By Jeff Breese

Since April and the introduction of Cael Sanderson as Penn State’s head coach, Nittany Lion wrestling has been the hottest topics of conversation among the United States wrestling community.

The Sanderson story line has brought a heightened level of excitement to this season for fans, no matter their affiliation to Penn State.

The anticipation can clearly be felt, but the question is how can that anticipation be tangibly measured in State College and across the state of Pennsylvania.

The 29-year-old Sanderson doesn’t worry about the expectations that come with the enthusiasm of his arrival.

“I know there is a lot of excitement,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have been raised to have a mind set that I can focus on the process and what it takes to be successful and not worry about anything other than what I can control.

“Nobody is going to put more pressure on me to win, at least I am not going to feel it, than me.”

Sanderson has also spread that game plan to those closest to his dreams for Penn State. And in turn, they are happy to explain every element of these expectations.

Wrestling matters during football season

The first sign that this is a new era of Penn State Wrestling is that fans, students and professors are talking about wrestling in October.

Frank Molinaro, a New Jersey native and 141-pound All-American for the Nittany Lions a season ago, is enlightening his professors about the program.

“I go to half my classes and my teachers are asking me about Cael, how the new coach is, how the programs going. It seems like everyone is really looking forward to wrestling season this year,” Molinaro said.

Penn State Associate Head Wrestling Coach Cody Sanderson, who followed younger brother Cael to Happy Valley, has experienced a new phenomenon.

“It doesn’t matter where I go or who I talk to. People have heard about Cael coming in and they’re excited to see what he can do. That’s everybody from the lawn maintenance guys to the nurses at the hospital.

“Everywhere I’ve been people want to talk about wrestling, being at Penn State during football season that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Packing into Rec Hall

The Nittany Lions will have only five home duals this season and only one home dual prior to January. That should leave a vastly growing fan base chomping at the bit to see the product that the new coaching staff is putting on the mat.

Half a season of anticipation combined with season ticket numbers that have almost doubled will make Rec Hall a raucous and thrilling venue to compete in.

“We’re seeing the students energized,” said Penn State wrestling sports information director Pat Donghia. “We’re seeing a public that’s constantly saying how excited they are that Cael’s here.

“Everyone loved (former coach) Troy (Sunderland), but there’s an excitement now with Cael coming in, people are starting to attach themselves not just to this year, but what they see happening in years down the road.

“I think there is a tangible vibe you can put your thumb on. People are ready for this program to do something very special. You can look at how our season ticket sales are going and people want to get in on the ground floor of that.”

Last season, Penn State roughly had a 1,000 season ticket holders. Since April there have been 700 new season ticket applicants and that list continues to grow. Rec Hall will also feature 40 premium floor seats for every home dual. The premium mat-side seating was announced on September 3 and each seat sold for $100 to $125 for the season. Nearly all those seats were sold by October.

Recruiting

The impact of the Sanderson hiring in State College is clear based on ticket sales and the buzz floating around the campus. The bigger impact can be measured through the recruiting success Penn State has had in the last seven months.

Sanderson’s recruiting impact actually started many months before his move to Pennsylvania. The nation’s top recruit, David Taylor from Ohio, and three-time Arizona state champion Luke Macchiaroli were Iowa State recruits who followed Sanderson to Penn State. Also, 2008 All-American Cyler Sanderson made the decision to transfer from ISU so that he could compete one more season for his brothers.

However, it did not take long for Sanderson to find success recruiting in Pennsylvania. Four days after he was hired, Andrew and Dylan Alton, highly-ranked recruits in the country, gave verbal commitments to the Nittany Lions. That was followed up by verbals from two more Pennsylvania stand-outs, Sam Sherlock and Dirk Cowburn.

“On a state level, people have always talked about what Penn State could be if we could harness the program and get everybody excited about coming into the state or staying in the state,” said Matt Dernlan, Penn State’s Director of Wrestling Operations.

“It’s never going to be easy because we’ve got the best kids in the country so everybody is going to be fighting for them. Hopefully, as soon as these kids start wrestling in the baby programs they start dreaming about wearing the blue and white, wrestling for Cael and Penn State.”

Quentin Wright, a 2009 All-American at 174 pounds for Penn State gave his take on why the Nittany Lion Wrestling program is garnering such big commitments.

“Penn State’s becoming the premier program in the country, that’s what we’re developing into right now,” said Wright, a sophomore who will redshirt this season. “All these kids in the states around here understand wrestling and they know you need to go where your best competition is. When the best competition in the world is in your room that makes a big difference in recruiting.

“Cael coming to Penn State has given Pennsylvania a whole other spark. A reason to put your guts and soul into the sport and try to wrestle for Penn State.”