EARLY LOOK AT THE ILLINI TEAM
ILLINI COACHES
The ILLINI are coached by Mike Poeta, Jeremy Hunter for the wee ones, and IMAR and AOC for the bigguns. Do we need to spell out their full names, biographies and favorite movies? No. This is the best staff in the country. That's all you need to know. Add in Director of Operations Bryan Medlin and Christian Kanzler, starring as Director of Player Operations.
We do wish athletic departments, and, yes, it is a problem with every single athletic department in this great country of ours, would not use the word "player" when referring to a "wrestler."
Brian Swaw was the "Voice of the ILLINI" last year, and we hope he's back. He kept the student announcers from using "player" instead of "wrestler," and for that we are grateful.
EARLY LOOK / TEAM RANKINGS
This early look at the ILLINI Wrestling team is based on the lineup reported by Wrestlestat.com and the schedule provided by FightingILLINI.com. We do expect fire at any public or private wrestle-offs that may occur in the future. Moreover, the team has tournaments on the schedule that will allow multiple wrestlers from the same team at one weight.
As a tournament team, ILLINOIS is ranked #19 by Wrestlestat.com and #14 as a dual squad. Intermat has the good guys as the #19 tournament team, #12 in duals. That shows a strong lineup with no "holes" or weak spots. FloWrestling has the Orange and Blue in the #23 spot as a tournament team.
The individual rankings listed below are (Wrestlestat.com/Intermat/Flo).
INDIVIDUAL STARTERS
125. Ramazan Attasauov (#21/#19/NR). The transfer from Iowa State has wrestled at 133 for the previous five years. Of course, the ILLINI already have Lucas Byrd at that weight, so his transfer was conditioned on wrestling at 125.
He won the U23 National Tournament at 57kg back in 2020 beating RayVon Foley and Patrick Glory on the way to the title. He has qualified for NCAAs at 133.
Ramazan will be huge at 125. He's already tall and strong. He is a super-quality wrestler that must answer two questions: (1) Can he be effective at 125, and (2) Russian-born, has he become fully integrated in Folkstyle wrestling?
Our newest ILLINI looked good on picture day, so maybe he will be effective at 125.
If things don't work out, the ILLINI have Caelan Riley and Joey Ruzic available. In fact, it might be wise to give Ramazan a few "weight breaks" over the season and let the young guys catch a dual or two. For a more detailed look at Attasauov, check out our previous story here.
133. Lucas Byrd (#7/#3/#9). Everybody loves to watch Lucas Byrd wrestle. The Byrd is the Wyrd! Out last year with an injury, he will be especially pissed off this season.
A two-time All American (5,5), you always expect him to win. He didn't earn AA honors in his last NCAAs, but he still had a very strong tournament, losing to Daton Fix and Jesse Mendez by one point each, with the Mendez match going to TB-3.
Lucas has the talent and ability to be a National Champion this year. He is right there. The question that remains is if he has completely healed from his injury. If so, watch out!
We've seen pictures from his Media Day, and, wow, he looks like a tank.
The ILLINI also have Kole Brower (occasional starter) and Brian Beers at this weight. Tony Madrigal graduated. Joey Ruzic will be on redshirt.
The young feller who's ranked ahead of Byrd by FloWrestling and Wrestlestat.com, and who Lucas has beaten three out of four times, is the subject of this Wrestling Art, which we call "The World's Greatest Blood Round Takedown":
141. Danny Pucino (#36/#19/#21). Danny was a NCAA qualifier last season. He has beaten some serious All Americans on his journey so far, including Cole Matthews of Pittsburgh, Vance Vombaur of Minnesota, Parker Filius of Purdue and Dylan D'Emilio of Ohio State.
He has a large repertoire of funky moves and a crazy misdirection ankle grab/single that are very entertaining. When he hits one of those, we like to say that his opponent got "PUCINO'D."
Danny also has one of the best gas tanks in wrestling.
He should have gotten a wild card to the Big Dance two years ago, even after having a poor B1G Tournament, but he improved and had a good BTT this past season. Will the improvement continue? He always seemed a little slight for the weight, but with age comes weight. Will the extra weight be an advantage or slow him down?
The ILLINI could have a fantastic wrestle-off mini-tournament at this weight. Others at or near 141 include Will Baysingar and Hudson Goebel, two proven tough guys, as well as likely redshirts Jayden Colon, Jackson Herman and Olin Walker.
