Penn State wrestling is going to have a good lineup next season.
Actually, it’s going to be a great lineup.
It might even be the best ever, but it will be a long time before we know that for sure.
Even still, it’s never too early to talk about what the lineup might be.
Here are Nittany Sports Now’s first of many projected Penn State wrestling lineups between now and November.
125
Luke Lilledahl
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Luke Lilledahl
No explanation needed here. Lilledahl, the reigning national champ, is the best 125-pounder in the country, and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue in his junior season.
133
Masanosuke Ono
The question isn’t whether Ono will be on the Penn State starting lineup, it’s where he will fit.
Ono, the 2024 Senior Wold Champion, is best known for his success in freestyle, and he competes at 61 KG, which translates to just over 134 pounds. So although it’s possible that Ono goes up to 141, it seems to make the most sense for him to be at 133.
141
Marcus Blaze
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Marcus Blaze
Blaze was one of the best at 133 pounds as a true freshman, taking fourth at the national championships in Cleveland to become an All-American. It’s possible that Blaze redshirts. The idea of coach Cael Sanderson and company having him available in 2029-30 doesn’t sound too bad for Penn State.
For the here and now, PSU has Braeden Davis, who started this year at 141, and Nate Desmond, a Swiss-army knife who impressed in a brief sample at 141 this year. But with Oklahoma State becoming more and more of a threat, it’s easy to see Sanderson wanting to use the best lineup possible, and that lineup would feature Blaze.
149
Shayne Van Ness
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Shayne Van Ness
Van Ness was the No. 1 seed at 149 going into the NCAA Championships and came within one match of winning it all. He’ll be running it back next year.
157
Tyler Kasak
After taking his redshirt year to make room for freshman sensation PJ Duke, we might be seeing the reverse this year. It’s natural to think that either both Duke and Blaze redshirt or neither do. But the difference between Duke in Blaze is that, if Duke redshirts, Penn State already has a guy who has proven himself to be one of the nation’s best to take his place. Kasak came into the 2025 NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed at 157 and ended up finishing in third. He’s more than capable of winning a national championship, and with Mesenbrink gone after this year, Duke will be back in no time.
165
Mitchell Mesenbrink
Mitchell Mesenbrink celebrates his victory over Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.On the one hand, Mesenbrink has won 54 matches in a row— most of them handily— at 165, plus two national championships and a Dan Hodge Trophy, so he has nothing left to prove at that weight class.
On the other, he is quite good at freestyle, and for him to go up to 174, he’d be at roughly 79 KG, a weight class that does not exist in the Olympics.
By the time Mesenbrink is done at Penn State, the Olympic Trials will be roughly a year away, so for that reason, it makes the most sense for Mesenbrink to stay at 165.
174
Will Henckel
If Mesenbrink stays at 65, 174 will likely be a battle between Henckel and Jayden James.
James, the No. 2 wrestler in the Class of 2026 per FloWrestling, could well be a star one day.
But Henckel, who redshirted this season and was a U20 World Silver Medalist last year, has more experience. James, who competed at 165 in his senior year of high school but had to gain almost 30 pounds in two seasons to do that, might still need time to get to the right size for 174.
This prediction is subject to change, but for now, Henckel is the pick.
184
Rocco Welsh
Photo by Sydney Kaschalk, Nittany Sports Now: Rocco Welsh
See Shayne Van Ness.
197
Josh Barr
Barr was the best wrestler in the country not named Mitchell Mesenbrink. He isn’t going anywhere.
Heavyweight
Mirasola showed flashes of being one of the best heavyweights in the country last season, with his win over Ohio State star Nick Feldman being one of the most exciting moments of Penn State’s dual meet season.
Sudden Victories: Penn State Wrestling Gets it Done in Crunch Time
Mirasola didn’t become an All-American in late March, but if you look at his record, seven of his eight losses were to All-Americans, with three of them being to Michigan’s Taye Ghadiali, who ended up finishing in third at the national championships.
Ghadiali is out of eligibility, as are national champion Isaac Trumble (NC State) and national runner-up Yonger Bastida (Iowa State).
Of the eight All-Americans at heavyweight, five won’t be back next season, which could open the door for Mirasola.
