Class of 2017 Big Board

We Have A New Number 1

One of my first duties when I got hired at Flo was to take over the senior big board. I inherited the senior big board from Ryan Holmes, who inherited it from Willie Saylor. For a long time, the very top of this list has mirrored Willie's pound-for-pound rankings. But that never quite sat well with me.

Since its inception, the big boards have always been far more subjective than the weight class rankings. However, I have never been ordered or told to do them any specific way.

All that is to say, I finally pulled the trigger. It has been bubbling for months. This list is about college productivity, and I think Daton Fix will be a better college wrestler than Spencer Lee. It was not easy to make such a decision.

Essentially, Spencer and Yianni were 1-2 because they were the only world champs in their grade, and because Fix had a more recent loss to someone in this grade. But we are 15 months removed from Fix's 6-4 loss to Vito.

It comes down to two things, one of which is quantifiable and one of which is not. Fix has the most recent win over both Yianni and Lee, and Daton Fix is completely fearless on a wrestling mat. The win over Yianni doesn't seem to matter as much because it is unlikely those two will ever be in the same weight class again. At issue is the lack of matches with Spencer Lee.

I'm not sure what their record was against each other in middle school and I don't care to find out, and they've never met in folkstyle in high school. Spencer teched Daton in the Akron semis in 2013, and then Daton returned the favor with two close wins in the 54kg finals in 2015. They're out of eligibility, so they can't see each other at a Who's Number 1. There are only two possible places to meet before they graduate: the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on March 25th, or the UWW Junior Nationals at the end of April. If they don't meet at either of those, there could then be an outside chance they meet at the UWW Junior World Team Trials June 9th or 10th.

I've never had the pleasure of meeting either of these young men or their parents, but I hope I can at one of the above mentioned events. It's one of those rare opportunities where a potential fantasy match could actually happen. But there, and in college, expect me to pick Fix over Lee. There's absolutely nothing wrong with picking the three-time world champ who hasn't lost a folkstyle match since the 8th grade or thinking he's the top overall recruit this year.

For the time being though, Daton Fix projects as a better collegiate wrestler. Spencer's weight is a concern, with him needing to put on just a bit of weight to be a lifer at 125 pounds. This may seem counter intuitive, but Lee's dominance is also a concern. Not because it is not incredibly impressive how he runs through high school brackets, but because we don't really know how Spencer will react when someone wrestles him close. We have the example of his comeback against Kyrgyzstan in the junior world finals, but also his reaction after majoring Jack Davis in the Powerade finals. In part, Fix has wrestled so many close matches because he wrestles everywhere and against anyone. Having those reps of learning how to win close matches, being forced to bounce back from losses, and not backing down will come in handy. Ideally, these two will meet several times a year between Iowa/Oklahoma State and the freestyle circuit to settle this on the mat. I for one can't wait to see this rivalry plays out.

Feel free to send all love and/or hatred to @wrestlingnomad on twitter or e-mail Daniel.lobdell@flosports.tv. I am always open for input to make these rankings better, more accurate and more fun for the fans.