Former Top Recruit Greg Kerkvliet to Transfer to Penn State Wrestling

Even more reinforcements are headed Penn State wrestling’s way in the near future.

Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2019, announced Thursday that he had been accepted to Penn State and plans to transfer there. He had previously signed with Ohio State, but entered the transfer portal prior to the start of the season. In recent weeks, he had been spotted training with the Nittany Lions at the Lorenzo Wrestling Center.

Kerkvliet competed at 125 kilograms this summer at the U23 Worlds, where he placed fifth, so he projects to wrestle at heavyweight in college. Reigning national champion Anthony Cassar has that spot in Cael Sanderson’s lineup locked down for this season, but the Nittany Lions also have true freshman and former top-25 recruit Seth Nevills waiting in the wings at the weight as well.

The newest commit has the option to take an Olympic redshirt this season and still maintain an additional redshirt year for later in his career, so the Nittany Lions will have plenty of options at the weight moving forward. That will top off an already-stacked freshman class, which also includes Aaron Brooks, Michael Beard, and Carter Starocci.

Before signing with the Buckeyes, Kerkvliet had also given verbal commitments to both Oklahoma State and Minnesota. He won four Minnesota state titles while competing for Simley.

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Just accepted my offer from Penn State University! I’m excited for what’s next to come in my journey both academically and athletically! 🔵⚪️

A post shared by Daniel Kerkvliet (@danielkerkvliet) on Dec 5, 2019 at 1:20pm PST