Perhaps because of the individual nature of the sport, wrestling is unique in the way redshirts are handled, and how dramatically they impact the season. Each year, wrestlers take a year to train without competing attached in events for a multitude of reasons; injuries, line-up log jams, scholarship management, burnout, academics, or simply, and most often, for another year of development.

Who redshirts, and when, plays a large role in both dual and tournament format and who brings home individual hardware come March.

The most frequent time we see wrestlers redshirt is their in their first college season as the assimilate themselves to the college grind and style. Because Freshmen redshirts are so abundant, and because they’re unproven at the college level, we’ll leave them out of the equation for now. Here’s a look at notable guys who are either taking a developmental year, or who are back to join the party, with notes on how they potential affect the All American picture.

125:

Off Redshirt:

**Nikko Triggas, Ohio State

*Mark Rappo, Penn

*Jarrod Garnett, Virginia Tech

*David Klingsheim, South Dakota State

*Sean Boyle, Michigan

Tyler Cox, Wyoming

David Terao, American

Evan Silver, Stanford

Bricker Dixon, Cornell

Jade Rauser, Utah Valley

On Redshirt:

**Jarrod Patterson, Oklahoma

*Johnni DiJulius, Ohio State

Notes: One All American rests, while one comes back. Triggas was 8th in 2010, and joins the fray with four returning 2012 AA’s (2x Champ McDonough, Megaludis, Delgado, and Bonnano).

Garnett is seemingly in the medal hunt every year. The Big Red fan base is expecting big things out of Dixon after their leadoff batter brought home a medal more often times than not over the last decade.

Silver and Cox had productive summers.

133:

Off Redshirt:

**Scotti Sentes, Central Michigan

*Joe Spisak, Virginia

Colin Johnson, West Virginia

Cody Brewer, Oklahoma

Jesse Thielke, Wisconsin

Steven Rodriguez, Illinois

Kyle Bauer, Kent State

Cody Wheeler, Lock Haven

Val Rauser, Utah Valley

On Redshirt:

**Ryan Mango, Stanford

*Zach Horan, Central Michigan

*Mason Beckman, Lehigh

Notes: Sentes should be considered a serious contender to get to the finals after placing 4th in ’11. Oliver and Futrell moving up means two less obstacles in his way. Returning Champ, Logan Steiber leads three other AA’s at this weight: Ramos, Dardanes, and Cashe Quiroga (’10).

An interesting guy here is Johnston, who has been out for two years.

Diaper Dandies Thielke and Brewer have all the potential in the world, making this weight one of the more exciting and unpredictable this season.

141:

On Redshirt:

**Tyler Graff, Wisconsin

*Trevor Melde, Rutgers

*Andrew Schutt, Buffalo

Josh Dziewa, Iowa

Nick Hodgkins, Central Michigan

Travis Himmelman, Boise State

Dan Neff, Lock Haven

Eric Roach, Indiana

Tyler Bedelyon & Sam Sherlock, Clarion

On Redshirt:

**Devin Carter, Virginia Tech

*Stephen Dutton, Michigan

*Mike Morales, West Virginia

*Adam Krop, Princeton

Notes: Graff returns from an Olympic year and moves up a weight. Carter, an AA last year, will sit and move up as well.

This weight is rather weird; there’s no true favorite (unless Oliver goes at 41) but a bunch of young talent that all to be bunched up. Graff, plus Futrell and Keith, who were AA ’s at 133 last year, give 141 seven former medalists with Maple, Steiber, Mangrum, and Nevinger all back at the same weight.

149:

Off Redshirt:

**Jason Chamberlain, Boise State

**Derek Valenti, Virginia

*Andrew Alton, Penn State

Caleb Ervin, Illinois

Roger Wildmo, Michigan State

Nick Carr, Kent State

Marcus Cain, Duke

On Redshirt:

*Ian Miller, Kent State

*Bryce Busler, Bloomsburg

Notes: With Chamberlain coming off redshirt (and a spectacular summer), and Oliver moving up two weight classes, this weight will be a bear. Along with returning finalist Ness, and Donnie Vinson, 149 this year features four individuals that have been Top 3 at NCAA’s.

Behind them is a group of five returning AA’s; Tessari, Accordino, Sakaguchi, Lester from last year and Valenti from 2011. Add in 2011 Round of 12er, Alton, and you’re looking at ten guys trying to get on one of eight podium spots.

