Penn State wrestling starts in just one week, folks.

The reigning back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back national champions will take the mat for the first time in 2026-27 in Rec Hall against Bloomsburg at 7 p.m. on November 12.

On opening night, the Nittany Lions will raise their 15th championship banner and their 14th in the last 16 years, but it isn’t clear yet which 10 wrestlers will physically take the mat that night and going forward.

While most of the starters are pretty secure, a handful of weights still have significant questions that remain unsorted, whether through traditional lineup battles or eligibility litigation.

141 Pounds: Nate Desmond vs. Masanosuke Ono vs. Braeden Davis

After three years of stability with Beau Bartlett at 141 pounds from 2023-25, Penn State has struggled to find a clear solution at the weight.

The arrival of Marcus Blaze at 133 pounds prompted a battle between Aaron Nagao and Braeden Davis at 141, which the veteran Minnesota transfer won. However, his history of injuries reared its ugly head as he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in December, prompting his retirement from the sport.

His short-term successor was true freshman Nate Desmond, who impressed at the Black Knight Invitational and even scored a ranked win over Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin, but the team always planned to pull Davis’ redshirt and insert him into the lineup.

The short runway for Davis, who previously won the Big Ten Championships in 2024 at 125 pounds and placed as an All-American at 133 pounds in 2025. He struggled against the elite at the weight and fell short of the podium after wrestling in just 12 dual matches before the postseason.

Still, in most programs, he’d be an overwhelming favorite to keep his job at a weight that will no longer have its three top wrestlers, but there’s a special exception here.

Masanosuke Ono, a 2024 world champion from Japan, has now spent over a year in State College training with the best folkstyle wrestlers in the country and seems poised to get to work. There are few wrestlers the college wrestling world will be watching more closely to see if he can successfully transition to folkstyle.

One small hangup: he might not be eligible.

Ono was listed as a true junior on Penn State’s 2025-26 roster and redshirted, which should give him two more years of eligibility. However, initial reporting by Pat Mineo of The Wrestling Room revealed in late October that his eligibility clock is paused due to an active court case.

Penn State is trying to get more eligibility for Ono, with Mineo reporting the Nittany Lions could be seeking up to an additional three years of eligibility. But as long as the rumored case is active, he cannot compete.

With one week until the season starts and no 2026-27 roster posted for Penn State, Ono’s status is seriously in question ahead of the regular season.

This would be good news for Davis, who’d then be the likely starter, but don’t count out Desmond. The sophomore seems fully committed to the weight going forward and has been ranked above Davis on both FloWrestling’s and InterMat’s rankings, which could be a tell.

Most likely, as long as Ono is waiting for word on his eligibility, this will be a battle we see throughout November, especially at the Black Knight Invitational, where Desmond will look to follow up his stunning victory last year over Luke Lilledahl.

174 Pounds: Levi Haines vs. the NCAA

While Penn State Athletics has mostly stayed away from injunctions over extra eligibility in a way most of the country can’t avoid, there have been a few exceptions.

Wrestling is not only dealing with Ono, but also hoping that two-time national champion and now 2026 world champion Levi Haines will get a fifth year of eligibility.

Sanderson was asked about Haines during media day and repeatedly stated they’re leaving the door open. Haines also registered in classes for the fall semester just in case.

It’s unclear whether the program is actively pursuing this via a lawsuit like Ono is, or if it’s waiting for national relief, but the possibility of one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the country returning exists.

If he doesn’t return, which is the current status quo, the lineup is pretty straightforward.

Two-time All-American Tyler Kasak will return from his redshirt year to start at 157 pounds. Reigning third-place finisher PJ Duke will slide to 165 pounds. Reigning Hodge Trophy winner Mitchell Mesenbrink will bump up to 174 pounds to replace Haines.

If Haines does return? This lineup suddenly gets crowded.

Common sense would dictate that Mesenbrink would stay at 165 pounds and Kasak and Duke would wrestle off for the second consecutive year at 157 pounds, but some have mentioned a different possibility.

Could Penn State play around with the eligibility clock and instead bump Haines to 184 pounds to replace Rocco Welsh?

Haines, a reigning world champion in freestyle, will certainly be on the radar to make the 2028 Olympic team, but his weight class of 79 kilograms is not an Olympic weight. Instead, he would need to bump down to 74 kilograms (163 pounds) or go up to 86 kilograms (190 pounds).

Haines, who began his collegiate career at 157 pounds, could go either way, but going down would be harder after years of a less rigorous weight cut. Going up would be more likely, which could pave the way for him attempting to go 184 pounds.

All of this intrigue, though, hinges on him eventually getting that fifth year, which won’t be decided soon. For now, Kasak, Duke, Mesenbrink, and Welsh seem to have their starting spots.

285 Pounds: Cole Mirasola vs. Connor Mirasola

In a stacked lineup like the one Penn State brings out every year, the only two weight classes that failed to make the podium are the ones where the starters are fighting off challengers to start.

At heavyweight, it’s a battle of the brothers. The incumbent starter Cole Mirasola is coming off an 18-8 season as a redshirt freshman that saw him knock off Nick Feldman and Ben Keuter, but also lose a lot of one-takedown matches in big moments.

While he’s currently ranked No. 6 in the preseason InterMat poll, he might not be the one wrestling at heavyweight for Penn State. Instead, it might be his twin brother.

Connor Mirasola is officially bumping up to heavyweight after serving as Josh Barr’s backup at 197 pounds in 2026. He opened that season as a fill-in starter for Barr, who was recovering from an injury suffered at the U23 World Championships, and he excelled.

Connor Mirasola went 6-1 with two falls, two tech falls, and a major decision, but he did not wrestle again after a loss to eventual All-American Joey Novak in December. In the near 11 months since, Connor Mirasola has focused on freestyle, where he won the Pan-American Championships at 125 kilograms (275 pounds).

Sanderson confirmed the battle between the twins at media day. Although the program has not tipped its hand yet, including Connor Mirasola in the NWCA All-Star Classic on November 24 at Rec Hall might reveal which way the Nittany Lions are leaning ahead of opening night.

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