The rumors of Traleton Wrestling abruptly canceling its plans to launch an NCAA Division I program have turned the heads of the wrestling community. Following this rumor, the university’s president, James Hurley, addressed the controversy, and the former coach, Granth Lee, also weighed in on the latter’s official statement, calling it a lie.
The controversy stemmed from a sudden institutional reversal regarding the program’s advancement from club status to D1. For several seasons, Tarleton’s wrestling program operated successfully under the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA). Under head coach Granth Lee, the men’s and women’s club-level teams won dominant national championships.
In addition to this, the coaching staff, donors, and the Texas Collegiate Wrestling Foundation actively raised funds, constructed a $1.2 million dedicated wrestling facility, and also engaged themselves completely to transition into a fully sanctioned Division I program. However, in May 2026, reports surfaced that the university has shut down the D1 planning and dissolved the program entirely.
Shortly after these rumors, Coach Lee parted ways with the university, and the officials shared statements online, stating that they never officially sanctioned or finalized the leap from NCWA club status to NCAA Division I. Let’s have a detailed look into the statements released by the university and how the coach reacted to the controversy.
What did officials say about the Tarleton Wrestling rumors?
After the rumors, Tarleton State University shared an official statement on X, revealing that they haven’t received any invitation to join the NCAA conference for wrestling and, along with this, also stated that the news of the cancellation of the club wrestling program is also ‘inaccurate.’ Opening up about providing clarity, they wrote:
“Tarleton State University is aware of recent public statements regarding the status of the university’s club wrestling program. Several of those statements are inaccurate, and we want to provide clarity. In 2023, Tarleton State launched a student club sport to create an opportunity for collegiate wrestling on our campus. Since then, the student-led men’s and women’s wrestling organizations have grown, competed at a high level and earned national recognition, including club national championships. We are proud of the students whose commitment and leadership have built this program.”
They added:
“We also recognize the strong support from those who have advocated for the club’s continued growth and potential advancement to NCAA competition, including Grant Leeth. At this time, Tarleton State University has not received an invitation to join an NCAA conference for wrestling. This has been confirmed by Steve Uryasz, the
Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics.”“Claims that the club wrestling program has been canceled are also inaccurate. The program is a student-led registered club sport. All of Tarleton State University is proud of the students who have built Tarleton State club wrestling into a nationally recognized program. We remain committed to supporting this student-led club sport now and well into the future.”
Here is the full statement:
Tarleton Wrestling president, James Hurley, weighed in on the wrestling controversy
After the university posted their official statement on X regarding the wrestling D1 rumors, the Tarleton wrestling president, James Hurley, opined on the situation, stating that neither he nor the university’s vice president received an invitation from an NCAA Division l conference to join as a member in the wrestling community.
“For the record, neither I nor Vice President Uryasz has received an invitation from an NCAA Division I conference for Tarleton State University to join as a member in men’s and/or women’s wrestling. We also have not hosted a campus site visit for that purpose,” wrote Tarleton State’s president.
Highlighting the mistruths, he wrote:
“To spread mistruths and misrepresent the PAC 12 or any other conference is irresponsible. We have 1 man that started and continues to provide meaningful financial support for this program, Mr. Allan Rodger, whose generosity and professionalism have been deeply appreciated.”
Talking about the university’s take on their wrestling community, he added:
“When we launched wrestling as a club sport, we outlined a clear five-year plan. That plan prioritized successful participation, retention, graduation, and sustained funding before the university would consider any potential move toward NCAA Division I competition.”
“At this stage, the program is still developing, and we do not yet have sufficient data to fully evaluate the success or failure of a developing program.”
Sharing his closing statement, he further tweeted that the Tarleton wrestling is currently a club-level program only and any future steps will be considered after significant fundraising goals are met.
He also exuded pride in his former and current students, who have been representing the university.
What did coach Granth Lee say about the university’s official claims?
Shortly after the university shared their official statement online, revealing that they didn’t receive any invitation to be a part of the NCAA wrestling conference, the former coach, Granth Lee, called it a ‘lie.’ Reposting their statement on his Instagram story, he penned his thoughts that read:
“This is a blatant lie: We were invited to a conference. Our admin just never took the call.”
Did Coach Granth Lee resign from his position at Tarleton State University?
Tarleton wrestling coach, Granth Lee, shared his take on the ongoing controversy, stating all the options the wrestling club explored to advance to the national level. Along with this, he announced his resignation, stating that he won’t be a part of the program any longer.
“Tarleton Wrestling Club Statement: There’s been a lot of noise and rumors circulating today about our program. I wanted to address it directly and set the record straight. In November 2023 we started with zero wrestlers, no room, and no support structure. In just two years we built a $1.4 million wrestling facility, had over 54 student-athletes commit early on, won NCWA national titles with the women, placed top 3 with the men, competed against D1 programs like Oklahoma, Duke, and SIUE, and brought in record official visits,” wrote Granth Lee.
He added:
“None of that happens without real belief and investment from this university. We will continue to offer our club to individuals that wish to join or stay. I will no longer be a part of the program and am not sure what it will look like, but it
will be an option.”
Here is the full statement:
Coach Granth Lee’s full statement
Along with Lee, the wrestlers on the roster also bounced frustration and stated on social media that they will also part ways with the university due to their decision of not making the transition to fully funded NCAA Division I status.
Read more:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!