Carter Starocci Gives His Verdict on Penn State’s All-American Terrell Barraclough Leaving

The NCAA Transfer Portal has received a lot of air recently after the US Olympic wrestling trials in the Jordan Bryce Center. Until April 29, the Penn State wrestling camp refrained from utilizing the portal, but then they decided to move Terrell Barraclough to it. The 165-category wrestler registered several memorable fights in the past and won over certain individuals’ hearts. Carter Starocci, the Penn State wrestling legend, is one of them. 

The 174-category phenom penned a heartfelt post on X after receiving the news of Terrell Barraclough’s entry into the portal. Remembering all the pleasant moments they spent together in the camp, Starocci termed him as, “one of the best teammates possible EVER”. Notably, Carter Starocci himself has yet to clear the air regarding his fifth-year presence in the PSU camp. However, Terrell Barraclough has a different fate. His entry into the portal took place as a graduate transfer while his one season of eligibility is still on the card. 

Barraclough had a firm presence in Penn State’s victory journey in the last wrestling season. The Utah native etched his mark with a 12-2 record. On the other hand, in his four-year presence, he has a straight record of 27-15. Furthermore, last season, coach Cael Sanderson believed in him to replace the injured Carter Starocci from the lineup. He didn’t disappoint the PSU coach. In his four fights in 174-category, Terrell Barraclough clinched two victories. One came against the 13th seed Jackson Turley from the Rutgers camp. In his previous years as well, Barraclough proved to be a scintillating wrestler. 

While wrestling under the Layton High School banner, he clinched four Utah State Championships in a trot. On the way, he recorded his name in the history of Utah State Wrestling. Cael Sanderson as well, showered his praises on his most experienced reserve wrestler on the bench last season. 

Cael Sanderson found a Carter Starocci in Terrell Barraclough 

Cael Sanderson let Terrell Barraclough take the floor with a certain measure. However, when it came to snubbing Carter Starocci for the injury reason, he looked to the Utah native with no doubts in mind. The reason was Terrell’s work ethic behind the scenes. The wrestler received fewer chances to feature on the mat compared to the regulars from other weight classes. But that couldn’t put him off from the gym seasons or the net practices. Such work ethics put the Olympic champion coach in awe from time to time. 

In his admittance to Terrell Barraclough, Cael once said, “He’s been in and out of our lineup since he was a freshman and he’s been in big matches and he’s always competed really well. He’s always consistent. He prepares for every match as if he’s going to wrestle. That’s a pretty rare thing.” The wrestler played an important role in pushing Mitchell Mesenbrink to a higher limit in an accompanying mode. Eventually, both wrestlers came from the 165-category. Instead of a rivalry, a joint net practice with Terrell helped the former U20 World champion to move forward. 

Carter Starocci might have noticed this after all. However, moving forward, he and Mesenbrink may have to compete against Terrell Barraclough in the NCAA.