They Said It: Ruminations on the Culture behind Penn State Wrestling Dominance

Salty fans of proud wrestling schools will tell you: Penn State Wrestling is so good because Cael Sanderson and Co. land the best recruits in the land. Of course they do! 

But why? And how do they identify the best?  Let’s see what Cael says:

I thought I’d pull together some recent quotes from the team itself exploring this idea of culture. As one-offs, naysayers might see these as coach-speak that obscure the “real” reasons why Penn State consistently succeeds–now at levels not seen before.

Thematically though, the culture is a dramatic departure from the tough-guy grind approach that consumed the sport since at least when Dan Gable was coaching at Iowa:

He was ripe for the beating and you didn’t want to beat him! You didn’t want to beat him! You didn’t want to beat him! You understand that? You wanted to tie and that’s what you got—a tie. You didn’t want to lose. You just didn’t want to lose to him because he beats you twice before. You’ll never win that way. 

Dan Gable, Iowa Head Coach 1976-1997, Dan Gable – You didn’t want to beat him!

To my eye, it’s self-evident that the Penn State Wrestling program’s (yeah, I said it Tom Ryan) 77-dual winning streak is built on a specific cultural alignment between staff and student athlete alike. Behind the indisputable success, the team consistently broadcasts a set of core values–I’ll coin them (admitting there could easily be more, or framed differently): Purpose First, Points over Podium, Radical Self-Accountability, and simple (yet transformative) Gratitude. These values, in turn, attract kids that already share this point of view on life and competition. The PSU coaches then help turn them into national champions, and the cycle repeats.

Purpose First

The program culture appeals to athletes who have a sense of intentional trajectory: those who have belief/purpose beyond what they do on the mat.

“. . . at a school like like Penn State or or in the world we live in today, I think managing expectations, pressure, stress is one of the bigger challenges to continue to jump levels and perform at the highest, highest level and just being the best you can possibly be. So that’s something that you know Coach [Cody Sanderson] and [Casey Cunningham] just do an unbelievable job at. . . [T}hey’re here because they believe in what we’re doing and believe in being a part of something bigger than an individual. If it’s about something being bigger than yourself, you know, that’s what I think really is what it takes. Those are the roots for long-term lasting success. I think that’s something like when you’re recruiting, kids see that and they know there’s no accidents. You don’t get to the top—you don’t “fall and land on top of the mountain,” kind of a thing”

Cael Sanderson, BSD: Season Opening Press Conference (11/11/2025)

Nate Desmond recently framed it as a matter of perspective in an interview on the new Top Talent Talks podcast:

“Wrestling is such a small part of my life, but people make it such a big deal. For me, that was something when I got here that I tried to change: just being able to adapt and help the team.”

Nate Desmond,Top Talent Talks: Penn State’s Nate Desmond (12/18/2025)

Throughout his tenure at Penn State, it has become clear that Cael and his family are looking for kids who believe in something more important than their success.

Points Over Podium

Cael Sanderson regularly emphasizes the “higher standard” of an elevated process of improvement, instead of a focus on outcomes (wins & losses) that can be more influenced by external factors. He also mentions scoring points nearly as often as his wrestlers actually score them. Beyond just what BTN’s Shane Sparks would call “exhausting the scoreboard,” there’s a deeper meaning behind this approach.

The Freedom to Fail

In many elite rooms, conceding a takedown is a moment of failure. In the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, it is a necessary step toward offensive evolution.

PJ Duke, Connor Pierce and Marcus Blaze talked about this in a recent discussion on the NIL Collective, Happy Valley United’s State Media channel:

Blaze: “One thing that stuck with me Cael [Sanderson] was talking about—he was just like, “Oh yeah, just go out there and make mistakes, get taken down.” I don’t think a lot of coaches are like, “Hey, go throw an interception,” or “Hey, just go turn the ball over on offense.” Not many people say that, but I think that’s just something Cael [Sanderson] says and it’s like, “Wow, okay, you might be right. Maybe I do need to get taken down to then go get the takedown even more.” 

