Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F ive days before opening what is ex- pected to be another banner dual meet season, the Penn State wrestling team brightened its long-term future by sign- ing a star-studded 2025 recruiting class. PJ Duke of Minisink, N.Y., the na- tion's No. 1 overall recruit according to MatScouts and No. 2 per FloWrestlng, made it official on Nov. 13, following through on his verbal commitment and signing with the Nittany Lions on the first day of the early signing period. Duke is a three-time New York state champion, two-time U.S. World team member, and a recent 70-kilogram champ at the Bill Farrell Tournament, a senior-level freestyle event. He was named the outstanding wrestler after decisively beating two former college All-Americans, Will Lewan of Michigan 10-4 in the final and Brice Andonian of Virginia Tech 10-2 in the semifinals. The Lions also landed coveted recruit Marcus Blaze of Perrysburg, Ohio. Ranked third on MatScouts' big board and first on FloWrestling's, Blaze is a three-time Ohio state champ, a U17 world gold medalist in 2023, and in 2024, a U20 World bronze medalist, a third-place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Trials and a runner-up at the U.S. Senior World Team Trials in October despite being just 17 years old entering his final prep season. "He's among the most prodigious high school wrestlers of all time," Willie Say- lor, editor and publisher of MatScouts on Rokfin.com, told BWI. "Prior to his junior season in high school, he beat NCAA run- ner-up Matt Ramos of Purdue, who was coming off a win over [Iowa's three-time national champion] Spencer Lee." At the U20 Worlds, Blaze's only loss was against eventual champ Masanosuke Ono of Japan, 7-2 in the semifinals. Ono also captured the gold medal at the Se- nior World Championships two months later, and in the 11 matches he won in the two tournaments, including victo- ries over a former Olympic medalist and the 2023 world champion, he only gave up 1 takedown. At the 2024 World Team Trials, Blaze beat former NCAA champi- ons Nahshon Garrett and Seth Gross and four-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix. "On the high school level, he's been vir- tually untouchable, losing only one match in his career — an overtime bout at the Ironman to Ben Davino, a fellow Cadet World Team member and my No. 4 overall prospect a year ahead of Marcus," Saylor said. "It's the lone blemish in an other- wise spotless résumé." Blaze is second in MatScouts' pound- for-pound high school rankings and is the top-ranked wrestler at 138 pounds. FloWrestling has him as the nation's top overall wrestler. Saylor projects him at 141 pounds in college, but his spot will ultimately de- pend on how much he grows in the months ahead. Penn State 141-pound se- nior Beau Bartlett will close out his college career in 2025, meaning that there will likely be a vacancy in 2025-26 if Blaze is ready to compete as a true freshman. Meanwhile, Duke is MatScouts' top pound-for-pound wrestler in the country and is No. 1 at 160. A former high school teammate of 2024 PSU signee Zack Ryder, he projects at 165 pounds in college. "There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to, but I think with next-level training partners and being able to wres- tle with them, that's where I'm going to be able to jump levels," Duke told BWI in September. "The coaching staff is amaz- ing, and the staff and partners are going to change my abilities. "I'm going to set my standards high and shoot for the stars. If there are some bumps in the road and it doesn't happen, so be it. But there are a lot of good people in the room that can teach me about life and wrestling." Minisink Valley coach Kevin Gallagher described Duke as a "generational talent." "When he wrestles, I'm as much a fan as I am a coach," he said. "PJ is relentless on the mat, always attacking and wanting to score more points. PJ is also relentless in his pursuit of excellence. ... Off the mat, PJ is one of the most liked and respected students in the school by his peers as well as faculty, staff and administration." The Lions' 2025 class also includes (all rankings courtesy of MatScouts' big board): No. 16 William Henckel of Blair Academy in New Jersey (175-pound weight class); No. 18 Asher Cunning- ham of State College Area (165), the son of Penn State head assistant coach Casey Cunningham; No. 42 Nate Desmond of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa. (126); and No. 47 Dalton Perry of Central Mountain High in Mill Hall, Pa. (138). ■ Lions Welcome An Elite 2025 Recruiting Class G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M The nation's top recruit according to MatScouts, PJ Duke won a bronze medal at 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds) at the U20 World Championships in Spain this September. PHOTO COURTESY MINISINK VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PENN STATE'S CLASS OF 2025 Name Wt. Rank* School Home Marcus Blaze 133/141 3 Perrysburg Perrysburg, Ohio Asher Cunningham 165/174 18 State College Area State College, Pa. Nate Desmond 125/133 42 Wyoming Seminary Kingston, Pa. PJ Duke 157/165 1 Minisink Valley Minisink Valley, N.Y. William Henckel 174/184 16 Blair Academy Blair, N.J. Dalton Perry 141 47 Central Mountain Mill Hall, Pa. * MatScouts Big Board