Imagine being so wildly talented that your options are seemingly limitless. Any decision you make will be the right decision since the alternative is just as enticing. 

Jimmy Mullen had a decision to make in April. Should he compete at the New Jersey state championships or should he compete at the Cadet World Team Trials in Wisconsin Dells? 

Picking between the two ultimately came down to a crazy season derailed by COVID-19. The New Jersey state tournament was postponed until April, which forced wrestlers like Mullen, a sophomore at St. Joseph, and PJ Casale, a junior at Delbarton, into a quandary.

Mullen’s choice, in particular, would have implications. He was the first wrestler in state history to win a title at heavyweight as a freshman and he was on track to become a four-time New Jersey state champion — a feat only four others have achieved.

Or, he could take a flight to Wisconsin in an attempt to make Cadet World teams in Greco and freestyle. 

Mullen chose the latter. 

“It was a tough decision,” Mullen said. “It’s not like any other state tournament where you go out there and all the best kids win. The New Jersey state tournament is a big deal in Jersey so me and PJ Casale were throwing around the idea of going to the Cadet Worlds. We went to our coaches and were like, ‘All right, let’s do this. We’re going to try out for the World Team Trials.’

“We have one more year of Cadets and we have two more years of state. This is our last chance right here — so let’s go.”

The gamble nearly paid off for both wrestlers. Casale made the 92-kilogram finals in freestyle but dropped both bouts in the best-of-three series to Minnesota’s Gavin Nelson.

Mullen won the 110 kg weight class in both styles — even though he hadn’t wrestled a Greco match since schoolboy duals his eighth-grade year.

“My game plan for Greco was to wing it,” Mullen said. “My first match I took the kid down and threw him to his back right away and five seconds later I almost got put to my back. I got more comfortable in situations as the tournament went on.”

By “winging it,” Mullen dismantled everyone he faced — picking up technical superiorities in all four of his matches. 

Since Greco was first, Mullen was relieved just to make a team. His gamble of skipping the New Jersey state tournament paid off and he earned a trip to Budapest. He could wrestle free and open in freestyle since the pressure was off. 

“You have some of the haters that felt I should have gone to state but, for the most part, I had the whole state of New Jersey behind my back. That was really cool. I had my school behind me. They helped me to get out there so I had mostly everyone behind me so that was nice.”

“I was watching and cheering (my teammates) on when I was in Wisconsin. There were times I wished I was out there, but, at the same time, I have to do this for myself. It’s about the bigger picture right now.”

Similar to Greco, Mullen mowed down the competition in freestyle by winning five matches — including consecutive victories in the finals over Bradley Hill. 

Mullen plans to compete in both styles in Budapest. All coaches agreed it was a unique opportunity to earn a medal in both styles. 

Freestyle coach Cornell Robinson, in particular, is impressed with what he’s seen from Mullen. He’s gone so far as to compare him to two of the best age-level heavyweights in U.S history. Both continue to do big things at the next level.  

“Jimmy’s a manchild,” Robinson said. “That dude’s hands are so strong for a 17-year-old kid. There are a few people I’ve gotten to grab ahold of when they were young. Adam Coon, Gable (Steveson), and Jimmy. He’s definitely one that sticks out in my head amongst those three.

“Jimmy is a grown man and just a polite, fun kid as well. I know a lot of people are recruiting him. He’s a great kid.”

The next big decision for Mullen is whether he will wrestle or play football in college. He already has a full-ride scholarship football offer to Rutgers even though he has two years of high school remaining. He’s just excited to get back to the state wrestling championships next year to participate in front of the rabid New Jersey fan base.

Don’t expect Mullen to make a decision any time soon, though. He’s having too much fun soaking in all of the opportunities he’s earned. 

“I’ll enjoy the experience, take my officials, and whatever sport comes down the line, comes down the line,” Mullen said. “If it’s wrestling, it’s wrestling. If it’s both, it’s both. I’m open to every option there is.”

The next hurdle is getting to Budapest. He hasn’t been able to book a flight yet. 

“They don’t even know if they’re allowing fans out there yet,” Mullen said. “We don’t know what airline we’re on or anything. We leave in like two weeks and we don’t have a flight.”

If Jimmy Mullen has proven anything, it's that he will find a way to make things work in his favor. 

Watch the Cadet World Championships LIVE on FloWrestling, July 19-25.