Penn State Wrestling Reloads Again—Could Rocco Welsh Be the Next Star at 184 lbs?

Wrestling unattached at 184 lbs, Rocco Welsh went 15-0 during the 2024-2025 season. With no clear starting spot at Ohio State, Welsh entered the transfer portal and was quickly recruited and signed by Cael Sanderson and the four-time defending national champion Penn State Wrestling.

For Welsh, coming to Penn State is a homecoming.

The Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, native now steps into a likely starting role at 184 lbs following Carter Starocci’s departure. Welsh is no stranger to Starocci—he faced him in last year’s NCAA finals at 174 lbs, finishing as the national runner-up as a freshman.

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What Rocco Welsh Adds for Penn State Wrestling

Penn State Wrestling, Rocco Welsh — 174: 11/14 Rocco Welsh (0) d. 13/17 Jackson Turley 4-3. Rutgers Wrestling takes on Ohio State in Piscataway NJ on February 4, 2024.

Adding Welsh at 184 lbs strengthens an already dominant Penn State lineup, pairing him with Levi Haines, who finished third at 174 lbs at the NCAAs.

Replacing the only five-time NCAA champion is an impossible task, but Penn State Wrestling continues to attract the nation’s top talent.

Bringing in a wrestler of Welsh’s caliber only reinforces the Nittany Lions’ position as college wrestling’s premier dynasty.

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Kolin Hurlbut

Penn State Wrestling Reporter at NittanyCentral

Kolin Hurlbut covers Penn State Wrestling for NittanyCentral.

New to sportswriting, Hurlbut Launched his personal blog, The Casual Fan in the past year.

He has a passion for sports, growing up in the midwest watching AFC North and Big Ten Football.

Kolin Attended THE Ohio State University and Purdue University earning a BS in Communication and MS in IT Project Management. Kolin also enjoys writing short stories based on his 12 year career in the US Army.