Penn State wrestling’s 125-lb. weight class has been an interesting situation to say the least during the last three years. It got a bit more complicated on Thursday afternoon when Matt Parker announced he was transferring to Penn State from Lehigh.

After entering college as a top-100 recruit Parker deferred his eligibility last season and did not compete at all this year for the Mountain Hawks. While wrestling in open tournaments last year, Parker was 13-2 and won the Wilkes, Princeton, and East Stroudsburg Opens. He’s the younger brother of two-time All-American Scott Parker, also a former Lehigh wrestler.

With a small but impressive sample size, Parker will enter a crowded race for the starting job at 125 lbs. Two-year starter Devin Schnupp, sophomore Justin Lopez, and redshirt freshmen Brody Teske, Jack Davis, and Brandon Meredith are all already vying for the spot in the lineup. 125 has been a recurring struggle for the Nittany Lions since now-national champion Nick Suriano transferred to Rutgers following the 2017 season. They’ve gone 16-43 at the weight during the last two seasons.

Parker’s in-state transfer seems to be the latest move by Cael Sanderson to amend his team’s lower-weight struggles. Last season, he recruited mid-season graduate transfer Carson Kuhn to fill in for Schnupp.