Ohio champions Newsome, Russo seek Oklahoma release
With the resignation of Oklahoma wrestling coach Lou Rosselli, two state champion wrestlers from central Ohio have filed paperwork asking the school to release them from their letters of intent.
Hartley senior Dylan Newsome and Olentangy Liberty senior Dylan Russo are longtime friends who signed with Oklahoma in November. Rosselli, a former Ohio State assistant whose son, Jaxson, is a junior wrestler at Liberty, resigned last month after leading the Sooners for seven seasons.
“It was definitely a tough decision because I really liked Oklahoma a lot, but several weeks went by and they didn't have a coach,” Newsome said. “I talked to my parents (Jeff and Jenn) and we decided we had to do what's best for me. We made the decision to send in my release request. There's been a lot going on.”
Oklahoma named Roger Kish as its coach Tuesday. Kish coached North Dakota State the past 12 seasons, guiding the Bison to a winning record each of the past five years, but Newsome remains committed to exploring his options.
“Coach Rosselli wasn't the only reason I chose Oklahoma, but he was definitely one of the major factors,” Newsome said. “Without him there, it hit a little spot where I thought, ‘Is this where I really want to be right now?' ... I see they have a new coach, but that doesn't change my decision.”
Newsome won Hartley's first state title this past season, defeating Desales' Lincoln Shulaw 6-3 in the Division II final at 175 pounds. He finished his prep career at 162-12.
Russo confirmed Wednesday that he also formally asked Oklahoma for his release. He went 150-18 for Liberty and earned his third Division I state title this winter, defeating Max Vanadia of Brecksville-broadview Heights 7-0 in the 215 final.
“I definitely didn't see (Rosselli's resignation) coming,” Russo said. “After it happened, I wanted to take some time and see what happened with the coaching positions. After four weeks, five weeks and without any word, that's when we decided to send the release form.”
Russo has started the process of finding a new school.
“I don't have any visits planned yet, but I've talked with some schools,” he said. “I'm waiting for a little more to reach out. Hopefully we can do some visits in the next few weeks and then make my decision pretty quickly.”
Newsome said he hopes to find a new school by the end of May.
Rosselli said he remains undecided on his future. He declined to comment on Newsome and Russo's request to Oklahoma.
A media relations representative for Oklahoma wrestling declined comment Wednesday, referring to national letter of intent release guidelines at www.nationalletter.org. Those guidelines are vague enough that wasn't immediately clear if Newsome and Russo would meet the criteria of "extenuating circumstances" to be released from their letters of intent without penalty. fdirenna@dispatch.com @Dispatchfrank