Ohio State Wrestling Coach Tom Ryan on Lofty Expectations and Making History

Despite the rich history of wrestling in the state of Ohio, the Ohio State wrestling team has never won an NCAA title and last won the Big Ten team title when Harry S. Truman was in the White House. Yeah, it's been a long time.

With a number of elite recruits in the last several years and a number of returning All-Americans, the Buckeyes – InterMat's No. 2 team in the nation – are poised to make a serious run at an NCAA title this season. I recently had a chance to discuss the upcoming season, including opportunities to make team and individual history, with head coach Tom Ryan.

Your team recently held their annual wrestle-offs. How much do you base the starting lineups off of the results of the wrestle-offs?

Tom Ryan: Wrestle-offs have become a great way to showcase the talent to the hundreds of coaches who attend our coaches clinic each year. The matches are one early measuring stick for our staff to assess the team. As the season progresses, we learn a lot more about each of our athletes. Practice intensity, success in open tournaments, and other variables are taken into account. I like to say that "common sense" prevails in the end. Our objective is to ensure the best possible representative in the program is on the mat at the Big Tens. 

Speaking of that, what is the tentative starting lineup for the Kent State match and beyond?

TR: As of today the line up will be:
125 – Nathan Tomasello (RS-FR)
133 – Johnni DiJulius (RS-JR)
141 – Logan Stieber (RS-SR)
149 – Hunter Stieber (RS-JR)
157 – Josh Demas (RS-SR) or Randy Languis (RS-SR)
165 – Bo Jordan (RS-FR)
174 – Mark Martin (JR)
184 – Kenny Courts (RS-JR)
197 – Kyle Snyder (FR)
HWT – Nick Tavanello (R-SO)

 In the past, you’ve mentioned Kenny Courts as an off-season standout. Has anyone caught your attention as someone who greatly improved since last season?

TR: The people that improve are the people that give the most on a consistent basis. I am happy right now with the team. I think Nick Tavanello did a really good job in the off season. Bo Jordan has also done a great job at improving on his strengths, but also working in a few key areas that he needed to improve. Nate Tomasello has developed a better short offense. Johnni is stronger. Kenny is more fit. Mark Martin had surgery and did a great job maintaining his strength and fitness while rehabbing.

All of these things take time and steadfastness. Self assessment is hard for people. The old saying "the truth hurts" is accurate. These men understand that and it makes them more coach-able and leads to more rapid improvement.  

Can we expect Hunter and Josh Demas to be back and ready to go at the start of the season?

TR: Hunter and Demas had injuries that resulted in our staff not wrestling them off. As I mentioned earlier we try to coach on some simple principles and "common sense" rather than emotion. I sure wanted the coaches and our fans to see the talent and speed of Hunter and the intensity of Languis and Demas, two seniors fight for a starting spot. It didn't make sense. We will learn what we need to as the season progresses. In a time that is most fair for them. In short, we are now healthy as a team. 

What differences have you noticed in Bo Jordan and Nathan Tomasello from their true freshman seasons to now? 

TR: A full year of training in a culture like we currently have is priceless. In addition, tough competition presents countless opportunities to learn. Both Nate and Bo wrestled in strong high school programs. What’s helped them the most, besides their consistency and passion, have been the battles against the high level athletes. They have both been to the (Olympic) training center. Bo trained with (Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan) Burroughs and others. Nate trained with (NCAA champion Tony) Ramos and other high level athletes. These challenges over the summer, along with those presented in our room and by our schedule, have really helped them grow in the areas they needed to. We are glad they are Buckeyes.

Kyle Snyder was considered by some to be the nation's top prospect last season as a high school senior. What kind of impact do you think Kyle will make in the Big Ten this season?

TR: Kyle is a lot of things. Most importantly, he is a man of incredible passion who made a decision early in his life that pursuing excellence is of the utmost importance. He's a difference maker. He trains with a love and desire that is inspiring to be around. He, like others in our program will be a lot of fun to follow. He is a great leader here and his impact has already been felt. His desires are to be the best and if you followed him around you would quickly see that his actions fall in line with them. 

The Buckeyes have been mentioned by a number of publications as one of the favorites to win the NCAA title this season. What are you doing differently as a staff to help keep the team focused amid such lofty expectations?

“These guys like each other. They respect each other. That makes the culture even stronger.”

TR: Our system hasn't had any drastic changes. Like any organization and any leader, modifications and growth are always necessary. Most importantly is that we are having fun. These guys like each other. They respect each other. That makes the culture even stronger.

We implemented a quiet time, to read and reflect as well as team meals twice a week that consists of a learning opportunity. It's clear that we have the potential to win the NCAA title. Our objective is to realize this potential and be ready in March. Staying healthy, staying fresh, and improving daily are some simple principles that we will follow. 

Hunter Stieber is coming off of a redshirt, but reached the NCAA semifinals in each of the previous two seasons. Do you believe that this is the year that he takes the next step?

TR: Hunter is a special talent. He was ready to win the NCAA's as a freshman and a sophomore. As we know he fell short. His move to 149 will be a good one for him. He has more muscle than he had two years ago and is focusing on being a "bonus point" guy for the Bucks. I believe in Hunter this year just like I did in the previous two. He's ready.

Speaking of the Stiebers, Logan is looking to be just the fourth wrestler to win four NCAA titles. What do you think his toughest obstacles will be this season, opponents or otherwise?

TR: As an athlete, only three men in the history of the sport have been in his position. It's hard to say what that would be like without walking through it myself. I can say that the same things that have broken men through history are always lurking: arrogance, complacency, worry, fear, lack of discipline, etc. I can say with great confidence that none of those things reside in Logan Stieber. Logan has the gift of really being appreciative of this opportunity. He's grateful. Barring an injury he will be prepared in March to win his fourth title. He will be as ready as possible and give all he can. 

When the team captains were announced, I was a bit surprised to see that three freshmen were chosen (redshirt freshmen Bo Jordan and Nathan Tomasello and true freshman Kyle Snyder join senior Logan Stieber). Who votes on the captains? Additionally, what does this say about these guys that they were chosen as captains? 

TR: I am sure many were surprised. We share with the team the attributes we think a captain should reflect. So we lay out the groundwork for the team. Each team member ranks his top 4 picks. The top four vote-getters were chosen.  They are culture changers. Their passion pours out of them.  Hunter was close to the other four in votes and I believe he continues to show more and more of the leadership quantities we are looking for. He's just simple and quiet. He's stealthy.  He's a leader here regardless. There are many others, too, who lead. There are so many committed men here that display great leadership qualities. We are in a great position.  

Finally, are there any matches that you have circled on your calendar as key matches for the team? 

TR: All of them are an opportunity to learn. Each of them presents different challenges at different weight classes. We are looking for consistency. Consistency in performance is a powerful predictor of the future. It's a lot easier to show confidence in an employee who shows up on time for work every time than one who does 90 percent of the time. We need to be ready every match. We are fired up about this home schedule. The Iowa, PSU and Minnesota duals will be epic. We have our eyes right now on the Michigan State open. This is a very challenging schedule. We hope Buckeye Nation lifts us up at each and every home dual.