State of the Buckeyes: An Interview with OSU Coach Tom Ryan

As readers of this site surely know, Ohio State is hot off a second place finish at NCAA’s- where they finished with two NCAA Champions and three finalists.  With the recruiting class pretty much in line, transfer rumors running rampant, and Buckeye Assistant Tommy Rowlands on track to make the Olympic Team- it was a good time to discuss the state of the Buckeyes program with Ohio State University Coach Tom Ryan.  Ryan was gracious enough to speak with Ohio Wrestling Site this week.  The following is the interview conducted with Tom Ryan:

Ohio Wrestling Site: Coach Ryan, first I’d like to talk a bit about the wrestling  tournament OSU is sponsoring to support finding a cure for autism this weekend.  I understand that this is a cause that is very important to you personally.  Can you tell us about what background you have had with autism?

Tom Ryan: Well, my sister has a child, Ethan, with austim.  As you see him grow, you see the struggles that parents have from a support standpoint.  It’s a constant battle with the state to get the support and resources you need.  Unfortunately, the weekend falls the same as the state freestyle championship which is something that OSU supports strongly, but it was the only date we could schedule the tournament for. 

OWS: Sounds like a great cause.  When and where will the tournament be held?

TR: At the French Fieldhouse (in Columbus) this Saturday (May 17th). 

OWS: Who may wrestle?
TR: We have it set up so any age may compete, K-12.  Our team will be there signing autographs.   (OWS Note: Entry form for the tournament can be found at: http://www.ohiowrestler.com/Forms/OW_08_Youth_OSU-BWC_Form.pdf)

OWS: Sounds like a great opportunity to compete as well as a great cause.  Moving along to a question that many Buckeye Fans have right now, can we expect to see Dave Rella in the Scarlet and Gray next year? 

TR: Great question.  But, at this point I can’t comment on that.

OWS: Fair enough.  Rumors are also swirling that Cody Gardner could end up a Buckeye.  Gardner of course has won numerous national titles at the high school level and still has four years of college eligibility.  How likely is this to happen right now?

TR: Cody Gardner, same thing.  But by the middle of next week our recruiting class will be finalized and we will release a statement regarding the incoming class of 2008-2009.

OWS: Coach Ryan, as you no doubt have noticed, Colt Sponseller has many fans in this state.  Sponseller raced out to a 16-0 record this season, only to fade down the stretch.  Some have suggested that opponents figured out his style a bit, while others believe the loss to Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan “took the wind out of sails” and he never really got the “edge” back.  Others think that he just needs to get stronger physically.  What is your take?

TR: One, I would say a combination of all of those things.  But most importantly, those who watched the Big Ten tourney will have a different perspective.  Colt was in a position to be in the semis. He was behind the guy in overtime for the winning takedown but didn’t quite get the call, and then he basically slipped and got taken down.   It was a terrible way to lose and this was an extremely disappointing event for our entire program.  The guy from Illinois he lost to then lost to the national champion in overtime. 

Colt Sponseller embodies everything that our program stands for.   You have to remember, he is a freshman that missed a large portion of the season.  There is a lesson what happened….Some of the lesson is that I’ve seen Colt in the room every day since the season ended.  Another lesson is that he needs to find a way to score before his opponent gets tired.   You know, he got away for so long with wearing people down- and I don’t mean “got away with” in a bad way because it was a credit to his work ethic- but needs to be able to get takedowns on top guys before they are falling-down tired- and he knows that, and that’s what he will be working on.

OWS: So in other words, he can’t start every match down 2-0.

TR: Exactly, against the Illinois kid, we give up the first takedown.  We nearly get about ten takedowns after that, but can’t quite convert, and then don’t get the call in overtime that could have gone either way.  Colt is very special…(laughs) ….my wife wants an arranged marriage between Colt and my daughter when she gets older.  He’s just a special person.  And I think that his popularity with the fans ….. the incredible crowd support he gets, is a lesson for Ohio wrestlers in the value of staying in state.  You know, he came here on a very small scholarship because he wanted to be here.  He looks past the superficial stuff, the thinking of “what’s my salary”, saw the bigger picture and wanted to be a Buckeye.

OWS: Coach, this year’s recruiting class included a large number who were excellent wrestlers but not necessarily blue-chippers, with the exceptions being Tony Jameson and Cody Magrum of course.  Of course, you were not a blue-chipper coming out of high school yourself, with a highest state finish of third place- yet you went on to finish 2nd and 3rd in the NCAA’s.  Does your own wrestling experience affect your approach to recruiting?

