Bold moves

Sanderson plans to redshirt stars, freshmen in first season

Guy Cipriano

- gciprian@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State plans to showcase some of its heralded wrestling freshmen during next week's intrasquad match.

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

Penn State Head Wrestling Coach Cael Sanderson during Penn State Wrestling Media Day October 27, 2009. CDT/Nabil K. Mark

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Some might even push an All- American, although David Taylor, a four-time Ohio state champion, didn’t offer a promising prognosis if he meets Iowa State transfer and projected starter Cyler Sanderson at 157 pounds.

“It will be fun,” Taylor said Tuesday, “especially for Cyler.”

Seeing Taylor, Ed Ruth Jake Kemerer and Luke Macchiaroli compete at Rec Hall should energize a curious fan base. But Penn State’s new coach has succinct plans for the quartet after next week’s sneak preview.

Cael Sanderson said during Tuesday’s Media Day the entire freshmen class will redshirt during 2009- 10. Sanderson also added sophomore Quentin Wright and senior Bubba Jenkins to the list of wrestlers headed toward redshirt seasons.

Jenkins’ likely year away from team competition is partially forced. Sanderson said Jenkins, a NCAA finalist at 149 in 2008, would be academically ineligible to compete this semester anyway.

Neither Wright nor Jenkins took the methodical path to earning their current status. An early-November injury to David Erwin resulted in Wright entering last year’s lineup at 174. He went 33-13 and earned All- American honors. Jenkins has started for the Nittany Lions at either 149 or 157 since the midway point of his freshman season.

“Obviously, our team would be stronger this year if we wrestled our best team,” Sanderson said. “But Quentin will be better off and it will help our team down the road. I think we will get more out of Bubba next year.

“He’s wanted to redshirt. A year for him would probably help him out quite a bit.”

Wright has the ability and size to fill holes at 184 or 197, weights that could be filled by Pitt transfer Dave Crowell and sophomore Clay Steadman, respectively. Crowell didn’t join the Nittany Lions until last spring and must sit out this semester per NCAA rules.

Ruth, a national prep champion at Blair (N.J.) Academy, and Macchiaroli, a three-time Arizona state champion, could give Penn State two more upper-weight options. The 174- pound slot will be handled by Erwin, who has returned from a second shoulder surgery. But, so far, Sanderson has resisted temptation to rush young wrestlers.

“I think it’s a great plan that he’s holding us back, especially the new guys who are young and inexperienced,” Wright said. “A lot of the problem I had last year was that I was physically immature for the weight. I think Cael knows that all good things come with time.”

Sanderson has experience with gradually working heralded recruits into a lineup. His final year as an assistant coach at Iowa State coincided with the arrival of a stacked 2005-06 recruiting class. Former coach Bobby Douglas redshirted the group, a move that reaped significant rewards when Sanderson inherited the program in 2006-07.

The class, which included current NCAA 197- pound champion Jake Varner and Cyler Sanderson, has helped Iowa State compile three straight top-five NCAA finishes. A lineup filled with fifth-year seniors bodes well for the Cyclones this season.

Sanderson envisions similar runs at Penn State. The 2010-11 recruiting class has already received oral commitments from Central Mountain’s Andrew and Dylan Alton, Coudersport’s Dirk Cowburn and West Mifflin’s Sam Sherlock, a quartet with a combined six PIAA titles entering this season.

Sanderson can’t publicly comment on his next group of recruits until they sign letters-of-intent during the November signing period. But Sanderson prefers redshirting freshmen under normal circumstances.

“For the most part we are going to be redshirting most of our incoming freshmen,” he said. “Each athlete is on a different schedule and some are better prepared to compete right away, but unless it’s really going to help our team challenge for that national championship, we want them in our room and getting adjusted to school that first year.”

Taylor, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, according to Inter- Mat, said current freshmen embrace the long-term thinking.

“We have a really good freshmen class,” he said. “The plan is to redshirt and be together and stick together for four years and make a run at being national champs a couple of times hopefully. That’s the plan. That’s what we want to do.”

Still, Sanderson hasn’t conceded this year. The presence of Frank Molinaro, Dan Vallimont and Cyler Sanderson gives Penn State three previous All-Americans. The nucleus also includes Brad Pataky at 125, heavyweight Cameron Wade and a healthy Erwin.

“It is tough because I think we have a really strong senior class,“ Sanderson said. “The team I was with last year we only had four All-Americans and we took third, so if you can get four or five guys in there. … We have the potential to have a real strong tournament team.”

Vallimont, a senior who helped Penn State finish third at the 2008 NCAA Championships, said he understands why Sanderson might not use his best possible lineup this season.

“It’s too bad, I guess,” he said. “But that’s what’s best for the team in the long run and we are going to make the best of what we have. We are going to have a great tournament team. If we strengthen a few weight classes, I believe we can compete with the top teams in the country.”