A Penn State wrestling commit got the best of one of his future teammates.
Competing at the U20 World Championships, Jayden James wrestled Joe Sealey at 74 KG.
The bout wasn’t close.
James, the No. 3 overall recruit in the Class of 2026 per Mat Scouts, beat Sealey, about to enter his sophomore season with Penn State wrestling, in less than two minutes. To put this into perspective, Sealey was the No. 6 overall recruit in the Class of 2024.
This shows just how good James can be.
Penn State missed on the top two recruits in Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) and Bo Bassett (Iowa).
But in James, the program landed what it hopes will be a future star. James, who wrestles at Delbarton High School in New Jersey, is coming off a state championship at the 150-pound weight class. So, yeah, he’s pretty good. He’s also been good atFolkstyle, recently winning a U17 U.S. Open Championship.
Not long after James committed to Penn State, NSN caught up with his trainer, Khaled Dassan of the KD Training Center.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Dassan described James as “a perfect fit for Penn State.”
“He’s a relentless competitor who’s fully committed to improving every day,” he said. “He genuinely loves the sport, and that passion, combined with his work ethic, makes him an ideal match for Cael’s room.”
Dassan feels James’ “most significant growth” has come within the past year.
“After taking a few tough losses at states and the World Team Trials, he made a major shift in mindset — moving away from being outcome-focused to prioritizing performance and striving to become the best version of himself,” Dassan said.”
The “best version” of James, per Dassan, is pretty darn good.
“Jayden is incredibly positive and a great teammate,” Dassan said. “He brings energy to every room he walks into and lifts up the people around him. He’s the kind of person who makes the environment better.”
James is now in the semifinals.
