Will Iowa Hawkeyes’ Coach Brands Give Football Star Ben Kueter Another Go Over Their Usual Starter Against Purdue Boilermakers?

The NCAA Division 1 Wrestling may look like a game of grappling and winning points. But, from the eyes of a coach, it is a game of chess. The only difference is that you can only send one pawn, bishop, or knight at a time, and sending one means resting the other. Iowa Hawkeyes’ head coach Tom Brands is in a similar position right now.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will be facing the Purdue Boilermakers in less than a day. Although Iowa’s roster usually sees little change, they currently have a new addition to their squad. Iowa’s football star Ben Kueter has joined the Hawkeyes Wrestling team and has decided to be a two-sport athlete. But, will Brands reenter him on the mat and make his starter Bradley Hill take the bench?

The two rooks of the Iowa Hawkeyes

Bradley Hill is a redshirt freshman for the Iowa Hawkeyes and competes primarily in the 285lbs weight class. The young wrestler has worked hard to become a starter in the star-studded lineup of the Hawkeyes. The heavyweight wrestler had a 15-6 record as a freshman and also enjoyed a spectacular 28-second pinfall against arch-rivals ISU Cyclones.

While Hill is a wrestler through and through, Ben Kueter is a football star of the Iowa Hawkeyes who has been involved in several sports. He also ran track and played baseball in high school, along with football and wrestling. However, it would be wrong to call him just a jack of all trades, since he definitely had mastered wrestling in high school.

More importantly, Kueter also showed versatility in terms of weight classes and wrestled in three drastically different categories. In his four years of high school, Ben Kueter wrestled in three different weight classes, namely 160, 195, and 220lbs. Although the athlete was trying out his options, he didn’t lose a single match during his high school career. In fact, he ended up with a record of 111-0.

This made Kueter the seventh wrestler since the beginning of the Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling Program, who has a flawless high school record. On top of it, he secured a pin on 75 of those wins, effectively winning four back-to-back titles. This has thrown Tom Brands in a situation where he is forced to choose between two rooks for his team.

A last-minute swap against Purdue Boilermakers?

True freshman Ben Kueter has been tested by Tom Brands before and stood tall before his opponent. The 285-pounder is excited to take another bite at victory and wrestle for his team. Meanwhile, Bradley Hill is a trusted alternative who currently holds a 13-4 record and looking sharp this season.

The Iowa Hawkeyes portal has currently entered Kueter’s data as a substitute wrestler in the 285lbs category. But, head coach Tom Brands would not like to let go of this opportunity to test and nourish Kueter. Especially when he is also the 2022 U-20 World Wrestling Champion. With a positive response in his first match, it won’t be surprising to see Kueter wrestle another time.

Moreover, the Purdue Boilermakers don’t seem to have a high-profile wrestler in the 285-pound weight class. This is also a factor that will tempt Brands to go for Ben Kueter over Bradley Hill. Exploring the potential and establishing the new kid in the collegiate wrestling scene is also a duty Tom Brands will diligently fulfill. Hence, it seems that Bradley Hill will have to cheer from the sidelines as Kueter wrestles on the mat for the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

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But, nothing is really set in stone and Tom Brands may also send his starter to the mat. Another determining factor would be how the dual is proceeding. The 285lbs match is the final match of the dual, and if Iowa is in desperate need of points, the team will send their experienced player first. The chances of this happening are quite significant as well, since Purdue’s wrestlers are stronger in the lighter categories. Who do you think will be on the mat for Iowa on 19th January?

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