Penn State wrestling makes short list for Minnesota transfer Aaron Nagao
Penn State wrestling needs a new 133-pound starter after multi-time NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young ended his illustrious career with the Nittany Lions at the end of last season. The answer may be on the roster. But, that isn’t stopping head coach Cael Sanderson from trying to add a high-impact transfer at a spot of need.
Minnesota All-American Aaron Nagao entered the transfer portal shortly after finishing fifth at nationals. He was the runner-up at Big Tens in 133-pound weight class, losing only to Bravo-Young, of course.
During an appearance on Justin Basch’s ‘Baschmania’ podcast this week, Nagao confirmed that he could still return to the Golden Gophers. But, he also has three other programs in focus: Penn State, Cornell, and Iowa.
“I have a strong feeling [I’ll have a decision] by the end of [April], Nagao said.
Nagao explained his decision to enter the portal by saying that he wanted to see what other options exist besides the one he already has in Minneapolis.
“I laid everything out on the table, talked to my family, assessed all my options, and laid out my goals. I want to be a three-time national champion, win Olympics and Worlds … the hardest decision of my life. I’m not deciding to leave yet. Just because I opened the portal up doesn’t mean I’m leaving. But for me to assess these options adequately, I needed to open the portal up.
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“I thought the wisest decision was to open up the portal and see what’s out there for me and my goals.”
Penn State works to shape its lineup for the 2023-2024 season
Penn State returns at least five starters for next season in Beau Bartlett (141 pounds), Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haine (157), Alex Facundo (165), and Greg Kerkvliet (heavyweight). Two others, defending national champions Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184) have eligibility remaining but may choose to take a redshirt year so that they can train to try and make the Olympic freestyle team. Those decisions have not yet been made.
At 125 pounds, Gary Steen returns but will battle Robbie Howard and others to keep that job. Baylor Shunk is the returner with the best chance of winning the 133-pound spot if there are no portal additions there. Similarly, 197 pounds, which is the spot Max Dean vacated, also doesn’t have a clear answer at the moment. The portal could be a possibility at all three spots. And, there are Class of 2023 signees coming to town, as well.
All told, the Lions will reload as they always have during Sanderson’s run in State College. But, there are more questions this year than in some other ones that have come before it. Nagao would be a perfect addition if Penn State can pull it off. And, from the sounds of it, it will know whether or not it did sooner rather than later.
