Everything PORTAL 3/14 TO 5/12

[HFO]

Fall and spring sports have two windows, whereas winter sports only have one. This does not impact when a student-athlete can transfer, only when they can enter their name into the NCAA database to transfer without penalty.

The 45-day time period is a decrease from the previous period of 52 days for wrestling. The original date for the upcoming portal window for wrestling was going to be Thursday, March 14, 2024 to Sunday, May 12, 2024.

I do not know if NCAA modified since the Fall 2023.

There should be a number of highly ranked guys in 6th or 7th year with degree in hand. How many still want to wrestle? Wrestle for the same team? Anyone interesting in stackable education before the enter the workplace? Any possible calling Lehigh home for a year of wrestling and then a 2nd year to finish their degree. Grad students only need to take 9 credits per semester. I also believe they get credit for any credits from Summer Semester.

If the supply of talent is there, here is who I have narrowed down who potentially could be available. Again, some might just want to finish out at their same university or just be done despite having a year or a semester of eligibility left.

Value added any who are Top 33 or NQ. These are the elites. Barraclough is interesting because he is #10 and was only a part-time varsity in his career.

Biggest question will be how many of them want to keep on wrestling? Would any of them leave their current schools?

Transfers
165 #10 Terrell Barraclough 2024 Jr eligibility Penn State Biomedical engineering. Potential Lehigh grad program: MS or PhD Bioengineering

174 #1 Carter Starocci 2024 Jr eligibility Penn State Parks, Recreation, Tourism Management. Potential Lehigh grad program: MS-College of Education or Part-time MBA
#4 Cade Devos 2024 Jr eligibility South Dakota State Pre-pharmacy. Potential Lehigh grad program: MS-Population Health, MS-Molecular Biology, MS-Chemistry

184 #1 Parker Keckeisen 2024 Jr. eligibility North Dakota State Construction Management. Potential Lehigh grad program: Part-time MBA (9 credits per semester), MBA & Engineering or Part-time MBA, M.Eng Technical Entrepreneurship.

#4 Isaish Salazar 2024 Jr. eligibility Minnesota. Potential Lehigh grad program. Part-time MBA (9 credits per semester), M.Eng Technical Entrepreneurship.

#6 Chris Foca 2024 Jr. eligibility Cornell. Architecture. Potential Lehigh grad program. Part-time MBA (9 credits per semester), M.Eng Technical Entrepreneurship.

[mookie]

All would be wonderful, but Barraclough and Foca would be perfect fits.

[1/2NELSON]

I honestly believe we could LAND Foca at 174/184!

In fact I'll message Dad right now..

[Justafan]

Watching all the moving around in the NFL over the last day or 2, it became quite apparent how frightening the transfer portal and NIL really is.

Remember the gate can swing both ways and for the 1st time in a while, Lehigh may have wrestlers with a big target on their back and there are corporations with a lot of money to spend. Job #1 may be keeping our guys home before we begin shopping. Every one of the guys HFO mentioned will require some degree of NIL money I believe. I have no idea how full our coffers are.

[HFO]

Watching all the moving around in the NFL over the last day or 2, it became quite apparent how frightening the transfer portal and NIL really is.

Remember the gate can swing both ways and for the 1st time in a while, Lehigh may have wrestlers with a big target on their back and there are corporations with a lot of money to spend. Job #1 may be keeping our guys home before we begin shopping. Every one of the guys HFO mentioned will require some degree of NIL money I believe. I have no idea how full our coffers are.

I am not sold that there is a lot of NIL money out there for wrestling. Transferring has always been a possibility in any era. We have some who transfer out and some that transfer in.

From a pure needs perspective, you can grow organically or you can do some acquisitions. There is immediate need for 165, 174, 184. Acquisitions is the route to go for the year ahead.

[LUEngineer]

I am not sure of the need for a 165 pounder as we have Hunter Mays in the wings who was a 2 time State champ & after a year of redshirt could be a force next year.

Agree on 174 & 184 and Staroci would be nice insert there.

[lu_alum]

I am not sure of the need for a 165 pounder as we have Hunter Mays in the wings who was a 2 time State champ & after a year of redshirt could be a force next year.

Agree on 174 & 184 and Staroci would be nice insert there.

Is everyone not aware Starocci has already indicated (months ago) that he’s not coming back for a fifth season?

[Justafan]

Watching all the moving around in the NFL over the last day or 2, it became quite apparent how frightening the transfer portal and NIL really is.

Remember the gate can swing both ways and for the 1st time in a while, Lehigh may have wrestlers with a big target on their back and there are corporations with a lot of money to spend. Job #1 may be keeping our guys home before we begin shopping. Every one of the guys HFO mentioned will require some degree of NIL money I believe. I have no idea how full our coffers are.

I am not sold that there is a lot of NIL money out there for wrestling. Transferring has always been a possibility in any era. We have some who transfer out and some that transfer in.

From a pure needs perspective, you can grow organically or you can do some acquisitions. There is immediate need for 165, 174, 184. Acquisitions is the route to go for the year ahead.

For the average wrestler, you may certainly be right about NIL. For an All-American, I'm finding it hard to believe that the migration to schools like Michigan, Iowa and Penn State and others did not have financial incentive and I'm hearing big numbers by wrestling standards.

We shall see.

[FloridaGuy]

>>>>>> It’s all conjecture at this point.

Immediate focus is performance at the NCAAs——-multiple AAs and a high team finish speaks volumes to potential transfers.

Next step is focusing on current team members that we want to remain on the team and a select group of potential transfers. We have young guys returning and a solid recruiting class covering most weights, but 165 thru 184 appear wide open next year.

The portal door does swing in both directions, but the most desirable transfers have been landing at high level programs like psu, Mich, Iowa OkieSt and Lehigh. There will be options and I believe Lehigh will continue to attract quality transfers.

[Oracle]

Pipe dreaming LU fans are plentiful these days as they apparently sniff a top 10 NCAA finish and want it to continue.
FL Guy is right -- let's tend to our knitting and get thru nationals. Secondly, Foca loves Cornell and they have a plan for him. Slim chance we see him. Starocci loves PSU. Keikensen, Salazar and DeVos *IF* they enter the portal will most likely stay at a mid west school -- Big 10 or Big 12. Maybe ACC, but low percentage on that. EIWA? Not likely.
Why would they choose the EIWA now that the Ivies have left? They will all want elite competition.

We need to focus on getting guys into the finals and winning titles -- then transfers will come a knockin. LU will get guys they may have missed on first time around and for whatever reason things didn't work out where they signed. Holding out hope of signing a Parker Keckeisen is nuts -- IMO.