Head coach Cael Sanderson sounded off Wednesday afternoon about how Penn State wrestling finds the athletes who will continue the legacy of a storied program.

Sanderson’s track record as a coach is astounding with 10 national titles and eight Big Ten Championships. He admits the program doesn’t do as much recruiting as it probably should but shared his philosophy on the process of continuing the program’s success.

“We rely a lot on kids who want to come here just letting us know because they’re trying to find the right fit, and we’re trying to find the fit,” Sanderson said. “Marketing is a part of what we do, but if you look closely, the kids know that this is the right fit for them just by the homework that they do and their parents are doing.”

Sanderson commented on the need for equal interest from both the team and the student-athlete when probing for recruits.

“It’s just kind of a two-way street recruiting process, but we rely on a lot of kids that want to come here, and we’ve had a lot of success with the kids that let us know that,” he said. “If we have to spend a lot of time trying to talk somebody into coming here, that hasn’t always worked out the best.”

Sanderson has a way of letting the history of the last decade of success do the recruiting for him. When gauging potential recruits’ attitudes, he noted the crowd the wrestler associates themselves with, their mental outlook, and who their role models play a great role.

“I think kids don’t change a lot with their attitudes and how they approach things, especially towards the end of their high school career,” Sanderson said. “A lot of it has to do with who they’re surrounded by and the perspectives that they have.”

As the NCAA Championships draw closer, leaving the Big Ten Championships in their wake, Sanderson is gearing up for the competition with a clear mind in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex.

“At this point [in college wrestling], we just try not to get in their way,” Sanderson said. “We try to support them and make sure they have everything they need and just let them go and do their thing.”

Freshmen talents like Braeden Davis and Mitchell Mesenbrink, who won Big Ten Championships in their respective weight classes, are prime examples of how Penn State wrestling doesn’t rebuild — it reloads.