Penn State broke the NCAA Tournament point record for the third straight year and won its 5th straight team title in 2026. As remarkable as that is, the Nittany Lions return all but one of their starters and will have a loaded roster for the 2026-27 season. Check out the article below as we break down the potential lineup for Penn State heading into next year.

2026-27 Penn State Overview

• Head Coach: Cael Sanderson
• Assistants: Casey Cunningham, Cody Sanderson, Nick Lee
• 2026 NCAA Tournament Finish: 1st
• 2026 NCAA Tournament Record: 41-9
• 2026 NCAA tournament points: 181.5
• 2026 Big Ten Tournament finish: 1st
• 2026 dual record: 15-0
• Returning national qualifiers: 10 (Luke Lilledahl, Marcus Blaze, Braeden Davis, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, PJ Duke, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Rocco Welsh, Josh Barr, Cole Mirasola)
• Returning NCAA Champions: 3 (Luke Lilledahl, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Josh Barr)
• Returning All-Americans: 9 (Luke Lilledahl, Marcus Blaze, Braeden Davis, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, PJ Duke, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Rocco Welsh, Josh Barr)
• NCAA Team titles under Sanderson: 13 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
• Most national placers in a season under Sanderson: 10 (2025)

125: Luke Lilledahl

National champion Luke Lilledahl will return to the starting lineup next year for the Nittany Lions at 125 pounds as the favorite to win the title again in 2027. Surprisingly, Penn State will only have one other 125-pound wrestler on their roster next year - junior Branden Wentzel. Nittany Lions fans shouldn’t be too concerned about that; however, it is notable that Lilledahl won’t have an All-American-caliber backup, given how the roster will look for Penn State next season.

Highlights of Lilledahl's semifinal win at NCAAs over Troy Spratley:

133/141: Marcus Blaze/Masa Ono/Nate Desmond

These three wrestlers are the biggest contenders to man the starting spots at 133 and 141 pounds next year. You could also throw Braeden Davis into the mix at 141 pounds; however, I believe he’ll redshirt next season, considering he was set to redshirt this past year and only wrestled after now-retired Aaron Nagao went down with an injury. 

It’d be a little surprising to see Marcus Blaze move up to 141 pounds next year. He’ll likely wrestle 61 kg (about 134 pounds) this summer in freestyle, and looked perfectly sized at 133. If Blaze wants to start preparing for the 2028 Olympics, we could see him make the move up to 141 next year. Blaze placed 4th at 133 last year, and he’ll be a title contender at 133 pounds in 2027.

Wherever Blaze doesn't go next year, look for Nate Desmond or Masanosuke Ono to man the open spot. Ono took the world by storm in 2024 when he won the 61 kg world championships while recording freestyle wins over Vito Arujau and Zavur Uguev. He also notably defeated Marcus Blaze at the 2024 U20 World Championships and then Spencer Lee in February of 2025. There’s no doubt that Ono is one of the top pound-for-pound freestyle wrestlers in the world, but how will his talent transition to folkstyle? Ono didn’t wrestle any folkstyle matches last year, so we really don’t have any idea what to expect from him next season. The good news is that with all of the high-level talent in the room, the Penn State coaching staff will know exactly where Ono’s folkstyle game stands. That means if he’s in the starting lineup, he’ll be a contender.

Nate Desmond showed his potential as a true freshman by being the only wrestler to defeat Luke Lilledahl this year when he won a 5-3 decision in the finals of the Black Knight Open. Desmond then bumped up to 141 pounds and went 4-0 with an overtime victory over past All-American Dylan Ragusin. In total, Desmond was 8-0 during his redshirt year and will carry with him big expectations next year if he’s the starter. 

Highlights of Blaze's win over Drake Ayala at the NCAA Tournament:

Nate Desmond's win over Luke Lilledahl:

Ono's win over Marcus Blaze at the 2024 U20 World Championships:

149: Shayne Van Ness

Shayne Van Ness fell just short of a national title this year, losing in the NCAA finals in overtime to Aden Valencia. Despite that loss, Van Ness was the #1 ranked wrestler in the country the entire season and was incredibly dominant. He ended the year with a 26-1 record and a 74.1% bonus rate - 6 pins, 10 techs, and 4 majors. Van Ness has one final year of eligibility and will absolutely be a favorite to win the title at 149 pounds next season. 

Highlights of Shayne Van Ness' win over Chance Lamer in the semis at NCAAs:

157: PJ Duke/Tyler Kasak

This is the part of the lineup where Penn State’s depth really starts to shine. Tyler Kasak has two third-place finishes under his belt at 149 in 2024 and 157 in 2025. PJ Duke is fresh off his 3rd place finish last year, where he was the #1 seed heading into the tournament. Conventional wisdom says that Tyler Kasak will be the starter because PJ Duke has a redshirt available. Regardless of who ends up starting next season, Penn State will have a national title contender at 157 pounds. 

