Luke Pletcher & Te’Shon Campbell

[mike412]

Lifelong Pitt fan Luke Pletcher who went to tOSU because he believed he would have a much better chance of winning a NC there, is 17-0 this year, including tournaments, and ranked #3 nationally. (He committed while Peters was the coach.) He is a great kid and I wish him nothing but the best.

Campbell, who transferred from Pitt to tOSU, for much the same reason, is ranked #11 at 165 pounds.

tOSU beat Maryland today 45-3. They recruit in the same basic area as Pitt.

 

[guyutethepig]

Is there a point?

 

[bwh05]

Is there a point?

Yes what is the point?

 

[CREAM007]

The point is Pitt isn't getting the job done! And it has reached new lows in a lot of areas.

 

[bwh05]

The point is Pitt isn't getting the job done! And it has reached new lows in a lot of areas.

We knew that.

 

[thom67]

The point is Pitt isn't getting the job done! And it has reached new lows in a lot of areas.

The point is Pitt isn't getting the job done! And it has reached new lows in a lot of areas.

No shit! Maybe we should give Gavin 1 year before giving up!

 

[guyutethepig]

My response may have had a tinge of sarcasm, but I was also seriously asking if there was a point. Pletcher may or may not have been a lifelong Pitt fan, but he was a top tier recruit, so Pitt - under the prior leadership - probably wasn’t even close to an option.

Campbell left b/c there was other issues with the team in addition to having an opportunity with a great program.

I’m not sure I really understand your point about them beating MD though. Are you saying that b/c tODU recruits in the same area we do, that..... what?

 

[mike412]

I’m saying Luke is a great kid. His dad and his uncle both post on this board. He’s a local kid. He redshirted last year and this is the first time I got to watch him wrestle in college. It just happened to be against Maryland. He was outstanding. He now is 18-0 after winning at Rutgers. I wish him well. It’s as relevant to this board as posts about Schalles or other guys who wrestled 30 years ago.

I made the point that Peters recruited him because I didn’t want it to come off as an anti-Gavin Post. I added Campbell because I thought some Pitt fans would like to know how he is doing. Actually, after seeing him lose at Rutgers, I think tOSU has done him a disservice by moving him down to 165. He didn’t look nearly as strong as he did last year at 174. I think he would have been better off staying at Pitt and wrestling at 174. He has the frame to move up to 184 in time, not the frame to move down to 165.

 

[guyutethepig]

Pletcher didnt redshirt last year - he wrestled up at 141 to help the team out b/c they had a gap there - he made it to the round of 16 (I think) at NCAAs last year, but was a bit too small for the weight in my opinion. I really wish he woulda stayed home, but dont blame him for going to OSU (at least it wasnt PSU!).

I thought TC started the year looking tough, but he hasnt looked that great in the recent matches I watched. Not sure how tough the cut is for him, but he was a 170 pounder in HS. Maybe the plan is to have him go back to 174 next year when BoJo is gone

 

[bwh05]

TeShan wrestled 165 for us last year.

 

[guyutethepig]

TeShan wrestled 165 for us last year.

true, but the plan (as I heard it) was for him to go to 174 so that Wentzel could move up and we could get Rahmani, Wentzel and TC in the lineup. Of course, with TC leaving, thats moot, but my question/comment is still valid - maybe he goes to 174 next year (whether its "back up" or just "up"

 

[mike412]

When Pletcher told his uncle, who used to post regularly here when Luke was in HS, that he wasn’t going to Pitt but was going to tOSU, his uncle said something like “I’ll root for you wherever you go as long as it isn’t Penn State.” In the three Big Ten matches I have seen him in on the Big Ten Network, he always is listed as a freshman, so if he wrestled last year they either somehow were able to keep his redshirt or the Big Ten network has it screwed up.

TC looks like such a physical specimen that it is stunning to watch him run out of gas by the third period. But, he does. I think he clearly is having a problem staying at 165. I am sure he will move up after Jordan graduates. Still, he solidified a weight class where they didn’t have anyone. They are pretty solid across the board, but I still have trouble envisioning them beating out PSU.

 

[Mikefln]

. They are pretty solid across the board, but I still have trouble envisioning them beating out PSU.

Rutherford, Nolf, Nickal would take major upsets for them not to win the NC again imp. Joseph and Hall are capable of repeating but not guarantees like the other 3. OSU has a few guys capable of winning it all but only 2 sure things in Tomasello and Snyder. The big thing is bonus points. Rutherford and Nolf score soooooo damn many bonus points that OSU will need Pletcher and Moore plus strong All-American type showings by the majority of the team to have a chance.

