No. 1 Penn State wrestling meets No. 2 Ohio State at the Bryce Jordan Center. This is a battle between two undefeated squads, and the Nittany Lions already have the upper hand — even more than before.
Penn State wrestling gets hopeful news ahead of match vs. No. 2 Ohio State
The Buckeyes announced that sophomore Brandon Cannon, who is the No. 1 wrestler in the 157-pound weight class, will not participate on Friday due to an ongoing injury he sustained against Minnesota in January. That means freshman PJ Duke, the No. 4 wrestler in that weight class, will face one of two unranked opponents: Landon Desselle or Daxton Chase.
If that wasn't a big enough bonus for Penn State, Ohio State is also down Carson Kharchla and listed Nic Bouzakis as doubtful.
Ohio State could be significantly shorthanded for tonight’s big matchup:
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) February 13, 2026
• 157 – Brandon Cannon is OUT (previously reported)
• 174 – Carson Kharchla is now reportedly OUT
• 125 – Nic Bouzakis is being listed as DOUBTFUL
That’s a tough hit for the Buckeyes across three key…
Kharchla and Levi Haines were matched up for Friday. The Buckeye is the No. 5 wrestler in the 174-pound weight class. Haines remains at the top of the weight class at No. 1. Boede Campbell and Carter Chase are the other two Ohio State wrestlers listed at 174, meaning Haines is definitely dualing an unranked Buckeye on Friday.
Campbell is 1-4 on the season and Chase is 3-2. Haines is undefeated. Both have not competed in duals or Big Ten meets so far in 2025-26.
The projected lineup for No. 2 Ohio State at No. 1 Penn State 🍿 pic.twitter.com/KmflRo8C8Q
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 12, 2026
Bouzakis is the No. 4 wrestler in the 125-pound weight class. He is set to face No. 1 Luke Lilledahl. While it's not official whether he will wrestle, being listed as doubtful gives Lilledahl some breathing room as he either faces an opponent not at 100 percent or an unranked wrestler. Peyton Fenton, Vincent Kilkeary, and Brendan McCrone are the other three on Ohio State's roster listed at 125 pounds.
Lilledahl has tougher competition in comparison to Haines. Kilkeary is 20-4 in 2025-26 and McCrone is 9-1. The redshirt junior is 4-1 in duals. The redshirt sophomore is 2-1 in duals and 1-1 in Big Ten meets. Fenton has not competed in 2025-26 yet. Lilledahl is undefeated.
As Buckeyes drop like flies, the heavyweight rematch between Cole Mirasola (ranked eighth) and Nick Feldman (ranked third) is highly anticipated. Both wrestlers are available for Friday's dual and Mirasola seeks revenge as he lost 10-3 to Feldman on Feb. 14, 2025.