PJ Duke after taking third at NCAAs:

Tyler Kasak's win over Lehigh's Logan Rozynski:

165: Mitchell Mesenbrink/PJ Duke/Tyler Kasak/Jayden James

Mitchell Mesenbrink is coming off an incredible season where he won his second straight national title, culminating in the Hodge Trophy. Mesenbrink was 27-0 last season with a 96.3% bonus rate, securing 8 pins, 11 techs, 6 majors, and 1 forfeit. After this dominant season, Mesenbrink is the biggest favorite in the country to win a national title this year. Considering Mesenbrink will wrestle freestyle at 74 kg (163.1 pounds), it’s likely we’ll see him wrestle at 165 next year. However, if the coaches want to make room for Duke, Kasak, or Jayden James in the lineup, we might see Mesenbrink move up to 174 pounds. 

If Mesenbrink does decide to move up to 174, then we’ll likely see either PJ Duke or Tyler Kasak man the spot at 165 pounds. With how successful both Duke and Kasak have been, it will be hard to keep one out of the starting lineup this year, so this is certainly a viable option for the Nittany Lions. 

There is an outside chance we see true freshman Jayden James start next year for Penn State. James is currently the #3 overall recruit out of the class of 2026 and has all the potential to be the next star for the Nittany Lions. James, out of Delbarton High School, was a u17 world champion last year at 71 kg and a two-time New Jersey state champion. James’ only losses in the past year were to LaDarion Lockett at the U20 World Team Trials (15-2 and 6-1) and notably recorded wins over Melvin Miller, Joe Sealey, Will Denny, and Laird Root. Because he's still relatively young, I think James could do well with a redshirt, but no one should be shocked to see him start a dual or two next year.

Mitchell Mesenbrink after winning the 2026 165-pound NCAA title:

Jayden James' win over Melvin Miller in the 2025 Ironman Finals:

174: Mitchell Mesenbrink/Will Henckel

Things become a little simpler for the Nittany Lions as we move to the upper weights. If Mesenbrink stays down at 165 (which is the most likely option), we’ll see Will Henckel wrestle at 174 next year. Henckel was the #13 overall recruit out of the class of 2025 wrestling for Blair Academy. Henckel won a silver medal at the U20 World Championships last Summer and went 9-1 in his redshirt season. Henckel’s only loss this year was to teammate Levi Haines (4-0), with his best victory coming over national qualifier Nick Fine (7-3). It’s also worth noting that Henckel defeated Brock Mantanona (10-0 twice and 12-8) and LJ Araujo (9-0) in freestyle last summer. If Henckel does start at 174, he’s a clear All-American contender and a dark horse title contender. 

Will Henckel's win over Caden Bellis in the 2026 Southern Scuffle finals:

184: Rocco Welsh/Asher Cunningham

After finishing as the NCAA runner-up for the second time in his career, Rocco Welsh is the favorite to start at 184 next year. Welsh has two years of eligibility remaining and put together a fantastic year with a 25-1 record that included victories over Max McEnelly, Angelo Ferrari, Brock Mantanona (three times), and several other ranked wrestlers. Because of his year, Welsh will once again be a title contender in 2027.

Asher Cunningham will be a solid backup for Welsh in case of injury. Cunningham was 7-1 in his redshirt year, with his only loss coming to Rocco Welsh (13-5). Despite the limited number of matches, Cunningham had significant wins over All-American Caleb Campos (12-9), along with victories over Aaron Ayzerov (11-3) and Christian Hansen (8-0).  

Rocco Welsh's win over Asher Cunningham at the 2025 Black Knight Invite:

Asher Cunningham's win over All-American Caleb Campos in the 2026 Southern Scuffle Finals:

197: Josh Barr/Connor Mirasola

NCAA Champ Josh Barr will man the starting spot at 197 with Connor Mirasola as maybe the best backup in the country. Barr finished third in Hodge voting this season after going 24-0 with a 95.8% bonus rate - 5 pins, 12 techs, and 6 majors. Outside of Mesenbrink, there isn’t a bigger favorite to win the NCAA Tournament next year. 

Connor Mirasola started for the Nittany Lions last year while Barr was still recovering from injury in November and December. Mirasola went 6-1, losing only to All-American Joey Novak, while defeating national qualifiers Wolfgang Frable (17-2) and Deanthony Parker (13-3). It’s highly unlikely we see Mirasola take the starting job from Barr next season, but he’ll be a key asset in the room and will likely start a dual or two for the Nittany Lions if Barr needs a break.

Josh Barr after winning the 2026 197-pound NCAA Title:

Connor Mirasola's win in the finals of the 2025 Black Knight Invite over Wolfgang Frable:

285: Cole Mirasola

Despite failing to place at the NCAA Tournament, Cole Mirasola had a solid freshman year and peaked in the rankings at #5. Mirasola went 20-8 on the season, with his best victories coming over Nick Feldman, Ben Kueter, and Braxton Amos. With the removal of this year’s seniors, Mirasola will likely be ranked #5 entering the 2026-27. If Mirasola continues to improve and put on size, Nittany Lion fans should expect him to contend for a national title next season.

Cole Mirasola's win in the finals of the 2025 Black Knight Invite over Brady Colbert:

Can Penn State Break The Team Point Record AGAIN?

As remarkable as it sounds, yes, Penn State is absolutely capable of breaking the team scoring record for the fourth year in a row. They return three national champions next season and four other All-Americans. They’ll have 7-8 legitimate title contenders and All-American contenders at every single weight. Add in their bonus point potential, and this is a team that can break the 181.5 scoring record set by this year’s Nittany Lion squad!

Coach Cael Sanderson and Luke Lilledahl after the 2026 NCAA Tournament: