The NCAA just made life easier for Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson.
Not that the guy who has led 13 of the past 15 national champions needed much help, to be clear.
But one dilemma that Sanderson has face constantly over the years is: To redshirt or not to redshirt?
He won’t have that anymore thanks to the NCAA’s ruling.
The NCAA voted Tuesday afternoon to approve an age-based eligibility model known as “five for five.”
This model makes the redshirt obsolete. Instead, athletes will have five years to compete, with the clock beginning either when they enroll or the first academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
So what does this mean for Penn State wrestling?
Well, it means that there odds of Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke being in the starting lineup next season just skyrocketed.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Under the old eligibility rules, it would have been fair to wonder what the plan would be for Blaze and Duke’s sophomore seasons.
With Nate Desmond waiting in the wings at either 133 or 141, it may have made sense for Sanderson to redshirt Blaze.
With Tyler Kasak, the 2025 Big Ten Champion at 157, set to return from his redshirt, it was conceivable for him to start and Duke to use his redshirt.
Now, it looks like the only way for Blaze and Duke to not return to the PSU starting lineup is if they are beaten for their jobs.
Considering Duke finished third at his weight class as a true freshman and Blaze finished fourth— and is now a member of the Senior World Team— that will be hard to do.
The ruling is also not retroactive, which means that, as expected, two-time national champion Levi Haines will not have an extension of eligibility.
