It’s only been a week since the 2024-25 season ended and we’ve already found it necessary to write not one, but two projections for the 2025-26 Penn State wrestling lineup.
The first article was inspired by Penn State landing 2024 World Champion Masanosuke Ono.
Penn State Wrestling: Projecting The 2025-26 Starting Lineup
This one is inspired by Penn State’s probable acquisition of Ohio State’s Rocco Welsh, who was national runner-up at 174 in 2023-24 before moving to 184.
Welsh to Penn State isn’t officially official yet, but all signs indicate that the Waynesburg native will be returning to his home state for his last three seasons of eligibility.
Let’s get into our second batch of projections.
125
1.0: Luke Lilledahl
2.0: Luke Lilledahl
Photo by Penn State wrestling: Luke Lilledahl
No reason for any change here. It’s hard to keep weight at 125 but it’s also hard to imagine Lilledahl going anywhere else. He came into this year’s NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed and finished third, so one would think he’d be one of, if not the favorite at the weight class next season. Braeden Davis did move from 125 to 133 after last season but a big part of that was the fact that Lilledahl, the top-ranked recruit at 125, was coming in. There isn’t somebody on that level coming in at that weight class for Penn State this season, so Lilledahl will be back.
133
1.0: Braeden Davis
2.0 Masanosuke Ono
Ahh, our first change. Truthfully, I don’t know where Ono will compete and I doubt anybody else does, either. But the consensus seems to be that it will either be at 133 or 141. Since I had Ono at 141 in the first projection, I’ll go a different road here. This is subject to change, perhaps multiple times between now and November.
141
1.0: Masanosuke Ono
2.0: Braeden Davis or Marcus Blaze
My biggest mistake in Version 1.0 was not mentioning Blaze. Blaze, the No. 1 pound for pound recruit in the Class of 2025, projects at either 133 or 141, so he absolutely has a chance to start right away. But Davis, who finished fifth at 133 this year, is also a factor. A good battle will brew at either 133 or 141, depending on where Ono ends up.
149
1.0: Shayne Van Ness
2.0: Shayne Van Ness
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Shayne Van Ness
No change here. Van Ness, like Lilledahl at 125, is right on the brink of a national title at 149, having finished third at NCAAs. There’s no reason to think his status will change. The big question is: Will SVN win it all?
157
1.0: Tyler Kasak
2.0: Tyler Kasak
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Kasak
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Copy and paste. Kasak also finished third and is on the brink of a national title. Like with Van Ness, the question is if he’ll win it all.
165
1.0: Mitchell Mesenbrink
2.0: Mitchell Mesenbrink
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Mitchell Mesenbrink
Mesenbrink won it all at 165. No reason to think he won’t have the chance to do it again next March.
174
1.0: Levi Haines
2.0: Levi Haines
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Levi Haines
Copy and paste again. Many thought Haines— who won it all at 157 in 2024– would do the same at 174 this year. It wasn’t to be, and he finished third. So like with several of his teammates, Haines has unfinished business at his weight class. It’s up to him to take care of it.
184
1.0: Zack Ryder
2.0: Rocco Welsh
Again, this is all assuming that the reports are true and that Welsh is coming to Penn State. If this does get nailed down, Welsh will become the favorite to start for Penn State at 184. The upside to this would be Penn State adding a former national finalist. The downside would be Ryder being left out. This guy was a four-time champ in high school, a U20 World Silver medalist and the No. 5 overall recruit in the Class of 2024. Yet, he might not have a starting spot next year.
More proof that Penn State is really, really good at wrestling.
197
1.0: Josh Barr
2.0: Josh Barr
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Josh Barr
In between versions one and two, I had second thoughts about my choice to keep Barr at 197. Although he was a national runner-up this year, outshining many expectations, 184 is his more natural weight class. But if Welsh does come in, the most logical thing would be for Barr to stay at 197, where the goal will be to win that extra match and become a national champ.
Heavyweight
1.0: Cole Mirasola
2.0: Cole Mirasola
No change at heavyweight.
This might be the biggest question mark Penn State has. Replacing a five-time All-American and 2024 national champ in Greg Kerkvliet won’t be easy. Mirasola only has two matches under his belt— losing both— so there isn’t much of a sample to go on.
Let’s see if he’s up to the task.
