Carter Starocci pushes for Penn State wrestling dual at Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium, I have one question for you: Are you ready for Penn State wrestling? Nittany Lions superstar Carter Starocci is. On Thursday, the four-time National Champion took to social media to push for the possibility of having Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions take the mat inside the historic venue this November. What would this potentially record-breaking dual look like?

Carter Starocci proposes Penn State wrestling dual in Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium has been in the news recently after a successful Luke Combs concert saw 80,000 people pack the largest non-football event ever held at the venue. Athletic Director Pat Kraft has made it known that he wants more non-football events in the historic stadium. Many have thought that a stadium series hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins is the obvious choice.

But Penn State wrestling superstar Carter Starocci has a different idea. It’s also been a week of news for Starocci, who announced Wednesday night that he will be returning to Happy Valley to chase an unprecedented fifth NCAA title. Now, the star wrestler has gone on record as wanting the Nittany Lions to take the mat inside Beaver Stadium this fall.

“Now let’s sell out the Beaver Stadium in November,” Carter Starocci posted on social media Thursday morning.

Now let’s sell out the beaver stadium in November 👀

— Carter Starocci (@carterstarocci) May 2, 2024

What could the dual look like?

This wouldn’t be the first time that prominent FBS programs took advantage of massive football venues to host other sports. Rutgers did it back in 2016 when the Scarlet Knights wrestled Princeton at 11 a.m. ahead of a primetime matchup with Penn State football. The Nittany Lions wouldn’t need to combine events into one day, as both wrestling and football are big enough on their own.

It would make more sense to mirror the Grapple on the Gridiron event that Iowa held in November of 2015. The Hawkeyes entered No. 4 in the country and were hosting the No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa upset Oklahoma State 18-16 in front of a record 42,287 fans, and it was the first time that two college teams had wrestled in a Division I football stadium. The match was also broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, gaining additional exposure for the sport.

If Penn State wrestling were to host a dual inside Beaver Stadium, it would most likely be the biggest crowd to ever attend an NCAA wrestling event. The passion for Penn State wrestling and the support of the sport in Pennsylvania alone would make this event massive. The only other program that could maybe fill up a stadium would be Iowa with Kinnick Stadium’s 69,250.

So that means that as long as Penn State wrestling fans filled up Beaver Stadium at least 70% capacity, the record would most likely not be able to be broken. While Michigan and Ohio State have good wrestling programs, they aren’t in states that have a passion for wrestling like Pennsylvania.  There currently aren’t any SEC schools that have a wrestling program, so that eliminates a large contingent of the 100,000+ seat stadiums.

Possible opponents for the Nittany Lions

Anytime that you want to draw a big crowd to a match that is not in your traditional venue, it needs to be a good team. That is why Penn State wrestling typically attempts to schedule one of the best teams on its home schedule for the BJC dual every winter. Teams like Iowa, Ohio State, and Michigan have all faced the Nittany Lions in the larger venue.

Being that this match would happen in November, it would have to be a non-conference opponent. That limits some of the teams that Penn State could schedule, because most of the top programs in the country reside in the Big Ten. Nevertheless, there are still a few candidates.

The top team on the list, just from a history perspective, is Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have the most national titles in NCAA history with 34, and are widely considered a blueblood in the sport. Oklahoma State is considered the top team outside of the Big Ten and would certainly be ranked inside the preseason top 10.

Both Virginia Tech and Cornell could be good matchups, as both finished inside the top seven at the 2024 NCAA Championships and return a bunch of key wrestlers for 2025. It also would be teams that are a bit closer and could potentially bring some away fans to the dual, giving a better chance to break the attendance record.

Other top teams to keep an eye on would be Iowa State, Arizona State, Missouri, and NC State. But no matter the opponent, it would certainly be one of the most hyped-up events in the history of Penn State athletics.

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