How Will The House vs. NCAA Settlement Impact College Wrestling?
A breakdown of the recent House vs. NCAA settlement and the potential impacts on college wrestling.
On Thursday, the NCAA and the five power conferences agreed to a settlement in three anti-trust lawsuits that could potentially shift the college athletics landscape forever. The settlement allows eligible athletes back-payment from 2016-2019, allows for universities to pay athletes directly, eliminates scholarship caps, and provides further regulation around NIL payment.
House vs. NCAA Settlement Explained
As mentioned above, several outcomes from the settlement will impact college athletics. However, four main areas of the settlement are worth explaining:
1. Back-Pay Damages
The NCAA and the Power 5 schools agreed to over $2.75 billion in back payments to eligible Division 1 college athletes from 2016 to 2019. This will be paid to individuals over the next 10 years for lost name, image and likeness (NIL) earning opportunities.
2. Future Revenue Sharing
Starting in the fall of 2025, schools in the Power 5 conferences can opt-in to paying student-athletes directly. While the specifics haven’t been outlined, it’s estimated that if schools opt-in to this, they would likely pay about $20 million/year directly to athletes. It also appears that schools could opt-in to revenue sharing and be selective in what sports programs they choose to pay. Again this isn’t required and there are still questions surrounding the specifics of this aspect of the settlement.
3. Scholarship Cap Eliminated
In the current model, Division 1 sports have a capped amount of scholarships they are permitted to grant to athletes. Furthermore, the number of scholarships permitted varies from sport to sport. For instance, Division 1 football programs can grant up to 85 full scholarships while wrestling programs are limited to 9.9 full scholarships.
The settlement will eliminate NCAA scholarship caps and instead, roster-caps will be initiated. This hasn’t been fully outlined but essentially athletic departments will have the freedom to grant as many scholarships as they desire but the roster size for each sport will likely be trimmed.
4. NIL Regulation
NIL changed the game over the past few years, but with revenue sharing and the athletic departments able to pay athletes directly, it appears the NCAA wants to bring higher regulations around how athletes are compensated for their name, image, and likeness. Like the other items in the settlement, this isn’t fully defined, but according to reports, the NCAA wants to ensure that athletes enter into legitimate NIL deals rather than a “pay for play” agreement from school donors.
*It’s worth noting that while the NCAA and Power 5 schools have agreed to the settlement, it still has to be approved by the judge. This is expected to happen in the next 30-45 days.
What Does The Settlement Mean For The Future Of College Wrestling?
It will be a year before we see many of the above items put into action. However, the potential changes are massive, and college wrestling will likely feel the impacts of this over the next 5-10 years. Before we know the full details, there are three main questions worth considering:
1. Are college wrestling programs in danger?
College wrestling is a non-revenue sport – which means that most programs do not generate revenue for their respective institutions. If a college chooses to opt-in to revenue sharing, the sports that will likely benefit are football and basketball. That means athletic departments could cut sports like wrestling to allocate those funds to compensate the revenue-generating programs. Whether that will happen or not is yet to be seen, however, it’s clear Division 1 wrestling programs will have to advocate for themselves to their value to their respective institution and make potentially make programatic changes where necessary.
2. Will the biggest wrestling programs opt into revenue sharing?
If a Power 5 school does choose to opt in to the revenue-sharing model and wrestlers are included in the opt-in, this would change the landscape of college wrestling. Any program that pays wrestlers directly would immediately have a major advantage in recruiting. If this happens there are other questions surrounding paying wrestlers – How will contracts be determined? Will starters get paid more than non-starters? We don’t have the answer to these questions yet but it’s fascinating to think how this could impact college wrestling. … more at … Flowrestling.org/How-will-the-house-vs-ncaa-settlement-impact-college-wrestling
2024 Distinguished Member: Coleman Scott
Coleman Scott won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics after being an NCAA champion, two-time finalist and four-time All-American for Oklahoma State University.
He helped OSU win NCAA team titles in 2005 and 2006 and to fifth-place finishes in 2007 and 2008.
Scott was a member of the U.S. National Freestyle Team in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
He was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion for Waynesburg Central High School. Scott was a two-time USA Wrestling National Junior Freestyle champion and a two-time USA Junior World Freestyle team member.
