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Penn State Wrestling: Jeff Byers Offers His Pre-NCAA Predictions, Plaudits & Perspectives

If you think of Penn State wrestling from an audio perspective, it’s all about the radio voice of Jeff Byers. For the last 33 years, Byers has offered ecstatic appreciation for Nittany Lion successes while also being undeniably fair toward the opposition.

Raised in the State College area, “Ironhead” loves Penn State, but it’s quite possible that he loves the sport of wrestling even more.

And that’s why I like to grab some time with him each year in mid-March. I know he’ll give me an objective summary of the regular season and the Big Ten tournament—including his annual selections for “Ironhead Awards.” And then he’ll offer his perspective and predictions for the upcoming NCAA National tourney.

So snap on your imaginary headgear and pay attention to the words I heard from Byers just a few days ago. He’ll give you his highly-educated guesses on Penn State’s quest for individual championships and the team title. 

Beginning with the regular season, the dual meets in Ann Arbor and Iowa City were big highlights for Penn State fans. What did they miss that couldn’t possibly be conveyed over radio or TV? What will you remember in 10 years?

Byers:  I think the atmosphere. In Michigan there was just such excitement for the opportunity they thought they had to pick up one of the biggest wins in program history. But you could just feel the air getting sucked out of the place as that one went along. (Penn State defeated the Wolverines 29-6.) That dual meet was probably the best top to bottom performance for Penn State all season. 

As for the dual meet in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, it was a little unusual this year in that it was a genuinely hostile crowd. They’re always into it and supportive of their Iowa team, but this year, I don’t know. There seemed to be more of a resentment or anger at Penn State. Obviously, it wasn’t everybody, probably not even close to a majority, but there seemed to be more of that this year. And there was the incident with somebody throwing something from the stands at the Penn State bench. I’m not used to seeing that at this level of wrestling.

What do you think brought that about? After all, they got the national team title last year so if anything, that should have placated them. 

Byers:  I don’t know.  Maybe the fact that Penn State stole the spotlight last year in the final round of nationals. I don’t know if that still isn’t sitting well with those fans. (Penn State captured four individual titles in 2021 while Iowa won just one.) My experience over the years has been really good at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. I really do love the fans there. I love the passion that Iowa fans bring to the sport. And I think it is a first-class operation by their school, their administration, their radio folks. It just seemed there was more animus toward Penn State this year than I’m used to.

So then, as we begin to talk about the Big Ten tournament, I guess we have to start with Michigan’s fantastic performance. How do you explain that?

Byers:  I just think that’s an experienced team with a really good coaching staff. I think Sean Bormet is right there with Cael Sanderson and Tom Brands (Iowa’s head coach) and Pat Popolizio (head coach at North Carolina State) among the best coaches in the country. And I think Michigan is a veteran team that performed very, very well when the lights were on. We’ll see if they’re able to translate into a similar showing at the NCAA tournament. I remember talking to some folks after the dual meet in Ann Arbor and they were saying, “Oh man, Michigan was overrated.” Well, there were a lot of really close bouts that night and Penn State, to its credit, won those close bouts. But Michigan is a really good team and there’s a reason that they thought at the start of the season that they could contend for Big Ten and NCAA titles. And I don’t think Iowa is out of the picture, but injuries have taken a toll on the Iowa lineup.

Byers ponders his answer during a recent interview with Bill Horlacher. Photo by Bill Horlacher

It seemed like there were fewer bonus points for Penn State at this year’s Big Tens, and it seemed like there were a couple times when Penn State needlessly ended up in sudden victory situations. Was there a letdown?

Byers:  I thought Penn State did a good job with the bonus points. I do think they lost some bouts that we’re used to seeing them win in postseason tournaments. The overtime bouts did not go the way that we’re accustomed to seeing in the postseason. They let a couple of apparent victories slip away, and you’re just not used to seeing that with their top-end guys. That being said, if you go back to last year’s national finals, it was very, very special when Penn State got those four wins, but you’re literally three moves away from Penn State having one national champion instead of four. And when you’re talking about the level of competition here, those bouts can go either way. Fans at Penn State get a little restless, and when they start to see those matches going the other way, they’re…

Spoiled?

Byers:  Big time. When you’re talking about the Aaron Brooks-Myles Amin bout, Amine was an Olympic bronze medalist, and they don’t just give those away to anybody. His only loss at the Olympic Games was to David Taylor. So this guy is an elite level wrestler, and Aaron Brooks is as well. But fans are getting accustomed to the idea that it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, Penn State automatically wins. That’s just not the way this works. It is really hard to do what the David Taylors and the Bo Nickals and the Ed Ruths and the Zain Retherfords accomplished. But even the consistently great wrestlers have their off days.

I do think that Cael’s coaching record in the NCAA tournament is truly remarkable. And because of that track record, I think there’s rightfully a lot of optimism about the NCAA tournament. But that’s a really good, experienced Michigan team. There’s a lot of talent on that Iowa team, and there are some other really good teams. But I do think that because of the dual meet, Penn State fans were thinking, “Oh, Michigan, they’re no good.” I think there was a false sense about the gap between Penn State and Michigan.

Let’s talk about the NCAAs.  Will this be the third time in recent years that Penn State loses Big Tens but wins nationals?

Byers:  I think it has a very good chance to be that. I do think Michigan has a really good chance of winning the national title as well. And I think there are some other teams that could, if everything breaks right. But going into this thing, I think it comes down to Penn State and Michigan. And I think Penn State has enough top end firepower to win, but I wonder if Michigan has enough top end firepower.

Concerning the coaching staff, do Cael and his assistants have a secret sauce for getting wrestlers ready for nationals? 

