Cody Thorn
The announcement of the William Jewell men’s wrestling program going on pause at the end of this season has sent ripple effects down the roster.
There are a handful of wrestlers who are now out trying to find a place to continue to do the sport they love. MissouriWrestling.com has contacted or been contacted by several members of the Cardinals’ final squad.
Here’s a few thoughts from wrestlers now in the transfer portal, Part II
Caleb Groff, fr., Oak Grove
On paper, he was one of the top recruits added by Coach Tom Molony for the Class of 2023. He was set to bring the Cardinals a heavyweight wrestler who was among the best in the state.
He had more than 150 wins in his high school career and was in the finals twice while placing third and fourth on the other two trips to state.
Now, he is trying to find a new place to compete with four years of eligibility left.
“It’s definitely been hard,” he said. “It’s been really, really stressful getting everything figured out just with the school and what the next move is in December.”
Groff said he signed with William Jewell because of Molony, who was going to start his second year at the helm. He said the news of hearing of Molony’s sudden resignation hurt and was tough to put in perspective with the news the program was going to be on pause after the 2023-24 season.
He said Molony and the administration made it sound like wrestling was not only going to stay at Jewell but thrive down the road by continually growing in terms of recruits and facilities.
“My first thought was ‘wow,’” he said. “It felt like home and it was like someplace where I could work and succeed. We could really do something here and they are just kind of saying ‘hey guys, your program is dead and you got to find a new home if you want to wrestle.’ That was kind of a big shock.”
Like many of his teammates, he is juggling time working out when he can, going to class and finding time to visit colleges on recruitment 2.0. He’s hearing from schools he didn’t the first time around coming out of Oak Grove.
The freshman said that this recruitment period is a little more overwhelming with a lot of schools interested in his services. He said he wants to find a program and coach that will help him grow as a wrestler but also noted it would be hard to build that trust given what just happened at Jewell.
“Schools don’t have funding in the middle of the season and all of the scholarships are given out,” he said. “I was just getting adjusted here and comfortable and now I got to leave.”
Groff said being around campus is kind of different in the aftermath of the news and like many wrestlers, calls the sudden departure from building a program a slap in the face from administration.
“In a way, it seems like they don’t want us around here anymore and it’s difficult to stay and be part of normal student activities,” he said.
As with other wrestlers impacted by the news, he questions why the school decided to cut an existing program instead of the many that started this school year.
Groff hopes to have a decision made by November.
“Wrestling is a passion; wrestling in college is the dream,” he said. “I have set goals for myself that I have yet to complete and I still need to prove that. Coming out of high school, I had to prove that I could wrestle in college at the Division II level. One of the main goals was to get better and ultimately get that top spot in the NCAAs.”
John Gholson, so., Nixa
If there was one recruit drawing the most attention it would be Gholson, who was the Great Lakes Valley Conference freshman of the year last season, while earning second-team All-GLVC honors wrestling at 184 pounds.
He was 19-10 last year and 6-1 in GLVC action, while capping the year with a fourth-place showing at the Super Regionals – just missing a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championships. He was also a finalist for the National Rookie of the Year award.
On Monday, Oct. 9, he and teammate Caleb Husch, a freshman from Cameron, flew together to Cleveland. They were set to have a recruiting visit with Division II Lake Erie College. Next up is a trip to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
“I would say it’s been stressful more than anything,” he said of the recruiting process this time around. “Just because you have to find a place to go and now I’m really worried about things like are my classes going to be transferred over. Right now, I’m just trying to find the best place for me, academically and athletically, whether that is somewhere in Division II or NAIA. I’ve been pretty open to really everyone, just seeing what’s out there.”
Gholson said he’s talked with about 20 different coaches from all levels since Jewell announced formally on Sept. 15 that the program would be put on pause – though Sept. 11 was the day the wrestlers found out.
Gholson is hoping to announce his intentions for his next move next month. He isn’t sure if he will wrestle anywhere this year due to a variety of circumstances that will be involved in a mid-year transfer. He’d be open to it, but is well aware his year might just be a redshirt season with three years of eligibility left starting in the 2024-25 school year.
He said he has talked to his parents about the recruiting process and going to Jewell allowed him to still be within driving distance for them to continue to watch him compete. He is aware that maybe he will be much further away – maybe up to 12 hours depending on his decision – but has discussed it with them.
“I like the idea of my parents coming to all of my tournaments but they understand it’s up to me and how I feel,” he said “They just want me happy and they will support that.”
He said he appreciated the response from the wrestling community in the face of the bad news of the demise of the Jewell program. He’s received plenty of messages on social media.
“A lot are saying how this is pretty messed up,” Gholson said. “I’m very grateful and appreciative of the wrestling community. It is very tight-knit and it is awesome how they will stand behind you and want to see you succeed.”
