John Smith usually leaves his office and goes fishing the week after the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Not this year. Or recent seasons.

He said there is too much responsibility, especially after a poor ending like OSU’s program-worst finish at the tournament a few weeks ago in Tulsa.

“I’m here,” Smith told The O’Colly. “I got work to do. We’re moving things forward. It’s important that we address everything as we’re moving forward.”

Smith led his team of 10 qualifiers to Tulsa and the Cowboys left three days later wounded, battered and defeated. No one outwrestled their seed and logged 28.5 team points — the program’s lowest since the modern scoring era began in 2001.

Travis Wittlake stayed overnight in a hospital because of an arm infection. Kaden Gfeller departed the tournament with a dislocated right shoulder. Carter Young hobbled around with a knee injury and Reece Witcraft injury defaulted with a concussion.

Now, Smith deals with the aftermath of consecutive finishes outside the top 10 for the first time in his career.

“You can’t go anywhere when the season ends,” he said. “Even in a successful season maybe. There are potshots and sneaky people. There’s a lot of negative. Damn, there is a lot of negative in this world. I’m glad I’m sure not around it for the most part.

“I want our guys to feel a little disappointed in finishing 18th and I also want them to be motivated about their future. That’s what we’re here for.”

Smith said he recently “recovered” from the finish and focused on meeting with his wrestlers. He said he wants to see motivation in disappointment.

“For some of these guys, it’s a real painful experience if they don’t have the season they want,” Smith said.

Some instantly returned to the mat to transition into freestyle season.

But how does a squad go from 18th to a top-five finish at NCAAs?

“Athletes,” Smith said. “We got to do a better job recruiting. We gotta do a better job making sure that we have people coming in and we have a level to work with if we’re going to be very competitive. I feel good about where we’re at.”

The Cowboys only lose one point of their NCAA Championships total in Gfeller. Wyatt Sheets, who went 0-2 at 165 pounds, also exhausted his eligibility. Smith said he feels “way better” about this season compared to this time in 2022 where he said he knew the season would be one of development.

Eight starters return plus three of MatScouts’ top-10 incoming freshmen: heavyweight Christian Carroll (No. 2 overall), 184-pounder Brayden Thompson (No. 5 overall) and 133-pounder Cael Hughes (No. 8 overall.).

Of course, the inevitable usage of the transfer portal, too. Smith said he still doesn’t like the portal. A year ago, he called it a “cop out.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think about it,” he said. “You gotta be involved in it.”

The Cowboys recently landed Sammy Alvarez, a 141-pounder from Rutgers. Smith said he expects more transfer additions before the end of the school year. Three non-starters dipped in the transfer portal last week, but the focus remains on OSU.

“Although there is some uncertainty after a finish like we had, you need to solidify what we got,” he said. “Make it easy for people to leave. If you want to leave, put your boots on and head out.”