Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
4 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State wrestling team is adding another top-10 class of 2027 recruits to its already loaded group of commitments in the next cycle. Indiana junior Clinton Shepherd picked the Nit- tany Lions on Dec. 6. "After a lot of prayer I am proud to announce I'm committing to continue my academic and wres- tling career at Penn State Univer- sity," Shepherd wrote on Insta- gram. " T h a n k f u l fo r my fa m i ly, coaches, and everyone who's pushed me to get here, and also God for the guidance to put in my heart where I felt at home for the place I will pursue and chase my goals. Time to work!" Shepherd is MatScout's No. 6 class of 2027 recruit. He is the outlet's No. 3 wrestler in the country at 144 pounds. He proj- ects to wrestle somewhere be- tween 157-174 at the next level. The Crown Point High stand- out put out a top eight in August that included only Iowa State, Cornell, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Ne- braska, Ohio State and NC State. "First, I want to thank every single program and coach who took the time to recruit me and believe in me. The re- lationships and respect I've been shown mean more than words can say," Shep- herd wrote on Instagram at the time. "I'm beyond excited for the journey ahead — chasing my dream of becoming a World and Olympic champion on the mat while also pursuing my passion for dentistry (oral surgery) in the classroom." The Nittany Lions are loading up in the next recruiting cycle. Shepherd is the sec- ond junior to pick Penn State recently. Perrysburg, Ohio, standout Grey Burnett, the No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2027 and No. 3 wrestler at 126 pounds in the nation according to FloWrestling, did so on Dec. 2. He projects to compete in the 125-133 pound weight classes. Penn State now has verbal commit- ments in the class of 2027 from Norwin, Pa., star Landon Sidun, who is No. 2 on FloWrestling's 2027 big board and the No. 1 120-pounder in the country, in addition to New York's Gavin Man- gano (No. 10 overall wrestler in the junior class, No. 6 138-pounder nationally), State College Area's James Whitbred, the No. 94 prospect in the junior class, and two-time New York state champ William Soto, the No. 100 overall wrestler in the junior class and the No. 4 106-pounder in the country. Soto and Sidun are also wrestlers who look likely to com- pete in the 125- or 133-pound weight classes. Projecting college weights at this juncture can some- times be a bit of a fool's errand, but for what it's worth, Mangano projects in the middle weights and Whitbred in the upper weights. PSU Commits Make Nike All-America Team Two Penn State wrestling com- mits are on Nike's preseason high school All-America team. Nor- win, Pa., class of 2027 recruit Landon Sidun is on the first team at 120 pounds, and class of 2026 signee Jayden James, the No. 4 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country and No. 2 prospect at 165 pounds, is on the second team. "Landon Sidun's sophomore season ended with an injury, but not before he rattled off titles at Beast of the East, Powerade, and Doc Buchanan in a 15-day window," David Bray writes for Flo-Wrestling. "His first match back came at Who's Number One, where he knocked off Super 32 and California state champion Rocklin Zinkin. Sidun is a Penn State commit who's hungry to complete a healthy junior season for Norwin this year." James, a U17 world champion last summer, is joined in the class of 2026 by Bishop McCort's Sam Herring, the No. 21 overall senior and the No. 4 138-pounder in the land, and Belle Vernon, Pa., heavy- weight Elijah Brown, a Pennsylvania Class AAA state champ last year at 215 pounds and a national high school cham- pion in freestyle wrestling last summer in Fargo, N.D., at 190 pounds. A former Pitt commitment, Brown is ranked as the No. 28 overall wrestler in his class and Clinton Shepherd's Commitment Boosts 2027 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 Listed as MatScout's No. 6 prospect in the 2027 recruiting cycle, Shepherd joined Penn State's class on Dec. 6. PHOTO COURTESY CLINTON SHEPHERD