125- Joey is absolutely unafraid of all comers. He doesn't back down from anyone and has the gas tank to go with anyone in the country. He's quick to his feet from bottom and his top game is strong. With his greco background, he's so strong in neutral that getting thrown isn't really a worry. The only place I see him suffer is his takedown defense. He's so short and compact, that it's not particularly difficult for someone to get into his legs, and when they do, they tend to get the takedown more often than not. I'd like to see that improve, but it's only his second year of varsity wrestling (after redshirting while injured I believe), so there's plenty of room to go. THAT SAID, we shouldn't be surprised at all if Sam Latona overtakes him eventually. It was hinted at by the coaches that Latona was the better wrestler fairly consistently in the practice room. He's "got the goods dude" (for those of you that get that reference), and a frame that leaves plenty of room for muscle to grow. Back to Joey though, he's unafraid, tough as they come and has earned every win he's gotten so far. That's worth something, and I'm excited to watch him compete this postseason.

133 - Colin is a bit of an enigma. He had a really solid redshirt year, but I think a lot of his ranking came from the tough out he gave RBY at the scuffle last year. I don't know if his ranking is a product of a weaker 133 (the weight class is very top heavy), or what, but he seems to wrestle great when he's confident he will win, and tentatively when he doesn't. He is a RFr though, and he has a ton of room to grow. It wouldn't surprise me if he had a BC trajectory, where he continues to improve and beat some really good guys. I don't think he's a 3-4 time AA, but if he continues to improve at the rate he is (he was basically a nobody out of high school, and for now, he's a top 20 wrestler), there's no reason he's not a blood round/AA his junior/senior year.

141 - Mitch has all the confidence in the world that he can throw and pin every single person he wrestles. The problem is, his confidence belies his ability. He's good... possibly a 2 time AA good... but he's not as good as the Demas' and Pletcher's of the world (yet). He wrestled Demas close at the CKLV, but I thought there were several opportunities to get in on his legs, and instead he went upper body with DD. We also need to remember that if there were 5 more seconds in the second (or maybe first... I can't remember exactly) period, we are probably looking at him getting majored by DD, instead of having the close match that he did. He _needs_ to stop trying to throw/pin everyone and start working on his shots more. This is the same stuff we've been saying for a while now, but until he does, he's going to continue losing to the guys that are stronger than him. Otherwise, the rest of his game is fairly well rounded, he just needs to wrestle better. Oh and losing to Tariq Wilson at the CKLV was just embarrassing. You better believe that the coaches will be focusing on that in the practice room. I don't doubt for a moment though that MM is more disappointed in himself than anyone else is.

149 - It's hard for me to be impartial about BM, because I've been disappointed in him since the scrimmage and it keeps getting worse. I don't like how he showboats after wins, mostly because he's so inconsistent that I don't know if he really has earned that right. I'm all about celebrating - have as much damn fun as you can on the mat while you still can - but he will celebrate beating a scrub, then turn around and get beat by a guy that shouldn't be on the same mat as him. Maybe it's my personal bias getting in the way of me thinking clearly, I don't know... but I feel like he's riding that Jack win from the ACC's two years ago. I don't see him beating Andonian next year assuming they're the same weight class. However, he could drop down if MM redshirts next year. I don't see him bumping to 157 where BC/CB awaits. Personal biases aside, he's a very smart wrestler... he knows how to approach each opponent and his ability to modify his style is pretty apparent. I've seen him go upper body when needed, I've seen him ride guys out and I've seen him take guys down repeatedly. He has the tools, but I just don't see the desire. Maybe other things are going on? He is a kid after all (I think he's 21), and your outside life can totally affect your wrestling ability. I'd like to see him just go out and attack. I think if he does that, there's only a handful of people in the country that can beat him.

165 - DMF is the unquestioned leader of this team. He's got all the tools, the strength, the will, and the smarts, to be a national champion. He reminds me so much of Ty Walz from the trophy year. The only difference is he doesn't have a titan in his way to a natty. Alex Marinelli, Cenzo, Wick, Shields and White are all super tough dudes (Cenzo didn't win 2 natties by being a scrub), but I think DMF can and will beat all comers come March. It's just a matter of the metaphorical ball bouncing in the right direction. I remember a friend of mine after his freshman year saying he would never AA again and that he got lucky. I told him he was wrong. I've never been happier to be right about someone.

