When could Drew Hildebrandt join the Penn State wrestling lineup? Cael Sanderson talks that, situation at 157, and more

Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson held his first news conference of 2022 on Tuesday.

The Nittany Lions open their Big Ten dual schedule this week. The team travels to Maryland on Friday night (7 p.m., BTN+) before hosting Indiana on Sunday (2 p.m., BTN+).

Here are the highlights from Sanderson’s chat with reporters.

When will Drew Hildebrandt be ready to wrestle for Penn State?

There is no other place to start this week’s rundown.

Penn State made a huge splash last week when two-time All-American Drew Hildebrandt was officially added to the roster. The former Central Michigan 125-pound standout is expected to fill a big hole in the Lions’ lineup.

How soon could he do so?

“We’re trying to get him to where he can compete this weekend, but we’re not quite there yet,” Sanderson said. “That would be ideal, right? We’re halfway through the season here and got two and a half months left. So, if we can get him competing, we’ll certainly do that. We still have a few hurdles to kind of get through.”

Sanderson also addressed just how big the addition was in general, regardless of whether Hildebrandt hits the mat at the end of this week or later this month.

“He works hard. [If] I picture him in my mind, he’s got a huge smile on his face,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, a tough competitor. He was an All-American last year and he’s been on the circuit for a while, and just very competitive. We’re excited obviously to add him to the roster and hopefully, we can get him going here soon.

“That’s obviously the plan, just to get him out there competing as quickly as possible. He’s been a great addition, great kid, fits in really nicely, and we’re happy to have him.”

The latest on Michael Beard

Penn State 197-pound wrestler Michael Beard highlighted the Lions’ efforts at the Southern Scuffle with a second-place finish. But, his health is now in question after he medically forfeited the championship bout after just one period.

Sanderson said Beard would see a doctor on Tuesday to figure out the next steps.

“We’ll find out later today what’s going on with his with his knee,” Sanderson said.

“Hopefully it’s not any long-term thing.”

Beard backs up starter Max Dean, of course, but as we saw during the first part of the season, depth is vital at all times of the year.

What is the Penn State plan at 157?

Penn State has tried numerous wrestlers at 157 pounds this season. Success has not often followed whoever heads out to the mat, however.

“There’s always a weight class or two where you’re kind of hoping somebody steps up and takes charge, and we’re still kind of hoping,” Sanderson said.

What is the plan for now? It sounds as if Tony Negron will continue to get a chance to win the job over Terrell Barraclough and Joe Lee.

“I think we have three guys that have a lot of potential,” Sanderson said. “Negron just needs more experience, and Joe and Terrell just need to kind of get out of their own way and just kind of go compete. They all have a lot of potential. I would think at this time, we’re kind of probably leaning towards Negron, just because he’s been competing well. But, it’s tough, too, because he’s only had a few matches, and that’s kind of the case for all of them.

“There’s nothing set in concrete at this point. You guys have seen all the same things that I’ve seen. I know we got a lot of potential there. But, that’s obviously a weight class that, we feel like we’re more competitive than we’re showing right now in those in those big matches.”

He said it

Sanderson was asked to discuss how he felt about the results from Penn State wrestlers at the Southern Scuffle:

“The Scuffle, I wouldn’t say we’re real excited about the results, but it was nice to have guys competing down there and getting matches. I’m not sure if that really showed us a whole lot. It was good for some of our younger guys to get in there and just get that experience so you can kind of grow and learn from it. I think that’s that’ll be the case.

“Then, some of our guys that have started a little bit here and there, I mean, I don’t know if we’ve gotten any real clear answers in a couple of those middleweights. We’ll keep kind of kind of pressing along here.”

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