Byers:  They obviously do an exceptional job of helping the kids to peak at the national tournament. Every coaching staff tries to do that, obviously. But I think this coaching staff does have a good formula for getting these guys mentally confident and comfortable going into the national tournament. And I think physically fresh. But at the end of the day, it comes down to the kids and whether they are able to go out there and be fearless in the biggest moments on the biggest stage. 

And you don’t know how things are gonna play out until it actually happens. There’s the chance that you might run into somebody who has your number on a given day or that you’re not feeling up to snuff. I think back to a guy like Vincenzo Joseph. (A two-time national champ, Joseph lost to Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis in the 2019 title match.)  Vincenzo Joseph knew how to get ready for nationals, but there’s just no guarantee. And if you go back over the long history of the NCAA tournament, you’ll see the many upsets that occurred against guys who knew how to compete. Like Dan Gable. Here’s a guy who won two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal. But he lost his last collegiate bout to a great athlete named Larry Owings. (With that loss in the finals of the 1970 NCAA Nationals, Gable finished his college career with a record of 117-1.) If you think Dan Gable “choked” on the biggest stage, you’re talking about one of the all-time greats. There are no guarantees.

Byers interviews Vincenzo Joseph, a two-time national champion who suffered an occasional defeat. Photo by Jennifer Tate Yorks

You’re helping to demystify the idea that Penn State wrestlers always peak effectively at nationals, but I’m sure you’d agree that they usually do. How do the coaches get the guys ready? Is it dodgeball?

Byers:  Well, I do think they keep this team relaxed and, yeah, dodgeball is part of it. But the coaches stress the idea that this is an opportunity. There’s no pressure on you. It’s just an opportunity to go out and showcase your talents on the biggest stage and bring the passion that you presumably have for a sport that you love. It’s an opportunity that not many people have and a lot of people would love to have. So see what you can do with it. 

And the other component for Penn State’s approach is in the recruiting process. The coaches identify kids who already have this predisposition to compete and are able to handle the pressures that come with competing at a high level.

It’s time now for our annual Ironhead Awards, and after you announce your selections, I’d also like you to provide your predictions for the top five teams at nationals. Our first Ironhead Award category is for “Most Valiant Effort in One Bout.”

Byers: Greg Kerkvliet’s win over Mason Parris in the dual meet at Ann Arbor is my winner. Greg was coming to that bout with a little something to prove. That win validated the fact that he is right there with the best of the heavyweights. 

How about your award winner for “Most Valiant Effort Throughout the Season?”

Byers:  That is tough because there are so many kids that did good things. I think the way that both Roman Bravo-Young and Nick Lee took another big step forward, even from where they were as national champions a year ago, is impressive. And I’d say the same thing about Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks. But I have to select Creighton Edsell. I know he didn’t get to the national tournament, but this is a guy who went all in. First, in terms of his commitment to get down to 165 pounds which was not an easy pull for him. And then to have Brady Berge come in, and initially it looked like he was gonna be the 165 pounder and push Creighton out of the lineup. Then, when Brady decided to move down to 157, Creighton was able to step back in. I know he lost out on qualifying for the national tournament, but I thought he was the aggressor throughout his last bout at the Big Ten tournament. Although there’s no moral victories in postseason wrestling, I think the effort he gave throughout the season is what you want from any of your student athletes.

And who is your selection for “Greatest Off-Mat Contributor?” 

Well, Michael Beard was in a very tough situation. I mean, he’s a returning All-American and then Max Dean came in, they wrestled off and Dean won the spot. It would’ve been very easy for Michael Beard to just hang his head and pout, and to a large degree that would have been understandable. But he really did not. He battled back from an injury and he was available when they needed him. He wrestled a terrific match, despite taking a loss, against Eric Schultz of Nebraska. He lost by 6-4 with a couple of disputable stalling calls, and of course, Schultz lost to Dean by only a 4-2 score in the Big Ten finals. I thought Beard was a leader on this team throughout the course of the season even in a reserve role. 

After 33 years of broadcasting Penn State wrestling, “Ironhead” is very comfortable in Rec Hall. Photo by Bill Horlacher

Our last Ironhead Award category is “Most Overlooked Contributor.”  Who do you like?   

Byers:  Donovan Ball was a great workout partner…great. And when they called on him to fill in, he filled in very admirably.  You know, trying to replace Aaron Brooks in the lineup is no easy feat, but I thought Donovan was a guy who took advantage of the opportunities he had to make himself and his teammates better. A lot of guys on the team look up to him and admire him for his consistency. 

Another guy I would throw right in there would be Baylor Shunk from down the road in Penns Valley.  I don’t think he is ever gonna be a national champion, but he is a guy who just absolutely busts his tail. He’s willing to do whatever the team asks of him. He’ll work out with anybody at any time. And he never shows in any way that he’s down about anything. He just keeps getting in there and giving gritty performance after gritty performance in the room.

Let’s wrap up with just two final questions.  First, who among the Penn State wrestlers will win NCAA individual titles?

Byers:  I think they have five that are bona fide contenders, and a couple others who I wouldn’t rule out if they get hot. Of course, the four returning champs and Max Dean are all capable of winning national titles. And I, for one, will not be surprised if Penn State walks out of Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit with five champions. They all have at least one really tough challenge awaiting them in Detroit, but that’s what makes it fun. But I’ll go ahead and say it: they’ll get five.

Finally, let’s talk about your team predictions. I’m interested in your choices for the top five teams, listed in order of their finish. Byers:  I think Penn State will win it. I do think Michigan will be second, and I think it’s gonna be very close. I’ll say Iowa does take third with Arizona State in fourth and my guess would be North Carolina State in fifth. I think it’ll be very close between those three teams.