Penn State has steamrolled the competition this season. And Carter Starocci has been the man of the hour for the Nittany Lions. After all, the guy last took a loss back in 2021 when he was still a freshman. But now, with his win on March 9, the man has yet another Big 10 title under his belt. Now, as Natty Daddy is headed for the NCAA Championship once more, fans and admirers have been stoked. Some of them even called him the best. Among those, one was a Big 10 Network commentator. And it seems his comments have caused some major controversy among the fans. But why?

Well, as the Nittany Lion paved his way in the final with an 8-5 sudden victory, Shane Sparks got a bit too happy. Big Ten wrestling made a tweet yesterday, where Shane Sparks was speaking over the news of the Penn State wrestler winning the wrestler of the year. The tweet read, “He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever seen in college wrestling.”@ShaneSparksBTN raves about @pennstateWREST star Carter Starocci 👇#B1GWrestling.”

Mind this is the same level where the 2020 Olympics Gold Medalist, Gable Steveson, wrestles in, and also this came after he left Starocci out of his most anticipated matchups in January. The broadcaster believes in the courage that the 2024 NCAA wrestling champion has. He said, “His grit… I mean, a lot of guys, Dave, they get a cup of grit, and that’s a lot of it.” Starocci’s is not limited to a cup of Grit, and that is what makes him different.

Shane further continues, “He’s got a five-gallon bucket of grit, and that’s what separates him, is his mind. That’s what makes him different.” But the praises just did not stop there as he also said, “Carter Starocci is a savage, Dave. And watching his body language, he just never doubts himself. He’s always just composed.” This love for the Penn state star did not sit easy with the wrestling community.

Now, anyone who knows the mat knows that Shane Sparks is a big Nittany Lion fan, and his praise for the Penn State wrestler sparks strong reactions from fans who view him as biased. This picks up more heat when there has been dissatisfaction regarding Starocci’s achievement, like some even saying,” 🥱😴 He was lucky…”

Fans react to Shane Sparks’s comments over Carter Starocci

Shane saying that the Penn State wrestler is the toughest he has ever seen in collegiate wrestling has caused quite an outburst from the fans who don’t agree with him. One fan commented, “Tougher than Gable Steveson, @ShaneSparksBTN? Really? 🤔” This is a pretty well argument put by the commenter as, irrespective of how tough Carter might be, Gable is on a 66-match winning streak. Not to mention he just rag-dolled Starocci’s Penn State teammate in the Heavyweight finals.

Now, not to undermine Starocci, but there are a lot of tough guys in college wrestling. The commentator has brought the heat to the Big Ten channel, as this fan called it. “The Penn State channel …“, the accusations of being biased to Penn state just did stay to channel though, Shane was the epicenter and he too was called out by a fan citing, “Bro is a national commentator but it feels like he’s on Penn State’s payroll at times, so biased”

It just did not stop there; things caught up to 2025 Big Ten wrestler of the year when this fan commented, “He is a stall machine.” That was a direct attack on the wrestler’s technique where he likes to take his time on the mat, making the fans wait until the very last second. Another fan compared him to big NCAA names like Bo Nickal, Ed Ruth, and Zain Retherford.

The comment read, “Nickal, Ruth, retherford might have something to say off the dome. He’s not nearly dominantly tough as them 3 IMO.” This fan might have an opinion that can also be fuel, but at least he was considerate enough to mention that it is his opinion. But while some guys are taking too hard on the commentator’s words, some agree with his take on Natty Daddy. 

So what do you think? Is Starocci as tough as Sparks makes him out to be? Or is is just lucky? Well, let us know in the comments. We just like you, will be waiting for the NCAA Championship to throw us the final verdict on this.