He was the Pennsylvania, Northeast Region and National winner of the Hall of Fame’s Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2004. Scott was an assistant wrestling coach at Oklahoma State from 2012 to 2014, where he coached four NCAA Division I national champions and six NCAA DI All-Americans while helping OSU capture two Big 12 Conference titles and finish second and third as a team at the NCAA championships.
He became an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina in 2014 and took over as head coach after one season. Scott coached two-time NCAA champion Austin O’Connor and NCAA finalist Kizhan Clarke and 13 All-Americans while leading the Tar Heels to five Top 20 finishes at the NCAA tournament. … more at … Mattalkonline.com/2024-distinguished-member-coleman-scott
NBC names Jordan Burroughs and Jason Knapp as wrestling announcers for Olympic Games Paris 2024
June 27, 2024, 6:22 PM (ET)
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
NBC Sports announced its roster of more than 150 commentators for NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11 across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, E!, GOLF Channel, Telemundo, Universo, and NBCUniversal’s digital platforms.
Those selected to provide the wrestling coverage for NBC is veteran Play-by-Play announcer Jason Knapp, and 2012 Olympic champion and six-time World champion Jordan Burroughs as the analyst.
Jason Knapp will serve as the wrestling play-by-play announcer for the fourth time. Four-time world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs returns as an analyst after making his NBC Olympics debut in Tokyo.
Burroughs is one of the greatest wrestlers in history from any nation. He has won the most World and Olympic gold medals of any U.S. wrestler with seven (six World gold, one Olympic gold), and has a combined 10 World and Olympic medals. He also has extensive experience as an announcer for wrestling and other events.
Knapp has been a play-by-play announcer for six Olympics for NBC, including wrestling at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics. He has also called World Cup/World Championship events in beach volleyball, basketball, curling, speed skating, short track speed skating, swimming, show jumping and others sports across the networks of NBC.
Burroughs and Knapp will be based at NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. during the Olympic Games. The NBC roster includes Olympians and Paralympians who have won a combined 90 Olympic medals. Team NBC would have had the most gold medals (59) of any country in the Tokyo Olympics, and the second-most total medals behind only Team USA (113). A member of Team NBC has been part of Team USA in every Summer Games dating back to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. … more at … Themat.com/NBC-names-jordan-burroughs-and-jason-knapp-as-wrestling-announcers-for-olympic-games
Iowa State Wrestling Line-up Taking Shape After Off-Season Acquisitions
Iowa State bolstered its line-up in the off-season. Will it be enough to compete for a trophy at the NCAA Championships?
Iowa State coach Kevin Dresser doesn’t know his 2024-25 line-up, but he knows he has plenty to work with following a fourth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships. The Cyclones kick things off at home with a dual against Stanford on November 1 and Navy on November 8.
There are moving pieces with potential starters changing weights or redshirting. Christian Carroll, a two-time U20 World teamer, transferred from Oklahoma State and fills a void at 197, a weight Iowa State didn’t qualify at the NCAA Championships. Carroll has four years of eligibility remaining.
Cuban-born Osmany Diversent, a two-time Junior Pan-Am champion, will add depth at the lower weights. He has physical gifts but his transition from freestyle to folkstyle remains to be seen. “We’ve got an athletic team,” Dresser said. “We have some real athletes. It’s one thing to be an athlete but we have to toughen them up. The best athletes in wrestling don’t always win because it’s seven minutes long. You have to be an athlete and a tough guy. If you can get both of those going you’ll have a really good team at the end of the year. “We’ll start looking at everybody’s weights in the mid-fall and see where everyone is weighing naturally. We don’t have any major guys watching their weight right now. Once we get to the fall we’ll start nailing it down a little more. We’ll get a better feel in September. We didn’t have 141 or 149 figured out until November so I think the underlying story … more at … Flowrestling.org/Iowa-state-wrestling-line-up-taking-shape-after-off-season-acquisitions
Appalachian State Wrestlers Recognized With SoCon Academic Honors
BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling had 21 student-athletes make the 2024 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and four student-athletes earn Academic All-SoCon honors.
That total contributed to the Mountaineers posting a team GPA of 3.09 for the spring semester and possessing a cumulative GPA of 3.12.
