Penn State wrestling and Iowa didn’t need another reason to not like each other.
The Big Ten programs are generally thought to be the best in the country, and the combination of that and the fact that the two are in the same conference and wrestle each other in dual meets every winter makes for a natural rivalry.
So, if Angelo Ferrari didn’t pick up a Penn State hat and toss it to the side before announcing his commitment to Iowa, Penn State and Iowa would still be rivals.
But since Ferrari did exactly that, the rivalry has just a tad more juice, and the offseason is more interesting, at least for now.
Angelo Ferrari Commits To Iowa! pic.twitter.com/hLOjL8t29C
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) June 1, 2023
Penn State wasn’t even a finalist for Ferrari, who’s the No. 2 overall Class of 2024 wrestler in the country according to FloWrestling. Before announcing his commitment, Ferrari had three hats to choose from— Iowa, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.
But as he started to announce his commitment, he pulled out a Penn State hat and promptly tossed it to the side.
After that, the star from Texas’ Melissa High School announced his commitment to Penn State’s biggest rival.
Shockingly, Penn State fans weren’t too happy.
don't think you can pull that move when you don't even have a committable offer from the school you faked out
— PSU Dylan (@PSU_Dylan) June 1, 2023
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Can’t wait to see him get canned by whoever pen state sends out https://t.co/TiCGzwO5Bo
— Thor Balavage (@aTHORable_) June 1, 2023
Why u have to do penn state like that tho😒 https://t.co/8iNMmZWyrv
— Nigel Smith (@NigelSmith_25) June 1, 2023
Lol Cael didn’t even offer him 😂😂 https://t.co/rIPohk3WxD
— Cory Böeckman (@C_Boeckman) June 1, 2023
This isn’t the first time in 2023 that an Iowa commit has caused a stir amongst Penn State and its fanbase.
On the night of Penn State and Iowa’s latest dual meet, Iowa ‘23 commit Gabe Arnold tweeted that Penn State’s 174-pound superstar Carter Strocci was “overrated.”
overrated…i said what i said #seeyousoon 😉
— Gabriel Arnold (@Gabe174Arnold) January 28, 2023
Starocci didn’t like that too much and let his thoughts be known.
Penn State wrestling has won 10 national championships in the past 12 seasons under Cael Sanderson. To win another one this coming season, it will have to fend off Iowa, which finished a distant second to Penn State at this year’s national championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
