The 2024-25 college wrestling campaign has begun, and Pitt wrestling coach Keith Gavin has generously agreed to sit down with Panther-Lair.com to answer questions from fans.
Q. The last time Pitt finished in the top 10 was in the early 70s. They have been close a few times since then but what needs to happen in the room, on the recruiting trail, and financially to get Pitt into the top 10? – From @SwayzHappens on X
Gavin: Yes, the last time Pitt wrestling finished in top 10 was 1970, and we want to be in the top 10 each year. We have some talented young guys in the room right now that I think can help us get there as long as we keep them healthy and continue to help them grow in their wrestling each season. In recruiting we must continue to grow our national brand and fundraise.
Q1. What impact has Coach Rosselli had on the team this year? Specifically in regards to the lightweights but also overall.
Q2. With weights like 125 and 165 where there are clear roster battles, which do you value more, who is beating who in the room or results in matches for who gets the starting looks? Also do you take dual vs tournament performance into account when assessing that? – From WrestlingFan22 on Panther-Lair
Gavin: Lou is great in the room with the guys. He has good, positive energy, hammers on the fundamentals of wrestling and increases the guys conditioning level and mental toughness with the way he trains the team. From a training standpoint, the addition of Coach Rosselli allows me to focus more one on one attention with the guys in the 174-Hwt weight classes. Off the mat, Coach Rosselli hustles with recruiting and understands the importance of fundraising.
Results in matches and the way the guy competes are valued more than who beats who in the room. Duals vs tournaments don’t really play a big part in it. We are really focusing on the way our guys compete this season over anything else. Things like composure and aggressiveness are being highly valued. Also, 125 will be Nick Babin. Unfortunately, Evan Tallmadge’s injury looks like it will keep him out for a while, possibly for the season. With that said, Nick has performed well thus far, and we are excited about what he can do for us this season.
Q. At the end of last season, Keith mentioned he expects more and that the team really needs to get to work, in the off-season. The Navy duel was obviously a good start. What was the biggest thing he wanted to see improvement overall? Can he name 2-3 wresters who he thinks really got after it (in the off season) and expects big things from this season? – From BrunoPittFan on Panther-Lair
Gavin: A couple points of emphasis for us this off season was more disciplined fundamental wrestling to go with some of the scrambling ability of our guys, and more aggressive/take more risks. I felt as a whole we had a great off-season but if I were to point out a guy people may not know to look out for, I’d say Kade Brown.
Q. How does Coach Gavin feel about navigating the transfer portal and NIL. I wonder what his wish list is with the new athletic director. And I guess it’ll be curious to hear his thoughts about the state of the ACC as far as the strength of the programs in the conference. – From John H Cupps on Facebook
Gavin: Transfer portal and NIL are part of the game now. You have to utilize those things to be successful. The ACC is a very strong conference in wrestling. If you win the ACC as a team you are in the top 10 in the NCAA, at least, and our conference has been having multiple teams in the ACC in the top 10 at NCAAs. It’s a great conference to be in because of that competition. In our sport we are ultimately judged by the NCAA tournament, so having the ACC be so competitive is great preparation for that.
Q. Has NIL become the main factor in recruiting like it has for football and basketball? – Lucac from Panther-Lair
Gavin: Probably not as much as in football and basketball but it is a very big factor and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Q. How hard is it to recruit from the WPIAL when Penn State is also close to the area – From @DibuonoJohn on X
Gavin: Recruiting the WPIAL hasn’t really been an issue. Building our national brand and getting kids from everywhere to go with our WPIAL guys is where we need to take the next step.
(Editor’s note: No other team in the ACC is projected to have a wrestler from the WPIAL in its starting lineup while Pitt could have as many as six. The Panthers also have commitments from two of the top WPIAL wrestlers in the class of 2026 in Elijah Brown and Santino Sloboda)
Q. What is the main reason for the lack of top recruits coming to Pitt? – Silkky1982 on Panther-Lair
Gavin: Assuming this means the top pound-for-pound type of recruit. Those type of recruits are generally looking for:
Winning - When I first got here we needed to prove ourselves, create a good culture and have success at the nationals to even get in the conversation with top recruits. Winning some of the big dual meets that we won and having ACC champs helped a little but ultimately recruits respond to NCAA tournament success. Guys like Wentzel, Matthews, and Nino Bonaccorsi becoming NCAA finalist/all americans/national champ helped us get our foot in the door with top recruits. Now those top recruits are answering our calls/taking visits because we have recent/relevant national level success. The next step here is to break through as a team at NCAA’s. Pitt wrestling hasn’t been in the top 10 at the NCAA’s since 1970 and if we want to land the best kids we have to break that drought. Breaking into the top ten will take having 3-5 All Americans (depending on how high they place) at the NCAA tournament. I believe we have some young guys on our roster that are going to help us get there in the near future.Money – NIL is in wrestling and has become a factor. We have 9.9 scholarships with a roster of 30 kids so obviously 9.9 doesn’t go very far and Pitt isn’t cheap. We must continue to fundraise for NIL to stretch our 9.9.
Q. With NIL’s impact to collegiate sports. How does Pitt raise more NIL money to compete with top wrestling programs? Victory Heights could be huge impact to help host more camps and clinics (as well as the) possibility to host Flo events like Who’s Number One or NWCA All-Star Classic. Additional connection to local schools host WPIAL playoffs or Regionals. – TJ-Pinzburgh on Panther-Lair
Gavin: Our best way to get more NIL is through number of donors. Most wrestling programs, even top ones, are heavily reliant on a few donors. We are fortunate to have a some generous donors as well, but I think we can really make up some ground by having more people involved. Donations can be done at www.pwcrt.com and even a little goes a long way in our sport. Yes, Victory Heights should provide more space and opportunity to host events. A lot of hosting events comes down to cost (how much Pitt charges to use the facility) and the availability of the facility.
Q. I am not a knowledgeable wrestling person, but I am curious about two things: 1. It felt like for the past decade or so, there’s been a massive emphasis on developing RTC’s to attract top talent. With NIL and direct compensation, is there a feeling that RTC’s will become less important for most programs? Or will it be more of a thing where “the excellent programs will have both, and the talent will go there”?
2. I’m curious to hear about some specifics as to how the new facility will help the program. The Field House was obviously subpar for a collection of reasons, but I’m curious to hear about some ways that the new facility will help the program - will the new practice facility have more mats or capacity? Same with the weight room and S&C facility? – Pittchagg on Panther-Lair
Gavin: Yes, RTC’s are taking a backseat to NIL for most programs now and yes only a select few programs with have the funds to have a real RTC and significant NIL.
Our student-athletes and recruits want to wrestle somewhere where wrestling is important. Facilities are a reflection of that. Victory Heights provides a big upgrade for us in that regard. It is a much more practical training facility as far as space goes. We will have more mats. Currently, we cannot have everyone on the team wrestle live at the same time during practice because the room is too small; we have to do it in groups, so just having the space to do that will be a huge improvement.
Q. Have the recent rule changes changed your perspective in what you look for in a recruit? What you coach in the room? – Ryno53 on Panther-Lair
Gavin: We have always looked for kids that love wrestling and love to compete. That hasn’t changed. We try to find kids who attack because we have found that they develop more in college than defensive style wrestlers due to just consistently getting in more wrestling positions.
In the room, I try to meet the guys where they are at and help them develop from there. There are some fundamentals that everyone needs to have and then it is about helping each guy mold their style. It is difficult to completely change someone’s style once they get to college, just not enough time, so I have found the most success in helping the individual develop without killing their ingenuity.