TR: I think the first thing we look for is passion.  I do think that the priorities we need weight-wise were met.  Cody Magrum at 174, obviously we had a need there.  Obviously, there were several other blue chip kids in the state besides Jameson and Magrum- some just didn’t fit with our needs.  But, guys like Jared Kusar and Caleb Messerall are guys that we are excited to work with.  These guys aren’t concerned with who have in the room, they believe their passion and drive will find them a spot in the lineup.  And that was my story in college.  You know, we would love to keep all the blue-chippers in the state- emotionally, that’s possible- but financially, with 9.9 scholarships it’s impossible.  They have to fit into timeline and needs.  So we are ultimately happy with the combo of talent and competitors who are passionate about wrestling and being a Buckeye. There will be also be some transfers who will be added to the existing class.  

OWS: Coach, let’s talk about next year’s lineup if we could:

TR: 125: Nikko Triggas front runner. Pat Harrington and Bo Touris both fighting for that spot.

133- Humphrey, challenged by Livingston and Zamaria. 

OWS: How difficult will it be for Humphrey to continue to make this weight?

TR: It will be a challenge, but when you have the returning national champ at 141, and the fact that it is a manageable weight, he will be there.  We have some depth, we can give him the support he needs.

141-  J.Jaggers back to defend his national title.

149- Palmer’s back, with Tony Jameson, Messerall, and Kusar we have some depth here.

157- Johnstone- a bigger, stronger Johnstone than he was a year ago. You’ve also got Nemec, who will battle for the spot.

165- We have Colt Sponseller here.

174- A host of guys- right now, we have a returning guy in Jeremy Sanders who has a lot of spirit.  Cody Magrum will certainly fight for the spot.  There will also be three other transfers that I cannot mention at this time.

184- Mike Pucillo is back to defend his title.

197- John Weakley, challenged by incoming freshman Pat Walsh who may be at this weight. 

285- Corey Morrison is probably the front-runner.  Eric Diagosta, Jason Cook is growing into this weight.  John Hiles will be in the mix here. 

OWS: Coach Ryan, I’d like to ask you about the wild ride that has been the last two seasons for J.Jaggers. In 2007, frankly, he did not look like himself, losing almost as much as he won in-season, but then rebounded for an All-American finish.  This year, he again struggled a bit early in the season only to turn it up in the second half and of course win a National Championship.  What are your thoughts on this turn of events?

TR: I would say that no question if you are not training at a high level year round your results will suffer.  Not be J’s choice- but he had an elbow injury his first year, and a knee injury his second.  So this was a guy who was unable to train the way he wanted to…..and unable to get his weight under control to some extent….. but ultimately, his work ethic prevailed and he made All-American last year. This year, he lost some early but not like last year, and obviously put it all together at nationals. Ultimately, the issue was his overall body conditioning- he wrestled probably 50 matches a year in the summer his entire life, but once he came to college he couldn’t do that because of the injuries.  You know, when I took over the job, I was like, “wow” we got Jaggers here, we got Bergman….. Coach Hellickson did a great job of bringing some people in.   .

OWS: While four-time state champion Jaggers was heralded for great things practically since he was in middle school, former one-time state champion Mike Pucillo was not quite so highly regarded- at least prior to winning Senior Nationals- but has been a steady winner since the day he stepped into the lineup.  In fact, he has yet to lose to a wrestler who was not an NCAA All-American through his first two collegiate seasons.  I understand he is also an Academic All-American.  What do you think has been the key to Pucillo’s success?

TR: Keys for Mike Pucillo- he is the ultimate competitor.  That’s his best asset.  Second best- he’s very athletic.  He has great composure on the mat.  He loves Ohio State. He makes very good decisions in general in his life.  He is actually a 2x NCAA Academic All-American now.  Obviously, he is one of our team captains here.

OWS: You wrestled for perhaps the greatest coach of all-time in any collegiate sport in Dan Gable.  What was it like wrestling for Gable?

TR: (Pauses)—I saw, and was around, greatness.  High expectations.  A respect for your competitors, but never fear.  An expectation that you are to win, basically.  I saw a support network- a system in place that worked.  I saw the pride that people had in wearing that singlet.  I really believe that Ohio State is one of the schools in the country that can dominate the wrestling world.  As you know, there is enough talent in this state that if we keep it home, year-in year-out we should be fighting for a national championship.  

