Penn State Wrestling: 2026 Recruiting Big Board for the Nittany Lions
Peering into a crystal ball and putting together a 2026 Recruiting Big Board for Penn State Wrestling.
The Nittany Lions have set the recruiting trail on fire lately.
And for obvious reasons. Penn State has won 11 of the last 13 NCAA team titles, they’ve crowned 10 individual champions the past three seasons, and they set the NCAA record for both most points scored (172.5) and largest margin of victory (100).
Additionally, head coach Cael Sanderson and his world-class coaching staff are looking to cement a four-peat for a third time during his tenure in Happy Valley.
But before we take a look at some potential Nittany Lion commits in the 2026 class, just take a gander at what Penn State landed in just the past two recruiting cycles:
Class of 2024
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl
No. 5 Zack Ryder
No. 6 Joseph Sealey
No. 7 Connor Mirasola
No. 15 Cole Mirasola
No. 75 Brock Weiss
Class of 2025
No. 1 Marcus Blaze
No. 2 PJ Duke
No. 15 William Henckel
No. 18 Asher Cunningham
No. 32 Nathan Desmond
No. 41 Dalton Perry
That’s an insane amount of talent that has descended into the Penn State Wrestling room. Moreover, it’s a lot of bodies.
Because when you combine this with the fact the NCAA is going to lower the roster limit for wrestling to 30. Then it’s no surprise that the 2026 recruiting class for the Nittany Lions will be on the smaller end.
And before we look at Penn State’s potential 2026 big board, let’s take a look at their lone commitment in the 2026 class.
Sam Herring
Recruiting Rank: 20
High School: Bishop McCort
State: PA
Projected Weight: 141/149
Projected fit:
Based on Herring settling into either 141 or 149, he will be a perfect fit for the Nittany Lions. Because PSU is fairly thin at both 141 and at 157. Therefore this allows for more flexibility if any of the 149 guys move up to 157. In three seasons for Bishop McCort, Herring sports an career record of 73-16. He finished fourth in the 2024 Ironman and won a title at the 2024 PAUSAW State Championships.
Penn State 2026 Recruiting Big Board
Bo Bassett
Recruiting Rank: 1
High School: Bishop McCort
State: PA
Projected Weight: 149/157
Projected fit:
When you’re as good as Bo Bassett is, fit doesn’t matter.
Moreover, his commitment to any school would be a massive shot in the arm talent-wise. Furthermore, Bassett is set to make his announcement this evening at the PIAA Pennsylvania State Duals. And although his final list of schools are Iowa, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, and Penn State. It appears unlikely he will commit to the Nittany Lions.
Jax Forrest
Recruiting Rank: 2
High School: Bishop McCort
State: PA
Projected Weight: 141/149
Projected fit:
Just as with his teammate Bo Bassett, Forrest would be welcomed with open arms everywhere. And in the case of the Penn State Wrestling, he would fit in perfectly based on his projected weight. As I mentioned earlier, the Nittany Lions could use more depth in the 141 to 157 range. Additionally, Penn State Wrestling recently made the cut in Jax’s latest top 10 list.
However, it might be a long shot for Cael and crew to land him. Which seems impossible based on the success Nittany Lion fans have witnessed lately.
Michael Mocco
Recruiting Rank: 9
High School: Cardinal Gibbons
State: FL
Projected Weight: 285
Projected fit:
With Greg Kerkvliet using up his last year of eligibility this season, Mocco would be a great addition.
Furthermore, the Nittany Lions only have one other guy on the roster who’s even wrestled a match this season. And that’s true freshman Cole Mirasola. Mocco recently took home a U17 World Championship title. Additionally, he’s looking to win his third straight state title. So for obvious reasons, the dude is a talented wrestler.
Adam Waters
Recruiting Rank: 18
High School: Faith Christian
State: PA
Projected Weight: 174/184
Projected fit:
Although the Nittany Lions have a plethora of guys at 174, Waters would fit in nicely. Levi Haines is a junior and both of his potential predecessors moved to different weights.
Joe Sealey went down to 165 and Zack Ryder went up to 184. And as far as accolades, Adam Waters is chock full of them. He’s a two-time PIAA State Champion, he won gold at the U17 Pan Am’s, and was the 2024 Fargo Junior GR Champion. Additionally, Waters took home titles in both the 2024 Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East tournaments.
Zach Stewart
Recruiting Rank: 24
High School: Marmion
State: IL
Projected Weight: 133/141
Projected fit:
Stewart could potentially be a good fit for Penn State if he slots up to 141. But unfortunately for him, Luke Lilledahl has the 125 spot locked up for the foreseeable future. Additionally, the room is pretty packed at 133. In either case, the Nittany Lions would be great landing spot for Stewart. He won his first IHSA State Championship this past year and was the 135 champion in the 2024 Grappler Fall Classic. He also took home All-American honors in the 2024 Super 32 Challenge.
Peter Snyder
Recruiting Rank: 29
High School: Blair Academy
State: NJ
Projected Weight: 197/285
Projected fit:
Snyder recently finished second in this past year’s Beast of the East Tournament. Then he followed that up with a solid 21-8 record his junior season at Blair Academy. Snyder appears to be an up-and-comer on the recruiting trail. And he would be a great fit for the Nittany Lions at the back end of their lineup. Whether or not he could round into form to crack the starting lineup, Snyder would also add some really good depth in the wrestling room.
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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