It takes a lot to keep an empire going strong. Even the seemingly infallible Nittany Lions one. Despite just winning the 2025 NCAA National Championship title, the Nittany Lions have been facing a tough offseason, with many of their players jumping ship using the recent-ish (2018) mechanisms of the transfer portal. There is even some speculation on whether this is the reason Cael Sanderson and his Lions opted out of accepting the invitation to the National Duals Invitational at Oklahoma State this year. However, things have just started to look up with some good news from injured heavyweight Lion Greg Kerkvliet.

Kerkvliet, who had to withdraw from the NCAA finals after a loss to reigning Hodge Trophy holder Wyatt Hendrickson, has just come out of a successful knee surgery, as per his most recent Instagram story. Kerkvliet had suffered a knee injury during practice a week before the tournament began and managed to compete in the first two matches and win; however, after his loss to Hendrickson, it was thought better he withdraw to focus on his health. Now, however, that chapter seems to have come to a welcome end, with Kerkvliet posting to his Instagram story a picture of him looking satisfied in a hospital bed, with a cast on his knee and the caption “Surgery complete now on the road to recovery.”

Greg Kerkvliet had also previously made a post on his Instagram account, after his withdrawal from the tournament, wherein he thanked everyone who had supported him through his journey and the sport of wrestling itself. “Thank you to all the great people who have supported me through this journey. Thank you God for all the wonderful things you’ve taught me using this sport. And thank you wrestling. This sport is badass🤙” Kerkvliet wrote to a resounding flood of positive and supportive comments urging him to get better soon.

Well, now he has, and the Lions are once again looking like they are assembling a team to be reckoned with, which is a long-awaited relief, considering these past few weeks it has seemed like Penn State was being ripped apart at the seams, literally.

String of losses for Penn State with players jumping ship and straight into the transfer portal

Following the NCAA tournament win and Carter Starocci’s monumental fifth title win, the transfer portal seemed to have positioned itself right outside the Lions’ gym (where, if anyone follows Starocci, you’d know all the players were the day after the NCAA prize distribution). Many Penn State wrestlers, like Alex Facundo, Gary Steen, David Evans, AJ Fricchione, Marco Vespa, and promising newcomer Zack Ryder, all announced transfers!

The moves have shocked everyone involved, especially the latest letdown by Zack Ryder, who, when asked about his future at Penn State on Bo Nickal’s podcast, answered optimistically, “We could be really good. We have a hammer of a lineup, especially with Marcus Blaze and all these guys coming in. Like, we could get, like, 10 national champs.” However, his transfer to OSU came to light two days before the podcast aired!

The frequency and number of transfers have really raised questions about whether Cowboys boss David Taylor and Tom Brands are working on some sort of coup to take down Cael Sanderson and the Lions, who have held the NCAA trophy for four years in a row now. And Taylor would obviously have a motive if this turned into a real investigation, i.e., Sanderson being his former coach when he himself was a Lion, already leaving their coach-student relationship in the past. “Coaching and competing are two different things,” Sanderson said when asked about Coach Taylor.

Further, OSU has also just acquired Lee Roper from Iowa to join their coaching staff. So not only are they stealing talent from PSU, but they are also stealing strategy from seed number 2. From afar, it certainly seems like David Taylor is crafting some sort of army for next year’s NCAA championships, and luck seems to be on his side, with the National Dual Invitations being held at OSU this year, giving the team the home mat advantage.

As mentioned earlier, Penn State declined the invitation to the invitational, which, in light of all the above information, was probably for the best.

Now, however, with Greg Kerkvliet on the road to recovery, it looks like Penn State is at least backed up with some more ammo. Kerkvliet, before his injury, boasted a 97-12 overall record and a five-time All-American status. Penn State will just have to hold their breath until May 2nd, when the transfer portal closes, and hope that they don’t lose him too!