174 - Cody has fought and fought and fought to be a starter. He was a four timer from Maine and probably never rode the bench in his life. To sit on the bench for four years before finally getting a chance has got to be one of the hardest things he's ever done. I want nothing more than to see him go out on top. But I live in the same world as him, and in this world, he's just not good enough to beat anyone in the top ten. I really hope I'm wrong, but I just don't think he has the ability. He's a great story, and hopefully he surprises some people. One thing is for sure though, it's pretty obvious this team loves and respects him if you saw how they responded to his win at OSU.

184 - This dude is underrated... period. I think he will be wrestling on Saturday night in march. I don't know if he can beat ZV, but I don't see anyone stopping him otherwise. This guy will be a three time AA, and possibly a multiple natty winner. I can't wait to watch him wrestle more. His gas tank and his ability to outwork his opponents is stunning.

197 - I'm super curious to see how well SS will wrestle without the brace. I don't know if it's holding him back, or if it's just a precaution. I was fully expecting CH to come out and take the spot this year, and SS has acquitted himself well. I think he will continue to improve. I can see him having a Sal Mastriani type career. I'd like to see him do a little better on top. From what I've heard, he may be the strongest P4P guy in the room... I'd like to see that pay off more.

285 - He reminds me a LOT of Jakob Kasper. Same body type (although Kasper may have been just a bit leaner/taller), and same power. He's strong enough to hold up against all but the best heavyweights out there (Cassar, Cassiopi, Gable if he comes back). However, he seems afraid to shoot against the bigger heavyweights. I understand the thought process, given that he's giving up 40ish pounds against the bigger guys, but he's got two fantastic upper weight coaches in his corner, and there's no reason we shouldn't see more shots in neutral. I think he'd be more suited for blast doubles and sweeps than high c's and ankle picks, given his speed and strength, along with relatively small size. But again, just like most of this team, he's young with plenty of room to grow. He's got a bright future.

Also, I don't want to leave out a couple guys... Brady is obviously the real deal. I think it's good he's lost some this year. It shows he's got room to grow and will hopefully help him shore up some of the less strong aspects of his game. Andonian seemed like he was on the way to be the started this year until he got hurt in the scrimmage - don't be surprised to hear a lot about him in the future. Latona is obviously college-ready, but I'm more interested in seeing what happens with Korbin. We haven't heard if he's coming back this year or not, but with the way Joey is wrestling, it wouldn't surprise me if he spends the rest of the year healing and comes back next year ready to AA. It's going to be so freaking crowded down there with Prata, Latona, Myers, and Gerardi, not to mention Ventresca coming in... I'm glad I'm not the coaches. I don't know how you convince these guys to stick around when they're as talented as they are and are forced to sit. Same thing next year around 149/157. Mehki isn't giving up his spot and has three more years to dominate, which leaves BC, Andonian, Brady (who beat BC pretty handily in the scrimmage) and BM for two spots (assuming MM doesn't RS and BM doesn't move down). Mancini is also there as well, and Hillegas and Ulrey (although he may be going up to 174 if Mehki doesn't) will be as well. Tough decisions will be coming very soon. Also, Cody Howard is still very raw, but my god does he have a gas tank. I was lucky enough to be mat side for several of his matches. The dude Just. Doesn't. Stop. If he can continue to grow technically, it's going to be tough for SS to keep his spot. Plus, we've got Sam Fischer coming as well. Lastly, Big Cat is coming next year and will probably red shirt his freshman year. But what happens his RFr year (Borst's RSr year)? He flat out _dominated_ Copass at Super 32 and looks college ready (strength wise at least). What do the coaches do? Its going be interesting. These are the best kind of problems to have though...

Sorry for the novella all, I had quite a bit of stuff to say (hopefully not too much of it was fluff).