Way Too Early Lineup Look: 2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions
Way Too Early Lineup Look: 2020-21 Penn State Nittany Lions
Taking a look at who should be the starter at all 10 weight classes for the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2020-2021 season.
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The Monday after the NCAA tournament is a great time to start looking ahead to next season. Even though the tournament didn't happen, why not keep with tradition and start hoping next year's national tournament goes off without a hitch?
The first in our way too early lineup looks will be the preeminent program of the past decade, the Penn State Nittany Lions. We'll never know if PSU could work some Cael magic in Minneapolis, just as they have eight times in the Sanderson era.
It's fun to do these now (quarantine or not) because it's great to look back on them and see how things change from the Monday after NCAAs to mid-summer to right before the season and into the postseason. Also, I think I speak for everyone when I say we're hoping everything with COVID-19 clears up in ways that minimally impact the programs and their families moving forward.
2020-21 Penn State Projected Lineup
125: Brandon Meredith
133: Roman Bravo-Young
141: Nick Lee
149: Jarod Verkleeren
157: Bo Pipher
165: Joe Lee
174: Carter Starocci
184: Aaron Brooks
197: Michael Beard
285: Greg Kerkvliet
Please note we are operating under the assumption that athletes who were seniors this year will not be able to compete next season. When we revisit this in the form of a team's depth chart this summer, I'll be interested to see if they get someone in the transfer portal at 125 or 157.
125: Brandon Meredith, RSSO
This weight continues to be in flux for the Nittany Lions. First Nick Suriano was supposed to take over for Nico Megaludis, but then he got hurt and transferred to Rutgers. Then Devin Schnupp started the 2017-18 season as the starter, but was replaced by a late second-semester transfer in Carson Kuhn, who they used at Big Tens. Schnupp was the starter for 13 of 14 duals last season and wrestled in the conference tournament. Then the starter looked like it would be Brody Teske, who finished the highest of any PSU 125 at the Black Knight Invite and started their first two duals before transferring to Northern Iowa. Brandon Meredith took over the rest of the way and was the postseason starter.
I think it comes down to Meredith or Schnupp once again. Meredith beat Schnupp 4-2 at the Black Knight Invite, but given that they are a combined 1-6 at Big Tens the last two years, I imagine the coaches will give a fair shake to both to try to emerge as the leader. As for Robert Howard, I see him redshirting. He’s coming off an injury-filled senior season and, by today’s standards, will be young for an incoming freshman. I think they spend next year making sure he’s healthy and monitoring his weight to see if he’ll be able to make 125 consistently. However, he’s a fierce competitor so it’s possible he pushes to be the guy if healthy.
133: Roman Bravo-Young, JR
My heart goes out to RBY, among many others. A true national title threat who had designs on being a four-time All-American (without a redshirt!); he’ll be an anchor for PSU next year. Along with Nick Lee and Kerkvliet, he’ll be the best guys on the squad, looking for bonus in every dual and huge team points at every tournament. I imagine we're all excited to see how he stacks up against the guys coming off of Olympic Redshirts.
141: Nick Lee, SR
If Matt Lee doesn’t greyshirt, we’ll see all three Lees on the roster at one time, but no matter what they’ll all be in State College next year. It’s a shame we never got to see the Lee/Pletcher rubber match, but he’ll start next season #1 unless Yianni comes back as a 141, but I expect him up at 149. Lee did lose to Jaydin Eierman last time they wrestled a folkstyle match, but he beat Eierman at Senior Nationals and it’s possible Iowa bumps Eierman up since they have Murin, but that will all be covered in Iowa’s lineup look.
149: Jarod Verkleeren, RSJR
Probably the first weight with real intrigue. You have Verkleeren as the incumbent, Luke Gardner as the real threat to supplant him, and then a couple of young options. You’ve got Arizona State transfer Adam Busiello, who ultimately wound up at Penn State after committing there as a freshman. Lastly there’s Austin Boone, who finished his senior year ranked second in the country at 145. He’s a wildcard weight-wise, someone who could end up anywhere from 141-157, and I think because of that they spend the year evaluating him and what weight is the best fit for him. To me it’s between Verkleeren and Busiello for the starting spot.
157: Bo Pipher, SR
Brady Berge only wrestled two matches this season as he battled a concussion, and I have serious concerns about him ever wrestling again. If that’s the case, you have to think Pipher is the favorite since he wrestled in 10 duals and was used at Big Tens, but Gardner could also be in the mix. The wildcard is for Matt Lee to take over the starting role. They've got eight weights pretty well covered, but every Nittany Lion fan wants to see results at 125 and 157 get straightened out or improved before the end of next year.
165: Joe Lee, FR
As far as new guys on power programs go, Joe Lee is right up there at the top of the list of guys I want to see. He’ll have the unenviable job of stepping in for the graduated Vincenzo Joseph. We only saw Lee in three tournaments this year, and he beat two national qualifiers while falling to Travis Wittlake and Tommy Bullard. We have a pretty good idea of what RBY and Nick Lee will do, but it’s the freshman filled backhalf of the lineup that will determine the Nittany Lions’ fate at the 2021 national tournament.
174: Carter Starocci, FR
Expectations are sky-high for Southern Scuffle champ Starocci. I’m tempering those a bit, not because of talent but I’d like to see him face a bit more rugged competition first. Yes, he did beat five national qualifiers in going 19-0, but the highest seed he defeated was #11 Neal Richards of VMI.
There is a temptation with each graduating class to say, "Well, they can't replace Taylor and Ruth. Well, they can't replace Nolf and Nickal. Well, they can't replace Mark and Cenzo." And of course they always do. But there's no harm in slow playing Starocci, even in a weight that gets gutted by graduation.
184: Aaron Brooks, SO
One of the great "what-ifs" for Penn State from the NCAAs that never was. Brooks was the three seed, so would he have won? Would he have made the finals? Finished below his seed? We'll never know, but he was coming on strong the last month of the year. He closed his season with four bonus-point wins in his last six matches, including cradling up Taylor Venz in the Big Ten semis, a pin that avenged his only loss. He seemed to be on a similar trajectory to RBY and Nick Lee, though his freestyle credentials were better coming in.
197: Michael Beard, FR
There's no question Beard was a blue-chipper coming out. But it's awfully hard to come in right away and thrive at 197, even despite how inconsistent that weight has been the past few years. Beard went 13-3 this season, with losses to Greg Bulsak, Ethan Laird, and Nathan Traxler, so he won't come into next year ranked very high. Along with Joe Lee and Starocci, Beard's improvement will be crucial to monitor for PSU fans.
285: Greg Kerkvliet, FR
It's still a few months away, but we may finally see Kerkvliet wrestle an attached collegiate match! It's been a long circuitous road to college wrestling for the nation's top recruit from the Class of 2019. If anyone can match the production they were expecting out of Anthony Cassar this past season, it's Kerkvliet. The first time he matches up with Gable Steveson next year will be one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the season.
