Christian Pyles

174 is as wide open as they come. Not only is there a lack of a strong favorite at this weight, it goes about five or six guys deep with potential title contenders. I mentioned in yesterday’s preview that I think Bo will come down to 165. That said, if he’s at 174 he’s my pick for the title. Just think we will see Myles for Ohio State at 174.

1. Brian Realbuto - Cornell
2. Kyle Crutchmer - Oklahoma State
3. Zach Epperly - Virginia Tech
4. Blaise Butler - Missouri
5. Cody Walters - Ohio
6. Davonte Mahomes - Michigan
7. Alex Meyer - Iowa
8. Bo Nickal - Penn State


Round of 12: Zac Brunson - Illinois, Ricky Robertson - Wisconsin, Bryce Hammond - CSU Bakersfield, Mike Ottinger - CMU

Round of 16: Jadaen Bernstein - Navy, Lelund Weatherspoon - Iowa State, Ben Stroh - Wyoming, Nate Jackson - Indiana

Title Contenders:
Brian Realbuto
Kyle Crutchmer
Zach Epperly
Blaise Butler
Cody Walters
Bo Nickal
Davonte Mahomes
Alex Meyer

I didn’t know where to draw the line. Walters, Nickal and Mahomes are a combination of proven (Walters) and high caliber talent (Mahomes and Nickal). I was there when Bo Nickal was all but handled by Andy McCulley. I know that Mahomes had a small track record and is coming off a knee injury. I know that Alex Meyer has been a backup to the perennial 6th place finisher.  My rationale for their inclusion (when really it could have stopped after Butler) is that I see it very likely that any of these three can earn a win over guys who are clearly in that title contending realm. I view this field quite evenly and this behemoth of a list is reflective of that. 

As I’ve said before I like guys moving up weights. Realbuto at 174 is a very interesting prospect. I think his speed and scrambling is going to frustrate the slower and potentially less athletic 174’s. Realbuto came into last year still recovering from a knee injury and he took some lumps along the way. He rounded into form late and looked fantastic. The word is Realbuto is up to 188 (!!) pounds and looking strong. He’ll take a loss along the way I’d imagine but that won’t deter me from thinking he’s the best guy here skill for skill.

Kyle Crutchmer might be as athletic and powerful as anyone at this weight. Like many Oklahoma State guys he came on hard at the end of the year. In my mind he was robbed against Logan Storley in wrestle backs of NCAA’s. A win there would have earned him an even higher place. On his feet he may have the best combination of leg attacks at this weight. Crutchmer uses a powerful double, great re-attacks and low level shots as well. He may drop some early matches as Coach Smith will sacrifice some early duals to train through and peak for March. When Big 12’s and NCAA’s roll around Crutchmer will be tough out at in any match, including the NCAA Finals.

Epperly showed very few signs of being a Freshman last year. His worst losses came at the hands of a salty Tanner Weatherman. He knocked off NCAA Champion Matt Brown and NCAA Finalist Tyler Wilps. He showed improvement throughout the year as well. Despite losing to Blaise Butler early in the year he won when it mattered most at NCAA’s in the round of 12. He’s an underrated scrambler and can hold great position. At times he’s reluctant to pull the trigger but he’s proficient at attacking both sides and finishes well. Considering his age I think there’s room for more improvement as well.

Blaise broke through last year in a major way. He notched wins over Storley, Epperly, Julson and more. His unique style integrates upper body skills with leg attacks and defense. Butler made the move from 157 to 174 last year and it seemed to increase his output tremendously (yet another reason to have more confidence in Realbuto). At Missouri he should do very well surrounded by familiar faces (Alex Clemsen, and brother Alex) and excellent training partners.

Check out win over then #1 Logan Storley at CKLV:

 

Cody Walters personifies junkyard dog (copyright Zeb Miller). For a scrambling master, he’s as gritty as they come. On top he may be one of the most dangerous riders and turners in this entire weight. Don’t be terribly discouraged by his DNP last year. He lost to Wilps (2nd) and Storley (4th) at NCAA’s. Some guys have tougher (or unlucky) draws and he was the victim of that.  Not to mention he had some crazy injuries going on as well.  I got to watch Cody scrap a bit while I was down at Virginia Tech and I was impressed. He’s got some tough competition in conference with Butler and Ottinger but I think he’s got a chance at winning the MAC and a better regular season record could set him up better from a seeding perspective.

I may be as high as anyone in the country on Mahomes. I am expecting a complete return to from from his knee surgery last year. He was clearly the real deal last year notching wins over Cody Walters, Kurtis Julson and Mark Martin despite his season coming to an end in early December. He had d1 ready hand fighting ability and hips right out of the gate. He struggles to get to legs consistently outside of re-attacks but he’ll be in every match he wrestles.

Call him Rodney Dangerfield, because I’m sure many (especially Iowa fans) will think I’m giving Alex Meyer no respect. That could be the case. As someone who is so results and data driven having guys like Bo and Mahomes ahead of Meyer flies in the face of how I typically evaluate and prognosticate. Meyer has two wins over Kyle Crutchmer as well as a win over Blaise Butler and Zac Brunson. I think it will be a different ballgame when the coaches are actually putting in work to scout Alex this year. Maybe I’m overstating the “element of surprise” component when he’s knocked guys off. He’s been behind the guy who placed 6th the last three years.  I’m just not ready to crown him. I do think his wins have merit and value, I’m just playing it slower with him. I’ve seen him wrestle a lot. He will be in a lot of matches. He’ll probably continue to beat good guys as well, I just think his upside is limited.

Bo’s inclusion here is indicative of how I have viewed him over the years on film and my confidence in Penn State in terms of development. Had a past NCAA finalist not affiliated with Penn State tell me “Bo Nickal is really good” after rolling around with Bo in the last year or so. His combination of length and athleticism has me very excited about him as a prospect. Again, I view this weight very evenly and I can see a number of guys winding up in the mix. Bo was just fine last year despite a loss to Andy McCulley. Nothing to get terribly up in arms about. He’ll be ready to do it big this year, I’m confident.

Lots of depth this year outside of the top 8. It should surprise nobody if you see Brunson, Robertson, Hammond or Ottinger on the podium. All 4 possess the skill to compete with many that are in my projected top 8. Ricky Robertson is probably the guy I’m most intrigued by. 2 years ago I watched him pepper the ankles of the FILA 84kg bracket that featured TJ Dudley, Brett Pfarr, Gabe Dean and others. Down at 174 he could be real factor. It was going to be tough for Ricky to separate himself from the 184 pack. At 174 he has potential to be a real difference maker.

 

Tweet any comments/questions @CPyles8 or email christian.pyles@flosports.tv

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