Dean Peterson is done at Rutgers but isnโt quite done throwing shade at Penn State wrestling star Luke Lilledahl.
In an Instagram post announcing Petersonโs entry into the transfer portal, a user commented Peterson โwouldnโt wrestleโ at Penn State.
Peterson didnโt hold back in his response.
โTheir starter is 0-1 against me ๐ ๐ญโ
๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/w44ykpLFcy
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) March 30, 2025
Penn Stateโs starter at 125 is, of course, Lilledahl, and Peterson technically isnโt wrong.
In the lone meeting between the two thus far, which took place this past January in Piscataway, Peterson handed the true freshman his first college loss, beating him 4-1.
Afterword, Peterson took to social media.
โFASTER THAN LIGHTNINGโ
Peterson opened eyes after the win over Lilledahl, doing so via Twitter.
While the dual meet was still going on, Peterson, then ranked No. 19, took to social media to gloat about his 4-1 win over No. 6 ย Lilledahl.
โFaster than lightning,โ Peterson posted to X (formerly Twitter).
โLightingโ is a referencing to Lilledahlโs nickname, which is โLightnin Luke.โ
What Peterson wrote next was probably most memorable.
โ#fuckpennstate.โ
It must be pointed out that Peterson did delete his tweet. But itโs also clear that he doesnโt have love for Penn State wrestling. This shouldnโt come as a surprise. For one, Penn State wrestling has won 12 of the past 14 national championships, and that type of dominance creates hatred from the outside.
Peterson also has some personal history with Penn State wrestling.
Last season at the Bryce Jordan Center, Peterson lost to Penn Stateโs Braeden Davis in controversial fashion.
Now, Peterson will be wrestling for a new school, and there already seems to be a favorite.
HAWKEYE DEAN?
ST. LOUIS, MO. – MARCH 18: Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands watches during the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2017, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)
Posts by Pat Mineo of the Wrestling Room indicated that Iowa is the favorite for Peterson.
HEY NOW! HEY NOW!
Nebby & Minny now in contact, itโs up to these two great programs to keep Mean Dean away from Iowa! Weโre counting on youโฆ HAHAHA. https://t.co/G5trWfJ5cQ
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) March 30, 2025
Mineo also reported that two other Big Ten programsโ Nebraska and Minnesotaโ have been in contact.
We shall see what happens.
