College wrestling coaches aren't the only folks changing schools these days.
Three NCAA All-American wrestlers -- Andrew Howe, Travis Rutt, and Tyler Caldwell -- announced this week plans to transfer to new schools.
Howe and Rutt are transferring from the University of Wisconsin to the University of Oklahoma... while Caldwell, who wrestled for the Oklahoma Sooners, will now be competing for cross-state rival Oklahoma State.
All three wrestlers took Olympic redshirts this past season; none made the U.S. freestyle team that will compete at the 2012 London Olympics.
Howe, Rutt: Badgers become Sooners
Wisconsin head wrestling coach Barry Davis told the Madison newspaper that both Howe, a native of Cedar Lake, Ind., and Rutt, from New Prague, Minn., had contacted him last week seeking to be released from their scholarships. The long-time coach said he granted permission for the transfer, "because if they don’t want to be here, it’s best that they go where they want.”
The Howe/Rutt transfer is more bad news for the Badger mat program, which failed to win a single Big Ten dual meet this past season, and placed last at the conference championships in March. Last fall, high school superstar Destin McCauley changed his verbal commitment from Wisconsin to Iowa State. Just last week, top high school recruit Devin Peterson, who had verbally committed to wrestle at Wisconsin, signed a letter of intent with Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs.
Caldwell: the Sooner becomes a Cowboy
While Oklahoma wrestling fans anticipate the arrival of Howe and Rutt, they can't be happy about one of their own leaving for hated mat rival Oklahoma State... but that's exactly what's happening with Tyler Caldwell, according to the official Oklahoma State wrestling website Friday.
Caldwell, a two-time All-American and 2011 NCAA runner-up originally from Wichita, is expected to have two seasons of eligibility left at 165 pounds.
Interestingly, almost exactly one year ago, Caldwell announced he would be transferring from Oklahoma to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Want to know more? Tyler Caldwell submits to a question-and-answer session with InterMatWrestle.com's T.R. Foley... and to an audio interview with Scott Casber of Takedown Wrestling.
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