Penn State wrestling flips top 5 recruit from Virginia Tech

Penn State wrestling just won the national title for the fourth consecutive season and broke the NCAA Championships points record for the second year in a row last weekend in Philadelphia. On Monday, Cael Sanderson picked up a commitment from Japanese World Champion Masanosuke Ono, who is set to join the program next season.

The good news keeps pouring into Happy Valley this week. On Tuesday, the Nittany Lions flipped top-five 2026 recruit Jayden James from Virginia Tech.

More Nittany Lion News: The #4 overall recruit in the country according to @MatScouts1 Class of 2026 Big Board, Jayden James, has flipped his commitment from Virginia Tech to Penn State. pic.twitter.com/h2hOl8StMO

— Justin Basch (@JustinJBasch) March 25, 2025

Penn State wrestling boosts 2026 class with massive flip

The Hokies’ top commitment, James is ranked as the No. 2 150-pounder by MatScouts and No. 4 overall by FloWrestling for the class of 2026. The Delbarton (NJ) wrestler won at Fargo last summer at 150 pounds and just captured a New Jersey state title this season after finishing a perfect 38-0. He projects to be a 165/174-pound wrestler for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State wrestling now has two commitments in the 2026 cycle. James joins Sam Herring, who committed in November. Before the commitment, Penn State was No. 17 in FloWrestling’s 2026 class rankings, while Virginia Tech sat at No. 6. The Nittany Lions will most likely move up into the top 3 following James’s announcement, as Cael Sanderson now has commitments from the No. 4 and No. 20 ranked wrestlers in the country.

A loaded roster, again

Penn State wrestling will enter next season with one of the deepest rosters in NCAA history. The Nittany Lions return seven of their 10 All-Americans and project to fill the rest of the lineup with top recruits.

Sanderson will have multiple options at the lighter weights with the return of NCAA fifth-place finisher Braeden Davis (133) and third-place finishers Luke Lilledahl (125), Shayne Van Ness (149), and Tyler Kasak (157). On the back side, the Nittany Lions have multiple highly ranked wrestlers from the 2024 recruiting class, including No. 5 Zack Ryder (184), No. 6 Joe Sealey (165), No. 7 Connor Mirasola (197), and No. 15 Cole Mirasola (285).

If that wasn’t enough, Penn State wrestling will welcome the No. 1 and No. 2 recruits from the 2025 cycle, Marcus Blaze (133/141) and PJ Duke (157/165), to campus next fall. Add in their recent international success with Ono’s commitment, and 2026 is already shaping up to be another dominant season for the Nittany Lions.

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