Former Penn State wrestling star named head coach at prominent wrestling club

The Cael Sanderson coaching tree continues to extend its roots. Two-time National Champion Vincenzo Joseph is set to join the North Carolina wrestling program, being named as the head coach of the Tar Heel Wrestling Club on Monday. The former Penn State wrestling star had recently retired from competition and was serving as the recruiting coordinator at Arizona State.

Vincenzo Joseph to take over Tar Heel Wrestling Club

On Monday, ex-Penn State wrestling star Vincenzo Joseph accepted the head coaching role for the Tar Heel Wrestling Club. The news comes from Justin Basch, Joseph’s former co-host on the Baschamania podcast.  Joseph is one of many former Nittany Lions who are continuing their careers in the coaching ranks recently.

Time for @CenzoJoseph to head back to the East Coast!
He'll be joining the @UNCWrestling team in Chapel Hill as Head Coach of the @TarHeelWC. Excited for him & this next chapter! pic.twitter.com/CjdD2oITs9

— Justin Basch (@JustinJBasch) May 20, 2024

Vincenzo Joseph was a key wrestler in the second four-peat National Championship run by Cael Sanderson at Penn State. During his career, he was a four-time All-American from 2017-2020. He also won two consecutive NCAA titles at 165 pounds in 2017 and 2018, and finished as a finalist in 2019.

Joseph was a top contender for the 2020 National Championship before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nittany Lion standout finished his career with a 99-9 record and 28 pins.

Nittany Lions star moved to coaching immediately after leaving Happy Valley

The two-time National Champion’s first stop after leaving State College was to Stanford, where he served as an assistant coach during the 2021-22 season. Vincenzo Joseph then made the move to Tempe, Arizona, to join the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the summer of 2022. This led to his hiring as the recruiting coordinator for Arizona State a year later in August 2023.

The move to the Tar Heel Wrestling Club signifies another step in the progression of his coaching career. With Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club announcing that it is disbanding after the 2024 Olympic Games, it makes sense for Joseph to move on to another location with more stability.

Joseph recently announced his retirement from competition following the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April. The ex-Nittany Lion cited injuries as a major reason behind the decision.

Penn State wrestling floodgates are now open

David Taylor appears to have opened up the Penn State wrestling coaching dam. After the Nittany Lions legend was announced as the Oklahoma State head coach, it appears that more former Penn State greats are doing the same.

Mark Hall was hired as the recruiting coordinator for Oklahoma last week. This came after he retired from international wrestling at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials just last month. Bryan Pearsall took the same role at Oklahoma State over the weekend, following his teammate David Taylor to Stillwater. Now, Vincenzo Joseph is making the move to the Tar Heel Wrestling Club, marking yet another Penn State wrestling great who is moving elsewhere.

This isn’t too surprising when you consider the program’s progression under Cael Sanderson. He has been the head coach for Penn State wrestling for over a decade now, which is about the length of time it took some of his initial wrestlers to retire from their competitive careers and begin to look into coaching.

With Casey Cunningham and Cody Sanderson seemingly set in stone on the Penn State wrestling staff, the spots are really limited in State College. After assistant coach Jimmy Kennedy followed Taylor to Oklahoma State, that opened up one spot on the coaching staff, which was promptly filled by Nick Lee.

Despite that rare opening, there simply aren’t enough positions at Penn State wrestling and the NLWC to keep all of the Penn State wrestling icons in Happy Valley. Don’t be surprised if the Cael Sanderson coaching tree explodes around the country and soon begins to look like what Dan Gable had toward the end of his coaching tenure at Iowa.

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