at 125, leading the nation in falls and finishing as Big Ten and NCAA runner up. He moves up to 133 looking to make one more step up the podium. They also return former NCAA Champ Dustin Schlatter, who is also bumping up a weight class in search of another title. Another guy to keep your eye on is red-shirt freshman Zach Sanders. Sanders is the most decorated wrestler in Minnesota state history, and should make an immediate impact in the lineup. 6. John Smith, Oklahoma State (Big 12) Athletic Director Mike Holder: Not many people have five NCAA titles to their coaching names. Then again, not many people are John Smith. Smith is possibly the most decorated wrestler in American history, and has only expanded his legend in the coaching realm. Smith took over a program decimated by NCAA sanctions at the tender age of 28. He won an NCAA title in just his second season, but then Cowboys endured a ten year drought, watching Iowa and Minnesota pass them on the national scene. However, Smith brought the Cowboys back to glory in 2003 with an NCAA title as a mature and seasoned head coach. This was the beginning of a Cowboy four-peat, highlighted by one of the greatest teams in history. The 2005 installment of the Cowboys crowned five NCAA champions, the most in history. They also set an NCAA record for points scored and margin of victory. All in all, Smith has crowned 23 National Champions, and no doubt has many more on the way. Few coaches have the international experience or the ability to surround themselves with championship caliber assistants like Smith. Any wrestler would be crazy not to want to pick his brain.
Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Obe Blanc, Jamal Parks, Clayton Foster, Brandon Mason and Jared Rosholt are wrestlers to watch for the Cowboys. Blanc is a former All American who transfers to Stillwater from Lock Haven after an Olympic red-shirt year. Parks is a high school national champ that is fast, entertaining to watch, and in a wide open weight class. Clayton Foster just took 3rd in the Junior Worlds this summer, which some consider the second toughest tournament in the world. Brandon Mason moves down to 165, is vicious on top, and has already been on the podium. And Jared Rosholt is ranked #1 in the preseason ranking at heavyweight.
7. Rob Koll, Cornell (Ivy League) Athletic Director Andrew Noel Jr: Rob Koll has taken the Cornell program to a point where it is a top contender for an NCAA Championship. And unlike any other coach on this list, he has done it without the aid of scholarships or red-shirt years, both not allowed by the Ivy League. He also has to deal with the rigid academic standards that come with the Ivy League. But despite these challenges, Koll has built a national power, unseating Lehigh as the dominant force in the EIWA and has put together a team with a realistic shot at a National Title. He has not only built up the team he has built up the facilities. Through his savy business skills Rob Koll has found a way to build a standalone wrestling facility for his team that ranks as one of the best in the nation. This will only help him draw blue-chippers to Ithaca. Facility improvements, a top notch education, and the ability to compete for a winner are the selling points Koll has used to attract some of the nation's best recruiting classes. He has bucked the common knowledge that great schools can't also have great wrestling, especially if they don't even have scholarships to give.
Some things to Look Out For in 2009: Cornell is in the hunt!!! The last NCAA Championship that Cornell won in any sport was in 1977 with a title in Mens Lacrosse, but the Big Red have as good a chance as anybody this season. They have six former All Americans in their lineup, welcoming back National Champion Jordan Leen, Mack Lewnes, Steve Anceravage, and Mike Grey, and former All Americans returning from injury Troy Nickerson and Josh Arnone. 8. Cael Sanderson, Iowa State (Big 12) Athletic Director Jamie Pollard: When the Ohio State job opened up two years back, it set the wrestling coaching carousal in motion. Cael Sanderson's name was rumored to be at the top of the Buckeyes short list. Afraid to repeat their mistake from decades ago when Iowa State let legend Dan Gable flee to Iowa, the Cyclones acted quickly, announcing that Bobby Douglas had resigned at that they were hiring Sanderson effective immediately. Everybody in wrestling knows of Sanderson's accomplishments. Just like John Smith, he took over his alma mater at the age of 28. In his first season, Sanderson was named National Coach of the Year, and the Cyclones were national runners up. He also coached his first of what will be many national champions, with Trent Paulson claiming the title at 157 pounds. Sanderson has the ability to put together stellar recruiting classes, as few high school wrestlers are able to say no to possibly the greatest collegiate wrestler in American history. Iowa State has become a haven for upper weights, as the chance to roll around with Cael is one almost every wrestler dreams of.
