Originally published at: Top 20 2025 Recruit Sergio Vega Flips from Cornell to Oklahoma State
That’s a dozen 2025 commits for the Pokes.
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Really looking forward to this season.
Been a long time since there was this much enthusiasm for a new Cowboy wrestling season. We will probably witness noticeable improvements in wrestling techniques and scoring due to more chain wrestling which John Smith encouraged but not enough of his guys were proficient at it. Much more offense than we were used to seeing.
But the real fruits of labor will be evident once DT has a roster that only has guys his staff recruited. Can he out recruit PSU? I doubt it. But becoming a consistent top 3 program again would be great, and I think in time we will become top 2 and dominate Iowa year after year.
The depth we have this season is interesting. We should really do well in duals. It still hurts that Carroll left for ISU. Maybe he wants to be heavyweight instead of 197?
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Great get for Taylor and Co! If he could possibly pull Bo Basset or Marcus Blaze or Jax Forrest or Daniel Zepeda to O-State this would be an amazing class.
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Bassett and Forrest are both juniors and Blaze and Zepeda are seniors with Lockett.
If DT can get this team to finish runner up to PSU this season, wonderful things would then happen with recruiting/purchasing top talent. He has the bankroll from Paycom. All that is needed is to perform with excellence at NCAA tournament instead of being bit by the injury bug and under performance of the last few teams. I think DT can get these guys to reach their full potential. We have needed new blood as coaches for quite awhile. We have all the pieces in place. Record attendance, record scoring, dominance.
DT is not the first non- Cowboy to be head coach. We had Joe Seay and he built a championship team. When OSU wrestling goes 17 seasons without a crown, a change in coaches is a must.
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Has anyone heard why Rin Sakamoto decided not to come? I’m assuming as he is not listed on the roster at OkState.com…
Do they get NIL dollars?
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I spoke with Kennedy and he said he is coming-in next Semester. With this being said they will probably redshirt him. Or, if he is as good as advertised, they might insert him into the lineup at 133.
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Thanks for that. I thought he might have had a change of heart with the coaching change. 133 is stacked though w/ prospects. Got Hughes, McComas, Blankenship, and Mullin. I can’t remember where I saw it, but some were projecting Sakamoto at 141.
And yeah, he probably needs to redshirt since he’s a freestyle guy and that will be an adjustment plus coming in late, besides an adjustment to a new culture, for one, as a long-time resident of Japan, the food is vastly different. 
I think they all do, but I doubt it’s anything close to what football players get. But I bet Penn St’s NIL budget for wrestlers is maybe 10X what ours is.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is movement in the 133 to157 weights classes. Hughes is really good and I think he will nail down the 133 spot…I have heard that he could wrestle at 141 as Jamison might be moving up to 149. At 149 they are battling for a spot with Young and Burton and 157 will be contested with Travis and Manibog and Fish all vying for that spot. All the rest of the weight are set with the exception of 197 with Surber and Merrill…they will probably redshirt Merrill but hoping his offense will take the next step and he will become our starter.
You are right about redshirting Rin as it will take him time for him to acclimate to his new environment. And yes, I wouldn’t be surprised if he Wrestles at 141.
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Don’t count out McComas, not talking about this year. I’d like to know if Hughes manhandles him or not. I saw JJ wrestle his junior year and immediately liked his skills. Actually talked to his grandma at the Sapulpa Tournament and she was telling me JJ was late to wrestling, if I remember correctly she said he didn’t start wrestling till junior high as he liked football. And then his mom and the family moved from OKC to Stilly as there’s only one OKC HS that still has a wrestling program? Not the burb schools. That sounds crazy to me, but then again I went to Booker T when we were winning state every year till Ernie Jones left and most TPS schools no longer have wrestling…