Unexpected Silver Lining in Penn State Wrestling Injury Plague; Braeden Davis’ Journey From Unranked to No. 2 in Nation

The Penn State Wrestling Team is strongly guarding its number one spot in the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling right now. The Nittany Lions are currently on an undefeated streak and aren’t giving much room to any of their competitors to dethrone them. However, PSU didn’t have this strong grip on every weight class when the season began. Especially in the cursed 125lbs category.

But a chance encounter has gifted Penn State Wrestling with another heavy weapon in its arsenal. Braeden Davis, the breakout star of PSU has blindsided everyone with his skills, including his legendary head coach Cael Sanderson. But now that Davis has proven his mettle, Sanderson has shown a newfound and strong trust in the 125-pounder.

Braeden Davis’s journey from an unranked wrestler to one of the best

“Another upset for @pennstatewrest! No. 14 Braeden Davis secures the 5-1 decision over No. 5 Michael DeAugustino.” This was the caption of a recent Instagram post made by Big Ten Wrestling. However, the comments made on this post were filled with fans claiming that a victory for Davis wasn’t an upset anymore. It was something the Penn State Wrestling star had earned.

This sentiment from fans was almost non-existent since Davis was red-shirted for this season. However, the 125lbs starter of the Penn State Wrestling Team got bit by the injury bug. This prompted HC Sanderson to put the unranked Braeden Davis on the mat. This unexpected debut of Davis came on 12 December 2023, and today, the Michigan native is the second-ranking 125-pounder.

According to Basic Blues Nation, Cael Sanderson commented on the unprecedented growth of Davis. He said, “It was just kind of like, we’re pulling his redshirt… I think he showed that he was ready to go the first half of the season, and that kind of has been the plan.” Notably, Braeden Davis has now become one of the biggest candidates for the national championship. In fact, he’s the only wrestler in his weight class who remains undefeated.

Another natty winner for Penn State Wrestling?

Braeden Davis sports an unblemished season record so far, something which even the first-ranking Matt Ramos doesn’t have the bragging rights to. So far, he has scored three wins against Hofstra, Oregon State, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, and Maryland. These wins also carry a 15-0 tech fall against Maryland, where Davis wrapped things up in just 2:47.

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Notably, Davis has shown great flair for wrestling in his high school career as well. The second-ranking 125-pounder had won four back-to-back state championships in Michigan. It would be interesting to see if Davis becomes the Penn State Wrestling Team’s answer for Matt Ramos. The Nittany Lions currently have four NCAA champions on their roster. Will Braeden Davis outperform everyone this season and become PSU’s fifth champion wrestler?

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