By Earl Smith

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling community last Friday when he unleashed Mark Hall from his redshirt for the Nittany Lions' colossal dual with Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hall, the junior world champion and consensus top recruit from the high school Class of 2016, showed flashes of his potential, yet was upended by All-American Alex Meyer.

Sanderson's decision to start Hall so late in the season begs the questions, how many top recruits actually get brought out of redshirt at this juncture and then how do they fare? The most widely known example of a true freshman shedding his redshirt and having success is from 1993 when Lincoln McIlravy was inserted into Iowa's lineup by Hawkeyes coach Dan Gable. McIlravy went on to defeat Gerry Abas for a national title in one of college wrestling's most epic matches ever.

Gable's rival, Oklahoma State coach John Smith, also memorably took a pair of aces out from under his sleeve when he inserted Coleman Scott and Nathan Morgan into the Cowboys' 2005 lineup. Scott got onto the podium and Morgan won a Big 12 title, but the reality was they didn't end up needing either freshman's points at NCAAs when Oklahoma State won a title by 70 points.

Another example of a semi-recent national champion who was brought out of redshirt his freshman year was Oklahoma's Teyon Ware in 2003.

Here's a list of 15 freshmen from the past 10 years who were top 100 recruits brought out of redshirt at or after January 1. We'll also look at how each freshman's season played out as well as the rest of his career.

15. Kevin Jack (N.C. State), 2015

I list Kevin Jack first because he was actually ranked 149th out 150 recruits in my D1CW top recruits list from the Class of 2014. He doesn't fit into my top 100 profile, but he deserves mention because of how he has progressed.

Debut: February 14, 2015, vs. Ben Ross of Pittsburgh. Won by technical fall 15-0.
Freshman Season: Jack was one of the surprises of the 2015 NCAA Championships, upsetting the No. 4, No. 5, No. 11 and No. 12 seeds en route to a fifth-place finish.
Career: Still to be determined. Kevin Jack captured his first Atlantic Coast Conference title in 2016 and earned the No. 3 seed at nationals before falling in the Round of 12. Currently, he is ranked No. 2 at 141lbs.

14. Garrett Sutton (Michigan), 2015

Garrett Sutton was inserted into the Wolverines lineup after Taylor Massa moved up to 174 in February. Sutton was ranked No. 83 overall in the Class of 2014 by D1CW.

Debut: February 6, 2015, vs. Austin Wilson of Nebraska. Lost by decision 8-3.
Freshman Season: Sutton earned a trip to the NCAA Championships by virtue of a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. He went 0-2 in St. Louis.
Career: Still to be determined. Sutton started at 165 for most of the 2015-16 campaign for Michigan but was sidelined by injury at the tail end of the season. He has competed unattached for the Wolverines at 174 this year.

13. Brian Stephens (Virginia Tech), 2010 

Brian Stephens was brought out of redshirt when Hokies starter Peter Yates injured his knee. Stephens was listed as a top 75 recruit coming out of Graham High School in Ohio.

Debut: January 8, 2010, vs. Frank Molinaro of Penn State. Lost by decision 6-1.
Freshman Season: After a rough 1-3 opening weekend at the Virginia Duals, Stephens rebounded to go 13-5 overall and won the ACC championship at 149lbs.
Career: Stephens spent one more season in the lineup for the Hokies ,qualifying for the 2011 NCAA Championships.

12. Jon Burns (Nebraska), 2009

He may not be a household name, but at the time Jon Burns was a top 60 overall recruit. He rose up the recruiting rankings by winning the Ironman as a senior, defeating Mario Mason and Ben Jordan in the finals.

Debut: January 4, 2009, vs. Kellen Russell of Michigan. Lost by major decision 8-0.
Freshman Season: The National Duals was the site where Burns came out of redshirt, and he tore his meniscus in his second match against Northwestern's Keith Sulzer. Eventually he was granted a medical hardship year.
Career: After his freshman season, Burns transferred back home to North Carolina. He spot-started for the Tar Heels and was their entry at 149lbs in the 2010 NCAA Championships.

11. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 2015

The removal of Ethan Lizak's redshirt is a decision that will go down in message board lore. Lizak preserved Minnesota's victory over Penn State by avoiding a tech fall or pin in their dual meet's final bout. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 60 recruit in the Class of 2014 by D1CW.

Debut: January 25, 2015, vs. Jordan Conaway of Penn State. Lost by major decision 13-3.
Freshman Season: Lizak finished with a 28-15 record and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships, where he won a pair of matches. He was eliminated by Jordan Conaway.
Career: Still to be determined. He is Minnesota's starter and currently ranked No. 5 at 125lbs.

10. Joey Lavallee (Missouri), 2014

Joey Lavallee made his way into the Missouri lineup after former starter and three-time NCAA qualifier Kyle Bradley left the team. Lavallee was D1CW's No. 57 recruit from the Class of 2013.

Debut: January 19, 2014, vs. Luke Smith of Central Michigan. Lost by decision 4-0.
Freshman Season: Lavallee put together an impressive 30-11 record in his initial season in Columbia, MO. His third-place finish in the Mid-America Conference provided him with a No. 14 seed at nationals and he made it to the Round of 12 before falling to James Green.
Career: To be determined. Lavallee is coming off a redshirt season in 2015-16, after qualifying for nationals as a ninth-seeded sophomore. Currently he is ranked No. 6 at 157 for the Tigers.

9. Tyler Clark (Iowa State), 2008

Tyler Clark lost his redshirt when he started for the Cyclones at the National Duals in place of Mark Kist. Clark was also a top 60 recruit in the Class of 2007.

Debut: January 12, 2008, vs. Dave Tomasette of Hofstra. Lost by decision 9-4.
Freshman Season: Clark finished his freshman season with a 7-5 mark in dual competition and 18-12 overall, placing fourth in the Big 12. He went 0-2 in his first of two trips to nationals.
Career: As a sophomore, Clark earned the No. 9 seed at the 2009 NCAA Championships but did not place. He pulled the rare switcheroo and transferred to Iowa, where he finished his career. During his senior season, Tyler racked up 18 wins and finished fourth at the Midlands but was stuck behind sophomore Tony Ramos.

8. Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma State), 2015

The first of four Oklahoma State Cowboys on this list, Harding was inserted into the OSU lineup for the Southern Scuffle. In the months prior, the Cowboys were not getting much productive from the 133 class. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 46 recruit by D1CW.

Debut: January 1, 2015, vs. Carter Ballinger of Central Michigan. Won by decision 8-7 (but DNPed)
Freshman Season: Gary Wayne won 29 bouts as a freshman and earned himself a spot in the 2015 NCAA Championships, where he registered two wins.
Career: Still to be determined. He was the Cowboys starter again in 2016, again wrestling at the national tournament. This season, he is behind Kaid Brock and has not competed.

7. Austin Marsden (Oklahoma State), 2012

Austin Marsden, D1CW's No. 25 recruit from the Class of 2011, was expected to redshirt until Alan Gelogaev went down late with a season-ending injury. Marsden's first dual meet came against Illinois in the National Duals semifinals, where he took the mat in a match that OSU led by one point.

Debut: February 19, 2012, vs. Pat Walker of Illinois. Won by decision 3-2.
Freshman Season: Even though he made his debut so late in the season, Marsden was able to qualify for nationals on the strength of a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championships.
Career: Marsden would redshirt the next year and then add two more Big 12 titles to his resume. He also earned All-American honors twice finishing 8th in 2014 and 6th last season.

6. Trevor Melde (Rutgers), 2009

Along with Scott Winston, Trevor Melde was one of the prized recruits of Scott Goodale's first class at Rutgers. Melde was Intermat's No. 17 recruit from the Class of 2008.

Debut: January 17, 2009, vs. Nick Nelson of Virginia. Lost by decision 9-3.
Freshman Season: Despite earning the No. 4 seed at the EIWA Championships, Trevor was not able to qualify for the NCAA Tournament as a freshman.
Career: That freshman season was the only in which Melde did not qualify for nationals. His deepest run through the tournament came as a senior in 2013, when he won two matches.

