Tom Ryan juggles a predicament. Somehow, there’s too much talent in the Ohio State wrestling room. Reeling in a top-ranked recruiting class — led by three of the top four prospects on the 2022 Big Board — will do that. 

After a 13th-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships, the Buckeyes are reloaded. Decisions must be made. 

To redshirt or not to redshirt.

So far, after the Michigan State Open and a win over Virginia Tech, Ryan realized his team’s depth.

“Anytime some of your best guys lose in a dual meet and your team still wins, it’s a good sign of being tough across all 10 weight classes,” Ryan said. “We have a well-balanced team that has to clean up some things. But we will.”

That starts with a few decisions. Ryan will redshirt Nick Feldman, the #1 recruit in the 2022 class. That’s because the Buckeyes return heavyweight All-American Tate Orndorff.

“You look at the landscape at who’s back and how many points we would score,” Ryan said. “The reality is that the best thing for Nick and the team is to have Tate complete his career and then put Nick in.”

Here are some other notes ahead of fourth-ranked Ohio State’s weekend duals against Columbia and #16 North Carolina.

Mendez Momentum

The Buckeyes have a new 133-pounder — freshman Jesse Mendez. You can forget about a redshirt. The #3 prospect in the 2022 class entered college with a massive list of credentials. 

Ryan said there are a few factors that play into whether he redshirts a guy. Mendez wants to compete. The feeling is mutual.

“What’s best for the team and what’s best for the individual,” Ryan said. “As we know, sometimes that common ground is kinda blurred. We would never put a true freshman in unless he believed that he was ready and that he wanted to go in. In our case at 133, Jesse Mendez wants to wrestle. He wanted to compete so that’s why he’s there.”

Mendez won the Michigan State Open with a victory in the finals against Illinois two-time All-American Lucas Byrd and earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week as a result. Virginia Tech All-American and #12 Sam Latona beat #13 Mendez 3-2 last week. Mendez isn’t used to losing. He looks to respond this weekend.

It’s a change from last year’s lineup when Ryan started Dylan Koontz. Mendez pinned Koontz in 58 seconds in the wrestle-off. 

“Jesse all summer long was saying, ‘Put me in. I want to compete this year,” Ryan said. “We were thinking, let’s pull back and put the guy that really wants to be in. That’s Jesse.”

Through decades of coaching experience, Ryan said freshman usually reach an inflection point in January. Mendez, though, is already there.

Battle Of 141, Bouzakis Redshirting

Most of OSU’s weights are clearly set with a starter. But not 141. And, no, super recruit Nic Bouzakis won’t lose his redshirt. 

“Nic is definitely redshirting,” Ryan said. “We took advantage of that new rule about redshirts being able to go in the lineup and still retain their redshirt.” 

The new NCAA rule allows true freshmen to wrestle attached five times and not lose the redshirt. It used to be one and done.

Ryan decided to use Bouzakis against Virginia Tech at 141. That’s up from his normal 133. Minor injuries suffered at the Michigan State Open to Jordan Decatur and Dylan D’Emilio caused the decision.

Ninth-ranked D’Emilio qualified for the NCAA Championships but went 1-2. Decatur, a senior, can still contend for the starting spot. Decatur beat D’Emilio, 6-4, and the result forced Ryan to closely monitor this battle.

“We’re really looking for one of them to convince us they’re the guy by their performance,” Ryan said. “We’ll keep a close eye on that one probably throughout the year.”

Whoever starts will have an opportunity to distance themselves with duals against Columbia and North Carolina this weekend. 

The Tar Heels boast Lachlan McNeil, a Canadian Senior World Team member, at 141. 

It’s a Buckeyes’ weight battle that is far from over.

Gallagher’s Development

Paddy Gallagher finished second at the Michigan State Open and won his Buckeyes dual debut last week. A few injuries kept Gallagher away from full freshman season, Ryan said. This year, though, he’s Ohio State’s guy at 157. 

“He just gets better and better,” Ryan said. “He hasn’t competed in a while. His freshman year was good, but he had a couple of injuries that really prevented him from training. He’s just the type of guy that his mindset is just fueled by a tremendous workload.”

Gallagher will battle returning All-American and 2021 NCAA champ Austin O’Connor in Sunday’s dual against North Carolina. It’s one of many ranked matchups in the dual. 

“I think we’re gonna see a higher-pace, super-skilled Gallagher as the year goes on,” Ryan said.