Carter Starocci is looking ahead to his fifth NCAA title under Penn State. The college wrestler is currently coming out vocally against one of the leading NCAA teams of today, giving his witty take on the NIL workings shown by college teams of today. Carter’s statements, however, reflect his own interpretation and concerns on the matter.

The 4-time NCAA Champion of No. 1 Penn State, who is entering the season with a 10-0 record at No. 2 rank, is not just coming into the spotlight with his performance but has been quite upfront in having his share of nemesis against the OSU Cowboys, especially for David Taylor. An unexpected turn of events, however, led to a big controversial situation back last season. This time, Carter comes off with highlighting statements concerning the NIL deals involving OSU under it.

Carter Starocci takes a dig on Oklahoma State

In one of the recent episodes of Nickals and Dimes, PSU wrestler Carter Starocci navigates through the world of NIL from his perspective and point of view. His conversation with Bo Nickel saw him state his facts against the NIL deals set out by the NCAA colleges of today.

Starting the conversation on NIL, Carter starts with his focus on how these deals impact the decisions the athletes make. While NCAA college teams give out these deals to bring in the talents to their team, there remain some things much more than the money-making profit. It’s not just about the win, but rather something the team giving the deal can only understand.

“I think it’ll have an impact because you’re going to have those guys that are very talented, and they’re going to get a phone call and say, ‘Hey, like, here’s x amount of dollars,’ and they’re like, ‘All right, like, I’m all for it.’ So then they’ll get some talents and things like that. But I think when you’re talking about winning and dominating, I feel like it takes a lot more than just money. I feel like that’s something that’s internal, you know what I mean? But I do think it’s going to have a strong impact.”

Carter then further went on to point out what the OSU Cowboys and the dominance their new head coach has brought out in the team come as a popular choice for fans. While these remain true, the PSU wrestler feels that the amount of power shown by David Taylor and his wrestlers in the matches is not upscaling their position much. Not commenting much, Carter then turns over the narrative on how his wrestling experience emerged with time while faced with competition against not just the Cowboys but other wrestlers too.

“Everyone’s talking about, like, um, Oklahoma State and their new head coach and his big deal and things like that. Um, they’re just saying, like, those guys are going to catch up; just wait a couple of years and things like that. I’m like, ‘Dude, those guys are not catching up. Like, those guys are not catching up; forget about it.’ You know what I mean? And, um, I think it’s something that’s like super, super cool. And then, like you said, I mean, I’ve got to experience it the last, uh, it’s a couple of years and things like that, and it’s a good transition. It’s for me as I enter into being, um, like a professional.”

While his views on the OSU Cowboys took a different note, the Penn State wrestler, now entering the final year of his college eligibility, is going towards a much more professional zone. His last year as an NCAA wrestler is coming in relevance, with some of the best moments showcased overall.

Carter’s prominence in comparison to David Taylor’s wrestlers

While David Taylor and his team don’t come off well for Carter, it wasn’t the first time the PSU wrestler took a dig against them. Eight months ago, the OSU Cowboys offered a deal to both Carter and Taylor to bring their A-game to their team. Taylor joined hands with PSU’s top rival while settling as head coach. Having paid to enter the final year of college, Carter’s decision, however, went against it, showcasing his honesty with his team, while Taylor went against grabbing the opportunity to be part of the competing team.

Receiving the news not quite well, the PSU wrestler went public, criticizing David Taylor and his decision to switch places just for money. This was the reason for his recent statements made in the interview that came against the OSU Cowboys and their head coach.

Besides the OSU Cowboys, Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci has one hell of an insightful journey that is worth noting. Entering the team as a freshman in 2020, no one would have known that an 11-rank wrestler would take the top-two spot since then with a career record of 103-4. With the new season just starting, the Penn State wrestler with a 10-0 record and 100% wins is coming off with success while posing tough competition to the likes of wrestlers of the OSU Cowboys.

Carter’s future, however, aims to become the NCAA Champion for the fifth time, a record that has never been broken by anyone. Making his absence at the 2025 Southern Scuffle Wrestling Tournament the big decision, however, comes with disappointments for fans, with the OSU Cowboys also not being a part of the event this time.