Penn State lands transfer target Bernie Truax IV from Cal Poly
Three-time All-American Bernie Truax IV is coming to Penn State. The former Cal Poly wrestler left the transfer portal by committing to the Nittany Lions on Thursday.
“I am officially committed to Penn State,” Truax wrote on Instagram. ”Since I was a little kid, it’s been a dream of mine to wrestle for this program.”
Truax IV most recently wrestled at 197 pounds. However, various reports say he weighed in at around 190 pounds during the 2022-2023 season. That means, in State College, he could wrestle at 184 pounds if defending NCAA champ Aaron Brooks bumps up to fill the Lions’ open 197-pound starting spot. That appears to be the likely path for the Lions.
Either way, head coach Cael Sanderson has added a significant piece to his program’s starting lineup, regardless of what weight class Truax IV ends up competing at.
Truax IV finished fourth at nationals last season at 197 pounds. The year before that, he was fourth at 184 pounds. In 2020-2021, he finished fourth at 174 pounds.
“It didn’t end how I wanted it to, but I gave my best effort, and I’m just going to keep getting better,” Truax IV told Mustang News after his most recent fourth place finish.
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Truax IV has two years of eligibility remaining.
Penn State wrestling 2023-2024 outlook
Penn State has added its first starter-caliber wrestler from the transfer portal in Truax IV. As we noted above, where he slots in will be decided in the weeks and months ahead. But, we know that Sanderson has a plan in mind.
The Lions must still figure out whether or not defending NCAA champ Carter Starocci or Brooks will take an Olympic redshirt year, or if Brooks will bump up as discussed above. Then, they must decide if they will be bumping either of those two up in weight, should they compete. The same question seemingly goes for 157-pound NCAA runner-up Levi Haines. Sanderson suggested earlier this year that the sophomore-to-be may not be able to stay in that weight class forever.
Penn State is also seeking a replacement for multi-time national champion Roman Bravo-Young at 133 pounds. It has two portal targets in mind. One is Northwestern’s Chris Cannon, who is down to Rutgers and the Lions. The other is Minnesota’s Aaron Nagao. He’s deciding between the Golden Gophers, Cornell, Penn State, and Iowa. Both are former All-Americans who would provide a major spark to the Lions’ lineup.
Last but not least, the Lions must figure out a plan at 125 pounds. Gary Steen will be back to compete with Robbie Howard, Marco Vespa, and Will Betancourt, among potentially others, for that starting spot.