Some things to Look Out for in 2009: Some polls have the Cyclones ranked first, ahead of defending champ and archrival Iowa. This is based on their incredible tournament strength, with potential National Champions Nick Fanthorpe, Nick Gallick, Cyler Sanderson, Jon Reader, Jake Varner, and David Zabriskie in the lineup. They also match up well with the Hawkeyes in a dual setting. Hopes are justifiably high in Ames this season. 9. Tom Ryan, Ohio State (Big 10) Athletic Director Gene Smith: For years, Ohio State was seen as a sleeping giant in college wrestling. With all of the high school talent dripping out of Ohio, it was just a matter of time before the Buckeyes were one of the best teams in the country. In any college sport, they key to success first and foremost is winning your turf. This was Ohio State's problem, as top programs across the country came and plucked top talent right out of Ohio. Not so anymore. Tom Ryan established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the country by turning Hofstra into one of the best teams in the country, building a program at a school with no tradition, little support, and a conference with few qualifiers. His success at Hofstra drew the Buckeyes attention, and his hire has paid off nicely. The Buckeyes finished second in the country last season and crowned two national champions, including Mike Pucillio, who followed Ryan from Hofstra. Almost more importantly, Ryan has started his domiance in Ohio recruting, signing Tony Jameson and Sean Nemac, as well as securing commitments from prep studs Colin Palmer and Logan Steiber. If Ryan consistently wins Ohio, there is no reason he won't also win a National Championship.
Some things to Look Out for in 2009: With National Champions J Jaggers and Pucillio back, the Buckeyes feel like they can knock off Iowa for a National Title. They'll need to replace National Runner up J.D. Bergman, but with Lance Palmer back at 149, Nikko Triggas and Reece Humphrey ready to make the leap from good to great, and high impact transfers Dave Rella and Cody Gardner making their debut, the Buckeyes will be right back in the thick of things. 10. Pat Santoro, Lehigh (EIWA) Athletic Director Joe Sterrett: Lehigh has entrusted former assistant Pat Santoro to return their program to glory after a rough 2007-08 season. Santoro's rebuilding job seems to be ahead of schedule after the season's opening weekend where he defeated his former team, the 17th ranked Maryland Terripans. Santoro had previously been the coach at Maryland for five seasons, overseeing one of the best turnarounds in any NCAA sport. Maryland was a doormat in the ACC, operated with virtually no scholarships, and the program was at a crossroads. Rather than drop the program, Maryland hired Santoro away from Lehigh and started the Fear the Turtle program, which led to the full funding of all their men's sports. Blessed with the full compliment of scholarships, Santoro built a program on the verge of being a national power. Last year, the Terps finished 17th at NCAA's, and Hudson Taylor was the first Terp All American in over a decade. Both of these accomplishments seemed unheard of when Santoro took the job. Lehigh hired him away from Maryland in part because he has led to Lehigh's decline. Maryland's current roster looks like a Lehigh roster during their glory run in the early 2000s. He has stolen kids away from Pennsylvania, specifically the Lehigh Valley, and Blair Academy, and those important pipelines have been a key to Maryland's resurgence. If he can bring those ties with him to Lehigh, watch out.
Some things to Look Out for in 2009: Lehigh's squad already looks improved after one dual. Four wrestlers made their debut, with John McDonald and Zach Rey winning. The key for Lehigh's tournament strength will be the performance of David Craig, the stud in their lineup. Craig was the nation's top recruit and made the Round of 12 as a true freshman. But his sophomore campaign was a bumpy one, and he spent the second semester on the bench due to academic issues. If everything is back in order, Craig should contend to All American, and be the first step in Santoro's rebuilding project at Lehigh.
Ten Coaches Who Need to Win
1. Tom Minkel (Michigan State): Once upon a time, Michigan State was one of the flagship programs of the Big Ten. They are one of only seven different schools to win a National Championship since 1960. But last season, the Spartans qualified just one wrestler for the NCAA Tournament. Seeing that the Big Ten received over 70 qualifiers, this number is particularly damning. Michigan and Central Michigan have consistently been beating them to top level in-state kids, and although Michigan State has had stars in the past few years, they have struggled to develop a deep lineup. This has the natives restless. Tom Minkel needs a breakout year in a big way. His contract is winding down and there certainly are candidates eyeing this potential opening.
2. Thom Ortiz (Arizona State): Like Michigan State, Arizona State is one of the seven schools to win a title since 1960. Also like Michigan State, they no longer are a perennial top five team. However, unlike the Spartans, the consequences have been dire in Tempe. The Sun Devils, once the premier program in the Pac-10, barely survived their athletic department's chopping block after last season. A few powerful alumni donated a boatload of money, and will expect a return on their investment. Therefore, Arizona State's struggles at the NCAA Tournament need to end soon. Anthony Robles will certainly be an impact wrestler this season, but more are necessary to restore this team to prominance.
3. Carl Adams (Boston University): There are number of disadvantages that Carl Adams has at Boston University. The first is that Massachusetts hardly provides him with a fertile recruiting base. Second, he is the third fiddle of winter sports at BU, where hockey is the undisputed king, and basketball is among the top programs in the American East. But he does have an advantage that many coaches across the county, including some in much bigger conferences do not: a full compliment of scholarships. In a day in age where so few schools have the allotted 9.9, BU needs to be able to produce more than one All American every 20 years. Mike Roberts certainly had a good year last season, and Hunter Meys was a big recruit, but these need to be the exception, not the rule, if BU wants to be a more national player, and if the balance of power will start to swing from the midwest to the east.
