Transfer Portal

[rjchev141]

The best version of Amos I've seen is training/walking at 220-230 and competing at 97kg.  My not strong opinion is to much energy/focused training this past year on nutrition/downsizing and not enough on scoring/generating offense, resulted in what we saw.

As much as I'd like to see Hopke as a badger, the reality is Amos is one.  Meaning his path is priority and what is best for Amos is what is best for Wisconsin.  Unfortunately I don't see him being a top 1-8 next year at 197, which is essentially equates to nothing at NCAAs.  Obviously I'm speculating here, but an alternate training focus (getting bigger) and maybe he is a 235-lbs, top 3, HWT?  Is it worth the gamble if you factor in the Hopke recruiting potential?  I trust the staff knows the answer and we'll see it play out.

[Gutwrench]

Just curious if anybody knows how Braxton fares against Hilger in the training room.  That would be a pretty good measuring stick I'd say.

[Ghetto]

What does Braxton's Facebook post about change mean? Hope it is not what first came to mind...

Time to move up to heavy and take a year to redshirt and put on size?

He wasn't a big 197 pounder this year? 5'10 -5'11 tops and he didn't cary a ton of muscle. He was very competitive in a deep weight class last year and will be even better as some of these talented guys age out. It sounds like he is getting better at his nutrition and he needs to continue developing his offense. Only a couple freshman had a good year last year, he will be fine if the Badgers get someone on the senior level to move in and train with him.

This is my thought also. He's not going to be tall enough IMO to be as effective against the big boys. If he struggled to get under 197s and finish, why would it be so much easier to finish on a 265 pound heavy? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. He has Hillger to work with next year. After that?

[factfinder]

What does Braxton's Facebook post about change mean? Hope it is not what first came to mind...

Time to move up to heavy and take a year to redshirt and put on size?

He wasn't a big 197 pounder this year? 5'10 -5'11 tops and he didn't cary a ton of muscle. He was very competitive in a deep weight class last year and will be even better as some of these talented guys age out. It sounds like he is getting better at his nutrition and he needs to continue developing his offense. Only a couple freshman had a good year last year, he will be fine if the Badgers get someone on the senior level to move in and train with him.

This is my thought also. He's not going to be tall enough IMO to be as effective against the big boys. If he struggled to get under 197s and finish, why would it be so much easier to finish on a 265 pound heavy? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. He has Hillger to work with next year. After that?

He might be a tweener like Garret Lowney, Garret was much better at international styles because he was perfect for 97 Kilos (212), 6' 225 cutting to 212.
Garret was Jacked though.

[tigerking]

Beard is now in the portal. Would be a great get with Amos going up to 285 per the experts on the forum.

[hammer]

Bono needs to figure out what to do with Amos. I hear the Badgers gave him the farm and now after 2 years out of high school the Badgers really havent set the world on fire bringing in 197 and HWT recruits, which I am sure due to Amos being at 197. So the Badgers landed the kid from Florida and Empy to wrestle 197 if Amos goes up. Which then if Amos does go to HWT you possibly loss out on landing Hopke. If your happy with the recruits at 197 that is fine but Bono really had no interest in recruiting 197 since they landed Amos. Kind of a strange deal going on if you ask me.

[wrastle63]

Gerit Nijenhuis entered the portal with 3 years of eligibility left. He would be a good get.

[tigerking]

Badgers could use Nijenhuis at 174.

[wrastle63]

He beat Labriola this season.

[vsmf2010]

He would be good one.

[npope]

I think there is no denying that Amos is a "tweener." The sooner the UW decides which direction to go will help the UW in recruiting.

[factfinder]

The best version of Amos I've seen is training/walking at 220-230 and competing at 97kg.  My not strong opinion is to much energy/focused training this past year on nutrition/downsizing and not enough on scoring/generating offense, resulted in what we saw.

As much as I'd like to see Hopke as a badger, the reality is Amos is one.  Meaning his path is priority and what is best for Amos is what is best for Wisconsin.  Unfortunately I don't see him being a top 1-8 next year at 197, which is essentially equates to nothing at NCAAs.  Obviously I'm speculating here, but an alternate training focus (getting bigger) and maybe he is a 235-lbs, top 3, HWT?  Is it worth the gamble if you factor in the Hopke recruiting potential?  I trust the staff knows the answer and we'll see it play out.

Go back and watch some old HS matches on you tube and you will see how they always said he was a smaller 220 pounder. He also won a lot of matches with sound defense at tournaments like the Iron Man, he wasn't a big score guy from his feet even in HS. He is an incredible hand fighter which in HS is rare and that won him a lot of matches, but in college almost everyone is a solid hand fighter. His advanced hand fighting is a big part of his success at the international styles. He has always had a real good top game as well! So just like 90% of the bigger freshman he needs to learn a mid range offense (elbows and wrists) and not just scoring from tight ties, and get better on the bottom a long with good nutritional options that get him lean and keep him strong.
He can eat 5 healthy meals a day and get down to 200-202 (in season) and only need to pull 4 or 5 pounds the day of weigh in's. I bet he pinches at 12-13% body fat and would only need to get down to 8% (24 pounds) to be in the right rang to make 197 with out over dehydrating himself.

[onwisconsin]

Time for some "Great Day to be a Badger".   

[dad 2 5]

Time for some "Great Day to be a Badger".

+1!

[Vir Fortis]

Just curious if anybody knows how Braxton fares against Hilger in the training room.  That would be a pretty good measuring stick I'd say.

I believe people had posted on here that he doesn't do very well...

I don't think that's necessarily very telling. Hilger is a very athletic light HWT in what has been just loaded the last several years and a 3X AA, so you'd kinda expect the older guy who's experienced that type of success to beat up on the younger guy.

I'd be inclined to agree with Ghetto and the others who've said that he doesn't look big enough(as in long enough) to be a HWT, but I'm also entirely ignorant on what weight he's comfortable with or anything else about him. Just my take from afar.

He seems like the type of guy who it could all start to click for very quickly. Once he develops or finds that go to shot or just decides to let it go and start attacking more, he could shoot up in the rankings.



I also agree, you can't worry about Koy Hopke when deciding what weight he's going to Wrestle. I doubt Minnesota signed Nelson thinking, "we can't sign this HWT stud, there's another one coming up in a couple years that we really want." I'll let Bono worry about spreading the money out and just hope the Badgers can convince some of those studs in the '24 class to sign up. We're 2-3 years away from those two even having to POTENTIALLY wrestle off for a spot.

So yeah...as big a fan of that class as I am, how silly would it be to have him go one weight or the other at THIS point with that in mind?