Underlying Ohio State's success is a secret weapon. Coach Tom Ryan has J Jaggers, one of the most competent (and underappreciated) wingmen in the game. And there's Tervel, who was known as a technician-extraordinaire while still competing on the senior circuit. But there's another.

Anthony Ralph is the man behind the recruiting madness for the Buckeyes. 

To be sure, Buckeye recruiting was among the best before Ralph's arrival; tOSU's 6.1 average recruiting class rank is tied with Penn State as the best over the last decade. However, Ralph is part of the changing times. Hired as a recruiting savant with a sophisticated system to do what he does best - help build one of the nation's most deep and talented rosters.

We examine the potential Ohio State wrestling recruits for 2019.

Nomad did a deep dive into the current Buckeye roster and here I'll take a look at weights of need and potential targets.

Taking inventory of the roster yields a few telling things:

1. The Buckeyes lost a lot from their best group in history - 4x AA's NaTo, BoJo, and Kyle Snyder. This a year after they graduated.

2. Ohio State has a whole roster full of upper echelon/blue chip type guys. Other teams would be devastated with the graduation they experienced. But podium finished should continue.

3. At most weights, 'need' isn't the right word. More like 'luxury' or 'potential upgrade'.

4. To illustrate that - between their 2018 recruiting class and the start on 2019, Ohio State has brought in a Top 100 recruit at 8 of the 10 weights. 

Lightweights

On the Roster:

A combination of Jose Rodriguez and Nathan Tomasello both growing out of 125 created a dilemma at the weight. NaTo was able to get back down for his final year, but things got so dire for the Buckeyes, they brought in a bunch of possible replacements to see what would work. 

I think everyone liked the progression they saw in Malik Heindselman over the past year. The question is - is he ready without a redshirt. I also have high(er) expectations for Jacob Decatur, who they have locked up for 2020. He's been small, and a 2-sport athlete. After a couple years to fill out and to focus on just wrestling, I think he could be a factor. Between the two, their 125 scares should be behind them. Additionally, there doesn't appear (right now anyway) to be any available 125's of a caliber that would be considered an upgrade there.

Jordan Decatur will come in at just the right time. Luke Pletcher has two more years which will allow a redshirt of Decatur, one of the most dynamic neutral wrestlers in the country. If he gets better on the mat, he's a prospect of title contention.

141 is also covered - to the extent that there might be excellent talent on the bench as both Quinn Kinner (this year) and Dylan D'Emilio (next year) enter the fold. Between 141 and 149 (which will get to in the next segment) the Buckeyes have 'good problems' where excellent options will have to fight for starting spots. 

Targets: 

There's nothing to suggest that Jordan Decatur can't hold 133, but Buckeye needs in the lightweight department are incumbent upon that. He holds 133 and they don't need anything for the foreseeable future down low. 

I imagine the coaching staff will evaluate Malik in the room and determine if he's the guy of the future. I imagine he will be fine. But it's the degree to which he is 'fine'. 125 is a meatgrinder currently and the Buckeyes need a point scorer. 

There isn't an available 125/133 in the Class of 2019 that fits tOSU's bill. 2020 pickin's are slim at the weight as well. If I were the Bucks I'd kick the tires on Aizayah Yacapin out of Washington. Another thing to consider is that the state is chock full of mid-tier 125's, some of which may jump levels - Login Agin, Dustin Norris, Dylan Shawver - could provide depth.

Middleweights

On the Roster:

As alluded to above, 141 and 149 will be dog fights and areas tOSU doesn't have to worry about. Sasso could - per his own admission - even wrestle 141. Between the two weights Ohio State has, in addition to one more year of McKenna, Ke-Shawn Hayes, Sammy Sasso, Quinn Kinner, and Dylan D'Emilio, all of whom have eventual finalist potential.