Duke: “It’s such a weird thing, he’s just telling us like, “Hey, it’s okay to make mistakes.” Because in your head, you’re like, “I don’t want to make a single mistake the whole match.” But when your coach is telling you, “Who cares? You make a mistake,” it kind of just makes you wrestle so much more free.”

Pierce: “Like they just said before practice in the last couple days, “Go out there and get taken out in the first period. I love when we get taken out in the first.” You’re like, “What?” 

Duke: I don’t like that!

Pierce: You’re questioning it, but when we do get taken down in the first period, it just gives a whole another purpose for like, “Oh yeah, I can just go out there. It’s whatever. Smash this guy.” It’s fine.”

This mindset allows wrestlers to compete with a level of offensive freedom rarely seen at the collegiate level (before Cael took the mat). When the result of the match is secondary to the pursuit of the next point, the pressure of a 159 match (or 77 dual) win streak fades to the background. Cael’s standard is simple: wrestle with enthusiasm and maximize offensive output:

“We didn’t come here to win; we came here to just compete and wrestle and score points.”

Cael Sanderson, Post Oklahoma Dual Presser (11/14/2025).

The Freedom of Fun

I would be remiss without mentioning the much-misunderstood “F-word” of PSU Wrestling. Diving into the “compete” part of this component of relieving pressure through an emphasis on process:

“My goal is to have fun, which helps with the pressure. I have high expectations for myself, and when I focus on having fun, it helps me perform better.“

PJ Duke, State Media: PJ Duke REVEALS What It’s Like to Be a D1 Wrestler at Penn State(12/16/2025)

PJ’s comment is one in a long line of countless quotes from virtually everyone in the program where the emphasis is enjoyment of the moment, a playfulness applied to competitiveness that releases energy in a focused but liberating way:

Pierce: “[W]hen we get to the opponent’s practice room and then we’re all tying our shoes and just like we’re all sharing laughs and throwing some balls around. . . 

Duke: . . . trying to find a dodgeball somewhere . . .

Blaze: yeah, literally trying to find where the dodgeballs are. 

Pierce: Yeah, that’s the stuff that really sits with you.”

Connor Pierce, Marcus Blaze, PJ Duke, State Media: PJ Duke REVEALS What It’s Like to Be a D1 Wrestler at Penn State(12/16/2025)

Radical Self-Accountability: Deciding Who You Are

With all of the fun being had, there is also a high standard in the room for adulting. Another lynchpin in this culture of success requires wrestlers who shoulder responsibility for both their mindset and attitude when competing and training. 

Many times over the years, when asked of a perceived under-achieving kid on his squad, we’ve heard Cael say, “It’s up to x, right?” The coaching staff views their role as providing the tools and support, but each wrestler bears ultimate responsibility for choosing to bring enthusiasm to the mat:

“I love watching these guys wrestle; they’re a lot of fun… But every time they step out on the mat, they have to make a decision on how they’re going to compete. We spend so much time with them, but they still have to decide who they are and how they’re going to take care of business.”

Cael Sanderson, BSD: Media Availability (11/18/2025)

 They recruit and attract kids that exhibit their sense of purpose by applying it to their daily habits.

“Confidence comes from just knowing that you’re ready to go, that you’re doing your very best, that you’re consistent, and that you know what you value and what you stand for. That’s where the confidence and consistency comes from. What happens on the mat or in the wrestling room is just a very small part of what’s really going on. So, every day you just give it your best effort, know what you value, what you stand for, and sleep well at night sticking true to your principles as a coach.”

Cael Sanderson, BSD: Media Availability Pre-Black Knight Invite (11/18/2025)

The Gratitude of “Get To” – Reframing the Grind

This accountability leads directly from the program’s foundation of daily, purposeful gratitude. 

Nate Desmond noted that this perspective permeates the locker room long before the team hits the mat for a dual.