157:

Off Redshirt:

*Jesse Dong, Virginia Tech

*Joey Napoli, Lehigh

*John Greisheimer, Edinboro

Alex Dierenger, Oklahoma State

Luke Smith, Central Michigan

Spartacus Chino, Ohio

Brad Dolezal, Minnesota

On Redshirt:

*Corey Mock, North Carolina

Notes: Perhaps no other Redshirt Frosh at any weight has as much potential to make a splash this year as does Dierenger. But he’s entering a weight class that returns all but one of last year’s AA’s, including 3x Champ, Kyle Dake. Others are St. John, Alton, Welch, Fleming, Green, and Peppelman. Only Ganbayar Saanja graduated.

Dong has posted big wins over his career, but hasn’t yet gotten on the podium.

Word out of Mt. Pleasant is that Luke Smith is absolutely on fire. Watch out for him.

165:

Off Redshirt:

**Tyler Caldwell, Oklahoma

*Josh Condon, Chattanooga

Eric Hess, Lehigh

John Staudenmayer, North Carolina

Parker Madl, Arizona State

On Redshirt:

***Andrew Howe, Oklahoma

Lorenzo Thomas, Penn

Notes: Two years ago, Tyler Caldwell, then wrestling for the Sooners, upset Andrew Howe at NCAA’s before he fell in the finals to the one and only Jordan Burroughs. With Howe taking his second straight year off, Caldwell’s main threat is reigning champ, David Taylor, who is one of just three other AA’s back at the weight (Yates, Asper).

174:

Off Redshirt:

*John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo

Cody Caldwell, Northern Iowa

Bryce Hammond, Bakersfield

Sam Wheeler, Kent State

Bubba Scheffel, West Virginia

Pat Kissel, Purdue

On Redshirt:

*Dominic Kastl, Cal Poly

*Jim Resnick, Rider

*Mike Dessino, Bloomsburg

Notes: Other than providing competitive depth, those coming off or going on redshirts shouldn’t play as large a role at 174 than we see at other weights. The 2011-2012 non- starter most likely to influence the race to AA is Penn State’s Matt Brown.

184:

Off Redshirt:

*Max Thomusseit, Pitt

Chris Chionuma, Oklahoma State

Travis Mallo, Army

On Redshirt:

*Travis Rutt, Oklahoma

*Vic Avery, Edinboro

Notes: Although 184 is loaded with front end veterans, it’s another relatively quiet weight in terms of redshirt activity. I expect a big year out of Thomusseit. And Chionuma (an NAIA Champ) is an interesting guy. But this weight will be determined by the four- man juggernaut of Bosak-Ruth-Hamlin-Steinhaus.

197:

Off Redshirt:

***Dustin Kilgore, Kent State

*Mike Salopek, Virginia

*Jake Meredith, Arizona State

Derrick Borlie, Virginia Tech

Garrett Goldman, Indiana

Mike Wagner, Rutgers

Nathan Burak, Iowa

Mike Sojka, Stanford

On Redshirt:

*Morgan McIntosh, Penn State

*Danny Mitchell, American

Notes: The Killer is back. Dustin Kilgore is the biggest star coming off a redshirt. He was a National Champ in 2001. 2x finalist, 1x champ, Quentin Wright moves to 97. Three other returning AA’s join the crowd: Wilps, Hernandez, and Burak.

A prize recruit coming out of high school, we’ll see what Borlie can do. He could be a darkhorse candidate.

HWT:

Off Redshirt:

**Dom Bradley, Missouri

**Jarod Trice, Central Michigan

*David Marone, Virginia Tech

Kyle Cowan, Penn

Connor Medbery, Wisconsin

Donny Longendyke, Nebraska

Billy Smith, Rutgers

Cody Krumwiede, Northern Iowa

Jack Delia, Lehigh

Justin Grant, Bloomsburg

On Redshirt:

**Nick Gwiazdowski, NC State

*Austin Marsden, Oklahoma State

Notes: I’ve mentioned in several other articles that last year’s heavyweight haul was incredible. Now we’ll get to see. At no other weight will the redshirt situation prove to be more significant than here. 

Bradley and Trice were 3rd and 4th, respectively in 2011. 

Marone is coming off injury.

The fresh talent coming off redshirt will join the returning All Americans to make for a heavyweight pool of seemingly endless depth. Rey and Flores graduated along with Clayton Jack. But five other AA’s come back. In addition, Spencer Myers and Levi Cooper, medalists in 2011, are also in the fold.