The Penn State Nittany Lions are fresh off their national title performance at the 2024 NCAA Tournament where they broke the team point record with 4 NCAA champs and 8 total All-Americans. Penn State has now won 8 of the last 10 team titles and 11 total since Cael Sanderson took over as head coach in 2009. 

The Nittany Lions will be the favorite to win again in the 2024-25 season, however, there are several questions regarding their lineup. Because of those questions, we’ll break down their potential lineup options in the below article for the 2024-25 season. 

Penn State’s Potential 2024-25 Lineup

125: Braeden Davis/Luke Lilledahl

133: Aaron Nagao/Braeden Davis/Luke Lilledahl

141: Beau Bartlett/Tyler Kasak

149: Shayne Van Ness/Tyler Kasak

157: Levi Haines/Mitchell Mesenbrink/Joe Sealy

165: Levi Haines/Mitchell Mesenbrink/Alex Facundo

174: Carter Starocci/Alex Facundo

184: Josh Barr/Zack Ryder

197: Lucas Cochran/Connor Mirasola/AJ Fricchione

285: Greg Kerkvliet/Cole Mirasola/Lucas Cochran

125: Braeden Davis/Luke Lilledahl

Braeden Davis put together a phenomenal true freshman season winning a Big 10 title and earning the #1 seed at the NCAA Tournament. However, Davis failed to place at NCAAs after losing close matches to Richard Figueroa (3-2) and Jore Volk (4-1, SV-1). Despite the disappointing end to the season, Davis would enter next season ranked #6 at 125 and should be considered a top contender for a national title based on his wins over Brandon Kaylor, Michael DeAugustino, Dean Peterson, Eric Barnett, and Patrick McKee.

So why did I list incoming true freshman Luke Lilledahl as an option next year at 125 pounds? The rumor is the weight cut for Davis down to 125 was significant and we might eventually see him up at 133 or even 141. If that’s the case, #1 overall recruit Luke Lilledahl could start right away for the Nittany Lions. Lilledahl is a 3-time age-level world medalist winning a U17 world title in 2022 and silver at U20 and U17 worlds in 2023 and 2021 respectively. On top of those credentials, Lilledahl recently defeated 3X All-American and NCAA runner-up Brandon Courtney at the 2023 Senior Nationals where he eventually placed 5th and qualified for the Olympic Trials. If Davis can’t make 125 next year, Penn State fans should have high expectations for Lilledahl.

Luke Lilledahl's win over Brandon Courtney at the 2023 Bill Farrell:

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133: Aaron Nagao/Braeden Davis/Luke Lilledahl

After placing 5th at the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Aaron Nagao had a slightly disappointing end to his 2024 season falling just one match short of All-American honors. Nagao still has two years left of eligibility but could be in a battle for a starting spot with top recruit Luke Lilledahl coming in and the potential for Davis to move up in weight. Nagao is the front-runner to start next year at 133, and should still be considered an All-American contender, but this will be a story to watch moving forward.

141: Beau Bartlett/Tyler Kasak

Beau Bartlett was about as close as you could get to winning a national title but fell just short and finished as a runner-up to Jesse Mendez this year at NCAAs. Bartlett has another year of eligibility remaining (and a redshirt), but he hasn’t announced yet whether or not he’ll return next season. If Bartlett does come back, he’s a title contender and feels like a “sure thing” to place in the top 4 at the NCAA Tournament. 

If Bartlett doesn’t come back, we’ll likely see Tyler Kasak make the descent back down to 141 pounds next season. Kasak started the year at 141 before moving up to 149 after All-American Shayne Van Ness went down with a season-ending injury in December. Kasak then went on to put together a fantastic season placing third in both the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Kasak impressively won seven straight matches at NCAAs after losing in the first round highlighted by wins over #1 seed Ridge Lovett and #3 seed Jackson Arrington. I still think we see Bartlett back next year at 141 pounds for Penn State, but if we don’t, Kasak will be an All-American contender and a dark horse to compete for a national title at 141.

Beau Bartlett's win over Joey McKenna at the 203 US Open:

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149 - Shayne Van Ness/Tyler Kasak

As mentioned, All-American Shayne Van Ness missed most of the 2023-24 season with an early, season-ending injury. Prior to the injury, Van Ness was ranked #2 in the country and impressively defeated Arizona State’s Kyle Parco 5-1 at the NWCA All-Star Classic in November. If Van Ness is back at full strength next season, he’s a title contender at 149 pounds. In fact, Van Ness defeated 2024 NCAA Champ Caleb Henson 5-3 back at the 2023 NCAA Tournament in the consolation semifinals. 

Van Ness’ win over Kyle Parco at the NWCA All-Star Classic

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157 - Levi Haines/Mitchell Mesenbrink/Joe Sealey

This is where things could get interesting for Penn State. Levi Haines is of course coming off a national title this year where he bonused his way to the finals before defeating Jacori Teemer, 5-0. Haines could return next year at 157 where he’d be the favorite again to win a national title. However, Haines’ cut down to 157 pounds is rumored to be brutal, and we could see Mesenbrink and Haines swap weight next season. If that’s the case, Mesenbrink will step right in and be the favorite to win 157 pounds after his outstanding freshman season at 165 where he went 26-1 as an NCAA runner-up losing only to David Carr, 9-8.

