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In high school, Weber was 221-7 for the Goodrich Martians. While in high school, Weber won the state championship all four years he was at Goodrich, each time in a different weight class. Weber is also ranked second nationally in high school at his current weight class of 135 pounds.

In short, no matter what his weight was, or who he faced in high school, Weber always appeared in control of the wrestling mat.

That will change when Weber begins his collegiate career at The University of Michigan, where he almost certainly will not dominate the mat immediately. In fact, according to his new coach, Weber will not even be on the mat at all in competition during his first season as a Wolverine.

"We'll probably red-shirt him right away," said Michigan head coach Joe McFarland. "But you know he's had a lot of success. We're looking at probably him being a 149-pounder in a couple years."

McFarland believes that even for an experienced wrestler like Weber, a red-shirt season can ease some of the transition that a new wrestler might face.

"Almost all of these guys are going to go through an adjustment period. I don't care how good they are. It's tough making that transition from high school to college wrestling," McFarland said. "You know the fact that (Weber)'s competed so well nationally and gone to a lot of these training camps and stuff, I think his adjustment might be a little bit easier than some other guys, but there's still going to be an adjustment period that he's going to have to make.

"We all have to go through it, all the guys here. It's a tough adjustment period."

Weber feels a red-shirt season will allow him to add the additional muscle necessary for him to move up to the 149-pound weight class in time for the 2009-10 season.

"Yeah, that's what I want to do," Weber said. "I think it will be better for me, because I'm going to be able to get a year better and a year stronger, and then be in the lineup next year. That's what a lot of incoming freshman do. I think it's better for my spot anyway to do that.

"They want me to cut down to 133 and I can't make that weight, so it's a good thing. One more year to mature and everything and I'll be able to wrestle open tournaments, so it's not that bad."

In addition to weight training, McFarland believes Weber can benefit from the experience of the upperclassmen he will be competing and training with in practice.

"Absolutely, and that's a big part of a young wrestlers development, is being able to bang with these guys every afternoon and then also pick up some things from them and I think it will be a real good situation for Mark," McFarland said. "We're going to have guys in the room who have already had success at the collegiate level, and I think that is going to help Mark a lot. I think Mark's a mat rat.

"Mark's one of those guys that likes to study up and he's going to continue to develop and I think in time he's going to be an outstanding competitor for us."

Weber is looking forward to the training, as he understands the importance of continued improvement at a school with the depth of Michigan.

"I think I'll be able to pick up a lot," Weber said. "You learn something from everybody, so I'm just going to try to pickup as much as I can. I know I've got to get better now. I just got to get better from here, so I can be on top like I was in high school, in college. It's going to be harder to, but I can do it.

"It's going to be obviously a challenge for the (starting) spot every year, but I'm not really worried. I'm just going to go out and wrestle and can and hopefully I get the spot. I think I'll get the spot, the other guy's probably thinking he'll get the spot too."