On day 2 of JD Rader and Tyler Meisinger's 7-day roadtrip to 7 D1 schools, they stopped by Ohio State to catch up with the Buckeyes. Head coach Tom Ryan shared an update on the health of Sammy Sasso and discussed potential lineup implications for the 2023-24 season in the interview above.

On Friday, August August 18, Sasso was hospitalized after suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach in Columbus. Since that time, Sasso has been recovering in the hospital. "Every day gets better for him," coach Ryan said. "He's healing. He's going to live which was the number one concern...and now it's about getting him back to a place where he can wrestle."

Sasso is still in the early stages of recovery, so Buckeye fans will have to wait to find out when Sasso might be back in the lineup. Coach Ryan confirmed that Sasso is not planning to enroll in classes this semester. While Sasso's timeline remains unclear, Ryan emphasized that Sasso's toughness, resilience, and desire to help his teammates will serve him well during his healing process.

Even if Sasso is unable to compete for the remainder of the season, coach Ryan is confident that the Buckeyes will have a strong options at 149 lbs and 157 lbs. During the offseason, Sasso announced his decision to move to 157 lbs, and All-American Dylan D'Emilio announced that he would be moving to 149 lbs. If Sasso can't compete this season, NCAA qualifier Paddy Gallagher is expected to be the starter at 157 lbs. Gallagher is currently ranked #14 in the nation and entered college as the #3 recruit in the class of 2021.

Complete Tom Ryan Interview

During coach Ryan's interview, he also discussed 133-pounder Nic Bouzakis and 141-pounder Jesse Mendez's performances at the U20 World Championships, the first few months of training for their 2023 recruits, and changes to the 2023-24 Buckeye lineup.