There’s also an outside chance we see incoming freshman Joe Sealey start at 157 pounds next year for Penn State. Sealey is ranked #6 in the class of 2024 big board and #2 at 165 pounds in our national high school rankings. Beyond the rankings, Sealey was a U17 world champ in 2022 and Penn State fans should have high expectations for him whenever he breaks into the starting lineup.

Joe Sealey’s win over Will Henckel at 2023 Who’s Number One

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165 - Levi Haines/Mitchell Mesenbrink/Alex Facundo

Like at 157 pounds, we could see either Haines or Mesenbrink take the mat at 165 next season and would be title contenders. However, there’s also an outside chance Alex Facundo could start at 165. Haines still has a redshirt available, and if Starocci comes back to wrestle at 174, it might make the most sense for Mesenbrink to drop and Facundo to wrestle 165. 

Facundo was the 165-pound starter for the Nittany Lions in the 2022-23 season, and while he failed to place at the 2023 NCAAs, Facundo had a solid regular season. During that year, Facundo peaked at #5 in the rankings while recording notable wins over Cam Amine, Caleb Fish, Carson Kharchla, Matt Olguin, and Danny Braunagel. While Facundo isn’t as much of a “sure thing” as Mesenbrink or Haines, he’s still a legitimate All-American contender and would be a solid option for the Nittany Lions at 165 or 174.

Watch Levi Haines' NCAA Finals win over Jacori Teemer:

174 - Carter Starocci/Alex Facundo

Carter Starocci made history this year at NCAAs when he became just the 6th-ever 4-time NCAA Champion. Because of the extra year of eligibility given to all college athletes in 2021, Starocci could make history again next by becoming first-ever 5-time NCAA Champion. Starocci would be a runaway favorite to win NCAAs but he hasn’t yet announced if he’ll return for his fifth year. 

If Starocci doesn’t return, we’ll likely see Facundo move up to 174. As mentioned, Facundo should be considered an All-American contender based on his results at 165 in the 2022-23 season. Also, after Starocci, 174 clears out a bit with All-Americans Shane Griffith, Mekhi Lewis, and Ben Pasiuk graduating this year. This makes Facundo even more of a threat if he takes the mat next year at 174.

Alex Facundo's win over National Qualifier Tyler Lillard at the 2022 Black Knight Invite:

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184 - Josh Barr/Zack Ryder

Josh Barr was the #7 overall recruit out of the class of 2023 and put together a fantastic redshirt freshman year going 15-0. Barr didn’t wrestle any All-Americans last season but he did defeat national qualifiers Roman Rogotzke, Jacob Nolan, and Anthony D’Alesio. 184 returns 6 All-Americans next season so it will certainly be a challenge for Barr to reach the podium. Regardless of that, Barr has the pedigree and results for Penn State fans to be optimistic about his next four years.

If Barr doesn’t assert himself as a contender right away, or if he suffers an injury, Penn State has the luxury of having true freshman Zack Ryder waiting in the wings. Ryder has won two U17 world bronze medals and is the #5 overall recruit out of the class of 2023. We likely won’t see Ryder in the starting lineup next year but he’ll be a solid backup and highlights Penn State’s incredible depth.

Josh Barr's win over national qualifier Jacob Nolan at the 2023 Black Knight Invite:

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197 - Connor Mirasola/Lucas Cochran/AJ Fricchione

Penn State will have the difficult task of replacing 4-time NCAA Champion and Hodge trophy winner Aaron Brooks next year at 197 pounds. While he’s no Brooks, incoming freshman Connor Mirasola looks to be the front-runner to take hold of the starting spot. Mirasola will be entering State College with a ton of hype considering his recent performance at senior nationals where he defeated former Penn State national champion Max Dean, 9-6. Mirasola then went on to defeat 3-time All-American Evan Wick on his way to a fourth-place finish. Mirasola looks about as ready to go as any true freshman and should be an immediate All-American contender for the Nittany Lions.

If Penn State chooses to keep Mirasola in redshirt, then Lucas Cochran or AJ Fricchione could start at 197. Fricchione was only 2-2 last year making Cochran the more likely option. Cochran was 11-2 last year with his only losses coming to All-Americans Michael Beard (20-6) and Jacob Cardenas (13-6). Cochran’s best result came up at heavyweight where he defeated eventual All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski (8-3). Because of those results, we could see Cochran start at the beginning of the year while Coach Sanderson and company test out Mirasola’s readiness to start at 197.

Mirasola's win over Max Dean at 2023 Senior Nationals:

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285 - Greg Kerkvliet/Cole Mirasola/Lucas Cochran

Greg Kerkvliet won his first national title this year highlighted by a 20-0 season and a 13-4 major decision of Lucas Davison in the finals. Like Starocci, Kerkvliet has a 5th year of eligibility available to him next season but he hasn’t officially announced if he’ll return for the Nittany Lions. If he does, he’s the heavy favorite to repeat as the national champion but if he doesn’t, Penn State will have to go with either true freshman Cole Mirasola or the aforementioned Cochran. 

I think Penn State will want to redshirt Mirasola in order to give him an extra year to put on some size. While Cochran did have the one good result against Slavikouski, we have no idea where he stacks up against the rest of the country. All things considered, I still think we see Kerkvliet return next year to defend his national title. 

Will Penn State Repeat As National Champs?

After that lengthy breakdown, the simple question remains - Will Penn State win their 4th straight national title? While there are several questions, and a full year until the NCAA Tournament, Penn State has insane depth and is clearly the best team entering the 2024-25 season. They’ll have All-American contenders at every single weight and a minimum of 5 title contenders (maybe 7 or 8).