Why this version of Penn State wrestling might be the best team in program history

There is an air of confidence to the way Cael Sanderson watches his team compete. The Nittany Lions wrestling coach will adjust how he’s sitting — oscillating between sitting back with his arms folded across his chest and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees — but not much else changes.

He’s clearly invested, but doesn’t show an urgency. His calm behavior is a contrast to opposing coaches. Monday night it was Rutgers’ coaches — in a 35-3 defeat at the hands of Penn State — who were shouting instructions to their wrestlers in every bout, much like other coaches around the country.

But even when 141-pounder Beau Bartlett earned a victory over Max Hermes Monday night with a takedown in the final seconds of his bout, Sanderson remained stoic while the Bryce Jordan Center crowd around him erupted. That isn’t necessarily different from previous years of Sanderson — but this team might be. And that surely has to make it easier for the head coach to calmly watch on.

Sanderson’s 2023-2024 team might be the best one he’s ever coached, even if he’s not looking that far ahead.

“We’re just trying to be the best team that we can be this year,” Sanderson said. “We have, just a lot of really good people who are fun to work with every day. ... We’re just gonna try to keep getting better as we progress along here.”

Monday night was not the most dominant performance the team has ever had, but that’s part of what makes Sanderson and his team so great. Rarely will you find a Nittany Lion who is at the absolute peak of their game before they should be. Sure, the team always has hammers, especially at the upper weights, who will look like the best wrestler in their class year-round. But more often than not the Nittany Lions will be improving as the year goes on. Slowly and steadily working on their craft, wrestling as if they’re trying to work on something in the middle of their bouts.

And then March will arrive, and without fail Sanderson and his assistants will have their wrestlers at their peak — competing at levels that even the team’s best hadn’t reached previously. That is no coincidence.

“We just want our guys to be clear on what they want and full of enthusiasm as they get to the end and just kind of train that way,” Sanderson said. “We’ve been fortunate to be able to do that in the past years and this year will be the same.”

Monday night is yet another example of how this team continues its ascent. A 35-3 final score is a sign of its dominance, but it’s more so a sign that the best is yet to come. The one-sided final score didn’t feel like one, with several Nittany Lions leaving room to grow and not performing at the level that they’ve proven they’re capable of.

Take Bartlett as an example. He’s the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 141 pounds and only defeated Max Hermes 4-1 because of his late takedown. Hermes is listed at 125 pounds on the roster but has competed at 133 pounds and 141 pounds for the Scarlet Knights this season, compiling a 6-7 record entering the night. That’s the type of resume you would assume Bartlett would handle with ease. But he didn’t, and now he will likely go back and use the performance to improve, almost assuredly becoming at least an All-American at his weight this year.

And he is not the only one who isn’t quite peaking. Aaron Nagao lost his bout at 133 pounds, while Braeden Davis has worked through struggles recently as well.

Even the wrestlers who aren’t at the top of their weight class rankings right now have clear room for improvement. Take 149-pounder Tyler Kasak, who has only one loss this year — to his teammate, Bartlett. Backup 165/174-pounder Terrell Barraclough has two losses this season — one to undefeated 165-pound teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink and one to No. 3 174-pounder Shane Griffith of Michigan.

And those are the guys who aren’t even expected to win titles this year.

Carter Starocci (174 pounds), Aaron Brooks (184 pounds) and Greg Kerkvliet (heavyweight) are all the prohibitive favorites to take home individual titles this year. That’s to say nothing of Levi Haines (157 pounds) and Bartlett, who are also ranked No. 1 in their class as of Monday night. Or No. 2 Braeden Davis at 125 pounds or even Nagao entering the night No. 6 or Mesenbrink who’s at the same at 165 pounds but continues to skyrocket up the rankings as he dominates.

But come March, those wrestlers will likely be at their best, something that has been a staple of this program in the Sanderson era.

“Full faith,” Barraclough said. “I think all of us ... (have) full faith. ... We’ll be ready to rock come March.”