Penn State wrestling enters the 2026-27 season with the same familiar expectation attached to it: win everything.
Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions are projected to chase a sixth straight national title and a 14th championship in the last 16 years. That kind of run has become routine in State College, where the program has also piled up an NCAA dual meet win streak record that now sits at 86 and counting. Penn State added another layer to its recent dominance by setting the school record for shutouts in a season with eight, and it has also broken the NCAA Championships team points record in each of the past two years.
The streaks around this program are almost absurd at this point. Penn State has not lost a dual meet of any kind in seven seasons, and it has gone 12 straight years without a home loss.
The roster again looks loaded. Defending NCAA champions Luke Lilledahl at 125 pounds, Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165 or 174, and Josh Barr at 197 headline the group. The Lions also bring back NCAA finalists Shayne Van Ness at 149 and Rocco Welsh at 184, along with third- and fourth-place finishers PJ Duke and Marcus Blaze.
The schedule is packed with early tests, road trips and the usual Big Ten grind. Penn State opens at home against Bloomsburg on Nov. 12 before heading to Oklahoma on Nov.
- The team then goes to the Army Black Knight Invitational in West Point, New York, on Nov. 22 and hosts the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov.
December brings more travel and a full slate of duals. Penn State visits Lehigh on Dec. 6, hosts West Virginia on Dec. 13 at the Bryce Jordan Center, and then heads to Vestal, New York, for the Collegiate Wrestling Duals on Dec.
- There, the Lions will face Oregon State at 11 a.m., Duke at 1 p.m. and Binghamton at 3 p.m.
Big Ten action begins in January with a trip to Rutgers on Jan. 9.
Penn State then returns home for Michigan on Jan. 15 at the Bryce Jordan Center and Maryland on Jan. 17.
The conference stretch continues with road meets at Michigan State on Jan. 22 and Minnesota on Jan. 29, with Wisconsin visiting Happy Valley on Jan. 24.
February closes with another major home showdown when Iowa comes to the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 5.
Penn State then travels to Ohio State on Feb. 12 before hosting Northern Colorado on Feb. 19.
The postseason lands in Columbus for the Big Ten Championships on March 6-7 at Nationwide Arena, followed by the NCAA Championships in St. Louis from March 18-20 at Enterprise Center.
In Other News...
Penn State Wrestling Suddenly Has A Braeden Davis Problem
Braeden Davis is suddenly missing from Penn States wrestling roster just as the season is about to get underway, and the timing makes the situation hard to ignore. A wrestler who has already carved out a significant place in the program, Davis won a Big Ten title and earned All-American honors during his time in Happy Valley, making his absence a notable development for a team that usually enters the year with championship expectations.
What remains unclear is whether this is a short-term change or something more lasting, and Penn State officials have not commented on his status. Davis also dealt with legal issues in 2025, adding another layer to a situation that now leaves more questions than answers for a program that rarely has to deal with uncertainty this close to the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A Big Concern In A Tricky Minnesota Test
Penn State heads into a tricky Big Ten road test against Minnesota with both teams coming off a demanding stretch, and the matchup looks like it could be decided in the trenches. The Gophers have already been tested by quality opponents, and the Nittany Lions know they will need clean work from both lines, steady special teams play and sharp execution from their skill players to avoid letting a physical game drift into a grind.
Injuries and recent player developments only add to the uncertainty around this one, with both sides carrying some fresh questions into kickoff. For Penn State, the concern is less about one isolated area than the overall balance of the matchup, because Minnesota has enough across the board to make this a difficult afternoon if the Lions are even a little off in any phase. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces One Brutal Reality In Its Quarterback Search
The quarterback market in college football has moved into a different stratosphere, and Penn State is staring at that reality as it tries to sort out its next starter. According to a report by On3, top-tier quarterbacks are now expected to command between $4 million and $7 million a season through NIL deals, a range that underscores how expensive the position has become for programs trying to reload quickly.
For Penn State, the timing makes the challenge even sharper. Rocco Becht is set to depart, leaving Alex Manske as an unproven option, and the Nittany Lions have to navigate a search in a market where Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is reportedly finalizing a deal worth up to $9 million with incentives. The concern is not just finding the right fit on the field, but whether Penn State can keep pace financially with the schools chasing the same elite quarterbacks. [Read more 🡒]