Eligibility only took one & much to my surprise transfer only took one too. I thought for sure that we'd see at least a handful of Nittany Lions headed to compete elsewhere, but here it is 2 months shy (at the time this was written) of the start of the season, and they haven't gone anywhere.
Take out any bias, and look at it purely from an objective standpoint, it comes out bittersweet. There's something honorable and admirable in seeing someone so dedicated to his program that even though he'll never be varsity, he remains. On the same hand, it's also a bit heartbreaking. To know the potential someone has for success yet will remain a backup on college wrestling's best team.
No one's collegiate career should ever end the way Aaron Nagao's did. I haven't already said it a million times, let me say again that injuries suck.
Levi Haines, what a legendary career he had. 102 career wins, 2nd-1st-3rd-1st at the NCAA DI championships. A four-time BIG 10 champion.
Lucas Cochran will compete for Nebraska this season.
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| 125 Luke Lilledahl |
Only a junior & already a two-time BIG 10 champion with a 50-4 record. 3rd in the DI nation as a Y1 freshman, he won the NCAA DI title last year.
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| 133 Marcus Blaze Or Masanosuke Ono |
Masanosuke Ono was the 2024 World Gold medalist & there's a legitimate chance that he might not be the varsity starter for the Nittany Lions this year. Matter of fact, I'd say the chances of him winning the starting spot is of less probability. Marcus Blaze, a BIG 10 runner-up & 4th in the DI nation, will be an NCAA DI title contender in 2026-2027.
In other words, the idea of either one of these guys being a reserve is like trying to wrap your head around how large the universe actually is. Ono has yet to wrestle an official NCAA Division I match. So what is that going to even look like when & if that happens? It just blows my mind that someone that has won World Gold & most likely will have many more international accomplishments for Japan in the future, might not ever crack the lineup in American college wrestling.
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| 141 Nathan Desmond Or Braeden Davis |
I am still shocked that Braeden Davis remained with Penn State for his final season of collegiate eligibility. I thought for sure he'd go somewhere like Rider to finish up his career. A three-time NCAA DI qualifier, he was 5th in the DI nation in 2025. To make varsity again in '26-'27? He'll have to overcome Nathan Desmond. A redshirt last year, he was most impressive wrestling matches at 125 lbs. 17-4 over Charlie Farmer, he took out SOCON champion Cooper Flynn 7-0. What will really catch your eye? A 5-3 win over teammate Luke Lilledahl. As to competition at 141, an 8-5 win over Dylan Ragusin.
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| 149 Shayne Van Ness Or Connor Pierce |
3rd-3rd-2nd in the DI nation it is easy to call SVN one of the best wrestlers in collegiate wrestling today yet to win a national title. Connor Pierce? Well, I think it's safe to say that when we look at Connor Pierce we're probably looking at one the best backups of all time. 2nd & 1st thus far in the Southern Scuffle, I'd expect him to win another title in Chattanooga, among picking up some more wins that prove that if he were varsity, he'd probably be contending for All-American honors.
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| 149 Sam Herring |
And yet another super tough incoming freshmen about to make 149 even tougher & even deeper, Sam Herring.
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| 157 P.J. Duke Or Tyler Kasak Or Joe Sealey |
Now, the way I understand it, P.J. Duke will be redshirting this season. Nonetheless, can you imagine absolute wars between these three on a daily basis? It'd be like your last class of the day, now shipping off for Normandy. Talk about talent in the room.
P.J. Duke was a BIG 10 champion last year & 3rd in the DI nation. Tyler Kasak who took last year off, was 3rd in the DI nation in 2024 & 2025. That's two NCAA DI title contenders butting heads every day!
Then let's add in Joe Sealey, a very accomplished wrestler in his own right who won last year's Southern Scuffle. Head to head, Duke defeated Sealey last year 2-1.
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| 165 Mitchell Mesenbrink |
David Carr. Remember that name because it'll probably win you some money in a trivia contest someday. Anything can happen, and I'm always aware of that, but we're talking about a guy who in the last 54 matches he has wrestled, only had one end in a regular decision. All the rest have been majors, techs or pins. He'll most likely end his career with only one loss.
2nd-1st-1st in the DI nation he'll go for his third title, as well as his fourth title within the BIG 10.
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| 165 Jayden James |
I think Penn State already has some great answers to the question, "Who fills in for Mesenbrink after this season" but they just added a new answer in incoming Jayden James. Among the many who have fit the moniker in the past, many see him being another future legend in the blue & white.
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| 174 Will Henckel |
Redshirting this past season, Will Henckel won a Southern Scuffle title & had wins over Nick Fine & Aiden Wallace.
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| 184 Rocco Welsh Or Asher Cunningham |
184 NCAA DI in my opinion is the toughest weight class in all of collegiate wrestling. Rocco Welsh has twice been silver here, as the 2026 BIG 10 champion looks to be #1 at the #1 spot by the end of 2027.
Asher Cunningham will be one of the Rock's first test of the season. An All-American contender in his own right, Cunningham won the Southern Scuffle last season & had a 12-9 win over Caleb Campos.
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| 197 Josh Barr |
24-0 last year, only one of those matches ended in a decision. 2nd & 1st thus far in the DI nation, Josh Barr also won the BIG 10 title last year as well.
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| HWT Connor Mirasola Or Cole Mirasola |
I'm not sure if this is a first for me or not. I've known many great brother combinations in collegiate wrestling over the years, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen it where brothers have to duke it out for the varsity position. Connor Mirasola competed at 197 last year, wins over Wolfgang Frable & D.J. Parker. Cole won 20 matches last year & qualified for the NCAA DI championships with a 5th place BIG 10 finish.
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