NCAA released there will be eligibility relief for spring sports and are looking at winter sports now. At first I thought this had to be done, but the more I think about it I am not so sure. I think for VT it would work out great we could bring DMF back and fill our hole at 174 next season. Looking around though I think this would cause an absolute mess.

For example over at Penn State you have Joe Smith and Carter Starocci expecting to hit the lineup next year. Those two went to Penn State with the expectation they would step in after Joseph and Halls departures. The staff then has to determine do we go with one more year of the probable finalists and risk having these two young guys leave due to them wanting their shot at 4x AA or National champ. I have a hard time feeling bad for PSU, but there are a lot of programs that would be in similar positions. They have planned and recruited a young guy to come in and replace a senior.

Also this could result in situations where an almost 30 year old Tanner Hall is wrestling an 18 year old. You have guys that would be in their 7th and seriously some 8th year of eligibility. It’s a mess.

Not a fan of this, but I say just use the seedlings as the AA finish. Those wrestlers earned their seed and it’s not a perfect solution, but I think it’s better than the implications of giving everyone an extra year. Just my opinion.