It looked like Penn State wrestling would have Levi Haines back; now, it doesn’t look as promising.
We don’t yet know whether Haines will be granted a fifth year of eligibility, but a recent ruling means he would have to file a temporary restraining order against the NCAA to make that happen.
If Penn State has Haines back, it will add a guy with two national titles, three national final appearances, four Big Ten championships and four All-America finishes to its lineup.
If Penn State doesn’t have Haines back, well, it’ll probably still be pretty good.
Here’s an updated look at Nittany Sports Now’s projected 2026-27 Penn State wrestling lineup.
125: Luke Lilledahl
133: Marcus Blaze
141: Masanosuke Ono
149: Shayne Van Ness
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.157: PJ Duke
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink
174: Jayden James
Even if Haines doesn’t have another year of eligibility, Penn State will be just fine at 174. PSU will be fine if William Henckel, who was a World Silver Medalist at last year’s U20 championships, is the guy at 174, and it will be fine if Jayden James, this year’s World Silver Medalist, is the guy, too.
For now, we projected James as the starter because his high school and freestyle accolades are impossible to ignore. It will be a challenge for him to bump up from his freestyle weight (163 pounds), but if that’s the main roadblock, we think he’ll take care of it.
184: Rocco Welsh
197: Josh Barr
Heavyweight: Connor Mirasola
Penn State will be heavily favored to win its 14th national title in the last 16 seasons.