OWS: Coach Ryan, when you took over two years ago the Buckeyes were 45th in the NCAA and coming off their second straight 11th place finish in the Big Ten.  The team finished in the top ten in your first season and of course, 2nd to the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2008.  So now I understand you will be content with 2nd place, is that correct? 

TR: (Long Pause, then Laughs)

OWS: Seriously, what is your game plan to catch Tom Brands and his Iowa Hawkeyes?

TR: Nobody on staff here…… our goal is clearly above our beds and on our mirrors, and it is to be national champions.  But really, it’s about getting the right people and doing the right things, and if we do that, we will win championships.  We need to focus on developing every single athlete in our program as a wrestler and as a person, and with the talent in this state the results will come.

I think we will fight for a title next year.  With the combination of the guys returning, and some of the transfers coming in we should be right there.  That is one of the missions of this program.  People should have the idea- the mindset- that if everything goes right, we are going to be fighting for a title every year.

OWS: Coach Ryan- you coached 11 seasons at Hofstra, building a program that was in the cellar the worst team in a weak conference into one that one six straight conference crowns.  When you left Hofstra it had gone from one of the worst Division I programs in the nation to a perennial top ten team.  Was it difficult to leave Long Island and come to Ohio?

TR: You know what…..Ohio State is just one of those jobs, that is almost too good to be true. It’s a special, special place.  I was happy at Hoftra.  What makes it difficult to leave is the fact that the people that you left behind are the people who made this new opportunity possible.  The people who competed for me are the people who made my resume look like it was someone Ohio State should look at, and we had many great wrestlers at the time……so it wasn’t a great time to leave.  But, when OSU calls, you listen.  It was just a great opportunity for myself and for my family in so many ways.  I think that OSU is a place you can impact so many peoples lives. I’ve spoken at more national events in two years than in 11 years at Hofstra.

OWS: OSU Assistant Tommy Rowlands of course recently won Senior Nationals and is training for the US Olympic Trials.  What can you tell us about his current training program….where is he training and who is he training with?

TR: He’s in Columbus.  We brought in some training partners for him.  Tervel Dlagnev (OWS Note: 2x NCAA II Champion who is one of the top Olympic contenders at this weight), Barlow of Kent State were just here.  We bring a bunch of people in town to prepare him.

OWS: On the other hand, Joe Heskett was #1 in the USA at his weight of 163 lbs. only to be diagnosed with a heart condition which ended his career this fall.  With this being an Olympic Year, how difficult has the sudden ending of his career been for Heskett?

TR: You know, Joe is an amazing person.  He is a testament to the importance of being a well-rounded human being.  He has that to fall back on…..he has a lot to fall back on.  I can’t imagine how hard it is on him, but he doesn’t show it, doesn’t talk about it…you know, he was on track to make the Olympic team, so to have that situation thrown into his lap is an incredibly tough situation.  We are very fortunate to have Joe.  You know, people like him are so important for our athletes to see…..we talk about being a good person, and living your life the right way, so seeing Joe is priceless for our wrestlers.

OWS: I noted that JD Bergman defaulted out at the recent senior nationals. Will JD be able to compete at the Olympic Trials? Will he continue to train for the Olympics past 2008?

TR: He was injured and will not be able to compete.  He was going to try out for both the Olympic and the University World Team. But, we are confident that JD will stay in Columbus to train to make the world team.  Tommy Rowlands will be Executive Director of the Buckeye Wrestling Club when he’s done competing.  

OWS: Speaking of Olympic training, I understand that an Olympic Training Center was opened in Columbus….what can you tell us about this and it’s importance to building the program. 

TR: Sure.  First, it provides the Olympic Dream to our student athletes.  It makes Columbus a “single stop” for your wrestling career.  So, when you’re done competing at Ohio State- after you win your NCAA titles- you can stay in town and compete to win World and Olympic Medals.  Second, it provides outstanding workout partners for our guys. We want to have a world class guy at every weight in the club.  Third, it provides a sense of perspective of, wow, I’m pretty good, but these guys are really good, so it provides a sense of the need for constant growth and improvement in the sport- that there is another level to strive for.

OWS: Coach Ryan, thanks for taking the time to talk, and good luck.

TR: Thank you, and great questions.

Please feel free to comment on this article on the message forum!

- OhioWrestlingSite.com