The old saying goes, “getting to the top is easy, staying there is the hard part”. Penn State wrestling reached the top of the college wrestling landscape in 2011, and has not looked back since. The Nittany Lions have won eight national titles at the last ten NCAA tournaments, which includes two stretches of four consecutive national championships.
In each of those runs, Penn State has been led by multiple “core” wrestlers that would always seem impossible to replace. There were the Taylor, Ruth, and Wright years, who led one of the most dominant runs in NCAA wrestling history. Nico Megaludis seemed to bridge the gap into the Retherford, Nolf, Nickal, Hall, and Joseph years, which almost mirrored the success Penn State had from 2011 – 2014. Despite how many All-Americans and National Champions Penn State loses, they seem to always stay in the national title hunt.
How? The answer is simple – recruiting.
There is arguably no one better than Penn State Wrestling when it comes to recruiting in college athletics. On an almost annual basis, the Nittany Lions bring in a top five recruiting class, that seems to be almost as good, if not better, than the year prior. In the previous five years, Penn State has ranked 2nd, 3rd, 1st, NR, and 4th in the national recruiting rankings.
This year, Penn State welcomes in the top recruiting class in the country, which features wrestlers who have found state, national, and even world success. The 2021 class is made up of four recruits, three of which who were ranked in the top 100 on Flowrestling’s 2021 Big Board.
Here is a look at the newcomers Penn State wrestling is bringing in for the 2021 – 22 season.
GARY STEEN (REYNOLDS - PA) - 125LBS…..
Originally, Gary Steen did not intend on going to Penn State. The Pennsylvania native was first committed to Pitt, just an hour and a half south of his hometown. In January of this year, Steen gave Penn State fans a pleasant surprise, flipping his commitment to the Nittany Lions. With Robbie Howard, who has some health concerns, sitting at 125-lbs, the commitment gives Penn State depth at a weight that they were not very deep at in recent years. Even with the rumors of Nick Suriano possibly making a return to State College, Steen is a recruit fans should be excited about, as he will be a high-quality long-term option at 125-lbs moving forward. Steen is four-time PIAA place winner, and two-time PIAA Statie Champion, going 1st, 3rd, 1st, and 3rd over his four years at Reynolds High School. Steen has also won gold at the Powerade and Ironman, in addition to a podium appearance at Fargo in 2018. Steen finished fourth in the national rankings at 126-lbs, and 29th on Flo’s 2021 Big Board.
PSU COMPARISON -- JIMMY GUILBON
Initially, this comparison might scare some fans, as Gulibon never reached the expectations set for him coming into college. Gulibon, despite not reaching his potential, still had a decent career at Penn State which included three NCAA tournament appearances, and a fifth-place finish in 2015. Where Gary Steen most resembles Gulibon is from the top position. Gulibon was dangerous on top, with a tough ride and the ability to tilt an opponent at any given time. Steen has that patented “Pennsylvania tilt” in his arsenal, which he has hit on some of the top high school wrestlers in the country. Steen will also throw a boot in, and ride out the entire period without giving up an escape. With riding time being such a key component in college wrestling, having the ability to ride an opponent is an underappreciated skill. Of course, riding in high school verses college are two totally different animals. However, Steen has the foundation and ability to develop his top game, and use it to his advantage at the collegiate level.
SHAYNE VAN NESS (BLAIR ACADEMY - NJ) – 149LBS.....
In the class of 2021, Shayne Van Ness was one of the most coveted middle-weight recruits in the country, and for good reason. Van Ness hails from national powerhouse, Blair Academy, where Van Ness was a three-time Prep National finalist and two-time champion. In addition to finding success at the Prep Nationals, Van Ness has also won titles at the Beast of the East, Ironman, and Super 32. Van Ness’ success throughout his four years at Blair earned him the number four spot on Flowrestling’s 2021 Big Board. With defending NCAA Champion, Nick Lee, entering his final season with the Nittany Lions, Van Ness will provide Coach Sanderson a replacement who is capable of making an immediate impact. In his first season as a full-time starter, Van Ness will be a national podium contender right out of the gate.
PSU COMPARISON – ZAIN RETHERFORD
Penn State wrestling fans have been fortunate to see a number of great wrestlers come through the program, but only a handful of them had a reign of dominance like Zain Retherford did. Two of the many things that made Retherford so great were his positioning and his pace. For all seven minutes, Zain Retherford maintained a picture-perfect position, while attacking with a relentless pace. Much like Retherford, Shayne Van Ness has a high motor, and is never leaving his low, compact stance. Van Ness does have the tendency to be a bit more flashy and slick than Retherford was, but he still manages to do so without putting himself in danger.
ALEX FACUNDO (DAVISON - MI) – 174LBS…..
Just as Shayne Van Ness was one of the most sought after middle-weight recruits in the country, Alex Facundo was the prize upper-weight in the class of 2021. Facundo comes to Penn State with a lengthy and impressive resume which includes state, national, and international success. In his four years at Davison High School, Facundo won four consecutive state titles at 152, 160, 171, and 171. In addition, Facundo has won the Super 32, Fargo, and has made two Cadet World Teams. In his two trips to the Cadet World Championships, Facundo secured a bronze medal in both 2018 and 2019. As the cherry on top of all these accolades, Facundo was named the National Dave Schultz Memorial winner, recognizing his stellar athletic and academic performance. The honor made Facundo the third Penn State bound recruit to win the award, joining Zain Retherford (2013) and Mark Hall (2016).
PSU COMPARISON – MORGAN MCINTOSH
Just as Alex Facundo is the top upper-weight recruit in the class of 2021, Morgan McIntosh was the top recruit in the country for the class of 2011. McIntosh was a physical specimen, who looked like a man amongst boys at the high school level. Once McIntosh got to Penn State, he continued to find success which included three All-American finishes, and an appearance in the 2016 NCAA finals. Facundo, like McIntosh, is a powerful wrestler, who utilizes his brute force to dominate opponents. There are times in matches where Facundo will be in an unfavorable spot, and power his way into a solid position to secure a score. When Morgan McIntosh came to Penn State, expectations were very high for him. Facundo will come in with similar expectations, with the hopes of being a national title contender throughout his college career.
LUCAS COCHRAN (BOX ELDER - UT) – 184LBS…..
If there is anyone who knows anything about Utah wrestling, it is Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson. Sanderson added to his 2021 recruiting class with upper-weight prospect, Lucas Cochran. Cochran may not have the national recognition that the rest of his fellow 2021 recruits have, but he was a three-time Utah State Champion for Box Edler High School. It is possible Cochran comes in with a very good understanding of the Penn State system, as he trained under Cael Sanderson’s youngest brother, Cyler, at the Sanderson Wrestling Academy. With Aaron Brooks and Michael Beard being very young into their careers, a starting spot is not likely to open up for Cochran anytime soon. However, this adds depth to an area in the lineup that does not have many high-level back-ups.
PSU COMPARISON – QUENTIN WRIGHT
Now, I am not saying Lucas Cochran is, or will be, Quentin Wright. However, stylistically, Cochran wrestles very similar to how Wright did during his time at Penn State. Cochran has a good shrug from his feet, which he will use when an opponent is pushing in. He is also goes to an underhook on his feet, and is not afraid of wrestling in upper body ties. On the mat, Cochran will utilize his length, and attempt to tight-waist an opponent, looking for a quick set of back points off a tilt. Again, this does not mean Cochran is the wrestler that Quentin Wright was, but he certainly wrestles in a similar style to one of Penn State’s all time greats.
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