4. C.D. Mock (North Carolina): C.D. Mock certainly has recruited well, but does not have the expected national accomplishments to show for it in his tenure at North Carolina. He has had success in the ACC, winning a pair of conference titles, but has not been able to translate it into significant national success, with only Evan Sola attaining All American status under Mock. He has recruited Pennsylvania especially well, but the slew of highly touted wrestlers from the Keystone State have underachieved. Some in the Tar Heel camp fear that Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina State have passed UNC in the race for the ACC. In an ever improving conference, it's important that Mock and the Tar Heels keep up.
5. Rocky Bonomo (Lock Haven): Years ago, it was Lock Haven that was the dominant small program in Pennsylvania. Like Edinboro, Lock Haven is a small Division II school competing at the Division I level in wrestling. They too have a strong tradition of nationally competitive teams, with studs like Cary Kolat and Jamarr Billman both wrestling here. The expectation of many in Pennsylvania is that they should still be strong. However, Pennsylvania talent has increasingly gone to Penn State, Lehigh, and Edinboro when they stay in state. There also has been a huge flock of talent leaving the state, particularly to go to the ACC. This is partly responsible for that conference's resurgence, but also for the regression of schools like Lock Haven, East Stroudsburg, and Clarion. If Bonomo is going to turn the program around, he is going to need to start keeping some of these kids in state.
6. Jack Spates (Oklahoma): You might wonder what a guy who has had more top five finishes than 90% of the coaches on this list is doing on the hot seat. But a 39th place finish at last years nationals will put the heat on for any Oklahoma sport. Part of Jack Spates ailments may be contributed to Oklahoma's high school wrestling settling into the second tier nationally. Clearly, there is work to do here. They've started by revamping the coaching staff, the backbone of any successful program, as well as their facilities. Jack Spates has recently raised the money and built a state of the art facility that has upped the ante on the the spending war between programs. Furthermore Jack Spates brought in Michael Lightner, former 4x All American and NCAA Champ, plus they have renovated their wrestling room, which gives them an advantage both functionally as well as the "wow" factor for recruits. But with these new tools in place, success will be the expectation. In early season competition at the Brockport Open the Sooners look stronger, knocking off Edinboro, Central Michigan and Kent State, all ranked opponents. With Oklahoma's tradition and history, the facilities they have, and the support from the Administration they need to be knocking on the door to the top ten and be moving towards the top five for next year.
7. Jim Beichner (Buffalo): Coach Beichner has accomplished some pretty phenominal things at the University of Buffalo. He took over a program in the late 1990s that had won six matches combined in the four years before he was hired. In his first five years, Beichner's teams had won 50 matches. He's coached an All American in Kyle Cerminara, and revived a lifeless program. Now it is time for Buffalo to take the next step. They are one of the MAC's fully funded programs, and as we've seen earlier in this list, it is possible to be a national caliber team in that conference, just ask Tom Borrelli. Tom Ryan built Hofstra's program around New York kids, for whom Buffalo is the only other option in the state. Buffalo is also painfully close to both western Pennsylvania and Cleveland, two wrestling hotbeds. If Coach Beichner can tap into these advantages, his program could be a sleeping giant.
8. Randy Stottlemeyer (Pittsburgh): Coach Stottlemeyer is an institution at Pitt. He is one of the longest tenured coaches in the country, approaching his 30th year as head coach. But it is tough to look at Pitt's program and think of the potential. Located in the heart of wrestling country, Pitt has never struggled to bring in top notch talent. But Pitt has had a problem getting over the hump and becoming the national program that they should be. Keith Gavin the last two seasons certainly was a great story, but National Champions are too few and far between at this school. This is a top 10 team waiting to happen, but they've even slipped in dominance in their own conference, watching Edinboro pass them in the last few years. There are plenty of good kids at Pitt, most notably red-shirt freshman Tyler Nauman, but it's time for Pitt to be among the best programs in the country.
9 Brad Penrith (University of Northern Iowa): Northern Iowa has always been the little brother of Iowa college wrestling. It is tough operating in the shadow of Iowa and Iowa State, but the Northern Iowa advantage is in it is in Iowa. I've alluded to Pennsylvania and Ohio as being the two strongest states in the country, but Iowa is the most wrestling crazy. Traditionally, Northern Iowa has been very strong, but Coach Penrith's career record of 70-57 is underwhelming. On one hand, I give him credit for going out and scheduling tough opponents, but they also compete in the Western Region, and their conference schedule is hardly like wrestling in the Big Ten. Northern Iowa has posed as a major program for a while, but needs the consistency to actually be one.
10. Dave Amato (Brown University): There is a deep divide in the Ivy League. Cornell, Penn, and Harvard have clearly pulled away as the class of the league, leaving Columbia, Princeton, and Brown a step behind. But Columbia has had a two time All American, Matt Palmer, in the recent past, and Princeton has just hired Chris Ayers, a young member of the Pat Santoro coaching tree. Amato has been at Brown for twenty five years, but has only produced two All Americans, none since 1998. Brown also has only had two winning seasons in the last decade. They are hampered by a lack of scholarships in a major conference, which makes this one of the more difficult jobs in the country. But the results have not been there.
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