5. Josh Kindig (Oklahoma State), 2011

Another wrestler to come out of redshirt at the National Duals, Josh Kindig filled in for injured starter Luke Silver in a big way against Virginia Tech. Though Kindig pulled off a big upset against a returning All-American, the Cowboys were themselves upset by the Hokies 18-16. Kindig was a top 10 recruit from the Class of 2010.

Debut: January 8, 2011, vs. Chris Diaz of Virginia Tech. Won by decision 7-4.
Freshman Season: There were some big highlights in Kindig's initial season in Stillwater, OK, the Diaz victory as well as another upset of eventual Big 12 champion and All-American Todd Schavrien. Kindig was still unseeded at nationals and was eliminated after winning two matches.
Career: Kindig's career really took off after taking a redshirt in 2012-13 and bumping up to 149lbs. He was the NCAA runner-up in 2014 to Jason Tsirtsis and was having an excellent senior season before injuries took over.

4. Kirk Smith (Boise State), 2008

Boise State couldn't resist sitting on one of its biggest recruits ever, the hometown boy Kirk Smith, who was the No. 9 overall recruit by Intermat from the Class of 2007.

Debut: January 11, 2008, vs. Ian Murphy of Cal-State Fullerton. Won by decision 3-2.
Freshman Season: Smith was one of only five wrestlers on this list to earn All-American honors as a freshman. He finished in eighth place at 184 after finishing as a runner-up in the then Pac-10 Championships.
Career: The end of Smith's career played out similarly to Josh Kindig. Like Kindig, Smith was the NCAA runner-up as a junior. He was the undefeated top seed heading into that 2010 NCAA Tournament. He missed a large portion of his senior year due to injuries and was only a shell of himself when he did actually compete.

3. Jackson Morse (Illinois), 2011

Morse was named D1CW's No. 7 overall recruit from the Class of 2010 after winning two Super 32 titles and finishing as the top 152-pounder in the country.

Debut: January 7, 2011, vs. Ryan Goodman (West Virginia). Won by decision 10-5.
Freshman Season: Overall as a freshman, Morse racked up 22 wins competing in the 157lb weight class. He was an at-large selection for the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia that season and finished 0-2.
Career: Morse had a bit of a sophomore slump, barely over .500, then redshirted and moved up to 165lbs. At 165, Jackson was twice seeded at nationals:  12th as a junior and ninth as a senior. That senior season Morse turned it on and finished fourth in the country.

2. Joe Smith (Oklahoma State), 2016

A spot in the Cowboys lineup opened up after Chance Marsteller was not effective at the 157lb class. Jo Jo Smith, the son of six-time world champion and Oklahoma State head coach John Smith, demonstrated that he was ready for the big time after making the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions and Southern Scuffle while unattached. In those matches, he showed flashes before falling to the eventual NCAA finalists in each event. Smith was FloWrestling's No. 7 recruit in the Class of 2015.

Debut: January 15, 2016, vs. Dylan Cottrell (West Virginia). Won by decision 11-4.
Freshman Season: Despite having some of the largest shoes to fill in the sport due to his genes, Smith was able to cap off his freshman season with a seventh-place finish. He won his first Big 12 Championship and earned a sixth seed at nationals.
Career: Still to be determined. Currently Smith is ranked No. 5 at 157lbs and has three more years of eligibility.

1. Myles Martin (Ohio State), 2016

Of course, the only NCAA champion on this list is Ohio State's Myles Martin. Early in the 2015-16 season it was thought that Martin would redshirt, because Bo Jordan was competing at 174lbs. However, Jordan went down to 165 and a potential weak spot was evident in the Buckeyes' lineup.

Debut: January 3, 2016, vs. Isaac Reinemann (Illinois). Won by technical fall 23-7.
Freshman Season: As mentioned earlier, Martin went on to capture the NCAA title at 174lbs. He did so coming from an 11th seed and defeating Bo Nickal, an opponent that previous beat him three times that season. His 33 wins on the season set an Ohio State record for true freshmen.
Career: Still to be determined. Now up a weight class Martin is currently the No. 9-ranked 184-pounder.