This was our NCAA hype video for Danny Pucino. You get an idea of what we mean by the term "PUCINO'D":
149. Kannon Webster (#9/#11/#12). ILLINI fans have been waiting for this addition to the lineup. We thought he was going to forego his redshirt last year. Coach Poeta and Kannon tricked us!
The multiple Fargo winner and Pan Am Champion will be a force at this weight. We believe he is seriously undervalued thus far. He went 20-1 last year. With wins in the Iowa and Ohio State duals.
He won the Greyhound Open and Zingo Nationals last year. Heck, as a high school Senior, he won Kaufman Brand beating the Indiana University fourth-year starter in the finals.
Also at this weight, the ILLINI have a previous starter and tough guy in Jake Harrier. Charlie Fifield is here as well, along with stud Ohio recruit Ryan Bennett.
Webster finished third at the Midlands, with his one loss on the season to Ty Watters in a very controversial match. Watters ended up on the podium in the 4th position last year. Here is a Law and Order investigation into that controversial match:
157. Jason Kraisser (#29/#23/#24). The second transfer from Iowa State is there to fill the spot left by Joe Roberts, who has retired from wrestling because of injuries.
Jason started out in college at Campbell where he was an all-SoCon Freshman with a 21-8 record. He transferred to ISU, and two years ago, qualified for the Big Dance as the #25 seed.
He made it to the Round of 16.
Kraisser ended up with a 22-15 record. Last year, it was only open tournaments and a 16-6 mark. He is a real leg-rider, which is not something the ILLINI haven't had in some time. For more detail, check out this earlier article.
Logan Swaw got the start last season, but he is ready for a redshirt year. Danny Nini is a transfer from North Carolina. Antonio Alvarado and Tegan Chumbley fill out the roster at 157.
165. Braeden Scoles (#50/NR/NR). Another rookie in the starting lineup is this Fargo winner and four-time Wisconsin state champion. He has the pedigree but a really tough weight in conference. The top three in the Wrestlestat.com rankings are all in conference and all on the ILLINOIS schedule (PSU, Iowa and OSU).
Braeden was 10-4 last season, but that was in part due to battling injuries. Near the beginning of the year, he got the start against North Carolina and beat a National Qualifier.
The ILLINI have a surfeit of riches at this weight with last year's true freshman starter Chris Moore taking his redshirt, as well as tough guys Caden Ernd (occasional starter) and Cooper Wettig (occasional starter). Both Ernd and Wettig have filled in for injured ILLINI in the past even up a couple of weights.
Scoles ended last season on a winning note with four straight wins, a championship and a "Jersey Chain" at the Zingo Nationals. You can see that here:
174. Danny Braunagel (#14/#20/#10). The first twin in the lineup is a 3x NCAA Qualifier, 2x ILLINOIS State Champion, 3x Finalist and a Pan Am Champion with 63 career wins for the Orange and Blue.
Our Christmas Wish this year is for Danny Braunagel to go through an entire season without a debilitating injury. He did it as a redshirt Freshman, finishing with a 23-9 record, while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and earning Covid-year Honorable Mention All American honors.
Is that too much to ask for?
One year. No injuries.
We've been good this yea--okay no more Deadpool--let's get back to the Brawlnagel. He has just finished up an Olympic redshirt year placing in the OTT Greco trials. He now knows as much about hand-fighting as Tony Stark knows about metals.
You can bet he is ready to feast on some leg attacks. Over the years, Little Brawny has beaten a lot of great wrestlers, including Izzak Olejnik, Peyton Mocco, Kennedy Monday, Ethan Smith, Peyton Robb, Bubba Wilson and Gerrit Nijenhuis both by major, Holden Heller, Peyton Hall (x2), Caleb Fish, and he's undefeated against Cameron Amine (2-0).
You can go back through his record and see exactly when the injuries occurred. As one example, he beats Maxx Mayfield 8-1 at Midlands. Less than three weeks later, he loses to the same wrestler 3-8.
If he can get through the season uninjured, we expect him to AA again.
Colin Kelly is the blue chip recruit waiting in the wings. Chris Moore (last year's starter and NCAA qualifier), Caden Ernd and Cooper Wettig can take a few dual matches if needed.
184. Edmond Ruth (#4/#8/#7). As a high schooler, he had a 105-1 record that included two Pennsylvania titles and three finals. On top of that, he was a 4x high school All American.
Whereas Jason Kraisser was a high school state medalist in cross country, Edmond was a state qualifier in PA in the 4x400. It is not that hard to believe, then, where they get their extreme conditioning.
