Cael Sanderson admitted his team is behind on preparing for the collegiate wrestling season, which might seem odd coming from a 12-time national championship coach whose team has won the last four in a row.

The reason makes a lot of sense, though. The reigning NCAA champs were busy taking on the world.

Seven Nittany Lions — all of whom will factor into the team’s chase for a fifth straight NCAA team title this season — competed in the U23 World Championships in Serbia in late October.

Starters Luke Lilledahl (125), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Levi Haines (174) all won gold in their respective divisions while true freshman PJ Duke earned a bronze medal.

Now, the Nittany Lions have turned their attention to domestic foes. They’ll begin the NCAA slate hosting Oklahoma at the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday.

Sanderson, in his first meeting with reporters this season, said the trip overseas might’ve thrown off the team’s schedule a bit, but overall was worth it.

“I think it also helps our guys to just realize how dang tough and good they are and that they’re as good as if not better than anyone in the world,” Sanderson said.

They’ve been better than everyone in the college ranks for quite some time. The Nittany Lions enter Sanderson’s 17th season on a 71-dual winning streak with returning NCAA champions Mesenbrink and Haines back.

“We’ve got a really good young group of guys, some awesome veterans obviously,” Sanderson said of a lineup that appears to have some wiggle room early on.

Redshirts For Vets

Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness (149), Mesenbrink and Haines certainly have their spots in the lineup locked up, barring injuries.

Meanwhile, returning starters Braeden Davis and Tyler Kasak will both likely take redshirt years.

Both made the NCAA podium last season. Davis finished sixth at 133 and bumped up to 141 for this season. After an early-round loss, Kasak battled all the way back to take third at NCAAs in March, the toughest thing to pull off in any sport, Sanderson said.

“That’s a tough guy to redshirt because he is a beast and he’s a gamer,” Sanderson said.

It’s a decision that will benefit Penn State’s depth for seasons to come. It’ll also give Kasak an opportunity to develop behind the scenes after two successful — but physically demanding — seasons where he wrestled 55 matches despite multiple nagging injuries over multiple stretches.

Deep Weight Classes

Penn State’s lineup is rarely solidified in the early months of the season.

Simply put, the team has too much talent at multiple weights to not use early duals to see what they have.

Consider 133 pounds where Marcus Blaze, Masanosuke Ono and Kyison Garcia are battling for mat time.

Blaze, a four-time Ohio state champion who ended his senior season with a 47-match winning streak, is one of the most anticipated debuts this season.

“He’s as good of a wrestler as there’s ever been. He’s a great kid, great person, tremendous competitor and we have all the confidence in Marcus,” Sanderson said. “He’s one of those guys, we’re going to say a lot throughout the year that we’re glad this guy’s on our team.”

Ono, meanwhile, has wowed the staff and his teammates with his pace and energy, traits he used to win a World title in 2024. Ono is a candidate for a redshirt, Sanderson said.

Barr Closed, For Now

Returning 197-pound NCAA runner-up Josh Barr will not be available early on after suffering a rib injury at the U23 World Championships.

Barr, known as one of the toughest wrestlers on the team, notably suffering a knee injury in last season’s Big Ten championships before coming back toughing out a second-place finish in NCAAs.

Sanderson doesn’t believe it will keep Barr down for long.

“It’ll take him a little while to get back, but he’s a tough dude and you saw him come back from a pretty nasty injury at the Big Tens and make the finals in the national tournament,” Sanderson said. “A lot of that comes down to doing things the right way.”