Penn State Wrestling saw a star emerge last year from an unlikely spot in their lineup.
Looking back at the Nittany Lions‘ 2023 recruiting class, expectations weren’t exactly sky-high as Penn State landed three guys in the top 25 and they finished with the No. 4 overall class.
And if we could go back in time, I would venture a guess most fans would agree the gem of that class was the No. 8 overall recruit, Josh Barr.
Furthermore, heading into the start of last season, the starting spot at 125 was completely up for grabs.
When I tried to project the starting lineup, I had a stable of guys who could have been the starter at lightweight: Robbie Howard, Gary Steen, Marco Vespa, Karl Shindledecker, and Braeden Davis.
And honestly, you could have flipped a coin between Robbie Howard and Gary Steen and I would have been completely fine with either of them being the starter.
But then this happened.
Braeden Davis a late TD and RT! Davis the 5-1 over No.30 Berginc to take the 125 pound title! #PSUwr pic.twitter.com/0NAHmcOW2h
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) November 19, 2023
Braeden Davis ripped through both the 2023 Journeymen Classic and the 2023 Black Knight Invitational on his way to a 7-0 record and two titles around his waist. And when the dual meet season kicked into high gear, Davis continued to impress with his dominance in picking up bonus wins and wins against highly ranked guys.
As the season then turned to conference dual meets, Braeden showed no signs of slowing down.
In back-to-back duals against Michigan and Michigan State, Davis downed No. 5 Michael DeAugustino (5-1) and seasoned veteran Tristan Lujan (7-3) to move his record to 12-0. This marked the first time a freshman at 125 pounds began their career 12-0 since Jim Martin back in 1985. Anyone remember him?
However last year wasn’t all puppies and rainbows for Braeden.
But let’s face it, only the true greats of college wrestling hit the ground running and never look back.
Because later in the season there were plenty of bumps in the road for the youngster.
Davis somehow won a 4-3 decision over Ohio State’s Vinny Kilkeary as the referee did not award a late takedown for the Buckeyes. He then lost 4-2 to Iowa’s Drake Ayala, squeezed by Rutger’s Dean Peterson 4-1 in sudden victory, and was upended to Nebraska’s Caleb Smith in a completley one-sided 11-3 major decision loss.
But Braeden wasn’t finished making waves around the nation.
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In the 2024 Big Ten’s, Davis plowed his way through the likes of Justin Cardani (11-1), Eric Barnett (8-7), Michael DeAugustino (5-2), and capped off the tournament with a dominant 8-1 win over Patrick McKee to take home his first B1G title.
The NCAA then rewarded the remarkable true freshman with the overall No. 1 seed in the 125 bracket two weeks later.
Obviously the 2024 NCAA Championships didn’t go the way Penn State fans would have hoped for in regards to Davis’ round of 12 exit. But if they were left wanting more, just imagine what Braeden was thinking.
He won a B1G title, he was the No. 1 seed, and he was seemingly on top of the world. But wrestling can be a cruel sport at times. Especially when you’re going up against the best of the best across the nation.
So trust me when I say Braeden Davis wasn’t satisfied with his performance as well.
Because behind that baby face is a fire and drive that burns very deep. You don’t get rated the No. 16 recruit in the 2023 class, are then seen as added depth at 125, to then emerge out of nowhere and crush every single guy in your path if you aren’t insanely motivated.
Braeden Davis will be the Nittany Lions’ starter this year at 133. And for everyone else out there, just look out, because he has some unfinished business to take care of.
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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.