2018-19 Depth Chart: Ohio State's Pivotal Freshmen
2018-19 Depth Chart: Ohio State's Pivotal Freshmen
Ohio State's depth chart is replete with freshmen from their last two recruiting classes.
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Under the leadership of Tom Ryan, the Ohio State Buckeyes have become one of the nation's premier programs. They've won four straight team trophies, including the national title in 2015, and have been the only squad to seriously challenge Penn State for a couple years.
Immediately after the 2018 NCAA tournament in Cleveland, we did a way-too-early lineup look for tOSU, putting together some guesses for how all 10 weights would look for the next season. It was a first look at life after Kyle Snyder, Nathan Tomasello, and Bo Jordan.
Let's take a look at what the depth chart looks like right now in Columbus, broken down by grade and weight.
Before jumping in, it's worth reading the 2017 and 2018 recruiting class rankings, in which the Buckeyes ranked fourth and second, respectively. All teams will of course be decided by their recruiting classes, but in addition to the trio of four-time All-Americans mentioned above, they're losing another trio of 3+ time placers in Joey Mckenna, Micah Jordan, and Myles Martin after this season.
Although we now have begun formally began looking at the long-term options for several major power programs, a couple Ohio State commitments prompted a prior review of their depth chart. That breakdown will serve as a template for this article.
125 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
125 | 1 | Malik Heinselman | FR |
125 | 2 | Brakan Mead | SO |
125 | 3 | Brady Koontz | FR |
125 | 4 | Hunter Lucas | SO |
This Season: Hard to say right now. In all likelihood, Heinselman is the best 125 on the roster already. However, is he ready right away for a full season of a Big Ten grind? Most freshmen, even blue chippers, are redshirted whether they’re talented enough to compete immediately or not. The book on the Colorado native for years was that a redshirt is absolutely necessary to be big enough, but he didn’t look too small at 57kg this spring during freestyle season.
Long-Term Outlook: Whether Heinselman redshirts this year or not, he is the Buckeyes’ 125 for the foreseeable future. At some point, you have to respect the slew of guys Heinselman has beaten in freestyle. However, we don't know how his mat game stands up against other D1 guys, or how his body will hold up over the course of a D1 season wrestling 125 week after week. But he's a safe option with a high floor and a kid you'll never have to worry about having academic or behavior issues off the mat. Jacob Decatur is also coming in next year, and is a 125 for life.
133 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
133 | 1 | Luke Pletcher | JR |
133 | 2 | Dylan Koontz | FR |
133 | 3 | Alex Felix | FR |
This Season: Pletcher was the three seed entering NCAAs and placed fourth, putting him firmly in the upper echelon of 133s. However, and I’ve brought this up before, his bonus rate was under 12% last year. Now, that doesn’t stop him from winning matches, but it may hinder his ability to put space between himself and other 133s, and also schools like Ohio State who are trying to push Penn State will need team points at the national tournament.
Long-Term Outlook: Pletcher exits right as Jordan Decatur comes in. So production wise, you wouldn’t expect much drop-off. Decatur gets a year to redshirt under Pletcher, who by that time should be pushing to be a three-time AA. Additionally, Decatur is possibly cheaper than Pletcher since he is in-state, which could open up more money to shore up other weights if need be. On his feet, Decatur might be the best prospect in the country, but he does have some work to do on the mat. Four-time California placewinner Alex Felix will provide excellent depth at 133 or 141.
141 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
141 | 1 | Joey McKenna | SR |
141 | 2 | Brendan Fitzgerald | JR |
141 | 3 | Clay Ragon | SO |
141 | 4 | Jaimen Hood | FR |
141 | 5 | Quinn Kinner | FR |
141 | 6 | JD Stickley | FR |
This Season: If you’ve read the returning 141 AAs article and listened to FRL 308, you know the top tier of this weight includes McKenna, Yianni, and Jaydin Eierman. So, you’ve got a national title contender if McKenna is once again the 141 pounder for the Buckeyes. However, there is a possibility that McKenna bumps to 141 and switches with Ke-Shawn Hayes. At this point it’s pretty difficult to determine which is better for the team.
Long-Term Outlook: It sure is looking crowded in Columbus. Even before Dylan D'Emilio committed, one of Hayes, Quinn Kinner, or Sammy Sasso was already going to lose a starting year. There will be plenty of depth, but it's going to result in some roster battles and weight juggling for the next few years, somewhat of a repeat of what is going on right now for Hayes.
149 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
149 | 1 | Ke-Shawn Hayes | JR |
149 | 2 | Aaron Rehfeldt | SO |
149 | 3 | Sammy Sasso | FR |
This Season: Again, either Hayes or McKenna takes the spot. It’s pretty much the same either way, with McKenna being a national title contender at either weight and Hayes being an All-American candidate.
Long-Term Outlook: Whether Sasso loses a year or not, he’s probably the guy for the next several years. Ohio State’s options are set, the question is whether or not the slew of freshmen on the roster can live up to the expectations set in Columbus by the graduating class of Kyle Snyder, Nathan Tomasello, and Bo Jordan. I think college fans will fall in love with Sasso’s straight leg cradle off his opponents' shots, and he'll have one or both of Kinner and D'Emilio pushing him along the way.
