Former Ohio State wrestler Rocco Welsh officially commits to Penn State

Former Ohio State wrestling star and 2024 NCAA finalist Rocco Welsh announced his commitment to Penn State. He made it official Sunday night on BaschaMania.

Welsh stepped into the Ohio State lineup in 2023-24 as a true freshman and went 24-5, en route to an appearance in the NCAA finals at 174 pounds. He fell to Penn State’s now five-time champion Carter Starocci.

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“Some of (the people I was talking to) had some worries, like, you know, about the room being crowded and stuff,” Welsh said. “But I think we all, like, kind of agreed that if I want to be the best wrestler in the world and accomplish my goals … if I can’t make a starting lineup, then I’m not on the right track.

“So I think just just being, just being around all those good guys, like you said, a crowded room, but I think that’s really gonna help me grow like it’s just gonna be awesome. I’m not gonna be worried about about anything, just getting better every single day and helping them get better, and hopefully they help me get better.”

Welsh confirmed he wanted to go 184 pounds for the 2025-26 season while wrestling for Penn State. Going into next year, the Nittany Lions return Levi Haines, the 2024 NCAA champ at 157 and a 3rd place finish at 174 this past season.

This season, Welsh was bumped up to 184 pounds as a sophomore and put into redshirt. Carson Kharchla, a senior, was slated to return from injury and go in at 174 pounds while sophomore Ryder Rogotzke manned 184 pounds.

Kharchla was a top-10 seed at NCAAs but ended up going 0-2, failing to become an All-American once again. Rogotzke also qualified for NCAAs but finished the season 10-11 and did not make it to the podium.

Welsh explained what happened at the beginning of the year where he was slated to return at 174 pounds. Then was asked to go up to 184 pounds, forcing him to redshirt for the season.

“It’s been like a tough year,” Welsh said. “I had a redshirt … I was still going 174 and then some stuff happened. I ended up going up to 184 and then I, and then I just decided it was best to redshirt, because I wasn’t a full size 184 pounder yet. I had the red shirt to burn, so that’s what I did. And then, you know, throughout the season, it was just tough, you know, watching everybody else compete and stuff.

“And, you know, towards the end, I just, I don’t know my heart wasn’t in Columbus anymore … I have a lot of respect for all the Ohio State guys, and you know, it’s still one of my favorite places on Earth. But I just thought, like, you know me, my family talked, and you know, they’re like, if your heart’s not there, then maybe you just want to go somewhere else and … that’s what we decided to do.”

Welsh sported an 11-0 record for Ohio State in 2024-25, wrestling unattached. He claimed Clarion Open, Cleveland State Open and Franklin and Marshall titles with nine of his 11 wins coming by bonus points.

It’s certainly an eye opening situation, considering Welsh came into the season as a returning NCAA finalist. Ohio State locked in head coach Tom Ryan to a three-year contract extension as well. The head coach also dispelled any rumors that Welsh would look to transfer earlier this season. Now, that is no longer the case.

Penn State made some drastic moves ahead of Welsh coming in. The team flipped one of the top 2026 recruits Jayden James, who was originally committed to Virginia Tech.

Penn State also added Japanese World Champion Masanosuke Ono to the roster. Now new to college wrestling, Ono is expected to go 133 or 141 next season and is an instant NCAA title contender.