A national junior college champion and a two-time state champion are the latest wrestlers to sign with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Bryce Carr, a 165-pounder from Dublin, Ga., won a national championship this past season for Darton State College in Albany, Ga., and Cody Minnick from Coal City, Ill. just outside Chicago, won his second state championship as a 120-pounder.
"Obviously we need a 165-pounder. We need depth," Mocs coach Heath Eslinger said. "We looked at Bryce when he was in high school. We got a late start on him but continued the relationship."
Carr was recruited by others but never considered anywhere but Chattanooga.
"My heart has always been at UTC. My dad (Gerald) was a Southern Conference champion (190 pounds in 1993) for them," he said.
Gerald wound up at Minnesota, where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier and an All-American.
Minnick was a three-time finalist and two-time 1A champion in Illinois.
"He has been a year-round wrestler and he has continued to get better. He loves wrestling and loves to train," Eslinger said. "He's likely a lifetime 125-pounder."
The two join a class of six November signees: Chris DeBien (133/141), Chad Solomon (174/184), Dominic Lampe (184), Roman Boylen (141), Andrew Webb (157/165) and Zach Shareef (141).
"I think every signee coming in can step in and compete, and they believe that," Eslinger said. "Our research says they're the kind of kids who can step in and make a difference."
DeBien, a four-time state champion for Cleveland who recently won the National High School Coaches Association tournament, is the most decorated in the group. He has a shot at stepping into the 133-pound slot vacated by graduating Nick Soto, and Eslinger thinks Minnick will be in the thick of the battle at 125 pounds (a spot that had been held by Sean Boyle) and that Carr will challenge immediately at 165.
Eslinger said it's likely that Austin Sams will drop from 157 to 149 pounds next season, meaning Michael Pongracz could remain at 141. The coach also it appears likely that Levi Clemons, the 174-pounder who was injured and finished his final season of eligibility, may run the club team.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.