The ILLINI started their next streak of All Americans last season with Edmond Ruth. He also won a Big Ten Championship and a Midlands Championship. Ruth has been the team leader in dual points for the last two seasons.
His record over the last two seasons for ILLINOIS is 26-4 (7th) and the year before that 30-8 (R12).
Moving up in weight this year, you can already see the additional muscle on his body from the media day pictures and his Instagram account. He is a master of mat wrestling, and his quickness and conditioning allow him to wear down opponents, even the ones who try to avoid his bear hugs.
We think he challenges for a Championship this year. He will have a quickness advantage and almost certainly a conditioning advantage over all of the other challengers. On February 16, 2025, expect to see Edmond Ruth versus Carter Starocci.
We can't wait!
Tough guy and multi-year starter and National Qualifier Dylan Connell will get his chance at a wrestle off. Additionally, strongman Charlie Heydorn is available.
197. Zac Braunagel (#10/#10/#9). The second twin that everybody loves to root for is Big Brawny. He won Fargo and was a 2x ILLINOIS State Champion. Zac was an age group Pan Am Gold Medal winner, as well as a World Teamer. Last year, he was a Senior World Team member in Greco. He qualified and placed at the OTT.
In college, the Brawlnagel has been a four-time NCAA Tournament qualifier with a Round of 12 twice and earned a Covid-year Honorable Mention All American honor.
He had an Olympic redshirt last season, so he now has a doctorate in hand-fighting. The year before that, he finished 25-9 at 197.
Everybody in the world, including his opponents on the mat, are rooting for another AA honor this year for both Danny and Zac. Wrestlers like tough guys.
The starter from last year is the mercurial and tough Isiah Pettigrew, who came back days after knee surgery to complete his season. We would love to see this wrestle-off, but, man, we absolutely don't want anybody to get hurt, so we don't know what to think. "Little Brother" Joey Braunagel is not on the roster this year, and that may have to do with his commitment to the United States Army, THE BEST ARMY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
285. Luke Luffman (#16/#13/#15). This ILLINI team has to be loved and enjoyed by all the fans, even the stinky and noisy fans of other teams. Another example: The big man in the middle, LUUUUUUKE Luffman, true blue fan favorite.
In high school, Luke was a double Fargo winner in Freestyle and Greco. He won three State Championships, two at 220 and one at heavyweight.
In college, he's been a 3x NCAA Qualifier and has been as high as #6 in the rankings. He's also had multiple dual-clinching wins for the Orange and Blue.
He's coming off of a season-ending injury, so the question is whether he has fully recovered. He was well on his way to AA status last year, losing in the Midlands Finals by a single point to Isaac Trumble of NC State. Then, he got injured.
During his college career, he's had wins over Luke Surber, Tate Orndorff, Trent Hilger, Taye Ghadiali, Josh Hokit, Christian Lance and Ben Goldin (x2).
Filling in for an injured LUUUUKE last season was true Freshman Peter Marinopoulos, and he won a couple of duals for the good guys and also won the Lindenwood Open. Whether he goes 197 or 285 in the future will be the decision, but he'll get his well-earned redshirt this season. Veteran Daniel Renshaw is available, as well as new recruit Marko Ivanisevic.
NONCONFERENCE
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Wrestlestat.com is calling for a 34-0 win for the ILLINI. There will be some interesting matchups in the dual, but the final outcome is not in doubt. #29 Jason Kraisser versus #63 Brock Woodcock at 157 is intriguing. Woodcock is a real good wrestler, and was a 3x Missouri state champ. He was 3-1 against ILLINI wrestlers last year as a Freshman with wins over Joe Roberts, Logan Swaw and Jake Recin. His loss was to an uninjured Joe Roberts.
At 165, Braeden Scoles takes on #138 Bradley Gillum, an ILLINOIS schoolboy who's fun to watch. The same goes for Zac Braunagel versus #75 Nick Nosler, another ILLINOIS schoolboy we all enjoyed watching at National Duals. #51 Deron Pulliam doesn't exactly represent a threat to Edmond Ruth at 184, but it will be a nice early test for RUTHLESS to see how he does against a strong, completely filled-out 184lber.
Last season, this was a 28-7 win for the O&B under the lights and on stage. Hopefully, the Cougars have something special planned as well. Finally, watch out for assistant coach Daryl Thomas of SIUE, as he will steadily improve this team. Former ILLINI. Outstanding wrestler. Great recruiter.
