All-American and two-time wrestling state champion Caleb Waddell will make the short trip north to attend the University of Tennessee — Chattanooga.
He is a 2020 Gilmer High School honor graduate and will wrestle for the Mocs alongside his best friend and brother, Matthew.
“One of the big keys is my brother is here, but I’ve always wanted to go to UTC,” Caleb said. “It’s just always been my thing. They were my No. 1 from the start, and I’m just blessed to end up going here.
“I’ve always wanted to wrestle in college and now that it’s happening it’s crazy.”
Waddell estimated at least 10 colleges were in contact with him on a regular basis, and he received seven scholarship offers. Aside from UTC, Appalachian State University and Reinhardt University also made strong pushes to land him on campus.
He started hearing from schools at the beginning of his junior season. It continued through his senior season and Waddell was happy when it was over.
“I wasn’t a big fan of it,” he said of the recruiting process. “There’s just a lot going on and a lot of decisions to be made that are hard to make that will affect your life.”
Waddell won his state championships at GHS at 170 pounds. As of last Thursday, his weight was around 178 and he indicated he will probably take the mat at either 157 or 165 pounds for the Mocs.
“I can go to either weight,” he said. “It’s going to be harder to make the cut for 157. If it happens, it will be difficult, but 165 will be easy.”
Waddell began wrestling as soon as he was able at age five. All wrestlers compete in the USA Wrestling organization prior to their middle school years. Once they reach middle school and high school some continue to compete in USA Wrestling events outside of the school season.
After a few early bumps Waddell found his footing.
“I was not very good my first year, but after that, I placed every year at state until my freshman year of high school,” he said. “I was able to catch on quick, but I had a lot of good coaches, too.
“Coach (Walt) Monroe, and coach (Bo) Dorsey and coach (Doug) Haynes are probably one of the best coaching staffs in the southeast, and they’re middle school coaches. You just excel when you go there and they train you and you make big strides every year because you have those coaches.”
Those who bide their time in the Bobcat Wrestling Club and at Clear Creek Middle School are seasoned wrestlers by the time they reach Gilmer High. Waddell was no exception.
He fell one match short of placing at state as a freshman. Waddell wrestled his sophomore season at 160 pounds and was one victory shy of a state championship and settled for second.
He posted a 36-4 record and the finals loss set the tone for the rest of his high school career.
“That match did everything,” he said. “It motivated me to do all the little things because I would just think back to that match, and maybe if I had won it I would be a three-timer.”
Waddell was one of the favorites at 170 pounds as a junior, and he lived up to the hype with the first state championship of his career. He notched a 60-2 record and continued to make a name for himself on the USA Wrestling stage in the following months.
He captured a Greco-Roman state championship and placed second in freestyle. He attended the National High School Coaches Association’s (NHSCA) High School Nationals and was a match short of placing to become an All-American.
He wrestled in the NHSCA’s National Duals as a member of Team Georgia.
By July of 2019, he secured the elusive All-American status by placing eighth in the Greco-Roman division at 160 pounds at Fargo Nationals.
“I was only an All-American once, but I lost in the blood rounds (a match short of placing) at four different national tournaments,” Waddell said. “To finally become an All-American ... it was a moment. I failed four times before. It felt really good.
“Going to those tournaments let me know where I’m short at. In Georgia you get pushed, but not to your limits. It really opens your eyes and lets you see where your flaws are and how to improve. You improve so much at one national tournament.”
Waddell also started spending days training outside of the county to up his game even further.
“What also helped me is I went and trained on my own off campus and my wrestling just blew up,” he said. “I wrestled at this place called Terry Style Wrestling (in Cartersville).
“It helped me turn up my pace and wrestle nonstop because that’s what was drilled into our heads. You don’t have to be the greatest wrestler if your pace is out of this world.”
Waddell was the overwhelming favorite to win the 170-pound state title his senior season and mowed through opponents at region, sectionals and state.
A commanding 16-2 finals victory allowed him to capture his second consecutive state title while posting a 51-3 record.
“I wouldn’t have had any of that success without (Josh) Ghobadpoor,” Waddell said of Gilmer’s head coach. “The way he trained us was phenomenal. I had a good experience at GHS and it worked out well.”
Waddell expressed gratitude to his parents Mark and Lisa, his brother Matthew and coaches Monroe, Dorsey, Haynes, Ghobadpoor, Brent Berry, Charles Higdon and Scott DeGraff for helping him reach his potential on the mat.
He wants to study education at UTC with plans of eventually becoming a teacher and wrestling coach.
“I’m really looking forward to the next five years of my life and possibly becoming an All-American in college,” Waddell said. “That would make everything worth it. I want to get a good degree because education comes first.”
Waddell has been on campus since early June as the Mocs have gone through offseason conditioning. The season will start in October.
UTC competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I as members of the Southern Conference.