Talking Wrestling with Kendric Maple

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma wrestling coach Mark Cody went to Kendric Maple and told Maple he was good enough to be an NCAA champion.

And Cody walked away from that conversation convinced.

"It's funny because sometimes you can mention things like that to guys and they don't believe it or buy in,'' Cody said. "Or they might tell me they can, but you can see it's not true. With Kendric, he believes he can do it. So do I.''

Believe this: Maple is 19-0 this season at 141 pounds and holds the No. 1 ranking in the nation with a firm grip.

A year after redshirting, and moving up a weight class to 141, Maple has been most impressive. He's 19-0 and holds the top ranking in the nation in a headlock.

Maple will be back in action this weekend as the 11th-ranked Sooners take on Iowa State at 7 Friday night and then Arizona State at 2 Sunday afternoon. Both matches are at McCasland Fieldhouse.

"He's capable of winning it,'' Cody said. "He's versed on his feet, top and bottom. There's no position he's really weak at.''

Pretty impressive considering Maple redshirted a season ago after a successful freshman year, and pretty impressive Maple is the top-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds considering three of the top four finishers at last year's NCAA championships have returned.

He has been named the Outstanding Wrestler at every tournament this season, including the prestigious Midlands Championship in December - considered the most-competitive field outside the NCAA tournament.

Just a sophomore, Maple had an excellent freshman season in 2009-2010. He qualified for the NCAA championships going 33-12 at 133 pounds. However, he was asked to redshirt last season after moving up to 141 pounds.

"It was a hard year but it was profitable,'' Maple said. "Mentally and physically I think it helped me. Now I have a different mindset.''

That mindset has made him one of the top wrestlers in the country this season. He's been the named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for November and the Wrestler of the Week for the first week of January.

"A lot of times those redshirt years are a great advantage for kids to improve,'' Cody said. "It's almost like getting another year.''

But back to this year where Maple has a singular focus: Win a title.

"That's been the goal since day one,'' he said.

- Andrew Gilman