Wrestle in College? (Development as a fighter)

[Yeska805]

Hey guys no troll. Honest to god question..

I am 3 months from turning 19, I jam going to finish my first year of Community College with no wrestling team by august. In high school I had a successful wrestling career for my circumstances (started my junior year, same time I started BJJ). I finished my senior year as a state level wrestler in California but went unnoticed, it also didn't help that my coach had no networking connections to any recruiting opportunities.

My coach has always recommended I wrestle at a community college and then transfer to a 4 year university, because of conflicting academic goals I decided to stay home after graduation and not move to Fresno for the city college there.

Now for the questions, should I wrestle in community college and work hard to get recruited to a Div. 1 program, and how much would that benefit me as a fighter or am I better off just training my striking and grappling disciplines at my respective gym(s)? The community college I have in mind often gets their kids recruited by Div 1 programs from small ones to even the University of Minnesota.

small caveats: I have trained boxing for only 3 months and I expect to have my bjj purple belt at the end of this year. Also for some reason I have a desire to wrestle, i really enjoy the sport and have a natural aptitude for it.
I would have all 4 years of eligibility with no redshirt due to this first year

[spankdaddy]

I'm no expert on these matters but from a pure MMA perspective you're probably at least well off doing wrestling as you are training your boxing.

Considering a wider perspective, if you think wrestling can be your ticket to a university, then it's a no brainer. Going to college is the right choice for most people.

[Travisray]

You should go wrestle then Bro. sounds like you want too. not gonna ever have the chance to do it again so i think you should do it. can't tell you what'd be best as far as your training but it does sound like you want to wrestle.

[unclegrick]

You should wrestle in college for development as a a competitive athlete, for technique, and for the scholastic exposure that may help you later. It seems like a no-brainer, which makes me wonder if for some reason you're secretly waiting for someone to tell you "Nah don't waste you're time."

[Yeska805]

Originally Posted by spankdaddy

I'm no expert on these matters but from a pure MMA perspective you're probably at least well off doing wrestling as you are training your boxing.

Considering a wider perspective, if you think wrestling can be your ticket to a university, then it's a no brainer. Going to college is the right choice for most people.

Exactly why Im so hesitant to wrestle.. I am good in terms of academics at the college I am at now.. I have a wide variety of schools i can choose to attend such as UCLA, UCB etc. ( provided i earn the grades). college is a must for me. I guess it just depends on where I would develop into the fighter i want to be.

[Yeska805]

Originally Posted by unclegrick

You should wrestle in college for development as a a competitive athlete, for technique, and for the scholastic exposure that may help you later. It seems like a no-brainer, which makes me wonder if for some reason you're secretly waiting for someone to tell you "Nah don't waste you're time."

no-brainer huh.. sort of. I am just seeking opinions. Do you think that the college wrestling environment will groom me as a competitive-athlete more than BJJ will?

[helstar184]

today my wrestling career ended. i wrestled in high school starting my junior year like you and finished as a top contender in california in my respected weight class. afterwards i went to a community college and gained all-american status, my team won state with 10 placers and 9 all americans (a record only broken by fresno city, but unlike fresno, we didnt recruit, we did it with guys from our community! ) anyways, i transferred to a 4year and unfortunately there was an error on my transcripts and my eligibility was eaten away. i'm completely heart broken. I was actually ranked as high as 13th in the nation this year, but unfortunately i cant compete anymore.

but i love wrestling and i recommend wrestling in college bro, thats your bus ticket out of here. it'll be a great experience and will teach you how to train hard, which will transition into mma.

now if you excuse me, i'm going to find an mma gym in my area ;)

[Yeska805]

Originally Posted by helstar184

today my wrestling career ended. i wrestled in high school starting my junior year like you and finished as a top contender in california in my respected weight class. afterwards i went to a community college and gained all-american status, my team won state with 10 placers and 9 all americans (a record only broken by fresno city, but unlike fresno, we didnt recruit, we did it with guys from our community! ) anyways, i transferred to a 4year and unfortunately there was an error on my transcripts and my eligibility was eaten away. i'm completely heart broken. I was actually ranked as high as 13th in the nation this year, but unfortunately i cant compete anymore.

but i love wrestling and i recommend wrestling in college bro, thats your bus ticket out of here. it'll be a great experience and will teach you how to train hard, which will transition into mma.

now if you excuse me, i'm going to find an mma gym in my area ;)

Im sure you can appeal the transcripts mess.

[helstar184]

Originally Posted by Yeska805

Im sure you can appeal the transcripts mess.

we've been trying since august, but today i got a definite answer and it was no. it sucks but it is what it is.