Marcus Blaze expecting to compete at 133 pounds for Penn State wrestling

Penn State wrestling may have fielded a historic roster this past season, but the Nittany Lions have even more depth heading into 2026. The additions of star recruits Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke, as well as world champion Masanosuke Ono, will make the Nittany Lions’ lineup terrifying for the Big Ten and beyond next year.

However, the question many have heading into the summer is where all the new pieces will fit into an already-loaded roster. Penn State only loses Beau Bartlett (141), Carter Starocci (184), and Greg Kerkvliet (285) from its record-setting 2025 lineup.

Now, we are getting more clarity about Cael Sanderson’s next steps at the lower weights. Discussing the matter on FloWrestling Radio Live, analyst Christian Pyles reports that Marcus Blaze expects to compete at 133 pounds as a true freshman.

“Marcus is going be wrestling 133,” Pyles commented. “He said that is his plan; that’s why he’s going down to 61 [kg for freestyle] again. He said that’s his better weight and that he plans to wrestle there for the NCAA season.”

The No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2025, it’s highly possible that Blaze will start for Penn State wrestling as a true freshman, much like Luke Lilledahl a year ago. The Nittany Lions have a logjam of talent at 133 and 141, with Blaze, Masanosuke Ono, Braeden Davis, and Aaron Nagao all eligible to compete in 2026.

According to Pyles, Ono is currently trending toward redshirting next year as the Japanese world champion continues the transition to folkstyle wrestling.

Penn State wrestling has a decision at 141 pounds

If Blaze ultimately starts at 133, that means Davis and Nagao would likely be in a battle to replace Beau Bartlett at 141.

Wrestling at 133, Davis finished 2025 as an All-American, placing fifth at the NCAA Championships. Nagao has been hampered by injury since arriving in Happy Valley but finished fifth at 133 in the 2023 NCAA Championships with Minnesota. He was eliminated in the round of 12 during his first season as a Nittany Lion in 2024 and did not wrestle in 2025 while recovering from offseason surgery.

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