For the majority Cael Sanderson’s 16-year tenure at Penn State, you’d never see the icon of the sport wearing blue jeans inside his team’s practice facility.

Always ready to scrap, Sanderson would usually be decked out in his trademark wrestling shoes, a ratty practice T or sweatshirt — usually damp from a morning’s workout — a pair of old shorts and maybe even a little athletic tape here or there.

As his wrestlers filed past him on Wednesday, all decked out in that exact practice apparel, the wrestling icon leaned up against the wall looking comfy in everyday sneakers, light wash jeans, a lightweight zip-up jacket and a beanie.

Don’t let the streetwear fool you. Like his noted assistant Casey Cunningham, who Sanderson still refers to as "the heavyweight tamer," the 46-year-old’s gym bag wasn’t far away.

Sanderson can still go hard and intends to nearly every practice session, even if he humbly jokes he’s more of a “practice dummy” than the mechanized blanket that once allegedly challenged every wrestler on his first Penn State team to escape from his clutches during an early practice.

Sanderson, who was 30 then, nearly offered a humble grin before not confirming — or denying — the many of his earliest pupils in Happy Valley have told over the years.

“I wrestle pretty much every day,” Sanderson said. “I’m not throwing a fit if I’m not wrestling that day like I probably would’ve a few years ago, just because your body’s not designed to get beat up on this far into life probably. But I love it. I love that part of it. I feel like that’s how I can teach kids.”

Obviously, the hands-on approach has worked.

For every attack a Penn State wrestler hits, there’s the potential to put strength, technique and patience to work looking for ways to finish. Pick almost any Penn State dual and you’ll see the evidence.

The team’s matches against Indiana and Maryland over the weekend featured a flurry of action on the mat.

After 125-pounder Luke Lilledahl opened against the Hoosiers by pinning Jacob Moran with a bow-and-arrow, the rest of the lineup chipped in handfuls of turns for 19 near-fall points and combined for nearly 18 minutes of riding time.

Against the Terrapins, Penn State wrestlers cinched up pins from the top position in three matches, scored 11 near-fall points and locked up heavy riding time advantages in three of the 10 bouts that went the distance, thanks to near-instant escapes.

“If you are confident and comfortable knowing you can get away from anybody in a short amount of time, then you’re going to be a little more fearless on your feet,” Sanderson said. “It’s all circular, it all goes hand-in-hand.”

Sanderson has been around long enough to know that nearly all freshmen come into college with less-than-impressive prowess on the bottom and very little experience working efficiently and effectively from the top.

“A lot of times kids grow up and it’s not as cool to ride somebody or control them on the mat, they’re cutting them and trying to take them down,” Sanderson said. “Those are the things you see in highlight reels. For us, we see the importance of (mat wrestling) and the value of being willing to fight hard to retain a point or gain a point and I think that goes right in line with doing the little things that it takes to be the best you can possibly be.”

Comeback Effect 

In some ways, the three-point takedown has made aggressive wrestlers even more dangerous.

Shayne Van Ness can attest. The senior has allowed the most first-period takedowns among all his teammates but still remains unbeaten on the season.

Facing Maryland’s Carter Young on Saturday, Van Ness allowed his fourth opening takedown of the season and immediately had to fight out of Young’s cradle attempt as a result. But trailing 7-1 to begin the second, Van Ness rattled off nine takedowns in the next 3:41 to post a simmering 30-14 technical fall at 6:41.

“I think it’s just a great lesson for our guys, obviously for Shayne himself, that if we give up a takedown or give up a few points, it’s not a big deal,” Sanderson said. “It’s just part of competing and with three-point takedowns, you can get back in there real fast.”

Nagao Is Not The Time

After having lost last season and this one after just seven matches, Aaron Nagao does have a medical redshirt option should he opt to return to collegiate wrestling.

Nagao transferred from Minnesota in time for the 2024 season, when he made it to the Round of 12 at the NCAA tournament at 133 pounds. A recurring shoulder injury, surgery and ensuing rehab has forced him to miss time since, however.

Sanderson understands the long, grueling process to get back into form and couldn’t say whether or not Nagao was even thinking about a return yet.

“I think he probably doesn’t know the answer to that right now, just because he’s got a long road to recovery again, one that he just came back from, so he’ll have to figure that out,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, we’d love to have him continue to wrestle, but he’s also a guy that has exciting plans — he just got married this past summer — and just has a lot of good positive things going on.”

Facts And Figures 

How dominant has Penn State been in dual meets this season? A quick glance at the takedown ratios presents a clear picture.

PJ Duke and Josh Barr have yet to be taken down this season and have combined for a 61-0 advantage with 34 successful attacks in first periods. Meanwhile, Lilledahl, Marcus Blaze and Mitchell Mesenbrink have each allowed just one takedown.

Further, eight Nittany Lion starters have first-period falls with heavyweight Cole Mirasola’s 33-second pin of North Dakota State’s Andrew Forst-Blackburn as the quickest so far.