RUDIS is excited to launch the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast with Ben Askren and Matt Dernlan.
About Ben
Ben Askren joins RUDIS from the T-Row & Funky Show in an official partnership as a content provider for all things RUDIS.
About Matt
Matt Dernlan joins RUDIS from a D1 college coaching background. He also has family roots grounded in Ohio wrestling, with a collective 10 state titles on the shelf. After that, Matt got his start in coaching at Ohio Northern University. Matt spent approximately 8 years in a variety of different roles at Penn State University. Dernlan was also a part of the 2011 team that brought an NCAA Title back to Happy Valley for the first time in over 50 years. After Penn State wrestling, Matt moved to Clarion University. Here, he helped lead the team to top 20 in the country as Head Coach. His time at Clarion included coaching Bekzod Abdurakhmonov who was 3rd in the country at the time.
NCAA Recruiting
On the first RUDIS Wrestling Podcast, Askren and Dernlan get into an in-depth discussion of the positives and negatives of NCAA recruiting. There have been recent changes in legislation. Students who consider transferring are now able to have more communication with other coaches. From a team perspective losing an athlete can have a residual effect on a program for years to come. Schools are often forced to face, not just talent changes, but also long term scholarship effects. Likewise, the university has also lost 2-4 years worth of time and energy to bring in an athlete that decides to leave.
Students Choices:
In addition, students athletes should have the ability to find a home that’s right. Athletes are under social pressure to make a decision on their future. For that reason it is easy to get caught up in the emotion and circumstance of college recruiting. Without even considering the long term effects on a young athlete’s career.
So, it is inevitable that the coach and athlete will tend to be at odds balancing what is best for the team versus the individual. While many transfer decisions are driven by wrestling, student athletes are also facing social and academic strain. The individual’s success is given the highest priority – preferably not at the expense of the an entire team.
Show Timestamps:
- 0:00 – Introduction to the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast
- 6:35 – Background on Matt Dernlan
- 13:45 – Dernlan’s time at Penn State
- 18:15 – Matt Dernlan, Head Coach at Clarion
- 18:40 – James Fleming Face Lock – Dave Schultz Front Headlock
- 21:02 – Recruiting foreign athletes
- 23:40 – New NCAA Legislation – positives & negatives
- 40:06 – RUDIS Wrestling Podcast World Championship Schedule
Where to find the RUDIS Wrestling Podcast
Mental Mondays is hosted by Ben Askren. Ben Askren, World Champion and Olympic wrestler, joins RUDIS from the T-Row & Funky Show in an official partnership as a content provider for all things RUDIS.