Penn State wrestling offseason reset: Wild first week sees Ono commit, transfer portal changes

The 2024-2025 Penn State wrestling season ended exactly one week ago when head coach Cael Sanderson and his team won two individual titles, its fourth straight national team title, and set a new tournament points record while also becoming just the second team ever to have 10 All-Americans.

In the seven days since, there’s been almost as much action as there was over three days of championship competition at the Wells Fargo Center. Numerous Nittany Lions have elected to move on. A World champion picked the program. And it might be on the verge of making a new transfer portal additional official.

“Our coaching staff will be in the room on Monday and we’re working, the way everything’s set up,” Sanderson promised last Saturday night. “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.”

If you missed anything from Monday through today, we have a full recap below.

Ono picks Penn State

News started swirling at nationals that Japanese standout Masanosuke Ono was coming to Penn State. During a Monday episode of Flo Radio Live, the reigning 61 kilogram (134.4 pounds) senior and junior level champ made it official. He will compete at either 133 or 141 pounds at the college level and arrive in State College at some point later this year.

“Just because Penn State is the best in the world,” Ono told FLO when asked why the Nittany Lions were the pick. “Penn State will help me. Penn State is the best in the world.”

Ono joins a stellar Lions Class of 2025 that also includes the nation’s No. 1 Class of 2025 recruit, Marcus Blaze of Perrysburg, Ohio, Wyoming Seminary senior Nate Desmond, Blair Academy senior William Henckel, State College Area senior Asher Cunningham, Central Mountain senior Dalton Perry, and Minisink Valley commit PJ Duke. To read a recap of how those wrestlers fared in their respective high school postseason tournaments, click here.

Penn State portal losses

In past off seasons, Penn State has lost a wrestler or two to the transfer portal who wanted to try and get into a starting lineup elsewhere. So far this year, the number of team members choosing that path is higher than normal. As of Saturday, seven Nittany Lions are looking for new homes, and none of them have picked one yet. The list includes Alex Facundo, Jack Kelly, Gary Steen, David Evans, AJ Fricchone, Marco Vespa, and Aurelius Dunbar. Of that group, only Facundo ever had a starting spot. Each is surely capable of hitting the mat more regularly at the college level, though, and will aim to do so elsewhere next winter.

Lions get a big Class of 2026 flip

One day after Ono beefed up the Penn State Class of 2025, the Nittany Lions made a big splash in the Class of 2026. New Jersey 150-pound state champ and junior Jayden James flipped from Virginia Tech to Sanderson’s program last Tuesday. He is the No. 4 Class of 2026 recruit on MatScout’s big board and projects to wrestler as high as 174 pounds in college.

James is the program’s second Class of 2026 commit. He joins Johnstown Bishop McCort junior and recent PIAA placer Sam Herring.

Is a portal pickup coming for the Lions?

As of Sunday morning, former Ohio State All-American Rocco Welsh is still in the transfer portal and has not signed with a college program. However, late last week, multiple reports said the Buckeye, who is from Waynesburg, Pa., would be transferring into the Penn State program. He lost the 2023-2024 174-pound final to Carter Starocci and then wrestled unattached at 184 pounds during a redshirt season in 2024-2025. Blue-White Illustrated will report the latest developments on Welsh as they happen.