What is Penn State wrestling getting in 2026 commit Jayden James? His coach offers a scouting report

Jayden James became the second member of the Penn State wrestling program’s Class of 2026 last week when he flipped his commitment from Virginia Tech to the Nittany Lions. The 16-year-old who just won the 150-pound New Jersey state title for the Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., as a junior started his recruitment process at a young age. He initially picked the Hokies in September of 2024. However, as recruiting rules opened up more avenues for both contacts and visits, he decided to take another look at his future. That review led him to the Lions.

“Jayden, he obviously set the recruiting process early and, you know, I think he only took two visits when he originally committed to Virginia Tech,” Delbarton coach Bryan Stoll told BWI. “And he’s really young. I mean, he’s 16 years old. So, he was young to make a decision like that. And I think as time passed by, not that he was second guessing himself, but he just wanted to make sure that he looked at every place that he would be interested in. And, ultimately, made a decision to switch.”

What went into the switch?

“
It’s really tough to argue with their track record for developing NCAA, World and Olympic champions,” Stoll said. “If your goals are that high, why not try to give yourself the best opportunity to try to achieve them.”

Learn more about James, who is NJ.com’a Garden State high school wrestler of the year and the No. 4 junior on MatScouts big board, via our complete Q&A with Stoll below.

How has James progressed as a high school wrestler?

Stoll: “Just his growth over the last three years with us, both physically and wrestling-wise. He’s always been a really talented kid. When he first came in, I mean, he was really a little boy. He was 14 years old. So to see his trajectory as a technician as well as see him actually build some horsepower, it’s going to be really interesting to see if that trajectory can continue on the rise that it is. And, I think it can.”

How has his weight changed over the years and where will he go next?

BS: “So his freshman year, he wrestled 113 and he cut some weight that year, and it affected his performance, I think, so he’s he made a conscious decision to not cut weight anymore and just kind of wrestle what he weighs. So sophomore year, he went to 138. He was a little undersized there. And then this year he was up at 150 and I think that was a great weight for him.”

Will he move up as a senior before going to Penn State?

BS: “We project them probably either 165 or 175 next year. He’s going to wrestle what he weighs. New Jersey weights are different than the PA weights. So, we project him between 65 and 75 but who knows. If he hits a growth spurt and gets to 190, he may wrestle 190. He’s capable of competing with anybody in any of those weight classes, I think, just looking at a skill set.”

How have you and your program prepared James?

“I’s funny, you look at a program like Penn State and kind of try to mimic what they do. So we’ve kind of created an atmosphere in the room that we’re really enjoying the sport. And, you know, our practices are certainly hard, and competitive, but, we’re looking to make sure; I mean, these kids have a lot of pressure on them. And it’s easy to fall into the pressures and succumb to the pressure of wrestling.

“So it’s important for us as a program and as a coaching staff to to kind of alleviate that pressure and make sure the kids, we remind the kids that, it’s a game and we’re having fun and we certainly want to win, but it’s more important to get better right now. We’re preparing our kids for the next level.”

What should Penn State fans know about James off the mat?

BS: “He’s from a very, very close knit family. His brother is at Notre Dame, a running back at Notre Dame. He was New Jersey Player of the Year. He’s got a little brother, Jacks,who’s going to be a quarterback. And, the parents have just done an incredible, incredible job raising these boys. He’s a salt of the earth kid. He’s fun to be around. He’s funny, he’s talkative, but he’s also very studious, and hard working. Any positive thing you can say, I can’t think of a negative thing to say about the kid.”

Final word

Some of the people beyond Stoll who played a key role in James’ development include but are certainly not limited to his first coach, Nick Hughes; Khaled Dassan, the owner of KD Training Center; his parents, Kara and Nolan James Sr; and brothers Nolan James Jr., (who is a running back at Notre Dame) and Jax James. Also of note is the fact that E.J. Barthel, who is currently Nebraska’s running backs coach but was the Penn State football recruiting coordinator in 2016, is Jayden James’ uncle.