“When you’re walking around the locker room, no one’s down themselves like, ‘Oh, we have to practice.’ It’s we get to practice rather than ‘Man, we have to practice.’“

Nate Desmond, Top Talent Talks: Penn State’s Nate Desmond (12/18/2025).

By viewing pressure as a privilege, the athletes maintain their identity regardless of the scoreboard. Mitchell Mesenbrink embodies this detachment, viewing competition as a series of data points in a continuous process of improvement.

“I would probably say that either way, wins or losses don’t really change much. They don’t change who you are… everything is just a process; you’re just constantly getting better.”

Mitchell Mesenbrink, Media Availability 12/8/2025 Pre-Wyoming (12/08/2025)

This culture starts at the top. When Associate Head Coach Cody Sanderson recently reflected on the record-breaking 77th consecutive dual victory, he pointed toward the lineage of the program and the opportunity to work with elite athletes rather than the achievement itself.

“It’s not something we really even thought about… It’s a cool thing to be a part of, but more it just makes me reflect on some of the guys we’ve been able to work with in the past. I’m grateful for the people that have come before us.”

Cody Sanderson, Quad Pod: Cody Sanderson talks dual record (12/21/2025)

An Emerging Gold Standard

Much like the Dan Gable approach took a hold on the nation after his success in decades past, all of this proven culture is certainly starting to spread. Certainly, here in Happy Valley, the Dynasty^® continues to reach for new heights (annual point total records, ten all Americans, 77 straight dual victories….) with all of this this as its firm foundation.

A certain prestidigital former Nittany Lion is espousing point-scoring in bunches for his squad in Stillwater:

Just keep scoring. I think that’s the biggest thing with our team. I just feel like it’s just keep scoring. I think in that match there was a moment where he went from scoring—and he was on him—to just thinking about, “Hey, I’m in position to win this match.” He tried to win the match. I think that’s the biggest thing afterwards. Like, yeah, “I just stopped scoring.” Okay, great. Well, that’s just the adjustment. You’re a great scorer, you’re one of the most dynamic scorers in the country. Stay on that. You’re great at the top position. I think at the end of the first period, his riding him out… guy got an escape. I think that’s a position where, reflecting back, just finishing that period on top. Those are things that we speak a lot about, and they don’t resonate as much until you’re in a situation where it means something. Then now you can make the adjustments. I remember as a competitor, I was naive because I felt like I was the best in all those positions and then you get burned in the situation and then you’re like, “Oh, that makes more sense. I need to focus on that area.” For some of our guys, I think that clicked. For [Dean Hamiti], it’s just just keep scoring, but knowing nothing really changes. You just keep that mindset. 

David Taylor, Oklahoma State Head Coach, David Taylor Discusses Oklahoma State On The Eve Of NCAA Tournament, (3/19/2025)

But the impact is reaching deeper and broader than just the NCAA level. More and more youth and teen clubs, like the KD Training Center that brought us PJ Duke and Rocco Welsh (and top recruit Jayden James in the pipeline), are emphasizing the value of process over outcome:

“I mean, we’re just passionate and we just—we’re big on process over outcome and just being the best version of yourself. We don’t put any pressure on the guys and one thing we talk about every day is just being fearless. That’s our kind of what we live by and, you know, just how loss is a blessing. So many guys, many coaches maybe preach like, you know, are very hard on their guys about losing; we just look at it as a blessing and an opportunity to be better and grow from it. So I just think our mental approach [is the difference]

Khaled Dessen, KD Training Center Coach, U.S. coach Khaled Dassan talks PJ Duke’s gold at 2025 U20 Worlds (8/18/2025)

Even as Cael and his staff continue to set a new standard for excellence in athletic pursuit, what remains to be seen is how well their well proven culture of dominance can be replicated in a sport where the grind and a rigid “you get what you earn” toughness still prevails.

With the B1G schedule kicking off with new calendar on the wall, Penn State will surely keep their practice of purpose in motion, and the outcomes—while hardly unpredictable for outsiders (accolades, records & championships)—will merely be evidence of the fun that this team had along the way.