Sanderson: Prospective Penn State starter still recovering from ‘major surgery,’ out for season

Penn State wrestling will test its highly-touted depth early in its quest for a fourth consecutive National Championship this season. On Monday, Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson announced that former All-American and last year’s 133-pound starter Aaron Nagao will be sidelined for the foreseeable future while still recovering from offseason surgery. 

“He won’t be back anytime soon,” Sanderson told reporters during his weekly media session. “He had a major surgery. Had an injury last spring and had surgery right away.

“But it’s an injury that you take as much time [as you need to recover] – and even more than you need – just to ensure the long-term health. So, he’s not trying to get back anytime soon.”

Aaron Nagao began his career at Minnesota, where he went 29-9 over two seasons. As a redshirt freshman, Nagao went 22-6 and finished as an All-American in fifth place at the 2023 NCAA Championships. 

Transferring into the Penn State wrestling program as a sophomore, Nagao entered 2023-24 as the preseason No. 3 wrestler at 133. However, he struggled to gain his footing in his first year as a Nittany Lion, battling illness and injury all season on his way to a 17-7 record and a round of 12 exit at Nationals. 

How will Nagao’s injury impact Penn State wrestling?

While Braeden Davis appears to have claimed the starter’s spot at 133 after moving up from 125 this offseason, Nagao’s injury still has major implications for Penn State wrestling. Davis, entering the year as InterMat’s No. 7 wrestler at 133, suffered an injury in the Nittany Lions’ season opener against Drexel. Cael Sanderson has expressed optimism about Davis’s status, but his timeline for return is still unclear. 

If Davis is ultimately out for an extended period, Sanderson could always turn to some of the younger wrestlers in his program. We saw it last season when Tyler Kasak came in after Shayne Van Ness suffered a season-ending injury. Kasak went on to finish third at the NCAAs. 

Penn State wrestling will take on Lehigh on Sunday at the PPL Center. The match will be broadcast at 2:00 pm ET on FloWrestling.

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