Arriving with effect on August 1, 2024, the NIL rule has allowed college athletes to gain their name, image, and likeness without any limitations through different recruitment deals offered by the franchises and teams under the NCAA. Coming as a beneficial factor for the athletes, these franchises are now facing hazardous challenges in the recruiting process. After head coach Tom Brands, it’s now the Penn State wrestling program that is facing a similar situation with NIL transfers.

The challenges here come in the face of the arising competition among several NCAA teams in acquiring the best-of-the-best players, with some of the hard-end money being spent on the new transfers. For Penn State general manager, the recruiting process in terms of the new NIL rule has imposed several challenges for them in recruiting athletes.

Clay Steadman on recruitment challenges

Penn State Wrestling program general manager Clay Steadman is facing quite the challenge on the new NIL Rule. His recent appearance on Pen Li’s wrestling podcast in conversation with Bob Flounders and Jim Carlson reflected on his views on the NIL effects coming for Penn State.

Mentioning the Nittany Lion wrestling team, Clay discusses on the challenges faced when recruiting an athlete from high school while at the same time being competition with other teams offering a much better sum. “Yeah, I mean, in some ways it makes it harder right to recruit guys when they’re being offered a lot more money to go elsewhere. Um, yeah, I mean, it makes it easier to fund raise on it because we stand for different values, you know, um, the Dodgers and Yankees don’t win the World Series every year, they’re spending the most money, right?“

For Penn State to match against the other team’s offers does not come in priority, but, instead, the Penn State wrestling program carries major difference in comparison. While NCAA colleges like Dodgers and Yankees are spending immense money on acquiring athletes, Steadman speaks people’s decision to not come for money but to emerge better through their career even with Nittany Lions. For Penn State, the recruitment is not just a mere procedure, but a feeling or a journey, per se. The dollars don’t matter here. They just want their wrestlers to get accustomed to the team and feel free in their journey while carrying out their love for wrestling.

Penn State recruiting process

Spending a big sum of money and getting nothing in return is what the majority of NCAA colleges have been doing. However, the University of Kale’s recruiting process over the last 15 years comes in highlight. Donning several individual national champions in hand, the comparison to the Dodgers and Yankees with no World Series wins stands out. Like Kale, Penn State wrestling team Nittany Lions recruitment deals of Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haynes, and Kyle Snyder are some prime examples of how NIL was not only the terms of transfer but something much beyond the reality.

Entering the transfer portal last year, Mitchell’s recruiting process was a tough one experienced. From his final list of colleges, including Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio State, Penn State took over his final decision soon after his unofficial visit to the university, foregoing his remaining college visits. But for Mitchell, the transfer decision was never made on its NIL. “My recruiting process was not influenced by NIL. Less than 1%, .1%, nothing about NIL played a part in me picking Penn State.”

It was the confidence that Penn State gave him, along with the culture and the environment that attracted him. Having learned the importance of becoming better from the head coach, Cael Sanderson, Mitchell was taken over by how the Penn State Wrestling program will benefit while recognizing the similarity of his time at Askren Wrestling Academy.

The only wrestler to win an Olympic Gold, Kyle Snyder, a World Champion with an NCAA title, took over the decision to commit to Penn State after parting ways with Ohio State in 2019. To this day, the decision for the wrestler has now paid off while coming as a blessing from the support received from head coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions wrestling program staff too.

For the Penn State wrestling program, the NIL rule has not been a matter of discussion, unlike other competing NCAA programs. With prime examples of Mitchell Mesenbrink and Kyle Snyder coming into effect, the Nittany Lions wrestling team gives weightage to quality over quantity.