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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Dan Cosimi added to this discussion on July 10, 2007
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Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Dan Cosimi - OhioWrestling.Net
July 10, 2007
I entered the wrestling world in the 2000-2001 season, my freshman year of high school. Freshmen weren't supposed to be good... or so I thought. My elder drill partners made sure I knew it.
Then we went to a tournament in Doylestown - a small, rural town in Wayne County - home of the Chipps of Chippewa High School. The powerhouse squad from St. Peter Chanel High School - the defending Division 3 state runners-up - won the tournament by about three hundred points. A freshman by the name of Jaggers torched the 119-pound class and I found out first-hand that freshmen were not only not practice dummies - they could win and even dominate.
Some time over the course of the next few seasons - maybe it was when he was pinning and teching his way through the entire state - my friends and I dubbed him "the man, the myth, the legend" (all in good fun, of course). Jaggers' local legend grew to such an extent that All-Ohioan Charlie Morris of Cardinal High School was quoted our local newspaper saying, "I would rather wrestle Jesus than Jaggers," before their district tournament championship match. If anyone needs an introduction to just how good Jaggers was in high school, watch his semifinal bout at the NHSCA Senior National Championships against Troy Tirapelle (who was ranked #1 in the nation at the time). http://youtube.com/watch?v=zAr5OJk54KQ
And then we got to college.
I'll never forget that my first college roommate (who knew Jaggers) told me, "you watch, he'll go undefeated in college." Meanwhile people posting on online forums were expecting everything from the best to the worst. Some had him tabbed as a future multiple-time All-American, while others believed that his funky style would not work at the higher level.
After a high-quality but injury-riddled first two years, Jaggers struggled at times during his sophomore year. Fans knew something was up but they didn't know exactly what was causing it. Speculation was abundant. At the end of the year, Jaggers rose to the occasion once again - this time winning his first collegiate All-America honor by finishing in seventh place at the NCAA Championships.
Everyone was saying the same thing last year. "Jaggers is cutting too much weight!" Were you?
No. The weight cutting is tough, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't holding me back. The thing is, I've never had an off-season in college. From the elbow injury, [anterior cruciate ligament] injury, the high ankle sprain and so on, I never had any solid time to train. I wasn't in wrestling condition because I wasn't wrestling. Even into the season they had me out at various times. When I came back, I trained with the lighter guys to get me back on track. It wasn't until a few weeks before nationals that I actually had some solid time to train hard.
Are you healthy now?
Yes, I have been healthy since the end of the season. This is basically my first healthy off-season and the staff has emphasized having good off-season habits. I'm working at camps now and continuing to wrestle, run, and lift - in non-mandatory sessions, of course.
I've noticed that the Buckeyes, who wrestled in a lot of higher-profile freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments last spring and summer, aren't competing this off-season. Is that part of the plan?
Lou Rosselli says, "why go to Vegas or any of these other big tournaments if you're not going there to win?" Sure, you're going to get the experience of a few good matches in that style, but that's it. As for me, I'm finally healthy now. I can keep on training hard, getting stronger, and improving my wrestling here and not risk the injury. I want to be ready to go in November. That's why I'm not doing it.
So are you set to go back down to 141 pounds this year?
Yes. I'm bigger and stronger right now than I have ever been. I've gotten bigger over the off-season [as wrestlers normally do] but I'm keeping good habits and I'll be down where I need to be when the time comes.
With you at 141 pounds, does that mean that you and Reece Humphrey - who lost by one point to NCAA finalist Ryan Lang last year - will wrestle-off for the spot?
Actually, no. Reece is telling me that he's a 133-pounder right now. He probably weighs about 143 currently. Reece was my drill partner through the stretch last year. It was him going at it with me in the room, pushing me, telling me what I needed to work on, where I could improve, and helping me out a lot that really made the difference at nationals. That was awesome. T.J. Enright, him, and I work very well together and we'll sort it out and get the job done.
Is there a chance that Reece would try to go up and wrestle at 149 pounds if he can't get down to 133?
No, that's probably out of the question. Weighing 145 or less right now, that would be a big jump up. Palmer is doing a great job there anyway.
Let's switch gears here. When you came to Ohio State, you said you wanted to start a powerhouse and keep the great wrestlers in the state. Looking back on that quote, was that a foreshadowing of things to come?
The program is selling itself now. To quote Lou Rosselli again, "the best way to recruit is by winning." It didn't make sense to me that we all grew up bleeding scarlet and gray and then I'd see all these great wrestlers from Ohio and the Cleveland area go to other schools. I like to think of myself as a trend-setter in that I was one of the first to come here in this new era (along with Enright, Bergman, Johnstone, Nail, etc.). It wasn't always easy. It took sacrifices to get to where we are - especially by guys like Nail who was a Senior National finalist and wasn't getting much [scholarship money]. It was a very unselfish team effort. If you want to be a national champion on a national championship team, you have to be willing to do everything it takes. Back to recruiting, Tommy Rowlands is our head recruiter and makes it a point to go out and recruit as much as he possibly can.
