In Episode 158 of the Athletor Podcast, we sit down with Jamil Kelly, Assistant Coach at NC State and Olympic silver medalist, to talk about his evolution from elite athlete to program leader. While his competitive résumé speaks for itself, this conversation centers on his growth as a coach and the mindset shift required when you move from controlling your own performance to guiding the development of others.

Kelly shares insight on building culture in today’s era of NIL and the transfer portal, and how those changes impact recruiting, roster stability, and long-term program vision. He breaks down the challenge of finding athletes who align with a program’s philosophy and why culture still matters inside the Wolfpack room. This episode is a candid look at leadership, development, and what it takes to sustain success in modern college wrestling.