The Wrestling Nomad believes there will be record gray shirts this year due to COVID. Reasons it makes sense.
1. Opens won’t really be a thing so redshirts won’t get a lot of opportunities for mat time.
2. Who knows when they will be able to get in the room for the coaches to get hands on them.
3. There’s always a chance we could have another wash of a season in an already abbreviated season. Guys coming in might opt to wait so that they don’t lose a valuable year.

Who I don’t think it would make sense for:

Eddie Ventresca- Very good possibility he’s a starter in 2021/2022 if Latona goes up so he needs to be in the hokie room whether it’s abbreviated or not, the coaches need to get him ready to go.

Sammy Hillegas: He might be the best option at 141 this year and next year and I doubt he stays there so he could shirt later. Of this group I think he’s the most day 1 ready due to his style as I think it translates well.

Who it might make sense for:
Sam Fisher/Nate Warden/Simeone Holmes: These guys could be the future at 184/197, but none of them are D1 ready and a year at the SERTC might make sense. If I were a betting man I would say at least one of them uses the gray shirt.

Hunter Catka: He has very high up side, but slightly undersized. He could benefit from a redshirt year where he can go to some opens and get a feel for the D1 heavyweight field and that’s not going to happen this year. Also with the overlap with Borst there isn’t a huge rush to get him to the mat. I doubt he gray shirts, but these are weird times.

Who I think should gray shirt:
Clay Ulrey: A year at SERTC training with James Green everyday is going to be way more beneficial for him than the weird season that lies ahead. Also with his style I think he really needs a true redshirt year going to opens to figure things out. Even more the extra year will allow for things in the middle of the lineup to clear out.

Kolby Allred- for all the same reasons I mentioned for Ulrey.