How Penn State hired Cael Sanderson (Athletic Article $)

ZRF

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Is there anything we don't already know in the article?

My understanding, Penn State was going to invest a lot of money in wrestling to build a new facility, and provide the wrestling program with a bigger budget, along with providing Cael a higher salary. At the time, Iowa State didn't have the funds/budget to compete as we just didn't have the money or funding available to invest in wrestling. Thus, he left.

The irony is that none of that stuff, other than his salary, wouldn't have mattered. At the end of Gable's tenure Iowa could have wrestled on gravel in Siberia and the same recruits he got would have followed him/wrestled anywhere.
 
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crablegs

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Not true at all.

He would have been able to pull the EXACT same talent to Ames. Once they started winning titles the money and the support would have went through the roof and he would have been able to get literally anything he wanted.

The one thing we couldn't offer him was the Big 10 schedule. Save for OSU and arguably OU (though they haven't been for a while), most of the best programs are in the Big 10.

Kids aren't going to PSU to wrestle at PSU. They are going there to wrestle for Cael. The same would have held true here.
This is absolute fantasy.
 

ca4cy

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Didn't access but if it says anything other than facilities investment, RTC, money and recruiting advantages, it's wrong.

And any one of us offered that package would've done the same thing as Cael.
 

SEIOWA CLONE

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There are more quality wrestlers in the Penn. State area than there are here in Iowa, and Cael was always fighting EIU for his share. At Penn. State he did not have the EIU problem. He could recruit the best kids without losing them to EIU and the Gable legend.

Great decision for Cael, but horrible for ISU.
 

deadeyededric

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Not true at all.

He would have been able to pull the EXACT same talent to Ames. Once they started winning titles the money and the support would have went through the roof and he would have been able to get literally anything he wanted.

The one thing we couldn't offer him was the Big 10 schedule. Save for OSU and arguably OU (though they haven't been for a while), most of the best programs are in the Big 10.

Kids aren't going to PSU to wrestle at PSU. They are going their to wrestle for Cael. The same would have held true here.
He has maybe 2 or 3 NC if he stays in Ames. He went to the best situation in the history of the sport. There is no way he is pulling all those PA guys to Ames.
 

ZRF

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This is absolute fantasy.

No it's not. And if you don't think so you truly have no comprehension of how recruiting and program selection works, assuming status comparability amongst programs,

Look at Caleb Grill as an example. He followed Otz EVERYWHERE. Different sport but if perfectly encapsulates the coach/player relationship. You even have David Taylor as an example and that was WITH AND FOR Cael.

If Cael wasn't at PSU NONE of the guys that went there during his tenure would have went there. By that I'm talking about the studs that thrived. Now there are possibly some East coast kids that chose PSU over other closer schools (say an Ohio State) because he was there. But that maybe comprises a handful of peeps.

Cael would have made ISU into the same juggernaut if he stayed. Taylor was the start of him going after talented, lengthy wrestlers that could basically do the same things he could, regardless of weight. Once that happened the rest was history.
 

deadeyededric

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No it's not. And if you don't think so you truly have no comprehension of how recruiting and program selection works, assuming status comparability amongst programs,

Look at Caleb Grill as an example. He followed Otz EVERYWHERE. Different sport but if perfectly encapsulates the coach/player relationship. You even have David Taylor as an example and that was WITH AND FOR Cael.

If Cael wasn't at PSU NONE of the guys that went there during his tenure would have went there. By that I'm talking about the studs that thrived. Now there are possibly some East coast kids that chose PSU over other closer schools (say an Ohio State) because he was there. But that maybe comprises a handful of peeps.

Cael would have made ISU into the same juggernaut if he stayed. Taylor was the start of him going after talented, lengthy wrestlers that could basically do the same things he could, regardless of weight. Once that happened the rest was history.
He wouldn't have built the same juggernaut at ISU that he has been able to at PSU. It's not even possible considering the money PSU is willing to spend on the sport. Penn State has advantages nobody else has before you include the legendary coach.
 
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ZRF

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He has maybe 2 or 3 NC if he stays in Ames. He went to the best situation in the history of the sport. There is no way he is pulling all those PA guys to Ames.

This is delusional. He would have enjoyed the same dominance if he was here, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Mizzou, or a handful of other schools. It took him a few years to learn how to coach but, but once he got it going he created a machine. He was going to win a ton of titles just about anywhere.
 

deadeyededric

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This is delusional. He would have enjoyed the same dominance if he was here, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Mizzou, or a handful of other schools. It took him a few years to learn how to coach but, but once he got it going he created a machine. He was going to win a ton of titles just about anywhere.
He isn't winning 9 out of 10 NC or whatever anywhere else but PSU. You don't think those facilities or PSU's location make it easier for him to recruit that talent? If he thought he could do that at ISU he wouldn't have left.
 

crablegs

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No it's not. And if you don't think so you truly have no comprehension of how recruiting and program selection works, assuming status comparability amongst programs,

Look at Caleb Grill as an example. He followed Otz EVERYWHERE. Different sport but if perfectly encapsulates the coach/player relationship. You even have David Taylor as an example and that was WITH AND FOR Cael.