The Academic All-SoCon recipients were Chad Bellis, Cody Bond, Tommy Askey and Ethan Oakley. Earlier this week, Bellis also was named to the CSC Academic All-District team by the College Sports Communicators.
To be eligible for Academic All-SoCon recognition, student-athletes had to carry at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA at the conclusion of the spring semester and meet participation requirements during the 2023-24 season. Additionally, the student-athletes must have successfully completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.
The SoCon’s Academic Honor Roll consists of student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 minimum GPA for the academic year while being a member of the final squad list during their sport’s traditional season.
The honor roll members were highlighted by three wrestlers — Bond, Levi Andrews and Joe Zovistoski — who made the list for Commissioner’s Medals that are awarded to student-athletes who attain a GPA of 3.8 or higher throughout the year.
In addition to Andrews, Bond and Zovistoski, the other honor roll … more at … Appstatesports.com/Wrestlers-recognized-with-socon-academic-honors
Thirteen Presbyterian College Men’s Wrestlers Make SoCon Honor Roll, Five of Which Named to Academic All-Conference Team
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Presbyterian College men’s wrestling program (an affiliate member of the Southern Conference since its creation five years ago) was represented plentifully on the 2024 SoCon Honor Roll and All-Conference units. Announced on Thursday afternoon, PC qualified 13 for the former and five for the latter.
Michael Ramirez, Caleb Roe, Brayden Adams, Eli Holiday, and Morvens Saint Jean all met the strict requirements to hit the mark for All-SoCon Academic status. They were joined by Dakota Price, Joshua Roe, George Hopkins, Ryan Luna, Brandon Jacoby, Connor Garren, Reed Douglass, and Malcolm Wiley to round out the full group of 13 on the SoCon Honor Roll.
Having five Academic All-Conference wrestlers is an improvement of three compared to last season’s rollout. The program has now produced 18 different Honor Roll members in the last two academic years. Of the 15 Presbyterian athletes who made the list in 2023, 10 of them returned to the roster for another go. All of them retained their memberships on the SoCon Honor Roll, with four of them advancing to All-Conference levels after being ineligible the previous instance due to their freshman classification.
In order to gain entry into the Southern Conference Honor Roll, one must acquire a 3.0 grade point average over the course of the full academic year. Any student-athlete with that number or higher will be included, regardless of class or the amount that they competed.
The criteria for SoCon All-Conference, however, is much more strenuous. Freshmen and transfers are not permitted, and all of those who qualify must’ve established a 3.3 GPA for their cumulative college careers while also competing in at least 50 percent of their team’s events throughout the regular season. … more at … GObluehose.com/Thirteen-pc-mens-wrestlers-make-socon-honor-roll
Six Campbell wrestlers named Academic All-SoCon, 18 make Honor Roll
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Six wrestlers from Campbell University were named to the Southern Conference Academic All-Conference team, and 18 were placed on the conference’s Academic Honor Roll, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon.
Domenic Zaccone, Dom Baker, Austin Murphy, Caleb Hopkins, Levi Hopkins and Taye Ghadiali all found themselves on the academic all-conference list. These six wrestlers were also recognized as NWCA Scholar All-Americans at the conclusion of the season.
To be named to the Academic All-SoCon team, student-athletes must carry at minimum a 3.3 GPA at the conclusion of the spring semester while also competing in at least 50% of their team’s competitions. Eligible student-athletes must also have successfully completed at least three semesters at their current institution. “We are proud to honor the academic excellence of each of each student athlete named to the Academic All-SoCon team,” SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross said. “It takes an extraordinary amount of dedication to balance academic success with this degree of athletic performance.”
Levi Hopkins was one of 42 student-athletes on the academic all-conference team to own a 4.0 GPA. These six athletes were joined by 12 teammates on the SoCon Academic Honor Roll … more at … GOcamels.com/Six-wrestlers-named-academic-all-socon-18-make-honor-roll
Women’s Collegiate Wrestling News (June 2024)
Transfer Portal Update
There have been some additional commitments since my last article that will have big impacts on lineups for the coming season.
