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Former Penn State wrestler Zack Ryder picks his transfer destination; where will he end up?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•04/04/25•

GregPickel

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Former Penn State wrestler Zack Ryder has picked his transfer destination. The former Nittany Lion is moving on to Oklahoma State as expected. The New York native left after one redshirt season in State College earlier this week once head coach Cael Sanderson’s side landed fellow 184-pounder Rocco Welsh from Ohio State out of the transfer portal back in Sunday.

Ryder announced his decision via Instagram. He is not the only Lion to move on.

Since the season ended, the following Nittany Lions have also hit the portal:

Alex Facundo, 165 pounds: Oklahoma State

Gary Steen, 125/133 pounds: Oklahoma State

Zack Ryder, 184 pounds: Oklahoma State

Aurelius Dunbar, 165 pounds: TBD

David Evans, 149 pounds: TBD

AJ Fricchinoe, 197 pounds: TBD

Jack Kelly, 184 pounds: TBD

Facundo and Ryder headline that list. The former was a 2024 national qualifier for the Penn State at 165 pounds. After an Olympic redshirt season, he returned to the mat this year hoping to beat out Tyler Kasak for the 157-pound job. That didn’t happen, in part due to the fact that Facundo dealt with injury issues. Regardless, Kasak went on to become an All-American and Facundo will now chase that dream with the Cowboys.

As for Ryder, the redshirt freshman was the heir apparent to the 184-pound spot that is being vacated by Carter Starocci. But, the Lions added Welsh out of the portal in the same weight class back on Sunday. That led Ryder to leave on Friday.

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It all has made for a topsy-turvy start to the offseason for the Nittany Lions. They rarely have had much if any transfer portal drama. But, that trend is being bucked this offseason. After winning the national title with 10 All-Americans and two individual champs, head coach Cael Sanderson was asked if the current climate across college sports changes his approach to the offseason at all.

 “It doesn’t really change for us,” he said. “Our coaching staff will be in the room on Monday and we’re working, the way everything’s set up. We love it. We just love what we do and we love the sport. Yeah, everything’s changed a lot. But our values haven’t changed. What we focus on as coaches and what we offer and bring to the table, that’s not going to change.

“As everything else changes, and maybe it’s hard. But it’s not hard for us because we know what’s most important to us and what is the most important thing at the end of the day for us. That’s just take care of our guys and help them be happy and reach their goals.”

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