When Jeremy Colbert pinned his opponent against North Carolina on Feb. 7, it was his second straight ACC win and a far cry from where he was mentally after the previous match against the Tar Heels.

In the team’s first meeting, Colbert, the defending ACC champion, lost a major decision 10-0 and had begun his ACC season at 0-2. But after the Carolina match in Raleigh, Colbert said something interesting.

“It feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders,” he said. But instead of referring to the mental strain his poor start to the season had caused, he could’ve just as easily been talking about the physical anguish he had been feeling all year.

After winning the conference title at 184-pounds last March, Colbert ballooned to 228 pounds by the time he showed up for winter practice — something coach Carter Jordan was not happy about.

“It was frustrating,” Jordan said. “We had some frank talks.”

But as far as the reason for his weight gain, Jordan said it was “plain and simply” his poor workout habits in the off-season.

“It was a lack of discipline over the summer and in the fall,” the coach said. “He got way too heavy over the summer. You don’t just lift weights over the summer and eat. Because part of the process is maintaining your weight in the off-season so you don’t blow up and put yourself in the position to where you have to drop 40 pounds.”

Jordan expected Colbert to report to practice at about 200 pounds, which would have allowed him to get down to 184 gradually in the first few weeks of practice.

“It’s 12 months a year,” Jordan said. “The way we train and where our expectations are — the bar that we set for these kids. You can’t be a Monday through Friday, nine months out of the year guy.”

But for Colbert, he was under the impression his weight would not be an issue this season. After the end of last season he had talked to the coach and thought he was going to be redshirted for this season.

“There was talk about me redshirting this year, but that changed when we came into the season because it was best for the team for me to go ahead and wrestle,” Colbert said.

After being told at the beginning of winter practice that he needed to lose 44 pounds to wrestle this year, he began a long process that he said damaged him mentally and physically.

“It just kind of wore down on me. I was worried about my weight all the time and I was feeling real bad,” he said. “It really took a toll on me and messed with my confidence.”

And it showed on the mat. Colbert started the season slowly, losing six of his first nine matches.

“You could tell he was frustrated, but he never really showed it or talked about it,” sophomore Mark Jahad, who is Colbert’s workout partner in practice, said. “He never really wanted to make it a big deal.”

Jordan, however, despite his frustration with Colbert, decided to take a tolerant approach and do what he could to help the process for the benefit of the wrestler and the team.

“It’s important not to give up on him and to let him know what he needs to do,” Jordan said. “And be patient. A lot of programs would have gotten rid of him.”

Fortunately, for N.C. State, Colbert is still on the team and has won two of his last three ACC matches.

“I’m starting to get used to the weight now. So it’s definitely a change,” Colbert said of his recent improvement. “I feel like I’m bouncing back from it. I’m feeling a lot better.”

And now, with the regular season behind it, the team is looking toward the ACC Tournament, which will be held in Reynolds Coliseum. And for Jordan, who is still looking for his first conference championship in his third season at the helm, Colbert is an important part of what he wants to do.

“Jeremy’s an integral part of the team,” he said. “It’s like the old saying goes, ‘You’re only as strong your weakest link.’ And at one point he was our weakest link, and now he’s one of our strongest links.”

Next year, however, Jordan has made a deal with Colbert that should eliminate the weight drama of this season. He has agreed to let Colbert wrestle at heavyweight in his senior season, which ironically is yet another “weight” off of Colbert’s shoulders.

“To not ever have to [lose] weight again is the happiest feeling I’ve ever had,” Colbert said. “Wrestling will be very enjoyable for me then.”

As for his chances of success after such a weight-class jump, he and his coach are confident he’s capable of doing it.

“I’ll definitely be in the top 10 in the nation, if I work out hard this summer,” Colbert said.