Whether its fair or not, the expectation many have for Penn State wrestling true freshman PJ Duke is for him to be an all-time great, and Nittany Sports Now caught up with a guy who is at that level.
Not many in the history of wrestling have done it better than Kyle Dake.
At Cornell, Dake became the third wrestler to win four national championships.
After college, Dake started one of the most decorated freestyle careers in USA Wrestling history, winning four World Championships and two Olympic Bronze Medals.
It takes a rare breed to have that type of success, and Duke has already shown himself to be cut from a different cloth, making the Senior World Team this summer as a senior in high school.
The Kid is Alright: Penn State Wrestling Commit PJ Duke Shocks The World
Dake and Duke have known each other for a while, first crossing paths at wrestling camps in Ithaca, New York, where Cornell is located.
Now, the two are working together, with Dake competing at Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
For Dake, Duke’s desire for greatness sets him apart.
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WHAT DAKE SAID
“He just wants to be great,” he said. “He wants to go out and score points. He’s a really strong competitor. He’s really good in a lot of positions, strong, knows how to play to his strengths and also knows how to improve on some of his weaknesses.
“He’s been at Penn State for a few months now, and being able to be there with him and help him, even if its only a couple of times, just seeing it and talking to the coaches, like ‘hey, this is something I think PJ can make an adjustment on.”
Dake then listed some of Duke’s accolades.
“He won the Junior World Championship,” he said. “He competed at the Senior World Championships, he competed at the U23 world championships. For him to go out and compete at three different world championships in one summer is a lot, so for him, it’s just kind of managing what he already does really well.
“He’s still young. He has a lot of time to improve and continue to get better.”
HE’S STARTING
Many speculated all summer whether Duke would start at Penn State. Coach Cael Sanderson seemed to that confirm in his media day presser Tuesday when he said there’s a good chance that Tyler Kasak redshirts, which would make Duke the guy at 157.
Kasak entered last year’s NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed, so Duke earning that spot over him speaks to what his skill level is.