157 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
157 | 1 | Micah Jordan | SR |
157 | 2 | Jaden Mattox | FR |
This Season: For a time, I thought Micah Jordan would be dropping down to 149, but that seems less likely now, especially because pushing Hayes up to 157 makes little sense when compared to having Ke-Shawn at 41 or 49 this year. It's going to be difficult for anyone not named Jason Nolf to win the weight, but he can be a high placer or possibly even make the finals.
Long-Term Outlook: The theme of this article, over and over again, is how important the 2018 recruiting class is. Taking the helm for Micah next year will be in-state Jaden Mattox, who is maybe the best top wrestler the Buckeyes have recruited in quite some time. One advantage Mattox will have that Micah didn't have is that he'll start his career at the correct weight instead of having to bounce around for a few years.
165 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
165 | 1 | Kaleb Romero | FR |
165 | 2 | Elijah Cleary | SO |
165 | 3 | Fritz Schierl | SO |
165 | 4 | Ryan Ferro | FR |
165 | 5 | Kevon Freeman | FR |
This Season: After wrestling 174 during his redshirt year, Romero is dropping down to 165, swapping with Te'Shan Campbell. Once a high school football star, Romero is the latest small school champ to stay in-state and wrestle for the Buckeyes. His freestyle performances at the Junior U.S. Open and World Team Trials were underwhelming, again pointing to this being a bit of a rebuilding year in Columbus, developing their young starters into All-Americans down the line.
Long-Term Outlook: Since Romero is taking the helm, that makes him the long-term plan at 165, unless Kevon Freeman develops. Freeman was a late signee for Ohio State who is excellent on the mat.
174 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
174 | 1 | Te’Shan Campbell | SR |
174 | 2 | Ethan Smith | FR |
174 | 3 | Rocky Jordan | FR |
174 | 4 | Braeden Redlin | FR |
This Season: Does anyone really want to have to replace a four-time All-American? It wasn't mentioned at 125 because there are questions as to who tOSU will roll out, but it seems likely Campbell will be the guy at 174 this season, going back to the weight he wrestled as a freshman. He qualified that year, but went 0-2, and then was twice seeded at 165lbs. So there is a baseline performance expectation for Campbell. Nothing earth shattering, but certainly not a hole in the lineup.
Long-Term Outlook: Again, there is a bit of guesswork here. I've slotted in Rocky Jordan and Redlin as 174s this year, because none of the freshmen are listed on the Bucks' official website yet. Smith was a 184 for his redshirt year, and provides excellent depth for Ohio State, since I think Rocky takes over the weight next year.
184 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
184 | 1 | Myles Martin | SR |
184 | 2 | Zach Steiner | FR |
This Season: The leader of the team will be Myles Martin, looking to bookend his career with national titles. After an up-and-down sophomore campaign, his only losses last season were to Bo Nickal. He fully grew into 184, saying after he won University Nationals over the summer that he wanted to get up to 200 when not cutting. Despite being a full-sized 84, he didn't lose a step and might've been even faster, as he had some of the cleanest leg attacks in the country en route to a 71% bonus rate. Another finals appearance and bonus in three out of every four matches should be the goal for his senior year.
Long-Term Outlook: Zach Steiner is the only other 184 on the roster, however, there is a strong chance Gavin Hoffman drops next year while he waits for Kollin Moore to graduate. But he'll still probably end up at 197, so Steiner is the long term option and the team likely chases a 184 in the next class or two of high school prospects.
197 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
197 | 1 | Kollin Moore | JR |
197 | 2 | Gavin Hoffman | FR |
This Season: Kollin Moore started the year ranked #1, and entered the NCAA tournament as the top seed. He "faltered" all the way to fourth and had a lower bonus rate than his freshman year. However, he's not coming off a summer of preparing for Junior Worlds, so I'm willing to bet the typical high pace Moore will be on display ravaging the Big Ten once again.
Long-Term Outlook: There are several weights right now in the Buckeye room that appear to be populated with three-year starters. Gavin Hoffman is one of those guys at 197, though I probably should have mentioned there's a chance we see him at 184 next year after Martin leaves. It was clear that he or Michael Beard was the premier 197 prospects in the class of 2018, so multiple NCAA placements are still in play even if he loses a year.
285 Pounds
Weight | Spot | Name | Grade |
285 | 1 | Chase Singletary | FR |
285 | 2 | Kevin Snyder | SO |
285 | 3 | Gary Traub | SO |
This Season: Singletary had a strong redshirt year, going 22-3, but it's a similar song and dance to 125 and 174 - fans should expect a dropoff in performance. His three losses were to Joey Goodhart, Devin Nye, and Austin Faunce, so getting a few team points in Pittsburgh would be a decent start to his career.
Long-Term Outlook: It's Singletary. Kevin Snyder is an excellent backup and could start for a number of teams, but his main job for the rest of his career is to help push Singletary to All-American status and beyond. The Bucks recently picked up a verbal from in-state Tyler Stein, a Division II champ at 220 for Canfield last season.