Penn State wrestling is so back, folks.

After yet another dominating performance in the 2024-25 NCAA wrestling season, the Nittany Lions brought home their 13th national title in program history and 12th in the past 13 years. In the 2025-26 season, Penn State will attempt to win its fifth straight national title, a feat that has not occurred since the Iowa teams of 1995-2000, when the Hawkeyes won six straight.

Penn State has reloaded its talent for the upcoming campaign. Overall, the program is much younger than last season, with the departure of senior leadership such as Carter Starocci, Beau Bartlett, and Greg Kerkvliet. The only projected senior starting this season will be Levi Haines, who finds himself in possibly his last season as a Nittany Lion.

Aside from Haines, starters such as national champion Mitchell Mesenbrink, national runner-up Josh Barr, and third-place finishers Luke Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness, and Tyler Kasak make for an extremely talented returning cast of athletes for 2025-26.

There may be more talent on this team for its own good, though. Multiple position groups, including Kasak’s, are seemingly up for grabs ahead of the folkstyle season. Talented newcomers such as Masanosuke Ono, Marcus Blaze, and PJ Duke will have to fight their way into the starting lineup.

The Nittany Lions have some holes to fill this season. With three starters finishing their last season of eligibility last year, there is a lot to look forward to as the season nears, with new faces scattered across the starting lineup.

125 Pounds: Luke Lilledahl

Lightning Luke is slated to start in his sophomore campaign after a tremendous first year in the program. Lilledahl finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-3 record and fought his way to becoming the Big Ten champion, an All-American, and a third-place finisher at the NCAA tournament.

Lilledahl had a productive offseason in the freestyle circuit, winning gold medals in the U23 Pan American Championships and the World U23 Championships. Lilledahl now has a gold medal at the U17, U20, and U23 World Championships at 57 kilograms.

Lilledahl will start the season ranked No. 3 in the country at the 125-pound weight class according to Intermat, only behind national champion Vincent Robinson of North Carolina State and national runner-up Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State.

133 Pounds: Marcus Blaze

The 133-pound weight class is where the first real decision needs to happen for Cael Sanderson and Co. Last season, Braeden Davis earned his first All-American distinction at 133 pounds; however, the junior will make yet another jump in weight.

It will be a tough wrestle-off between two wrestlers at this weight class. After Sanderson’s press conference on Tuesday, it seems likely that Ono will be redshirting with two years of competition remaining.

This paves the way for Marcus Blaze to get the nod as the starting 133-pound wrestler.

Blaze, the top-rated recruit out of Perrysburg High School, secured four-straight Ohio state championships with a combined high school record of 196-2. On the freestyle circuit, Blaze has already won gold at the U17 and U20 World championships. He also competed in the Senior World Championships, winning bronze.

141 Pounds: Aaron Nagao

The 141-pound weight class involves another wrestle-off situation. Five-time All-American Beau Bartlett finished his last season of eligibility last year, vacating a starting spot that has not been available in half a decade.

With true freshman Blaze taking the 133-pound spot and Ono likely taking a redshirt, Davis will compete with former All-American Aaron Nagao.

After Sanderson’s press conference on Tuesday, it appears that Nagao will slide into the 141-pound slot. It is unknown whether Nagao beat out Davis for the spot in a wrestle-off or with a more competitive weight advantage; however, it seems that the former Minnesota wrestler will take the mat for the Nittany Lions for the first time since the 2023-24 season.

It would take a lot to uproot Davis from a starting spot, as he took fifth last season at the NCAA tournament and fourth in the Big Ten Championships. The Nittany Lion finished the season with a 17-7 record, boasting a pin, three technical falls, and two major decisions. In his true freshman season, Davis took first at the Big Ten tournament and finished with a 22-4 record with five major decisions and five technical falls.

Despite this, Nagao is an accomplished wrestler as well, earning All-American status as a redshirt freshman with the Golden Gophers before transferring to Penn State as a sophomore. Although he battled a nagging injury, he posted a 17-7 overall record and finished one win shy of becoming a two-time All-American.

The next season, Nagao did not compete as he underwent season-ending surgery before the season began, taking an injury redshirt.

Nagao is slotted as the No. 11 141-pounder in the country according to Intermat. A pair of Big Ten foes loom at the top with defending NCAA champion Jesse Mendez of Ohio State and last season’s runner-up Brock Hardy sitting at No. 2.

149 Pounds: Shayne Van Ness

Van Ness should be a shoo-in for this weight class. The two-time All-American is soon to be two years removed from a season-ending injury that required surgery, forcing the Nittany Lion to miss the 2023-24 season.

He finished last season with a 25-3 record and placed third at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Overall, the junior had a 75% bonus rate with seven falls, five tech falls, and nine major decisions.

As a true freshman in the 2022-23 season, Van Ness posted a 24-7 overall record, tallying seven majors, two techs, and five pins. He placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships and placed third at the national tournament to become a freshman All-American.

The Nittany Lion is slated as the No. 1-ranked 149-pounder in the nation in front of Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson and Oklahoma State’s Casey Swiderski, according to Intermat.

157 Pounds: PJ Duke

Another weight where tough decisions need to be made. Penn State has to pick between returning Big Ten champion and two-time All-American Tyler Kasak and a true freshman in PJ Duke.

