Recruiting is the lifeblood of collegiate sport, and Ohio State has been recruiting wrestling talent at an elite level. The program's ace in the hole, Anthony Ralph, was named director of recruiting and operations on Wednesday, as head coach Tom Ryan named three new members of his staff.
Bo Jordan, a four-time All-American for the Buckeyes, joins the staff as volunteer coach, while Riley Ross and Ryan Mantel join the program as director of wresting sports science & performance and assistant director of operations, respectively.
Ralph has served as volunteer coach the past two seasons, and has quickly established himself as one of the top recruiters in the country. Formerly head coach at Notre Dame College, he signed the top Division II recruiting class in the country from 2012-2016, according to Amateur Wrestling News, prior to joining the staff at Ohio State.
“Anthony has been instrumental in our recruiting success,” said head coach Tom Ryan. “We are really fortunate that our administration and the university has supported us in transitioning Coach Ralph from on the mat into a Director of Recruiting & Operations role that will allow him to concentrate and put forth full-time focus on recruiting and operations.”
Promoting Ralph opened the door to Jordan's addition to the coaching roster. The 2018 graduate finished his career as a Buckeye with 89 victories, three NWCA All-Academic Awards, a Big Ten title and NCAA finalist honors to his credit.
"Bo comes from a rich coaching background obviously, the Jordan Family," Ryan said. "We don’t lose him after graduation. That’s key. One of the great wrestling careers in Ohio State history. Looking forward to keeping Bo in the room. We want men that can lead. Bo brings that example to the room.”
Jordan will join Ryan and returning assistants J Jaggers and Tervel Dlagnev on the mats this season.
The other two new members of the program staff focus more on the off-the-mat aspects of running an elite wrestling operation.
Ross will be responsible for integrating analytics, technology and strength and conditioning strategies into the program. He comes to Ohio State with a unique background in performance and analytics in the tactical and private sector. Prior to joining Ryan's staff, he was a tactical strength and conditioning specialist with 7th Special Operations Forces soldiers from an anti-terrorism task force in Florida.
On the mat, Ross was a two-time NCAA D-II All-American at Nebraska-Kearney, also the alma mater of Dlagnev.
Riley Ross will serve as the Director of Wrestling Sports Science & Performance, an innovative position which no other wrestling program in the country has.#GoBucks #PositiveInfinity pic.twitter.com/UOoii21naX
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) August 30, 2018
Mantel coached high school wrestling for five years in central Indiana before moving to Columbus to pursue a graduate degree in sport management. The Ball State graduate will assist Ralph with program operations tasks and focus extensively on running camps and clinics.
Ohio State opens its 2018-19 campaign on Nov. 3 in Owings Mills, Md. at the McDonogh School, the alma mater of rising senior Myles Martin, for a neutral-site dual against the U.S. Naval Academy. Conference action kicks off Dec. 9 when the Buckeyes host Wisconsin.
