Skip to main content
Penn State

Penn State wrestling lands Class of 2027 recruit James Whitbred

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel11 hours agoGregPickel
penn-state-wrestling-james-whitbred
James Whitbred (middle) picked Penn State on Oct. 22. (Photo courtesy of James Whitbred via Instagram)

Penn State wrestling is adding to its Class of 2027. The Nittany Lions picked up a verbal commitment from State College Area High School junior James Whitbred late Wednesday night. The junior is the third member of that class to pick head coach Cael Sanderson’s program. He joins fellow Pennsylvania native Landon Sidun and New York standout Gavin Mangano.

“I am honored to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic journey at Penn State University,” Whitbred writes on Instagram. “I feel Penn State provides the best opportunity to continue my progress both on and off the mat by surrounding myself with great coaches and teammates. I want to thank all who have helped me get to this point including my coaches, family and friends.”

Whitbred is No. 118 on MatScout’s Class of 2027 big board. He checked in at No. 98 on Flo’s last 2027 rankings update. The Pa., native also took a visit to Indiana during his recruitment.

More on new Penn State wrestling commit James Whitbred

Per PA-Wrestling.com, he is 41-18 over his first two high school seasons. He wrestled at 133 pounds for the Little Lions as a freshman, finishing with a record of 23-11. He won districts and regionals two years ago but did not place at states. That was not the case as a sophomore. After bumping up to 152 pounds, Whitbred went 18-7 while finishing first at districts, second at regionals, and sixth at the PIAA state championships in Hershey.

Ahead of his junior season, Whitbred recently took the mat at the Super 32 tournament in North Carolina. He competed in the 157-pound weight class. There, he went 4-2 with a pair of wins in both the championship and consolation brackets. It is not immediately clear if he plans to go back down to 152 this year or go up to 160 in PA’s weight class breakdown. But, he projects somewhere in the middle to lower upper weights in college.

Follow the Lions wrestling program with BWI

BWI covers Penn State wrestling recruiting, head coach Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions team during the pre-, regular, and postseasons, and also their efforts on the International stage. Visit our dedicated wrestling page for the latest information. And, check out our videos and podcasts on YouTube, as well.

Seven Nittany Lions are competing at the U23 World Championships this weekend. A full preview will be out Thursday afternoon. The action starts on Friday.