Coming into this season, the big story with Husker wrestling was the lineup moves from 157 pounds through 197. Four starters from a year ago have all moved down a weight class.

For some, like Antrell Taylor and Bubba Wilson, it was a move back into their ideal weight classes. With Peyton Robb in the lineup last year at 157, Taylor beat out Wilson for the spot at 165, prompting a move up to 174 for Wilson. Now with Robb graduated and moving on to the Senior level, Taylor and Wilson have been able to come back down.

The most intriguing part of the weight class moves has been Lenny Pinto moving down to 174 and Silas Allred moving down from 197 to 184. This shift was all spurred on by Allred who started contemplating a move down this summer.

“They both committed to being their best and they feel it is at those weight classes,” Nebraska coach Mark Manning said. “That’s why we did it. It really formalized in the summer with Silas and Lenny.”

Originally, Allred was approached with the idea by his wife and father-in-law, but he didn’t think it was possible because he hadn’t been in that weight range since he was 15 years old. 

However, the idea had some time to marinate in Allred’s mind after taking some time to reflect. A Big Ten Champion in 2023 as a redshirt freshman at 197 pounds, Allred has twice finished in the round of 12 at NCAAs — one win shy of the podium. This was something that led Allred to assess whether he was doing enough. 

“This summer, I kind of had an epiphany moment,” Allred said. “I was being real honest with myself because there are things I want to accomplish that I haven’t accomplished yet — goals and desires I have. It was very frustrating, so I was honest with myself that I was not doing enough. I need to be doing more.”

So, Allred turned up his training routine and really honed in on the small things like his diet and recovery. 

“This summer, I said I am going to train as hard as I can, and I am going to try to transform my body. I started dieting and started lifting, but I was wrestling still,” Allred said. “This started at the end of June, and it was a complete lifestyle change. Before I knew it, weight was kind of falling off. That’s when I realized I can go 184. It was a thought that turned into action through me wanting to see how great I can be. I had this question in my head of ‘How good can I be?’ The only way to find out is to do the work and find out.”

Allred’s diet focuses on lean proteins, simple starches, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. He weighs every meal and counts every calorie consumed and burned. 

“The big thing at 184 for me is that I have gotten my diet down to a science. It’s just a priority of refueling and putting the right things in me to go wrestle my matches,” Allred said. “My gas tank feels great because I’ve done so much extra cardio and so much extra work that it’s not about getting tired as much as it’s about managing my body and making sure that I’m feeling good down there. I’m giving myself proper time to recover and putting in the right fuel off the scale. When I have those things really locked in, I feel great at 184. I don’t feel like it’s a detriment at all.”

That all sounds like a lot because it is. It’s certainly not an easy thing for anyone to do, but Allred has adjusted well to the new lifestyle.

“Initially, it was kind of a shock because it’s a lot of work, but it’s just life now — it’s just what I do,” Allred said. “It doesn’t really feel hard anymore, it’s just my new normal now and I love it. I love the discipline and knowing in my mind I’m doing something other guys couldn’t or aren’t willing to do. It’s added motivation and confidence going into the season.”

The final piece to this weight class shift for the Huskers was having a piece to plug in at 197. Incoming freshman Camden McDanel fit the bill for Nebraska. A U20 World bronze medalist in 2023 at 97 kg, McDanel is also a two-time U20 U.S. Open champion and two-time U20 Pan-American champ. A 2023 signee, McDanel took a grayshirt last season to train at the Olympic Training Center in the Elite Accelerator Program. 

“If I didn’t think Cam was ready to compete and that I thought he’d benefit from a redshirt year, then I would have stayed at 197 and we would have found someone to wrestle at 174,” Allred said. “Obviously, his skill level is there and he’s very talented, but beyond that his mindset is there. He’s locked in and focused. He has the intangibles that it takes. I think he’s going to be one of those guys who after he kind of adjusts in the beginning of the year and starts figuring things out, he is going to really grow in the fire and really jump levels as he gains more confidence and starts figuring out his identity as a college wrestler. I think he’s going to be really good.”