Commitments
Kendall Bostelman – from North Central to William Penn
William Penn made a big splash last season with the arrival of Coaches Wilcke and Kadel from the now-closed Iowa Wesleyan along with many of their former teams top talent including Adaugo Nwachukwu and Mia Palumbo. The team went from 33rd place to 4th place at NAIA Nationals in one season. In addition to their strong recruiting class so far (keep an eye out for a lineup preview article), Kendall Bostelman will be another super charge for the Statesman program to keep them winning. Bostelman comes from last season’s NCWWC runner up North Central where she competed for two seasons. During her freshman season she became an All American, finishing sixth at the tournament after finishing third in her region. She has also earned a sixth place finish at the U23 World Team Trials in 2023. In her last season, she competed at 143 lbs and went 20-5, including 9 tech falls against her opponents. Bostelman’s offense can be lethal, so it will be exciting to see what momentum she adds to the already climbing William Penn squad.
Kaelani Shufeldt – from Lock Haven to North Central
While the Cardinals may have lost Bostelman from their lineup, they picked up an instant-impact competitor in Kaelani Shufeldt. Shufeldt was Lock Haven’s first two-time All American and first national finalist after coming up just short against Iowa’s Ava Bayless in the finals of NCWWCs. In the semifinals, Shufeldt pinned the No. 1 seed from North Central, Kendra Ryan. In fact, Shufeldt pinned every opponent in the tournament outside of Bayless. Shufeldt will head into her junior season with a career record of 50-8 with 18 pins last season. Back in December, … more at … Intermatwrestle.com/Womens-collegiate-wrestling-news-june-2024
Fargo Rosters: Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio
Starting on June 26, USA Wrestling began publishing the state team rosters for the 2024 USMC Junior and 16U Nationals set for Fargo, N.D. State teams will be posted whenever a final roster has been submitted and confirmed with the state association.
In addition to the list of athletes (by age-group, style and weight), boys who are included in the most recent FloWrestling rankings, as well as girls who are included in the most recent National Girls High School rankings, will be identified.
We add the following rosters today: Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina and Ohio. Ohio has one of the largest and most powerful rosters in Fargo each year, a challenger for team titles with both their men and women. North Carolina and Massachusetts are building stronger programs with some talented individuals. Mississippi, which is just now developing wrestling in the state, will be represented in Fargo this summer, a step forward for the sport.
NORTH CAROLINA
Junior Boys freestyle
120 Ethan Brownlee
120 Elijah Dorsey
126 Devon Conner
132 Layne Armstrong
138 Jackson Rowling
138 Alexander Schweitzer
138 Kaleb Flores
138 Shawn Bass
144 Ashton Shields-Adams
150 John Schulz
157 Jeremiah Johnson
157 Braden Reynolds
157 Luke Osborne
165 Troy Shannon
175 Dominic Blue
175 Connor Reese
175 Noah Michael
190 Harrison Compton
190 Brock Sullivan
190 Troy Deniz
190 Tayshaun Glover
215 Hayden Haynes
215 Dantrell Williams
285 Sebastian Rivera
285 Austin Rivera
285 Damien Couture
Junior Greco-Roman
120 Ethan Brownlee … rest of story at … Themat.com/Fargo-rosters-north-carolina-ohio
Legendary OU Head Coach Stan Abel Passes Away at 87
OWrestle.com has learned that longtime OU Head Coach and Hall of Famer Stan Abel passed away yesterday at the age of 87. The legendary Sooner coached OU to a National Title in 1974 and three other team runner-up finishes. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990.
His bio from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame: “With two national championships as a wrestler, and another as a coach, Stanley Abel reached across five decades with a career marked by continuing success. Vigorous, vehement and volatile, he was one of the best known figures in the sport. Abel always was out in front for his wrestlers, fighting as hard for them off the mat as he ever asked them to fight on the mat.
In 29 years as a head coach, he amassed more than 350 dual meet victories and a consistent 73 per cent winning record against the toughest possible lineup of opponents. Abel became coach at the University of Oklahoma in 1973, successor to three other Hall of Fame coaches. His Sooners won the NCAA championship in 1974, placed second three times and only once finished out of the nation’s Top 10.
He coached 15 NCAA champions and 74 All-Americans. One of his proudest moments came in 1984 when his son, Darren, earned All-America honors as an OU wrestler. The Sooners captured three Big Eight trophies and Abel was conference coach of the year three times. He was elected Man of the Year in 1974, … more at … Owrestle.com/legendary-ou-head-coach-stan-abel-passes-away-at-87
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 