What Does The Big Ten's Football Decision Mean For Wrestling?

Tuesday’s news that the Big Ten Conference would postpone its football season until next Spring due to COVID-19 sent shockwaves throughout the college athletics universe. Purdue University announced a fundraising campaign to fill a projected $50 million shortfall, while schools like Ohio State anticipate as much as a $100 million revenue hit from a scuttled season on the gridiron.

The implications of no football are far-reaching, both in terms of economics and in terms of the upcoming NCAA Wrestling season.

Ohio State head wrestling coach Tom Ryan talked with FloWrestling about his reaction to the news, reiterating that incoming University President Kristina Johnson and Athletic Director Gene Smith both supported delaying the start of the season rather than postponing it until Spring. 

Ryan also talked about what the Big Ten wrestling season might look like, with meets likely starting in January given the conference’s announcement that no athletic competitions will happen fall semester.

The Buckeyes are set to return an outstanding team when they are permitted to take to the mats, with stars like Sammy Sasso and Kaleb Romero will be joined by exciting young newcomers such as Anthony Echemendia and Carson Kharchla.

Andy Vance is a Columbus-based journalist who covers the Ohio State University wrestling program for Eleven Warriors, the largest independent sports site on the internet for Ohio State news, analysis, and community. He is co-host of the site’s Eleven Dubcast podcast. Follow him on Twitter @AndyVance.