Penn State wrestling: 6 Nittany Lions ranked in pound-for-pound top 20 for 2025

The Penn State wrestling dynasty has been running hot for a while, but it feels like Cael Sanderson may now have the Nittany Lions performing at peak efficiency. After producing one of the most talented teams in NCAA history this last season, Sanderson and the Nittany Lions are on track to potentially surpass that mark in 2024-25. The way-too-early season rankings are already littered with Penn State wrestlers heading into next year, with six Nittany Lions in FloWrestling’s newest pound-for-pound top 20.

Penn State wrestling has six in pound for pound top 20

Cael Sanderson and Penn State wrestling once again flexed their dominance over the sport with the latest pound-for-pound rankings released by FloWrestling in mid-May. The Nittany Lions have five wrestlers ranked in the top 11 and six in the top 20 list.

The next closest school was Arizona State, with two wrestlers ranked 14th and 15th, respectively.

Carter Starocci leads the way as the No. 1 overall ranked wrestler in the country. Starocci will be chasing an unprecedented 5th NCAA Championship in 2025. After competing his entire career at 174 pounds, he will likely be moving up in weight this upcoming season. FloWrestling is projecting him to compete at 197 pounds.

Other Nittany Lions in the rankings include No. 5 Greg Kerkvliet (HWT), No. 6 Levi Haines (157), No. 9 Beau Bartlett (141), No. 11 Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), and No. 17 Shayne Van Ness (149). There is still some uncertainty about exactly where these wrestlers will all fit in Cael Sanderson’s 2025 lineup.

Depth on display throughout Nittany Lions’ lineup

Everything points to Levi Haines moving up to 174 pounds, given how difficult it was for him to cut weight at 157 last season.

That could mean a wrestler like Tyler Kasak or Shayne Van Ness moves up to 157 pounds. Or potentially, Mitchell Mesenbrink could move down to 157, leaving Alex Facundo or Levi Haines to slot in at 165 pounds.

Regardless, there will be an odd man out of the lineup this upcoming season. With No. 1 overall recruit Luke Lilledahlpotentially taking the starting spot at 125 pounds, Braeden Davis and Aaron Nagao will likely compete for 133 pounds. If Lilledahl moves into the lineup, it may bump everyone a weight class, and ultimately, at least two great wrestlers get left out of the 10 starting spots.

This might not be as big of a deal for someone like Braeden Davis or Tyler Kasak, who both competed as true freshmen last season and still have their redshirt as an option. With Carter Starocci, Greg Kerkvliet, and Beau Bartlett all using their final year of eligibility in 2025, the lineup will open up a little more in 2026.

Of course, that does not consider the multiple No. 1 recruiting classes that Cael Sanderson has stacked in Happy Valley. The Penn State wrestling room is deep and looks like the Death Star as we head into this season.

Even with David Taylor now recruiting at a high level at Oklahoma State, it will take a few years before we know if it has any impact on Penn State’s depth.

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