By Roger Moore

J Jaggers took the moniker “one-hit wonder” personally.                                              

  Some so-called experts gave the Northfield, Ohio, product that title after, as a junior, he won the 141-pound NCAA championship in 2008.

            Those critics were forced to eat plenty of crow after Jaggers claimed his second NCAA title in impressive fashion with a pair of pins, a major decision, and a 10-4 victory over Old Dominion senior Ryan Williams in the finals.

            “You just don’t luck upon these things,” said Jaggers, who finished his senior season at 28-8 and became just the third two-time NCAA champion in school history joining Kevin Randleman and Tommy Rowlands. “Last year a lot of people were calling me a ‘one-hit wonder.’ The day after the national tournament last year people were saying ‘he won’t win it again.’

            “It’s annoying to hear after you’ve just spent your life getting to that point. I think this proves you don’t just stumble on two national championships.”

            Jaggers, 108-34 for his Buckeye career, entered school in Columbus with monster credentials that included four state championships and a 166-3 prep record plus a national freestyle title.

            As a senior at St. Peter Chanel in Northfield he was honored with the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy.

            As a redshirt freshman in 2006, Jaggers, a 149-pounder, was sixth at the Big Ten Championships, but did not participate at the NCAAs in Oklahoma City due to an injury. Ohio State was 45th at the NCAAs in Russ Hellickson’s final season as coach.

            Tom Ryan, a former Iowa All-American who coached Hofstra to six consecutive Colonial Athletic Association titles from 2001-06, was hired to lead the Buckeyes and Lou Rosselli would become part of his staff.

            Things quickly changed for Jaggers and for Buckeye Nation as Ryan asked a few of his stars to take a little less scholarship money in order to bring additional talent to Columbus.

            In 2007, wrestling at 141, Jaggers earned All-America status by finishing seventh; he pinned North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell in the match to finish in the top eight.

            “Coach Ryan has so much passion for Ohio State and getting us to No. 1,” says Jaggers of the two-time All-American. “I don’t know if he even sleeps.”

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