After losing one of its best talents to Penn State wrestling last week, the Ohio State wrestling program now has a chance to score some sweet revenge against the Nittany Lions in the transfer portal.
The Ohio State wrestling program had a big year in 2023-24. They won 15 matches and finished with a 7-1 record in a stacked Big Ten. However, after a fifth-place finish in the conference tourney and being seventh in the NCAA Tournament, the hope was that Tom Ryan and his program could take a step forward in 2024-25.
Unfortunately, that was not the case this past season as they finished 13-3 overall (5-3 in the conference) and had similar results in the year-end tournaments as they did last season. The frustrations from this year were made worse last week when it was revealed that NCAA Finals 174-pound runner-up Rocco Welsh surprisingly entered the transfer portal. And decided to take his talents to hated rival Penn State.
It was a huge blow to the program since Welsh was an early favorite to win a National Championship at 184, with Nittay Lions legend Carter Starocci departing after this season. But it seems an opportunity has emerged for Ohio State to strike back at Penn State.
Related: Ohio State wrestling schedule – Get a look at the results from the 2024-25 season
Could Ohio State look to poach stud wrestler from Penn State?
It seems that Welsh’s decision to leave OSU to be Starocci’s heir apparent at PSU has had ripple effects. On Wednesday, Intermat revealed that Penn State freshman Zack Ryder has entered the college wrestling transfer portal.
Ryder is a fascinating talent. After being the sixth overall recruit in the 2024 high school class, he redshirted last season. But he still kept himself busy by going 8-0 and getting tournament titles at the Black Knight Invite and Southern Scuffle. However, it is his work outside the United States that makes him a special talent, as explained by Intermat.
“Ryder’s exploits outside of the United States are partly responsible for his lofty recruiting ranking. He earned bronze medals at the U17 World Championships in both 2022 and 2023. Last summer, Ryder moved up to the U20 age group and made the world finals.”
Intermat
It would be surprising if Ryan and the Ohio State program didn’t take a hard look at landing the New York native. However, they are sure to have a lot of competition for the top programs in the country. Nevertheless, bringing him in would be a great return fire at Penn State after losing Welsh.