MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia wrestling coach Tim Flynn has become accustomed to winning, and winning a lot.
Prior to WVU, Flynn had a 223-95-5 record in 21 seasons at Edinboro University, but through two years with the Mountaineers, his teams are a combined 8-26. While the overall record on paper is far from what Flynn wants or expects, the rebuild is well under way, and the foundation has been established with the phenomenal individual campaign of sophomore Noah Adams.
Adams finished 32-0 in the 197 weight class and was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Year, becoming the first WVU grappler to win a Big 12 title. He was set to be the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regardless, Adams became a marquee attraction for WVU wrestling and Flynn is thrilled to know Adams will be around for two more seasons.
“If Noah Adams doesn’t win another wrestling match, he’s already kick-started our program with the season he had,” Flynn said Wednesday. “Recruits look and say, ‘I can win at a high level there.’ That maybe wasn’t happening before. He’s been huge with recruiting and I think he will bring in more fans. Right now, he’s developed into a leader and he’s going to be great for this recruiting class that we have, and the next two recruiting classes, too, which I think are just going to be phenomenal classes.
“Sometimes, one guy can turn a program around and I think that’s Noah.”
Adams is a Coal City native, so with his success at WVU, the prospect of succeeding there for in-state recruits is growing. Currently, there are nine wrestlers from West Virginia on the team, and for the 2020 recruiting class, an additional two will be added for next season — Parkersburg South’s Brayden Roberts and Oak Glen’s Peyton Hall. Hall capped off his high school career as a four-time state champion after winning the title in March in the Class AA 152 class, while Roberts did the same in the Class AAA 152 class.
While a few wrestlers are deciding to go out-of-state to different schools, Flynn believes West Virginia can be a hot bed for recruiting. As he continues to stabilize the program, he hopes to tap into the in-state pipeline even more.
“There were about four kids who were top five in their respective weight classes in the country from West Virginia,” Flynn said. “There’s good high-end kids. I think the big thing these days is the depth. The good kids are good, they’re really good. There’s good kids coming and we’re going to try and get them all.”
As part of WVU’s Master Plan to upgrade facilities, all Olympic sports will use a brand new weight and training rooms. With recruiting trying to be ramped up for the wrestling program, the renovations are coming at a perfect time for Flynn.
“It’s going to be huge. When you have brand new facilities, as we know, that’s what kids want and that’s what attracts them,” he said. “We already have fantastic wrestling facilities. Once that weight room goes in, along with the new training room, we will have a top-5 facility — all of it — in the country.”