As for Manning, he saw enough in the practice room over the past year to know that McDanel is ready to be in the lineup without using his available redshirt. In fact, McDanel was showing the ability to take down Senior-level guys in the Nebraska room early on.

“I think Cam looks ready to go, and that’s why we did it. If Cam wasn’t ready to go, we wouldn’t have asked him to wrestle,” Manning said. “We saw him having success in the room, taking down really good people and competing well. That’s why we knew he could go. If you’re taking down (All-American) Eric Schultz on a daily basis, you’re pretty good.”

As for Allred’s goals for his junior season, he likes to be free of self-imposed expectations surrounding the outcomes of his matches. Instead, he focuses on things he can control.

“The biggest expectations for me are the things I can control — my effort, my pace and my courage,” Allred said. “I can go out there and send shots, I can go out there and wrestle a high pace, and I can go out there and give it my all. How my opponent reacts to that I can’t control, so if he’s like ‘I’m going to scrap with you today,’ then great, let’s freaking scrap. If he folds, then he folds. Just having no expectations on outcome and just wrestling hard. I think it’s the most freeing way to wrestle and compete.”

After starting his season with an 11-7 decision over Utah Valley’s Caleb Uhlenhopp this past weekend, Allred was a bit disappointed in his first match at 184. He knows the move down will continue to be an adjustment, but he says he feels great about it.

“I feel very strong at 184. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any strength and I feel faster, which is a big thing for me,” Allred said. “When everything clicks, I feel like I wrestle at a very, very high level.”

Huskers Loaded in Front Half

With all the talk about the movement among Nebraska’s upper weights, the Huskers’ front half has been overlooked a bit, but it shouldn’t be.

Nebraska has one of the most potent first five in the country with Caleb Smith (#3 at 125), Jacob Van Dee (#11 at 133), Brock Hardy (#4 at 141), Ridge Lovett (#5 at 149) and Taylor (#7 at 157). Four of those wrestlers are All-Americans with Lovett a former NCAA finalist and 2024 Big Ten champion as well.

“Our guys are veteran enough to know that we have a good team. It’s about us coming together and competing well,” Manning said. “We just focus on what we can control. We can’t control the rankings, so we’ll beat the people that are in front of us and keep getting better each week.”

But leave it to coach Manning to throw some cold water on anyone trying to pat themselves on the back or rest on their laurels.

“You have to go and perform and you have to be your best. We’re going to have a lot of stiff competition out there, so we don’t really take anything for granted,” he said. “We know we have five guys (from 125 to 157), but I look at it as five good guys have to be pushed. Five good guys have to continue to get better. They’re not good because of what they did last year. It’s about what they’re doing this year and what they’re doing each week. That’s where our mindset is.”

Huskers Building Quality Depth

With Manning talking about his starters getting pushed in the room, it shows that the depth of this team really has become a great tool for development. Nebraska brought in a monster class in 2023, and they’re all finally in Lincoln. Most of them redshirted last year and have been inserted into the fold. 

Manning pointed out a number of guys who have made big jumps since last season, such as Alan Koehler at 125, Blake Cushing at 141, Scott Robertson at 149, Christopher Minto at 165, Adam Thebeau at 174, and Dominic Thebeau at 197. Not only are those guys Manning is comfortable putting out there, they also serve as practice partners who can truly push the starters ahead of them.

“Scottie Robertson has made a big-ass jump in his development. He’s tough, man. He’s a guy we can count on,” Manning said. “We have some backups that we can count on to fill a gap when we need it. It’s nice to have guys like Adam and Dom Thebeau who’ve gotten a lot better, too.”

With so many guys on the team cutting more weight than ever before, Nebraska has decided to see how those guys feel as the season runs along. If they need a break at some point, Manning says he isn’t opposed to inserting the next guy.

“We haven’t really decided because we’re going to play it by ear on if guys are getting worn out a little bit or they need a break,” he said. “We’re not afraid to put someone in if someone needs a break.”