Since you committed, we've seen a big change in the Ohio State program. What is the change you see?
The big difference is that next year we're looking to qualify all ten to the NCAA Tournament, get maybe five All-Americans and a few finalists. We're winning a lot more. It is due to things done by Russ and his administration as well as the new administration. Both staffs have done great things for Ohio State wrestling. Tom Ryan lives wrestling. He will not rest until we win a national championship. I have two more years here and I want it to be in the time I'm here.
When you were on the mat in high school, people could see just by watching you that you had a passion for the sport. What does it take for you to keep that fire burning at the college level?
I'm one of those guys that doesn't need a voice in his ear telling him to "go, go, go." I want to win a national championship and I will do whatever it takes to win it. If that means going to bed early the week of a big match, I'll do it. If it means doing the extra sprints and the extra lifts, I'll do it. If it means staying after practice working on tilts, I'll do it.
Author's note: I predict that the fellow freshman I saw at the Chippewa Tournament all those years ago will win an NCAA title. O-H!...
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Last edited by Dan Cosimi on July 13, 2007; edited 2 times in total
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on July 11, 2007
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Great to get an explanation from J himself as to what happened last season.
It was also nice to see that he has an appreciation for both his former and current coaches. Interesting tidbit as to Humphrey's plans for next season. Sounds like he, T.J. and Reece are all close (friends).
Some follow ups for J:
Who does he consider to be his toughest competition for a national championship? Who are the hardest guys for him to wrestle in the Big Ten?
I'd also be curious to hear what he has to say about his rivalry with Ryan Lang as they've had great matches. Has J heard the rumor that Lang will go 149?
Also, Jason Bryant asked on another thread why "J" goes by "J" and not Jeff?
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Dan Cosimi added to this discussion on July 11, 2007
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Hank,
I don't know who is toughest for him personally but I believe that Ryan Lang (NCAA finalist), Alex Tsirtsis (AA), and Manuel Rivera (ranked #1 at one point) will be up there. Not far behind will be true freshman Kellen Russell and Big 10 finalist Troy Tirapelle. That is, if Lang and Tirapelle end up here.
I did ask J about whether or not Lang is going 141 or 149. He said he's read that online but he didn't know what's really going to happen.
I saw Jason's question after I wrote up the interview. Someone on here might know though...
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Pat Costilow added to this discussion on July 11, 2007
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With Jaggers saying that he is bigger than ever, while freely admitting that 141 was a somewhat difficult cut, I am still a little worried he may struggle, but you can tell he is being professional about the whole deal.
The idea of Reece at 133 excites me, and even if he doesn't push Enright for time (which I think he will), that still makes it possible that he will only have to burn one year of eligibility on the bench, and possibly take over 133 next year ('07-'08). But that is assuming he can hold 133 for 3 more years. Could it be that Ryan planned on redshirting Reece all along, and the size jump was a result of a bulk-cut cycle (anybody who lifts should be familiar with the type of gains typically associated with this)? It wouldn't fit Ryan's MO, but if Reece is reasonably within 133 range after being as big as he was last year, it would make sense.
That being said, could we expect to see Triggas at 125 for more than just one year?
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Bob Preusse added to this discussion on July 12, 2007
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nice interview with J jaggers.
i understand Triggas is a permanent 125.
And i see Reece Humphrey as the starter at 133, remember he had a heckuva season for a true freshman 2 years ago until he burned out late in season as most freshmen do---
but he was nevertheless still 2nd on the team in takedowns and wins. Plus he has the pedigree, a junior national finalist in Fargo in both styles, very very few do that !!
if he is 143 then 133 is perfect--- Whose kidding who, Humphrey might well be potential NCAA finalist at 133 in 2009 and AA next season--- the champ Valenti is gone, Simmons is gone, Vasquez is gone, 3 of the top 5 are gone----- i have to favor Humphrey starting next season.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Chris Shepherd added to this discussion on July 12, 2007
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I was thinking the same thing, Bob. Was the plan all along to go ahead and RS Humphrey? Just seems like there wasn't that great of an effort to ever get him in the lineup. Seems out of character for what Coach Ryan has as a philosophy (ala Palmer going at it as a true frosh). In the back of my mind I've always wondered if tOSU wouldn't be better served with this as a lineup:
125- Triggas
133- Humphrey
141- Enright
149- Jaggers (I think this is a better fit for J)
157- Palmer (if he's big enough)
165- Nemec (if he's big enough)
174- Sponseller (if he's big enough)
184- Pucillo
197- Bergman
285- Morrison
This would still leave viable fill-in candidates in Touris, Harrington, Livingston, Johnstone, Weakley, Picazo, and the flock of 285's we've now got. The NCAA season is long and arduous. The lineup has to take that into account and do what's best for the team down the stretch. One last thing...how many 5th year seniors are in that lineup? Exactly! This provides for future growth of the team. Thoughts?
