Three more Penn State wrestlers hit transfer portal

Penn State wrestling remains the standard in the college wrestling world, recently finishing off the program’s 12th national championship in the past fourteen tournaments with All-Americans at all ten weight classes. A roster with that much depth creates a backlog of talented wrestlers who may be inclined to search for an opportunity elsewhere. The Nittany Lions are experiencing this situation firsthand this week, with a wave of wrestlers entering the transfer portal at season’s end.

Three additional Penn State wrestlers enter transfer portal

According to various reports, David Evans, AJ Fricchione, and Aurelius Dunbar all will enter the transfer portal. Penn State wrestling has seen six Nittany Lions enter the portal over the last week, with Alex Facundo, Gary Steen, and Marco Vespa also looking for new homes.

The exodus is most likely due to a confluence of factors, including new roster limitations that will force Cael Sanderson to cap his team at 30 wrestlers and an influx of new talent from the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class in 2025.

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David Evans (141/149)

David Evans ends his Penn State wrestling career with a record of 30-9. Evans wrestled at 133 pounds his redshirt freshman season, going 10-4. He then bumped up to 141, where he finished with an 8-2 record. Last season, he moved up another weight class to 149, finishing with a 12-3 record. During the 2024 season, Evans went 3-0 during dual meets, including a 2-0 record in the Big Ten.

Before his time in State College, Evans was a two-time PIAA state qualifier and placed fourth as a senior. He will have one season of eligibility left.

AJ Fricchione (197)

AJ Fricchione enters the portal after three seasons with the Penn State wrestling program. During his freshman season, Fricchione went 2-2 overall, including a 2-1 record at Mat-Town II.

Fricchione was a four-time state placer in New Jersey before arriving in Happy Valley. He had interest from Indiana, Navy, Oregon State, and Virginia during his recruitment. Fricchione will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Aurelius Dunbar (157/165/174)

Aurelius Dunbar went 10-10 with a 50% bonus during his time with the Nittany Lions. Dunbar was 3-2 this season, although all five appearances were at the Southern Scuffle. He did not compete in any duals for Penn State.

In high school, Dunbar went 116-22 at Mercersburg Academy, where he was a four-time Prep All-American. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

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