Dakota Geer on John Smith, his Summer Wrestling Plans, and Being a PA kid with an Opportunity to Dethrone PSU

On Monday we wrote Dakota Geer would be transferring from Edinboro to OSU. We gave him a call Tuesday to see how the process was going and what his plans and expectations are for next season.

Seth Duckworth: So I know you’re out here (in Oklahoma) today. When do you move down, start practicing, etc…?

Dakota Greer: I’m actually down here for a while. My dad is probably going to ship some of my clothes down, but I can’t practice yet because I’m not enrolled. Probably today or tomorrow we’ll get that figured out, get my USA card and I can start practicing.

SD: Last year you were at 184. Is that the plan for this year?

DG: Yeah, I think so. He’s also talked about getting me all bulked up and going 197. We’ll see, I’m sure he has a plan.

SD: My understanding is you’re eligible to start right away and have 3 years left. Is that correct?

DG: Yes.

SD: You guys had some turnover at Edinboro with Tim Flynn going to WVU. Where has that put you lately with training, working out, wrestling, etc…?

DG: With everyone moving around I really haven’t had many people to train with there. That’s sort of why I was in a hurry to get out here. I felt like not having any training partners, I was getting a little behind. It’s been a little rough trying to get some practices in.

SD: Coming from PA to a team here where you could have the opportunity to dethrone PSU is there any added motivation for you?

DG: I feel like anybody with an opportunity to dethrone them probably has some extra motivation, just because they’ve been so good for so long, but yeah. I’m just excited to wrestle with these guys here. Everybody on the team has a common goal and wants to win a team title. At Edinboro we never were really in the running for that. It’ll be exciting here to wrestle in the national tournament, not only to get yourself to the finals, but also your team doing well and hopefully winning a team title too.

SD: Are you going to try to go to U23s or do any wrestling this summer?

DG: I’ve hardly been able to get any practice in because no one was there at Edinboro. I told them I just wanted to get down there and start training and get used to being down here I think.

SD: With Flynn leaving for WVU I’m sure OSU’s not the only school that reached out to you. Was there anything in particular that sold you on OSU vs. other schools?

DG: Well obviously the coaches are amazing coaches here. You couldn’t ask for better coaches. And the practice partners I’ll have down here. All the kids around here at the upper weights are tough. You got Dieringer sticking around training, it’ll be cool to get to train with him. Also the area actually. It’s not too big of a campus, easy to get around. I’m from a small town so that was a good fit.

SD: Most OSU fans I think connect you with your match against Nolan Boyd a few years ago where you really pushed him and almost beat him. Was there any connection with OSU for you in high school?

DG: Actually out of HS I verballed to Edinboro about as quick as you’re allowed to verbal, so my recruiting pretty much stopped at that point and I didn’t really make a lot of contact with many other schools. Then after Flynn left, I had thought about transferring somewhere else because I committed so early. I feel like it’s every wrestlers dream to wrestle under John Smith just because of how good of a guy he is. Not just because of his credentials, he’s one of the nicest most down-to-earth guys I think I’ve ever met.