The weekly rundown: Penn State wrestlers go for gold, football camp continues

The Weekly Rundown, our early-in-the-week column that focuses on all sorts of Penn State and college athletics news and information, is back!

Sure bets

At least one Penn State wrestling alum will medal. Three former Nittany Lions are competing in Paris this week at the Olympics. For Team USA, Aaron Brooks competes in the 86-kilogram men’s freestyle division on Aug. 8. He will take the mat first sometime during session one, which starts at 4 a.m. ET. Then, Zain Retherford will be on the mat first Aug. 10 in the 65-kilogram division. Last but not least, Roman Bravo-Young competes at 57-kilograms for Team Mexico. His tournament starts Aug. 8.

Preseason practice continues. Head coach James Franklin’s team will return to the field this week for more padded practices. The Nittany Lions put their third day of drills in the books on Saturday and then held practice No. 4 on Sunday. A media viewing window and interviews will be held this Thursday.

Watch list season continues. Numerous Nittany Lions made various preseason award watch lists last week. More will be announced this week. On this day, we’ll find out if any Penn State players end up on the Walter Camp award watch list. It goes annually to the nation’s best player.

The jury is out on these Penn State topics

How many Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members will medal? There are four competing in Paris for Team USA and one for Team Mexico. Based on the current betting odds, Aaron Brooks is slated to get seconds at 86 kilograms. Zain Retherford is expected to finish fourth at 65 kilograms. Kyle Snyder is projected to be second at 97 kilograms. Kyle Dake is an enormous favorite to win gold at 74 kilograms. And, Bravo-Young is projected to finish third at 57 kilograms.

When will we learn the next Penn State wrestling opponent? It was this time last year when the Nittany Lions’ wrestling schedule started to be finalized. It’s still a few months away, of course. But, over the rest of August, some dates will be locked in and revealed.

Who will be the Penn State kicker? Franklin and first-year coordinator Justin Lustig said a battle will continue throughout camp between returners Sander Sahaydak and Ryan Barker plus transfer Chase Meyer. Barker was the leader in the clubhouse coming out of camp and we still think that’s the case.

This Nittany Lion topic has our attention

Are any more August commitments coming? Penn State isn’t on quite a commitment-a-day pace right now. But, it sure feels like it. The Nittany Lions landed four-star receiver Koby Howard on Sunday and are now up to 23 pledges in that class. They also are off and running in 2027. And the Class of 2026 is already among the nation’s best.

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