 

[guyutethepig]

Forys will be back from now on

When Pletcher told his uncle, who used to post regularly here when Luke was in HS, that he wasn’t going to Pitt but was going to tOSU, his uncle said something like “I’ll root for you wherever you go as long as it isn’t Penn State.” In the three Big Ten matches I have seen him in on the Big Ten Network, he always is listed as a freshman, so if he wrestled last year they either somehow were able to keep his redshirt or the Big Ten network has it screwed up.

TC looks like such a physical specimen that it is stunning to watch him run out of gas by the third period. But, he does. I think he clearly is having a problem staying at 165. I am sure he will move up after Jordan graduates. Still, he solidified a weight class where they didn’t have anyone. They are pretty solid across the board, but I still have trouble envisioning them beating out PSU.

Pletcher is definitely a Soph, so the Big10 Network must have it wrong
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/luke_pletcher_1024585.html
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/luke_pletcher_1024585.html
Yeah - TC doesnt look great right now. He's lost 2 in a row I think (albeit to pretty good guys).

Rutherford, Nolf, Nickal would take major upsets for them not to win the NC again imp. Joseph and Hall are capable of repeating but not guarantees like the other 3. OSU has a few guys capable of winning it all but only 2 sure things in Tomasello and Snyder. The big thing is bonus points. Rutherford and Nolf score soooooo damn many bonus points that OSU will need Pletcher and Moore plus strong All-American type showings by the majority of the team to have a chance.

I think OSU has the horses across the board to potentilly unseat PSU, although, putting Nick Lee in the PSU lineup is interesting. They have a glaring hole at 125 and a big question mark at 133. Lee gives them a decent (but not great) shot at AA at 141. We know whats going on from 149 - 184. Shakur at 197 has been a surprise and Nevills at heavy is most likely a repeat AA.

OSU has potential AA's at every weight - its going to come down to them placing high where they are expected to and then bonus points. Gonna be a really fun NCAA tourney!

 

[mike412]

Bonus points is where Cael’s teams always excel. That plus doing really well in the wrestle-backs. He has very little at 125 or 133. But, Rutherford has become a pinning machine at 149, and Nolf and Nickal always have been pinners. I will be surprised if either Joseph or Hall repeat, but both will score a lot of points. tOSU’s 149 pounder doesn’t seem like the type to score a lot of bonus points in the three matches I have watched. He had the Rutgers wrestler tilted three times but couldn’t pin him. He was up 8-0 in the final period and got taken down twice by the same move. First time, he gave up back points. Second time, he got pinned at the buzzer. He wasn’t strong enough to pin the Rutgers wrestler any of the three times he had the opportunity to pin him.
I can see Luke getting some pins but his bonus points are more likely to come on Majors or TFs. Snyder and Tomasello are going to have to be pinning machines and Jordan is going to have to wrestle with the aggressiveness he had two years ago for them to have a chance.

Cael also always has his team primed for the NCAAs. Neither Hall nor Joseph won the Big 10 championships last season but both won the NCAAs.

 

[FriendofPittWrestling]

TeShan didn't look good against Iowa. One can still see the physical potential, but transferring to Ohio State hasn't helped his technique or endurance. Maybe the weight is too far for him?

 

[guyutethepig]

TeShan didn't look good against Iowa. One can still see the physical potential, but transferring to Ohio State hasn't helped his technique or endurance. Maybe the weight is too far for him?

Keep in mind that Marinelli is a beast and makes most guys look like that. That said - I agree he didn’t look that great.

 

[Mikefln]

TeShan didn't look good against Iowa. One can still see the physical potential, but transferring to Ohio State hasn't helped his technique or endurance. Maybe the weight is too far for him?

I can say this, he does not look like 165.

 

[thom67]

Campbell just wrestled against MSU and lost without giving up a point. He scored 3 points and gave up 3 stalling points to go into ot. He then lost the match on a stalling point in ot. Did not see the match, but read about it.

 

[guyutethepig]

Campbell just wrestled against MSU and lost without giving up a point. He scored 3 points and gave up 3 stalling points to go into ot. He then lost the match on a stalling point in ot. Did not see the match, but read about it.

Then they gave him the day “off” on Sunday. I recall this being his MO while here - he’d wreste great then fade as the season went on

 

[bwh05]

Then they gave him the day “off” on Sunday. I recall this being his MO while here - he’d wreste great then fade as the season went on

He has tremendous talent. Unfortunately it's not always easy to get it out of him.