Penn State wrestling star PJ Duke will be competing to retain a spot on the USA’s World Team, and will be doing so at a new weight class.
Last summer, Duke, straight out of high school, surprised a lot of people by making it to the Senior World Team, beating four-time NCAA Champ Yianni Diakomihalis twice to do so.
The Kid is Alright: Penn State Wrestling Commit PJ Duke Shocks The World
Now, with a year of college experience under his belt that ended with a third-place finish at the national championships, Duke is competing at 74 KG, up from 70 last summer.
74 KG is equal to roughly 163 pounds, which would put Duke much closer to the 165 pound weight class than 157, where he competed as a true freshman.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but this weight change will make people curious about where Duke will fit in Penn State’s lineup.
As of right now, there are plenty of options.
157
Duke competing closer to 165 for freestyle doesn’t necessarily mean his return to 157 next season is out of play. For one, the weight gap isn’t huge, and Duke should physically be able to move back down to 157 if that’s determined to be the best course of action. There’s also the question of Tyler Kasak’s health.
Kasak, who redshirted last season, has dealt with injuries in his time at Penn State, having to medically default out of a match in 2025 and recently having to default out of the U.S. Open.
Even if Kasak is healthy, there’s a possibility that he and Duke could wrestle for the position.
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In a lot of lineups, Duke would be able to move up to 165. Penn State’s case is a little different because, well, the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the country happens to be at that weight.
Mitchell Mesenbrink could move up to 174, and that decision could depend on the effect that would have on his freestyle career, where he currently competes at 74 KG and figures to be a factor in the 2028 Olympic Trials. If Mesenbrink moves up and Kasak is good to go at 157, the logical thing would be to move Duke up to 165.
174
Going to 174 would require Duke to move up two weight classes, and considering Penn State has one of the best recruits in the country in Jayden James and returner Will Henckel as options for that class, it’s possible that coach Cael Sanderson and company wouldn’t be inclined to push Duke to gain extra weight.
But as of now, anything is on the table.
5 for 5
A new factor that could be in place this season is the “five for five” proposal.
“Five for five” is what it sounds like: The idea of athletes having five years of eligibility instead of four.
But this doesn’t mean that, say, athletes who redshirt their first year can be with a program for six years instead of five. Therefore, as much as Penn State would love to have 2026 Hodge Trophy winner Mesenbrink back for two more years instead of one, this would not change his eligibility situation since he’ll be going into Year 5.
If “five for five” comes to pass this summer, it would make the redshirt virtually obsolete, and make it more likely that, if Duke isn’t moving up, he’d battle Kasak for the spot at 157.
In any case, nobody knows where this is going yet.
But what’s clear is that Duke has the potential to be a multi-time national champion, and could get there as soon as next March.
