Penn State wrestling loses commitment from Class of 2024 recruit Mason Gibson

The Penn State wrestling team has lost a Class of 2024 verbal commitment shortly before he was set to arrive in State College. Bishop McCort senior Mason Gibson announced Thursday that he is reopening his recruitment. He had been a member of the Nittany Lions’ class since 2022.

“After a lot of thought and discussion, I have decided to withdraw my commitment to wrestle at Penn State and reopen my recruiting option,” Gibson wrote on Twitter. “I would like to thank Penn State for their understanding and for ending this on good terms.”

Rutgers is a possible landing spot for Gibson. He is the nation’s No. 14 132-pound wrestler, per MatScouts. Gibson finished fourth at 132 pounds in this year’s PIAA state championship tournament. He was to wrestle for Penn State with his brother, Erik, who left Cornell two years ago. Whether or not Erik Gibson is still coming to the Nittany Lions remains to be seen. He would be eligible to compete for head coach Cael Sanderson’s team this year, however, if so.

Penn State still has the nation’s No. 1 Class of 2024, per InterMat. It will welcome Luke Lilledahl, Joe Sealey, Zack Ryder, Connor Mirasola, and Cole Mirasola to campus later this year. You can learn more about them and other future Lions below.

Future Penn State wrestlers dominated the prep postseason

On the prep side, 120-pounder Nate Desmond, a 2025 commit and two-time Pennsylvania state champ, is now a first-time Prep Nationals champ. The Wyoming Seminary junior and No. 2 wrestler in the country at 120 pounds won six matches at the tournament Feb. 23-24 in Bethlehem, Pa., including a 5-3 decision over Leo DeLuca of Blair Academy in New Jersey, FloWrestling’s No. 3 120-pounder nationally. 

Luke Lilledahl, a 2024 Penn State commit from Wyoming Seminary who wrestles at 126 pounds, won his second consecutive National Prep title by crushing the field over the course of five matches, one of which was a 7-3 decision over No. 2-seed Charlie DeSena of Lake Highland (Fla.) Prep in the final. FloWrestling lists Lilledahl as the No. 1 overall high school wrestler in the nation.

At 165 pounds, 2024 commit Joe Sealey is the outstanding wrestler from PA State Preps. Then, he became a three-time Prep Nationals champ. He won by a combined score of 34-13 in the semifinal and final rounds. He is No. 11 overall in the country.

Will Henckel, a 2025 commit from Blair Academy, won the 175-pound bracket at Prep Nationals. He beat Dominic Federici of Wyoming Seminary, the No. 9 175-pounder in the land, in the final. FloWrestling ranks Henckel as the No. 16 pound-for-pound wrestler.

Future Nittany Lions thrived at state tournaments, too

In the high school ranks, the Mirasola twins, Connor and Cole of West Bend West (Wis.) High, both shined at the state tournament. 

Connor Mirasola became one of just 28 Wisconsin wrestlers to ever win four state titles. He secured a spot in the final round with a pair of technical falls and a pin before claiming the 190-pound crown just 4 seconds into his match due to a medical forfeit. Cole Mirasola earned his third heavyweight title by pinning his way to the final. Once there, he beat two seed Brock Arndt for the championship. The two 2024 recruits will go to PSU this summer. In FloWrestling’s pound-for-pound national rankings, Conner is No. 10. Cole is No. 20.

Junior PJ Duke of Minisink Valley High won a 160-pound New York state title. He crushed the field at the Division 1 championships. Three victories, two by technical fall and one by fall, took him to the final. There he won by technical fall, 27-12. 

Keeping the best in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, numerous future Penn State wrestlers placed at the PIAA state tournament. Class of 2024 commit Brock Weiss of Jersey Shore, who is No. 11 nationally at his weight class, was stunned in the quarterfinals at 139 pounds. He was pinned from the defensive position while leading 11-4. Weiss forfeited in the consolation bracket to end his tournament. 

Also at 139 pounds, 2025 commit Dalton Perry of Central Mountain, the No. 12 138-pounder in the land, finished second after dropping a 3-1 sudden victory decision to Maddox Shaw of Thomas Jefferson. Shaw is the No. 4 144-pounder in the country, according to FloWrestling. 

At 152 pounds, senior Ty Watson of Penns Valley finished eighth. 

Asher Cunningham, the son of Nittany Lion assistant coach Casey Cunningham, won a state title at 160 pounds. The junior is the No. 16 157-pounder in the country. 

“It doesn’t mean much,” Cunningham told PennLive. “It just means improvement for me. I took fourth last year, and I’m going to come back next year and win another one.”

Senior Zach Ryder from New York, the No. 5-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the country, elected to bypass his senior year of high school wrestling. He moved to State College. There, he is training at David Taylor’s M2 Training Center with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The 190-pounder is completing his final year of high school online, according to the Record Online.