Kasak took third at the national tournament for the second season in a row on his way to a 23-2 overall record. He tallied six falls, two technical falls, and five major decisions on his way to a 50% bonus rate.

Despite his proven success, Kasak took first place in the Bill Farrell tournament this past weekend, signaling a redshirt season could be on the horizon, paving the way for true freshman and freestyle superstar PJ Duke to take hold of the starting spot.

Duke, a four-time New York state champion out of Minisink Valley High School, went 173-1 in his career. As a freestyle wrestler, Duke has been phenomenal, securing gold medals in the U20 Pan American Championships in 2024 and the U20 World Championships in 2025. Duke also has a bronze medal in the U23 World Championships and competed on the Senior World Championship team this summer.

165 Pounds: Mitchell Mesenbrink

If there was ever a guaranteed starting spot, Mesenbrink would be that guy. The Nittany Lion is coming off of one of the most dominating seasons wrestling fans have ever seen, surging to an undefeated 27-0 record with close to a 90% bonus rate.

Last year, Mesenbrink registered 15 technical fall victories and outscored his opponents 398-64 on his way to a Big Ten and NCAA championship.

Mesenbrink extended his dominance to the freestyle circuit in the offseason, where he earned gold medals at the Junior Pan American Games and U23 World Championships.

The Nittany Lion stands as the clear-cut No. 1 wrestler in the country at the 165-pound weight class, according to Intermat. Mesenbrink sits above Iowa’s Michael Caliendo and Purdue’s Joey Blaze. The Nittany Lion secured three wins over the former last season, including the Big Ten and national finals.

174 Pounds: Levi Haines

Another easy choice for Sanderson is Levi Haines at 174 pounds. As a senior, Haines has proven to be a national title contender each season he’s been with the Nittany Lions.

Last season, Haines won his third consecutive Big Ten title and secured a third straight All-American distinction with a 25-2 record, which included nine falls, four technical falls, and two major victories, and finished third at the national tournament after going up two weights from 157 pounds.

As a sophomore, Haines was dominant as he rolled through a perfect 23-0 campaign and won the NCAA National Championship. He was also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and finished as the national runner-up in his first season with the Nittany Lions.

Intermat has Haines ranked as the top 174-pounder in the country, above Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy and Cornell’s Simon Ruiz.

184 Pounds: Rocco Welsh

After five straight years of pure dominance from five-time national champion Carter Starocci, there was a spot to fill for the 2025-26 campaign. Originally, Zack Ryder was believed to be the heir apparent to the weight class, but after signing Rocco Welsh from Ohio State via the transfer portal this offseason, Ryder took his talents to Oklahoma State.

The former Buckeye went 26-5 in his true freshman season two years ago, finishing as the national runner-up in the 2024 NCAA tournament in the 174-pound weight class after dropping the championship bout to Starocci.

This past season, Welsh competed at 184 pounds, going 12-0 in various tournaments while maintaining his redshirt. The newly appointed starter will have massive shoes to fill; however, he possesses the talent to be an NCAA finalist in a stacked weight class.

Welsh stands at No. 2 in the 184-pound class behind Minnesota’s Max McEnelly and above Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari, according to Intermat.

197 Pounds: Josh Barr

Josh Barr is slated to be the clear-cut long-term starter at 197 pounds.

As a redshirt freshman, Barr finished second at NCAAs, claiming All-American status, going 20-4, including six pins, six techs, and four majors.

In his true freshman season, Barr competed in five events and went 14-0. He had four majors, six techs, and a pin before redshirting.

Unfortunately, Barr suffered a rib injury at the U23 World Championships in October. Sanderson said it might “take a little while” for Barr to be ready to compete, but also noted that he’s a tough competitor, causing speculation on whether Barr will fight through his injury to start his campaign against Oklahoma.

If he can’t go, redshirt freshman Connor Mirasola will step in for the time being as a serviceable backup. Mirasola posted an 8-0 record during his redshirt season as a true freshman. He wrestled in two tournaments, winning the Southern Scuffle with a 5-0 run.

Barr is slated as the top 197-pound wrestler in the country according to Intermat. He ranks above Iowa State’s Rocky Elam and Little Rock’s Stephan Little.

Heavyweight: Cole Mirasola

The heavyweight weight class is a massive question mark for the Nittany Lions after long-time starter Greg Kerkvliet used the last of his eligibility last season.

There are two clear options at the position for the 2025-26 campaign: Senior Lucas Cochran and redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola.

Cochran has never been a starter for the Nittany Lions but holds a firm 33-7 record in the four seasons he has competed. Last season, he had two technical falls and a pin as a 197-pounder.

Mirasola holds a 6-2 record after his redshirt season. The Nittany Lion dropped both of his dual matches to top-15-ranked opponents.

The two wrestlers are both undersized for the 285-pound maximum weight of the heavyweight position; however, it appears that the younger of the two will get the nod ahead of the new season. Mirasola will have a tough task ahead; however, the heavyweight competition across the nation is more or less wide open.

Mirasola is ranked at No. 11 by Intermat, with Yonger Batista of Iowa State and AJ Ferrari of Nebraska claiming the top two spots.