Popolizio was a good recruiter -- he was as an assistant at American with Mark Cody and at Binghamton. He helped produce AA's and national champions at AU before landing several kids on the podium (including Gwiz) at Binghamton.

What Popolizio has done (and I've asked him specifically about this on previous shows) is taking his coaching style and recruiting athletes who fit that style. Why are there so many lanky guys on the team? Look at Popolizio, he was a lanky wrestler and has mastered a coaching style for the right type of athlete.

Gwiz was a top-tier recruit he landed at Binghamton, but guys like Kevin Jack, Tommy Gantt weren't considered can't miss. Gantt was actually pretty inefficient and was one of the few holdovers from the previous coaching regime. Popolizio coached him up.

Hidlay is really their first "hammer" recruit, they rest have been stylistically preferred by the style. Frank Beasley was also a key part of luring those kids from Illinois to NC State. Remains to be seen what losing him to Mason will do to NC State.

Gwiz might have opened an eye or two with his three medals and two titles at NC State, but lightweight recruits aren't looking at the success of heavyweights as a rationale for coaching prowess. Heavyweight wrestling, for the most part, is completely different and recruits know what schools have good "big man" coaches and ones that don't.

Duke, for example, gets better looks because Conner Hartmann placed three times at 197 vs. Konrad Dudziak making the finals and placing twice at 285.