JOURNEYMEN DUALS (ASU & Binghamton)
Some of the matchups to look forward to in the Arizona State dual include Kannon Webster versus Kaleb Larkin, Luke Luffman against Cohlton Schultz, and Lucas Byrd vs. Julian Chlebove. Wrestlestat.com is calling for an 18-17 ILLINI victory.
In an earlier post, we had Bloomsburg as the opponent in this match. That was gleaned from the Wrestlestat.com site, and it has been changed to Binghamton. It will be an easy win for the Orange and Blue, but there will be a couple of good matches.
The Wrestlestat algorithm has #10 Cory Day beating Luke Luffman. Day made it to the Round of 16 last year with a surprise pin of Cornell's Lewis Fernandez. He is a pinner, but he also loses to folks that Luke has whupped. Avoid the pin, and Luke'll win!
Additionally, at 165, the Binghamton Bearcats have #15 Brevin Cassella. We expect Braeden Scoles to beat him. In fact, we are predicting 10 spladles in the match for the ILLINI.
JOURNEYMEN COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
This is new on the schedule for the ILLINI. We've heard about other teams participating in this event, and from what we understand, in the past, it is an individual tournament with lots of round robins among the wrestlers at a given weight.
The other big name besides ILLINOIS is Cornell. Pennsylvania is always tough as well. Army can be tough at various weights. The same for Lock Haven. The rest are probably tech falls for the good guys. Here are the teams currently listed as participants in the classic:
#8 Cornell
#13 ILLINOIS
#22 Penn
#24 Army (unofficial)
#45 Lock Haven
#75 Franklin & Marshall
#76 Sacred Heart
Teams have sent their Freshmen and non-starters in the past, Penn sent 24 wrestlers last year. PSU sent a bunch as well. Also in the past, the Classic has used a very funky format that puts a certain number of wrestlers at a weight--usually from four to six--in up to five different "pools." The wrestlers in the pools do a round robin.
The pools seem to have been divided by ranking, experience, ability and whether they are starters. For example, Danny Pucino might be put in Pool A, while Will Baysingar and Hudson Goebel are placed in Pool B. As the newby, Olin Walker would get to test himself against wrestlers in Pool C or D. Assuming the likely ILLINOIS starters get placed in Pool A, these are the matchups we might get to see:
#21 RAMAZAN ATTASAUOV vs. #8 Greg Diakomiholis (Cornell); #18 Max Gallagher (Penn); #2 Anthony Noto (Lockhaven)
#7 LUCAS BYRD vs. #14 Brett Ungar (Cornell); #28 Ryan Miller (Penn); #34 Gable Strickland (Lockhaven)
#37 DANNY PUCINO vs. #15 Vince Cornella (Cornell); #14 CJ Composto (Penn); #12 Wyatt Henson (Lockhaven)
#9 KANNON WEBSTER vs. #14 Ethan Fernandez (Cornell); #31 Kelly Dunnigan (Penn); #41 Nick Stonecheck (Lockhaven)
#29 JASON KRAISSER vs. #1 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell); #20 Jude Swisher (Penn); #35 Nick Stampoulos (Lockhaven)
#50 BRAEDEN SCOLES vs. #5 Julian Ramirez (Cornell); #57 Kaya Sement (Penn); #71 Caden Dobbins (Lockhaven)
#13 DANNY BRAUNAGEL vs. #180 Simon Ruiz (Cornell); #10 Nick Incontrera (Penn); #66 Tyler Stoltzfus (Lockhaven)
#5 EDMOND RUTH vs. #7 Chris Foca (Cornell); #31 Maximus Hale (Penn); #57 Colin Fegley (Lockhaven)
#9 ZAC BRAUNAGEL vs. #147 Mikey Dellagatta (Cornell); #36 Martin Cosgrove (Penn); #147 Tucker Hogan (Lockhaven)
#16 LUKE LUFFMAN vs. #36 Ashton Davis (Cornell); #113 Matt Cruise (Penn); #114 Ethan Miller (Lockhaven)
As you can see, a lot of great matchups! Looks like Danny Pucino will have a tough pool, especially if Will Baysingar and Hudson Goebel are in it!
Ramazan Attasauov may have the toughest.
Simon Ruiz and Mikey Dellagatta of Cornell will be better than those rankings, as they just haven't been in the Big Red lineup. Edmond Ruth is 0-2 against Chris Foca, but that was a long time ago. The ILLINI will crown a number of champions at the Classic!
