Dan Hodge Trophy

The most interesting thing to me was that he – I feel like in wrestling a lot of guys, you know, they get asked about the starting spot and they're like, yeah, that's mine, like – I'm going to Mitchell was just like, because I think they kind of hinted that maybe Levi comes back, and Mitchell was just like, yeah, if I'm just a supporting role on this team, that's cool.

He sort of emphasized that if he does not end up being the starter, he'll be fulfilled with whatever role he plays as part of the team, which I was shocked by as the returning Hodge Trophy winner.

But it wasn't uncharacteristic of an answer from Mitchell, you know?

I'll say most guys who say that, I would straight up say BS.

there's like a top 10 cast.

Like everyone else is an actor.

I'm the only wrestler, which is, it's cool to have that representation, you know, and not just like any wrestler, literally a Hodge trophy winner, great representative.

Yeah.

I don't know how a kid your age didn't feel the pressure of that moment, but then it goes sideways.

How did you handle that? How did your champion mind allow for you to come back next year and win the Hodge Trophy?

So that year as a freshman, I was undefeated, going to the national finals as a freshman.

And at that time, I was like, hey, if you can be an All-American, maybe you win as a junior or senior.

22-7.

Yeah.

You know, and won the Hodge Trophy that year.

So that was a good, you know, turnaround, you know.

Mm-hmm.

Is it weird with Kobe Merrill that, I mean, has he had the best freestyle win of anybody in the heavyweight field? Where it's like beating Mason Paris, beating [laughs] you know, beating a world medalist, Hodge Trophy winner, um, that it feels like his skills are so freestyle specific-

Yes

... that we're maybe underselling him a little bit.

And, like, me personally, I'm, uh, Danny Hodge.

You know, the Hodge Trophy-

Yeah

...

Mm-hmm.

Is it weird with Kobe Merrill that, I mean, has he had the best freestyle win of anybody in the heavyweight field? Where it's, like, beating Mason Paris, beating [chuckles] you know, beating a world medalist, Hodge Trophy winner, um, that it feels like his skills are so freestyle specific-

Yes

... that we're maybe underselling him a little bit.