Sixth-ranked Ohio State has bounced back nicely since its December defeat against Pittsburgh, winning seven straight duals and disposing of its first three Big Ten opponents by a 25-point average margin of victory. 

While pleased with the Buckeyes’ performance during the past five weeks, Ohio State coach Tom Ryan believes his squad has much to improve. 

“We have to harden ourselves,” he said. “The overall effort we give has to be more consistent. 

“We can use all kinds of excuses, but doing hard things — the things these guys do day in and day out — should harden them. As coaches, we can’t bring them there. We can train and guide them, but ultimately, it’s a matter of will, a matter of each wrestler saying ‘This is who I am. This is who you will see every time I compete.’”

To Ryan, the ideal competitor mindset for a hardened wrestler is “an angry person who takes the mat with no fear.”  

“I don’t know what emotion brings out aggression better,” he said. “Love, maybe, but I don’t even think it’s that. I think anger is what I’m really thinking of. I don’t know what other emotion brings out your (combat) best.

“I’m not talking about uncontrollable anger, but I am talking about wrestling a certain way. (Ryan’s college teammates) Tom and Terry (Brands) wrestled with it; both of them wrestled like they wanted something badly and their opponents were trying to take it away from them. That’s how we need to approach our matches. Controlled anger without fear.

“It’s not hateful or personal; it’s not me being directly angry with my opponent. I’m angry he’s trying to take something I’ve worked so hard for.”

Lessons in Losses

While Ohio State won each of its first three Big Ten duals by double-digits, Ryan assessed a pair of individual defeats as growth opportunities. 

“Rocco (Welsh) wrestled (Illinois’ fifth-ranked Edmund) Ruth and lost, 2-1, by 18 seconds of riding time,” he said.

Ryan cited it as a pivotal match for the then-undefeated 174-pound (and now #14 ranked) Welsh. Ruth was the true freshman’s first top-10 opponent of the season. 

“That match was a stepping stone to a deeper belief for Rocco,” Ryan said. “Even if we don’t win, sometimes a close loss to someone good lets us know we’re close, that we belong. 

“Rocco had more attacks than Ruth did, but we still feel that with a higher tempo and greater effort throughout the entire match, that’s one he can get.”

Another individual match Ryan referenced was #21 Brendan McCrone’s loss to #8 Eric Barnett of Wisconsin at 125 pounds, lamenting McCrone entering a known area of strength for his opponent. 

After securing Barnett’s right leg on a sweep-single leg attack seconds after the opening whistle, McCrone allowed his head to be buried, leading to a readjusted cradle pin by Barnett 32 seconds into the match.    

“You can’t go into a position where you’re a 4 and your opponent’s a 10,” Ryan said. “A lot of being elite is decision making; you have to be incredibly alert and aware against a guy like that.”

According to Ryan, the “L” McCrone absorbed will hopefully stand for “lesson.”

“Being in another wrestler’s strong area is like walking into the UFC Octagon, sticking your chin out and saying, ‘Here…you get the first punch,’” he said. “I don’t advise it.” 

The Music Man

J Jaggers has earned a few titles in his time as a Buckeye since arriving on campus as a widely-heralded, four-time Ohio high school state champion in 2004. 

He earned the All-American moniker for the Scarlet and Gray three times, NCAA champion twice, Hall of Famer and associate head coach.

Make room for another: 

Music Savant.

“J is a complete geek about music,” Ryan said. “He’s a music savant. He’s into it deeply, on an incredible level.

“He’s become friends with Shane Smith and his band (The Saints). We had them in our wrestling room, and J’s the reason. He was behind it.”

To understand Jaggers’ taste in music, understanding what he admires — and what he doesn’t — is a decent place to start. 

One clue: if it’s frequently played on the radio, Jaggers probably isn’t a fan. Formulaic and authentic aren’t compatible, and Jaggers likes authentic. 

“I’ve grown to like really good singers and songwriters,” he said. “Artists who might not be top-40, industry-equation musicians.”

He admits his taste has evolved.

“I’ve always loved music,” Jaggers said. “Growing up, it was 90s country (music) and classic rock. Then in high school you try to be cool so you listen to what’s popular — rap and whatnot. But really, it’s been the last five years or so that I’ve gotten knee-deep into the independent country music scene. Especially during COVID when there wasn’t a lot going on. I’d check out this guy or listen to that band, started collecting vinyl and eventually started going to shows to check out different people.”

Joy for Jaggers is seeing talented, original musicians he’s discovered gain traction with wider audiences. 

“That’s definitely part of the fun,” he said. “Being like that gatekeeper, seeing someone in a room of 100 people then a couple years later they’re packing bigger places. You feel part of it. You were supporting them, buying their merch, going to their shows before they got big.

“Those of us in this ecosystem (supporters of niche, largely unknown musicians), I call it ‘doing the Lord’s work.’ I promote the bands I like. If you open my closet you’ll see 25 shirts of different artists. That’s all I wear.”

What draws Jaggers’ ear?

“Music and lyrics where you have to think a bit,” he said. “Good songwriting, good sounds. I just have this passion; I like to listen to music that I think is more legit than the BS you hear on the radio.

“You grow up; you get more into substance. I want my kids to grow up on legit music.” 

A few Buckeye wrestlers have taken cues from their coach.

“(Luke) Geog, (Bryce) Hepner and (Dylan) D’Emilio are into the same scene, doing the Lord’s work, listening to a lot of the same artists,” Jaggers said.

“He’s really good at finding guys who aren’t popular yet,” D’Emilio said of his coach. “He has a knack for getting in front of the 8-ball with musicians. He just seems to know how to get ahead of things, seeking out people who are lesser names and playing small shows and before you know it, they’ve gotten big.

“He’s big into a lot of country music — not pop culture country or Nashville country, but bluegrass country and that kind of stuff. He got me into Charles Wesley Godwin, Shane Smith and The Saints, quite a few.

“J makes it fun. When we’re on the road and traveling and maybe we’re in a rental van and he’s playing music, I can find out about someone new. I’m definitely not a savant like him, but I love hearing good music I never knew about before. 

“He’s passionate about the things he loves; he’s a passionate guy in general — about his family, about sports, about music. He’s made it easy to have more of a relationship with him than just wrestling stuff. I think that’s good.”

A friendship developed between Jaggers and Shane Smith and his band (The Saints) after Logan Stieber reached out to them on social media, inviting them to work out at the Bucks’ facility while they were in Columbus. 

“Logan has the blue check and 50,000 followers,” Jaggers laughed. “So I had Logan comment at (Smith) after seeing a post on Instagram of him working out.”

Smith and the band accepted, came to the wrestling room, and Jaggers and the band have stayed in touch ever since.