Tom Ryan puts things simply — and confidently — with the clock ticking down to the start of the postseason. 

“Obviously, this is the part of the year that matters,” the Ohio State wrestling coach said. “We’re ready to go.” 

Ryan was hoping to avoid injury deja vu during the 2024-25 campaign. His hopes were to no avail. 

“It was another year of some early-season injuries at some weight classes — injuries that required us to move guys around,” he said. “(Seth) Shumate was at 197 and then we had to put him down to 184. Then we had to put him back up at 197. Ryder (Rogotzke) was at 197, and we had to put him down to 184 because (Luke) Geog was out.”

Ryan isn’t allowing his team’s musical chair lineups to serve as an excuse. 

“None of that was ideal, but no excuses,” he said. “It is what it is. Right now, our team, for the most part, is healthy heading into this weekend. We're in a good spot.”

Thoughts of what could have been, however, are irksome.

“We could have been in a better spot if guys hadn’t been hurt,” Ryan said. “We had guys who missed a lot of matches. Ultimately, there are two ways to qualify. You can qualify outright or you earn a wildcard. We have situations this year — because of injuries and moving guys around —  where some of our guys might have to steal a (qualifying) spot to get to nationals.

“If that’s what some of our guys have to do, then that’s what they have to do. We can qualify 10. I don’t know if we can beat Penn State, but we can finish in the top three this weekend or we can be anywhere between five and seven. That’s just honestly where we are right now.

“But, if each of my guys wrestle to their capacity, we'll have a great weekend.”

Cannon Fire 

Ohio State’s lineup is led by returning NCAA champ Jesse Mendez and a cast of All-Americans.

Is there an under-the-radar wrestler who might surprise?

“I think (Brandon) Cannon at 157 can be a lot of fun,” Ryan said. “He’s very good, very tough. He’ll be an interesting one to watch.”

Rather quietly, Cannon — a redshirt freshman from Denver, CO (Ponderosa High School) — has amassed a career record of 24-2, including tournament titles at the 2024 Cleveland State Open in December and the Edinboro Open and the Mat Town College Open last month. The sole blemishes on his record are losses to grapplers in the top 10 themselves: Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson (#9 at 149) and Minnesota’s Tommy Askey (#8 at 157). 

Informed of the compliments sent his way by his coach, Cannon returned the praise.

“That feels really good,” he said. “I’m super appreciative of my coaches and their belief in me. 

“I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries this season. None were anything too major, but they kept me out of a lot of competitions. I haven’t had the whole Big Ten season, especially in duals. I think that’s kept me under the radar.”

The majority of Cannon’s victories have been at tournaments that don’t garner massive amounts of ink or eyeballs. 

Nevertheless, anonymity for Cannon is fading quickly. He recently cracked the nation’s top-10 list last month and is currently ranked ninth at 157. He hopes to shed all “under the radar” talk this weekend at the nation’s most watched conference tournament.

“I’m just really excited,” Cannon said of his first Big Ten tournament. “I’m ready to compete. I don’t have a super-high seed. With my missing so much of the dual season, I haven’t had the chance to go up against a lot of the best guys in my weight, so I wasn’t too surprised.”

The low seed doesn’t bother Cannon.

“It’s OK,” he said. “That’s when I come out and perform my best.”

Bouzakis And Bloodlines

Ryan knew of Troy Bouzakis long before the Ohio State coach started recruiting his son, Nic. 

“(Troy) was an animal,” Ryan said. “(He was) a couple years younger than me in New York when we were in high school. He was a big name. He went to Clemson and was something like (26-1) his freshman year, but he broke his neck. Basically, the injury knocked him out of the sport.”

A herniated disk in his neck and a torn ACL ushered in the premature ending of a promising collegiate career. A three-time New York state champion and 1990 alum of Pine Bush High School, Troy finished his prep career with a 179-2 record. 

Time has passed. Dad now cheers for his Buckeye son. So, too, does his son’s coach.

“I say it over and over, but Nic has shown he can beat anybody when he’s on,” Ryan said. “Whether it’s at the Big Ten or the NCAAs, Nic’s not a good draw for anyone. We’ve seen what he can do. With Nic, it’s about consistently letting himself wrestle freely. It’s about enjoying his time out there. Forget about the past and forget about the future. 

“Nic just needs to be in the moment when on the mat. That’s when he’s at his best.”