Penn State wrestling notes: Latest on PJ Duke's plan for year one; what's next for the Lions after U20s?

If you’ve found yourself wondering while watching PJ Duke earn a senior Team USA spot earlier this summer or win an international gold medal earlier this week ‘I wonder if he’ll be in the Penn State wrestling lineup this fall?” it turns out that he is, too.

On its face, it seems absurd to wonder if the star Class of 2025 recruit, recent first-placer finisher at 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds) in the men’s freestyle division at the U20 World Championships, and Team USA 70-kilogram rep for Senior Worlds in September and U23s Worlds in October will have a starting spot for the Lions as a freshman. But, it’s up in the air, he told Justin Basch’s ‘BaschAMania’ show on Wednesday. Duke projects to wrestle at 157 pounds, where 2024 All-American Tyler Kasak, who finished third at NCAAs in Philadelphia, returns. And, as of now, there’s isn’t clarity about whether the second-year Penn State grappler or his first-year teammate will man it, per the latter.

MORE: Click here for live updates from Junior Pan-Ams featuring Mitchell Mesenbrink and Rocco Welsh

“I still have no clue what the plan is,” Duke said. “Obviously, Tyler’s capable of winning an NCAA title. I think I’m in the running. Either way, I think Penn State’s winning 157. I honestly haven’t thought about it too much. It’d be cool to wrestle. But obviously if I don’t, I get the extra year of preparation. So, I believe whatever the coaches tell me to do is the best decision and I’m going to leave it up to them.”

You can watch the wide-ranging and extensive interview here:

It seems obvious that one of Kasak or Duke will redshirt this year. That’s long been the case. The smart money would be on the former doing so. But, time will tell if that is the case or not.

What’s next for Penn State after U20s?

Penn State is a perfect six-for-six when it comes to hitting the medal stand at this year’s World Championships. Class of 2026 commit Jayden James won U17 gold at 71 kilograms. Then, Duke and classmate Marcus Blaze (61 kilograms) won gold at U20s. They were joined in earning hardware there by 79-kilogram silver medalist William Henckel, a freshman, and redshirt freshmen Connor and Cole Mirasola, who won bronze at 92 and 125 kilograms, respectively.

The 2025 Junior Pan American games are up next. Reigning 165-pound NCAA champ Mitchell Mesenbrink and Penn State newcomer Rocco Welsh will compete for Team USA in men’s freestyle. The tournament starts at 9 a.m. ET Friday and finishes with the medal round, which starts at 5 p.m. ET Friday.

“2025 U.S. Senior Open champion Mitchell Mesenbrink will start his 74 kg competition against Arnoldo Proboste of Argentina,” Gary Abbott writes for USA Wrestling. “Should Mesenbrink win his opening bout, he faces the winner of Jhon Zambrano Encalada of Ecuador and Ricardo Oyoque Vasquez of Venezuela.

“2021 Junior Pan American Games champion Rocco Welsh will be seeking to win this event for the second time, competing this year at 86 kg. Welsh opens against Juan Cardoza Ibata of Colombia. If he wins, he has the winner of Fernando Ramos Arce of Paraguay and 2025 U20 Pan American silver medalist Max Franca Magalhaes De Almeida of Brazil.”

BWI will have more on these two wrestlers on Friday.

After this, the next event on the schedule is Senior Worlds. PSU ties on Team USA for the event, which is Sept. 13-21 in Croatia, include PJ Duke (70 kilograms), Levi Haines (79 kilograms), and NLWC member Kyle Snyder (97 kilograms). Then, the U23 World Championships are Oct. 20-26 in Serbia. Penn State wrestlers hold seven of the 10 Team USA spots, with the following Nittany Lions on the roster:

57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (St. Charles, Mo./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg WC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – PJ Duke (Slate Hill, N.Y./KD Training Center)

74 kg – Mitchell Mesenbrink (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Levi Haines (Arendtsville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Rocco Welsh (Fredericktown, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Josh Barr (Davison, Mich./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)