JohnMark Bentley - Inside App State Wrestling :: Ep 26

Appalachian State head coach JohnMark Bentley joins Hatch on the Full Tilt Podcast to pull back the curtain on one of the most overachieving programs in Division I wrestling. From running one of the largest team camps in the country to funding staff and facilities through camp revenue, Bentley explains how a “small” program competes with the big boys year after year.

He shares his unconventional start in wrestling as a sixth-grade workout partner, his days battling at North Carolina and Oklahoma State, and the hard lessons that shaped his coaching philosophy. Bentley also talks about recruiting under-the-radar kids, navigating NIL and the transfer portal as a mid-major, rebuilding after Hurricane Helene, and the emotional challenge of coaching his own son.

If you care about wrestling culture, blue-collar development, and doing more with less, this is a masterclass in building and sustaining a winning program.

Timed highlights:

0:00 Intro and Custom Community read

2:00 How App State built one of the largest wrestling team camps in the country

7:40 Using camp revenue to fund assistants, travel, facilities, and program growth

14:05 Structure, organization, and why coaches keep coming back every summer

19:30 Relationship-building with high school coaches and why it matters in recruiting and camps

25:10 JohnMark’s unlikely start in wrestling as a sixth-grade workout partner

33:00 Growing up in rural North Carolina and becoming a four-time undefeated state champ

42:15 First trips to national events, Fargo, and the legendary Iowa intensive camp