Penn State’s new wrestling roster has one notable absence: Braeden Davis.
The All-American is no longer listed on the team’s roster just two days before the Nittany Lions open the season against Bloomsburg on Thursday, Nov. 12, in Rec Hall. Penn State officials did not immediately respond for comment on his situation on Wednesday, Nov. 11, so it remains unclear whether the Belleville, Michigan native and former Big Ten champion is off the team in the short term or for good.
Davis’ absence lands at a strange moment for a program that is chasing history. Penn State is the five-time defending national champion, and coach Cael Sanderson’s team is riding an NCAA-record 86-match winning streak.
If Davis were in the lineup, he would have had a difficult road to a starting spot anyway. The competition at 133 or 141 pounds includes Japanese world champion Masanosuke Ono, fourth-place NCAA finisher Marcus Blaze and promising sophomore Nate Desmond.
Davis’ Penn State career has already taken plenty of turns. He won the starting job at 125 pounds as a true freshman in 2023-24 and delivered right away, capturing a Big Ten title, finishing 21-4 and placing at the NCAA Championships.
The next season brought a move to 133 pounds, where he finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships before bouncing back to earn his first and only All-America honor. He took fifth at the NCAA Championships and closed the year at 17-7.
Last season, Davis had planned to redshirt and train with the team, but he was needed again when Aaron Nagao was injured. That pushed Davis up to 141 pounds, where he went 14-7. His results were uneven, though he still qualified for the NCAA Championships before being knocked out in the Round of 16.
Davis also dealt with a legal issue before the 2025-26 season. In March of 2025, he was charged with resisting arrest and public drunkenness, among other misdemeanors, stemming from an incident at a fraternity house.
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For Penn State, the midweek news also carried a tougher football note, with head coach Matt Campbell saying wide receiver Koby Howard is unlikely to return this season because of injury. Elsewhere around the athletic department, there was more positive momentum as wrestlers Mitchell Mesenbrink and Shayne Van Ness were named Big Ten Wrestlers to Watch for 2026-27, and womens volleyball climbed to No. 10 in the AVCA Poll after a recent win. [Read more 🡒]