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Ben Roerig added to this discussion on July 12, 2007
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As far as Enright at 141 goes, the last time we saw him there he didn't have all that great of a season, although the word has always been that he has a very hard time with the cut. I don't remember how many miles it was, but I remember last year someone relayed the exact number of miles Enright was running a week to keep his weight down and it was some extremely high number. I'll take it straight from the horses mouth that it wasn't the cut hindering Jaggers throughout the year, so I think 141 is where he will stay. And for all of the (if he's big enough)'s, simply put ... I don' think any of those guys are big enough.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on July 12, 2007
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This is a refreshing forum to be a part of. Real names. Real questions. Real answers.
I think 'professional' summed up his interview very well. There are 3 or 4 guys vying for fewer weight classes, but the goal remains the same - win a national championship.
It appears that he (along with the others, I suppose) have really embraced the concept of "TEAM" and are willing to experience it. And I love it!
<sign_oh> <sign_io>
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on July 12, 2007
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Chris: Palmer, Nemec and Sponseller are all too small for the upward moves you're suggesting (as you mentioned might be the case).
What I would point out is that Humphrey will likely see a lot of action even if he doesn't initially earn the starting spot due to injuries. Most D1 wrestlers get banged up during the season and a strong wrestler like Humphrey is too good not to start during times when another wrestler is not near 100%.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Scott Nicola added to this discussion on July 12, 2007
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Enright and Humphrey wrestled at the coaches clinic last year and it was a great match with Enright winning close (although at that time it seemed like Humphrey was carrying some extra weight and Enright was sucked down). Now alot can happen in a year and who knows how these two go now. That said I think whoever ends up as tOSU's 133 will be a viable AA candidate. I think some are selling Enright a little short b/c he has been banged up and somewhat inconsistent for most of his college career. That said, Enright has career wins over Simmons, Rieter, and Rivera and is capable of beating anyone.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on July 13, 2007
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I think if the overall attitude of the team is how Jaggers describes it, then having Hump and Enright as a one-two punch is the best way to go at 133. The situation gets hairy if Livingston has trouble going to 125. (It might not be the case but if it is...)
Now, if that is the case, there are three guys sharing time. Unless one guy is REALLY banged up, someone is going to be sitting at length. My point: I like two deep. Three deep, although probably better still, might be unrealistic.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Brady Hiatt added to this discussion on July 13, 2007
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I think he goes by J because he and his dad are both named Jeff so to distinguish one from the other.....
(this is my best recollection from talking to his father about 3 yrs ago)
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Scott Nicola added to this discussion on July 13, 2007
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I think Livingston redshirts this year then challenges at 133 the following year. I heard he struggled to make 125 last year so that is probably out of the question.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Bob Preusse added to this discussion on July 13, 2007
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yes Livingston redshirts this year.
a poster says he likes this lineup but no way, after all in this interview Jaggers told us he can make 141---- not only that 149 is the weight from hell next season with Ryan Lang moving up and the great Brent Metcalf coming in for Iowa--and back are the champ Gillespie, runnerup Churella, Dustin Schlatter and a few other AAS--- why would Jaggers want to move up ??
Nemec weighed in at state at 3 under at 160, no way a 165 anytime soon. And i still like Humphrey at 133, its somewhat like horses, there are thorbreds and off his being a Junior national finalist in both styles in fargo, RH is a thorobred. Sponseller not tall, will not be a 174 anytime soon.
Guys must be at their right wts to succeed.
This lineup wont work, no chance of seeing it this season
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125- Triggas --yes i agree
133- Humphrey or Enright ---yes i agree
141- Enright ---no way, had mediocre yearr 2 years ago at 141.
149- Jaggers (I think this is a better fit for J) ---will be 141 and AA again.
157- Palmer (if he's big enough) ---149 is
perfect for him
165- Nemec (if he's big enough) ---not big enough
174- Sponseller (if he's big enough) ---will start at 165
184- Pucillo ---yes i agree
197- Bergman ---yes i agree
285- Morrison --- ?? Ohio St has options here, none great but they do have options.
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Discussion Topic: Q&A with Ohio State All-American J Jaggers
Ken Ramsey Sr. added to this discussion on July 14, 2007
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J Jaggers is a class act in giving credit to both staffs for the growing success of Ohio State Wrestling. Best of luck for 2008 to J and the rest of the team.
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