No. 1 Penn State wrestling is a dominant program in the country, and its reign doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Elijah Brown, a Class of 2026 recruit who de-committed from Pittsburgh, is joining the Nittany Lions for the 2026-27 season. Brown had a huge finale to his high school senior season, winning his second consecutive PIAA Class 3A title in the 215-pound weight class.
He comes to Penn State as a champion with a 173-20 record as a recruit and 94-2 record from the past two seasons.
“This was a great way to end the season and my [high school] career," Brown told BlueWhite Illustrated. "And I’m just so excited for Penn State and everything that comes with that.”
Brown is a Pittsburgh, Penn. native, but he had bigger goals in mind for his collegiate career. After de-committing from Penn State's in-state rival in October, it didn't take long for Brown to join head coach Cael Sanderson's recruiting class.
“I think as the days went on, weeks went on, I just started to have higher aspirations and higher goals,” Brown said, accoeding to Greg Pickel. “And I was just kind of thinking, if I want to be the best, I have to go where the best wrestlers are. So that automatically put Penn State at the top of my list . . . just a no-brainer to get up there. I love the staff. I love just everything about it."
While Sanderson doesn't have a surplus of wrestlers leaving his team after the 2025-26 season, Brown will be a critical guy on the roster in terms of beefing up the competition either in the 197-pound or heavyweight classes.
The 197-pound class is led by sophomore Josh Barr, who will more than likely be the consistent guy for the Nittany Lions for the remainder of his collegiate career.
If Brown can bump up into the 285-pound class, his biggest competition is Cole Mirasola. Mirasola is the second-to-lowest ranked wrestler in the NCAA Tournament for Penn State at No. 9. He has key victories in the regular season, such as his upset versus Ohio State's Nick Feldman, but needs that consistent star power from start to finish. Brown will give him that much-needed boost to take him to the next level. If Mirasola doesn't rise to the occasion, Sanderson will feel just fine throwing Brown onto the mat instead.