If Cael wasn't at PSU NONE of the guys that went there during his tenure would have went there. By that I'm talking about the studs that thrived. Now there are possibly some East coast kids that chose PSU over other closer schools (say an Ohio State) because he was there. But that maybe comprises a handful of peeps.

Cael would have made ISU into the same juggernaut if he stayed. Taylor was the start of him going after talented, lengthy wrestlers that could basically do the same things he could, regardless of weight. Once that happened the rest was history.
This is so easily debunked it’s not even funny.

Quentin Wright and Ed Ruth were huge parts of Cael’s first championship. Wright was already there and Ruth had already signed. In fact famously, Ruth didn’t even know who Cael was when he heard Cael got the job.

Where were all the PA guys on ISU’s roster before Cael left? They were nonexistent. Cael has made hay with PA talent (Ruth, Wright, Nico, Retherford, Nolf, CStar, Haines) He probably would have gotten some to ISU over his tenure, but not the way he does now.
 

HGoat1

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A lot of Penn State’s top guys are not from PA. David Taylor originally from wyoming, went to hs in Ohio. Bo Nickal from Texas. RBY from Arizona. Nick Lee from Indiana. Mark Hall from Minnesota. He pulls the best recruits regardless of where they’re from, geography doesn’t have much to do with his success (although it’s undeniable PA produces the most hs wrestling talent). His wrestling credentials and Penn St deep pockets are the biggest reasons he is able to do so.. a good reminder to keep donations to CRTC coming
 

LincolnSwinger

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This is a much broader comment, but if you haven't been to PSU you can't comprehend the difference in support for athletics (when they decide to support a program) versus ISU. I love ISU, but live in PA now and had a son go to PSU. It's unreal out here. I'm not taking anyone off ignore to find out what he's saying, but anyone who thinks Cael could have succeeded at ISU like he has at PSU is living in an alternate reality.
 

ZRF

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He wouldn't have built the same juggernaut at ISU that he has been able to at PSU. It's not even possible considering the money PSU is willing to spend on the sport.

This is ridiculous.

This isn't football where recruits are easily wowed by the training facilities, money, etc. They go to programs and coaches that demonstrate they can make them successful. Cael was already on his way to making ISU a juggernaut and Taylor was the start of that. Cael goes to 8 other schools, Taylor follows him there (hey we have my brother Cyler who's pretty good and David Taylor who is the #1 recruit coming in) and the train is rolling. His first title was also largely due to Andrew Long following him there. If Cael stays here and he has Taylor, Ruth, Long (might not have been kicked off the team...who knows) he might have won the title in 2011 here.
 

deadeyededric

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This is ridiculous.

This isn't football where recruits are easily wowed by the training facilities, money, etc. They go to programs and coaches that demonstrate they can make them successful. Cael was already on his way to making ISU a juggernaut and Taylor was the start of that. Cael goes to 8 other schools, Taylor follows him there (hey we have my brother Cyler who's pretty good and David Taylor who is the #1 recruit coming in) and the train is rolling. His first title was also largely due to Andrew Long following him there. If Cael stays here and he has Taylor, Ruth, Long (might not have been kicked off the team...who knows) he might have won the title in 2011 here.
Yeah he might have won a couple of national titles. I don't think anyone disputes that.
 

ca4cy

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I think the truth lies somewhere in between on the whole recruiting thing. We obviously already had Taylor locked up, and the rumor was that the Alton twins were ready to commit. Matt Brown would've gotten there eventually. As was mentioned Q and Ruth were already at PSU. I don't think we would've gotten all those Pennsylvania guys, but I bet we would've gotten a few, especially if Cael could've cashed in a natty with Long (had he not gone off the rails) Reader, Varner, Z etc and had us on the radar. There's a good argument for us getting the stud uppers like Hall, Nickal, Kerk etc.

PSU was the perfect storm at the perfect time. Cael stole Iowa's momentum and kept tOSU from building a lot of their's. There's probably no bigger "victim" to Cael's success than Tom Ryan.

There's no way we'd have 9 of 10 like he's gotten out east, but we'd have more than we do now.
 
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crablegs

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A lot of Penn State’s top guys are not from PA. David Taylor originally from wyoming, went to hs in Ohio. Bo Nickal from Texas. RBY from Arizona. Nick Lee from Indiana. Mark Hall from Minnesota. He pulls the best recruits regardless of where they’re from, geography doesn’t have much to do with his success (although it’s undeniable PA produces the most hs wrestling talent). His wrestling credentials and Penn St deep pockets are the biggest reasons he is able to do so.. a good reminder to keep donations to CRTC coming
He got top national guys to ISU. Varner, Gallick, Reader, etc. Just didn’t have the top in state talent to fill it out and build a championship team. That’s what PSU did. Still brought in to national guys and filled spots with in state guys who were also blue chip talent.