Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson met with the media on Tuesday ahead of the 2026-27 season. He talked about Levi Haines' possible return, an unsettled lineup, Masanosuke Ono's move to folkstyle and some pointed thoughts on the state of college sports.
Levi Haines Is Preparing "Just in Case"
The biggest question was Haines. The two-time NCAA champion started college in 2022-23 and wrestled four straight seasons without a redshirt. That puts him in the group of athletes fighting in court for a 5th year under the NCAA's new 5-in-5 eligibility model. A federal judge granted that group a 5th season in July, but an appeals court paused the order in August, and a ruling is still pending.
Sanderson said Penn State is waiting like everyone else.
"We don't find out anything any faster than anyone else does. We read about things in the news, and, oh, this has changed, and this might change."
He said Haines is in class and "preparing just in case he gets that opportunity." Right now that means freestyle. Haines leaves for the Senior World Championships in Astana, where he'll wrestle 79kg for Team USA.
"If he gets the call back to folkstyle, he's been wrestling folkstyle his whole life, so he'll be good to go. It's not like he's out in the woods hunting. He wishes he's out in the woods hunting every day, and he is when he can. But he's training, he's ready to compete."
Asked how likely it is that Haines competes this season, Sanderson didn't hold back.
"It would really be nice for college sports if at some point the NCAA can enforce rules and kind of have a say in what's going on. It's pretty wild right now, and it's kind of embarrassing, I think. Maybe I shouldn't have said that."
No Lineup Reveal Until the First Match
Asked about 141, 157 and 165, Sanderson said there's "no clarity" yet and the staff probably won't announce anything until the first match.
He said more money and more available scholarships have given top teams more depth, but that doesn't change much at Penn State.
"You don't go to Penn State if you're looking for a guaranteed starting spot."
The same goes for where guys will land on the scale. He wouldn't say where Mitchell Mesenbrink is headed, only that "he's big and strong" and "the weight classes will take care of themselves."
Masanosuke Ono's Move to Folkstyle
Sanderson said Ono's weight for the season is still being worked out, but he raved about the Japanese World champion's transition.
"It's even more difficult to go from a life of freestyle to folkstyle. But he's gotten really good, and he's very disciplined and diligent in his training."
He also said Ono has "one of the best GPAs on our team" and called him "a breath of fresh air kind of a guy."
Around the Room
- Mitchell Mesenbrink: The reigning Hodge Trophy winner is "a ferocious competitor. The bigger the match, the bigger he wrestles." Sanderson said he's had a part in a movie this offseason, but "as far as his training, he doesn't ever slow down."
- Marcus Blaze: "A special human being." Blaze wrestles for a World title in Kazakhstan next week.
- Tyler Kasak: Redshirting him last year was "tough" because "he's a big match guy." Kasak and Josh Barr both had short injuries during the international season and have been back competing hard "for a while."
- Jayden James: "Jayden's 18, and he's just a young kid, so we don't know where he's going to end up weight class-wise. He's special."
- Cole and Connor Mirasola: Cole has moved to heavyweight full time and "wants to be a national champion." He added that the twins push each other: "They care more about one another than they do probably their own success, which is what brothers do."
Redshirts, 5-in-5 and "It's Go Time"
Under the 5-in-5 model, Sanderson said freshmen can't plan on a quiet year anymore.
"It's not a, hey, I'm redshirting this year, so maybe I'll put the freshman 15 or 20 or 30 on and get ready for next year. It's, hey, you might be called up on Friday, so be ready. So I think that's a positive."
Sanderson Calls for RTC Regulation
The final question was about how true freshmen have improved since Mark Hall and Vincenzo Joseph won NCAA titles as freshmen. Sanderson credited Regional Training Centers, then pushed for change.
"I think there needs to be some regulation in that, because college wrestling has become a little crazy, and they've become like workarounds for all recruiting NCAA rules. I think USA Wrestling needs to figure that out. For the integrity and the honor and respect of college wrestling, RTCs need to follow the NCAA recruiting rules."
Haines and Blaze are both in Astana for the Senior World Championships, which run October 24 through November 1. Follow every American live on our Team USA Senior Worlds tracker.