Rising Star: Arizona State's Michael McGee

Arizona State Sun Devil fans are no strangers to great head coaches. Kenny Dillingham is already considered one of the best coaches in the Big 12. However, what if I told you that ASU potentially has a fantastic wrestling coach waiting in the wings? That is Wrestling Recruiting Coordinator, Michael McGee.

Before he was the recruiting coordinator, McGee was actually a student athlete at ASU. As a Sun Devil, McGee has a list of amazing accomplishments in men's wrestling.

As a wrestler, he was awarded the 2023 NWCA Scholar All-American and 2023 Name InterMat's Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year. He also won the 2023 NCAA All-American (133, 3rd place), was a three-time All-American, and a couple of PAC 12 Champions.

Out of all these, the most impressive was when he was awarded the NWCA Scholar All-American. This honor is for an athlete who is outstanding at both the athletic and academic levels. In order to be considered for the award, a student must have at least obtained a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 GPA scale. To be a great student and athlete is hard to do, so the fact that McGee was able to do both at a high level is most impressive.

Not only is McGee one of the most notable and accomplished recent ASU athletes. Alongside former greats such as running back Cam Skattebo and swimmer Léon Marchand. However, he could also have a very bright future at the coaching level.

We have seen the likes of former players becoming great head coaches. A recent example is Dan Campbell, who was a tight end before becoming the head coach for the Detroit Lions. Campbell has had a lot of great success in the Motor City.

Being a former player is a great trait to have. It provides relatability to the players. It would also offer valuable insight to the wrestlers, highlighting and pointing out effective techniques and moves to use.

McGee has the talents and traits to be an effective head coach, but is the opportunity there for him? In my opinion, there is.

The current head coach of the Sun Devils men's wrestling is Zeke Jones. Jones has been the coach since 2014. Jones has many accomplishments, but is coming off a 4-11 season. There is a chance that if Jones were to have another disappointing season, they could want someone new. McGee would bring new ideas and energy to the table. 

Regardless, even if McGee does not get the promotion, the progress he has made is remarkable and should not go unrecognized. What do you think of McGee? Let us know your thoughts on this story when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.