157 through 174 offer a great deal of questions. While there is high school talent in the room, it's not of the 'can't-miss' variety, and it's completely unproven on the college level. Between last year (w/ BoJo) and this year (w/ Te'Shan and Micah) tOSU will have graduate all three starters. The existing upper classmen on the roster aren't the answer. It leaves the Bucks hope for an elite middle in the hands of some combo of Jaden Mattox (157), Kevon Freeman (165), Kaleb Romero (174), Rocky Jordan (174/184), and Braeden Redlin (174/184).

Targets:

Under the circumstances (young studs, but unproven) one would have to be in the room to know the degree to which tOSU has to address these weights. Perhaps they are all kicking butt. Still, with the roster is thin here and I expect them to land one to three guys in this range.

There aren't many elite 2019 prospects still on the board. However there are three studs in this weight range that would be great gets. The first, of course, is Carson Kharchla who, at a smaller height, may be a 65/74. The other two are out of state - Cam Amine, a 57/65 from Michigan, and Carter Starocci a 174 from PA.

Both Kharchla and Amine have tOSU in their final five schools. There hasn't been a tOSU-Starocci link, but he's close geographically, he's elite, and it fits.

Looking further down the line, I love Victor Voinovich (165/174) out of Brecksville. Both him and fellow Class of 2021 prospect Paddy Gallagher (St. Edward) would make great in-state mid/upper weight targets.

Upperweights

On the Roster:

Graduation of the middleweights bleeds into 184 for the Bucks as Myles Martin enters the final year of an impeccable career. There are three options for his replacement currently on the Buckeye roster - 1) Ethan Smith, 2) Rocky bulks up, 3) Gavin Hoffman cuts down.

197 is set for at least two years with Kollin Moore as a title contender. After that it will likely be Gavin Hoffman taking the reigns, unless his drop to 184 turns out to be more ideal. 

Two years ago the Buckeyes brought in Chase Singletary, a top pound-for-pound recruit, to be the future at HWT. While he still may become that, there were murmurs that perhaps the staff was hedging. Several people have indicated that they have been recruiting elite heavyweights (Cohlton Shultz, Nash Hutmacher, and Greg Kerkvliet) and they got a commitment from nationally ranked 220lber Tyler Stein.

Targets:

All elite 184/197's are off the market in the Class of 2019. Watch for them to make a major, concerted push for AJ Ferrari or Braxton Amos in 2020 (doing so would mean 184 long-term for Hoffman). Alternatively, I think two of the best 184lb. prospects in the 2020 class would fit very well - Kai Bele of Florida and Thayne Lawrence in PA (which means Hoffman goes up to 197).

I don't think tOSU gets a HWT in this class for three reasons - 1) they'll see what they have in Singletary, 2) Schultz committed, and I think they'll miss on Kerkvliet  3) money. 

This season will answer the questions on Singletary. He could be the man of for the next four seasons, or tOSU will have to target on in 2020. Should that be the case, I like them to push harder for Hutmacher and to get in on PA's Hunter Catka. 

Summation: 

After a fantastic run that saw Top 6 NCAA finishes in each of the last seven years, along with Top 3 each of the last four, graduation has hit the Buckeyes. While their recruiting has been as good as anyone in the nation, the roster is so young that many questions loom. They could need nothing, or they could need a lot; between this year and next 125, 141/149, 157, 165, 174, 184, and 285 will have a first-time starter. 

With their recent recruiting success, a lot of schools would just wait to see how they all perform. But tOSU is a powerhouse and a popular destination among elite recruits. I expect, even with young talent on the roster, tOSU adds a few blue chippers this class. Look for them to land 1 to 2 guys in the middle and 1 guy up top (two if they can get an elite HWT).

Related Reading:

Depth Charts:  Iowa    |    Oklahoma State    |   Nebraska   |    Michigan    |    Ohio State

Targets:   Iowa   |   Oklahoma State   |   Nebraska     |    Michigan

Class of 2019 DI Commitment List

Top 100 Recruits of 2019

Top 100 Recruits of 2020