MISSOURI
This was a 6-29 loss for the good guys last year. It was a great show, but a bit of a disaster result. It'll be different this year, as the algorithm calls for a 16-16 tie. There are explosive matchups up and down the card. Who wants to see Zac Braunagel versus Rocky Elam? Sign us up! We remember Danny Braunagel wrestling a completely even match with #1 Keegan O'Toole at the Tiger Style Invite two years ago. O'Toole got the fall late in the third period, but not before he had a little fear put into his heart.
Finally, think back to 2019, specifically November 14 of that year, as true Freshman Luke Luffman toed the line in the dual against Mizzou with the team win hanging in the balance. LUUUUKE came away with the late 9-7 win in his match as the ILLINOIS bench erupted! We could see that take place again, as he'll have #25 Seth Nitzel.
NORTH CAROLINA
The ILLINI will have a return match, presumably in the Tar Heel State, against UNC. It will take place on November 25, just three days before Thanksgiving. You might recall that last year's matchup in Champaign ended with a 20-13 triumph, and an early look at three young faces, Kannon Webster, Braeden Scoles and Chris Moore, with each picking up a win.
There were additional victories from Edmond Ruth, Tony Madrigal and Luke Luffman. Also, AOC was awarded his National Championship ring during intermission.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: There will be folks from ILLINOIS who show up for this match, then go out to eat afterwards. You might think BBQ is a great option. Think again! Most North Carolina BBQ uses a kind of baby diaper mustard sauce. Before ordering, ask them if they have an alternative.]
There will be some fireworks against the Tar Heels despite Wrestlestat.com looking for a 26-6 win for the good guys. The matchups to watch are Kannon Webster against Lachlan McNeil, Edmond Ruth versus Gavin Kane, and Danny Brawlnagel up against Josh Ogunsanya, the ILLINOIS kid who transferred into UNC from Columbia.
| Weight | Matchup | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 125: | Spencer Moore (UNC) dec. Justin Cardani (ILL), 5-2 | ILL 0 I UNC 3 |
| 133: | Tony Madrigal (ILL) major dec. Caden McCray (UNC), 8-0 | ILL 4 I UNC 3 |
| 141: | Lachlan McNeil (UNC) major dec. Danny Pucino (ILL), 8-0 | ILL 4 I UNC 7 |
| 149: | Kannon Webster (ILL) dec. Jayden Scott (UNC), 5-1 | ILL 7 I UNC 7 |
| 157: | Braeden Scoles (ILL) dec. Sonny Santiago (UNC), 4-2 | ILL 10 I UNC 7 |
| 165: | Chris Moore (ILL) dec. Isaias Estrada (UNC), 2-0 | ILL 13 I UNC 7 |
| 174: | Edmond Ruth (ILL) major dec. Sabino Portella (UNC), 10-1 | ILL 17 I UNC 7 |
| 184: | Gavin Kane (UNC) dec. Dylan Connell (ILL), 2-0 | ILL 17 I UNC 10 |
| 197: | Max Shaw (UNC) dec. Isiah Pettigrew (ILL), SV-1 8-5 | ILL 17 I UNC 13 |
| 285: | Luke Luffman (ILL) dec. Cade Lautt (UNC), 8-2 | ILL 20 I UNC 13 |
COUGAR CLASH
Last year, the Cougar Clash was an individual tournament that had about 14 or 15 wrestlers in each bracket. Many teams brought their entire lineups. For example, Minnesota fielded four wrestlers at 197. So, this can be another way to see a lot of the ILLINI lineup in one place!
It will also be a great place and time for the ILLINI to settle any lineup questions. Ruth versus Connell? Pucino versus Baysingar/Goebel? 157? We want to see Braunagel and Pettigrew throw down. Don't you?
Northern Colorado, SIUE and ILLINOIS are the only teams listed at this time, but expect more to come later. The best wrestlers for Northern Colorado are #12 Stevo Poulin at 125, #22 Dominick Serrano at 133 (Lucas majored him already), #3 Andrew Alirez at 141, #15 Vince Zerban at 157 and #33 Clayton Ulrey at 165. The rest of the Bears are ranked in the hundreds.
You have to think there's a holiday tournament, almost certainly the Midlands, missing from the schedule so far.
CONFERENCE DUALS
The ILLINI's big ten schedule is out! Huge matchups with Ohio State, Stupid Iowa and Penn State in the offing! A tough schedule, but not that much tougher from recent years, as they've switched out Nebraska for Penn State, and Minnesota for Rutgers.
PSU is obviously a taller task than Nebraska, but Minnesota is usually tougher than Rutgers. No dates, times or tv/streaming information at this time. But here's a quick glance at each of the matchups:
NORTHWESTERN
Little brother is having some hard times since venture capitalist wrestling team Michigan swooped in and purchased their lineup last year. Still, the ILLINI needed last minute heroics from Peter Marinopoulos to salvage a tie and the win by criteria.
Expect less stress in their next matchup. Wrestlestat.com has it as a 26-9 win for the ILLINI. That's giving a win to Frankie Tal-Shahar, and Danny Pucino is 2-0 against him. The best match will probably be Kannon Webster versus Sam Cartella, although Braeden Scoles against Maxx Mayfield sounds interesting to me. The algorithm is predicting a Mayfield win, but I'm not so sure.
INDIANA
Over to the Wrestlestat.com, they're calling for a 31-4 win for the good guys. That's with Lucas Byrd getting a regular decision against a guy who is 5-17 against common opponents.
The four points for the Hoosiers comes from a supposed major for Tyler Lillard over Braeden Scoles. Lillard is good, but this could be a match to watch. Other excellent matches involve Ruth/Washington and Luffman/Bullock. Both Edmond and Luke are favorites, natch.
OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes trounced the ILLINI in Columbus last year 36-6 with only Kannon Webster and Edmond Ruth picking up victories. This season, look for it to be much closer. Wrestlestat.com is calling for a 20-12 win for the bad guys, but that includes Lucas Byrd losing to the beta version of Lucas Byrd called Nic Bouzakis.
With that win, the ILLINI would be very much in upset territory for the dual. There are great matches up and down this card, but we'll spotlight Danny Braunagel versus Rocco Welsh, as a match between two insanely tough guys.
STUPID IOWA
This was another 36-6 loss for ILLINOIS last year, and what looks to be a much closer matchup this season. The two winners for the ILLINI were Kannon Webster and Dylan Connell.
Wrestlestat.com is predicting a 22-9 win for the Stupid Hawkeyes, but that includes Drake Ayala beating Lucas Byrd and Ayala is simply not tough enough to do that.
Again, there are lots of great matchups in this dual, but the one everybody will be pointing to is Edmond Ruth versus Nelson Brands. Should we do our first Nelson Brands gambling joke of the new season here? No, let's wait and build up tension.
PENN STATE
The algorithm at Wrestlestat.com is less sanguine about this dual, spitting out a 29-5 win for the evil empire. It also predicts the only ILLINI to win is Ramazan Attasauov, but he'll have to get by Luke Lilledahl to achieve that result. The Nittany Lion is ranked low by the computer because he's a true Freshman. Not for a lack of talent.
On the other hand, it has Lucas Byrd losing to Aaron Nagao, and we don't think that happens again, as well as Zac Braunagel losing to Lucas Cochran and Kannon Webster losing to Shayne Van Ness. I think we'll wait for the actual results of those matches, thank you.
Note that Wrestlestat.com has Lucas Cochran starting for the Lions, but by that late in the season, it might be little Mirasola or Josh Barr bumping up from 184.
The highlight of the event will be Edmond Ruth taking on 4xer Carter Starocci. If Starocci isn't a little baby girl, he'll go upper-body with Ruth. We'll see. We plan to dare Carter on the internet to do just that. Perhaps even a double-dog dare.
MARYLAND, PURDUE & RUTGERS
The ILLINI are predicted to win 30-3 over the Terrapins. Edmond Ruth versus Jaxon Smith is a fun matchup, while Luke Luffman might see Seth Nevills in this one. Wrestlestat.com is going with a two-point win for Nevills.
The winning streak continues against the Boilermakers, as a 21-12 victory is the prognostication. This was a 19-18 nail-biter last year with Danny Pucino getting the pin, while Matt Ramos could only manage a tech fall against Caelan Riley. Then, it was Peter Marinopoulos with the clutch decision at heavyweight.
Lucas Byrd gets old high school chum Dustin Norris again, while Ramazan Attasauov wrestled Matt Ramos into overtime ... three years ago.
Finally, there's a dual with Rutgers and a predicted 15-15 tie. We'll just say this about that: Let's see what happens on the mat because it will probably not be close. The Brawlnagels, Ruth and Luffman will have key matches, and each of the first three matches should be barnburners.
TRUE FRESHMEN AND TRANSFERS
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