State Media

Christian Hackenberg and Brian Tripp are back for Episode 2 of State Wide, your home for all Penn State sports coverage.

This episode looks at the end of the 2025–26 Penn State athletics season, the modern challenge of building rosters through recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL, and revenue sharing, plus what Penn State programs can learn from a year filled with both adversity and major individual accomplishments.

Hack and Trip also discuss Drew Allar’s next chapter with the Pittsburgh Steelers, what learning behind Aaron Rodgers could mean for his development, and the unique pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback at Penn State.

Plus, Penn State volleyball’s Caroline Jurevicius joins the show to talk about winning a national championship, building her media career, the future of Penn State volleyball, and why Big Ten opponents should be worried. Penn State linebacker Kooper Ebel also joins later to discuss transferring from Iowa State, playing for LBU, learning from Dan Connor, and what fans can expect from the new-look linebacker room.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome to Statewide Episode 2

2:13 Penn State’s 2025–26 sports season comes to a close

3:17 Penn State lacrosse, Princeton, and getting over the hump

5:00 How college athletics must adapt to the NIL

7:05 Why programs must “protect their floor”

9:04 Penn State’s dominant year across multiple sports

11:23 PAM Health partner message

12:16 College sports as a business portfolio

13:56 Michael Anderson’s historic Penn State baseball season

18:19 Why recruiting still matters more than the portal

21:39 Penn State volleyball player Caroline Jurevicius joins the show

23:21 Penn State’s national title whirlwind

24:51 Balancing volleyball, media, and school

29:20 Megan Easy’s impact on the program

35:42 Caroline’s dream job in sports media

40:28 What fans can expect from Her State

45:36 Hackenberg reflects on his Penn State experience

50:18 How Aaron Rodgers can help Drew Allar with the Steelers

53:14 Matt Campbell’s impact and Penn State’s new football energy

55:56 Kooper Ebel joins the show

57:00 Kooper Ebel on growing up in Iowa as the oldest of seven

58:36 What LBU means to Kooper Ebel

59:27 Learning from Dan Connor and Penn State linebacker legends

1:00:07 Playing in D’Anton Lynn’s defense

1:03:06 How the transfer portal rebuilt Penn State’s linebacker depth

1:04:34 What’s next for State Wide

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#PennState #PennStateFootball #WeAre

Penn State wrestling just keeps winning, winning, and winning. This is an up-close interview with Joe Sealey and Josh Barr as they explain why this dynasty is about way more than what you think it is.

Coming off an unbelievable fifth-consecutive national championship season, the Penn State wrestlers break down how to win 5 national titles, what separates their training from other programs, and why Penn State has built one of the greatest dynasties in college sports.

Josh shares the moment he knew the team was special: after a workout where nearly the entire room was on the ground, completely emptied. Joe explains why Penn State never feels like “work” — it feels like a blessing. This is a must watch for any sports fan.

Chapters:

0:00 — Meet Joe Sealey & Josh Barr

0:40 — Penn State’s 5th Straight National Championship

1:43 — Breaking Records Every Year

2:27 — Why Sustained Success Is So Hard

3:02 — Penn State’s Expectations

4:28 — Describing Penn State Wrestling in 3 Words

5:09 — The Closest and Most Fun Team Yet

6:42 — The Workout That Left 90% of the Team on the Ground

7:46 — Finding “Foxhole Guys”

9:07 — Why Practice Never Feels Like Work

11:44 — The Teammates Who Stepped Up This Year

18:04 — Why Penn State Is Such a Special Place

19:51 — Final Thoughts

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#pennstate #weare #happyvalley

In this interview, PJ Duke opens up about starting wrestling at four or five years old, winning a team state title in high school, overcoming injuries, choosing Penn State, Coach Cael Sanderson’s leadership, the culture inside the Nittany Lion program, and his long-term goal of chasing World and Olympic teams.

Chapters:

0:00 — Meet PJ Duke

0:16 — His First Wrestling Match

0:40 — What Made High School Wrestling Special

1:05 — Overcoming Major Injuries

1:30 — When He Knew College Wrestling Was Possible

2:07 — What Makes Coach Cael Sanderson Different

2:22 — Penn State’s Culture Is Bigger Than Wrestling

3:05 — Olympic and Freestyle Goals

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#weare #pennstate #happyvalley

In this interview, Rocco talks about growing up in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, the role his family played in his wrestling career, why his dad’s advice still drives him, and why Penn State felt like the place he needed to be to reach the next level.

Rocco also shares what makes Penn State Wrestling different: the coaches, the details outside of wrestling, the team culture, the culture, faith, preparation, and his goal to score more points and “let it fly.”

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Rocco Welsh

0:20 Starting wrestling at five years old

0:35 Football was his first love

0:52 The childhood match he quit with 10 seconds left

1:37 Why his dad made everything possible

2:22 NCAA, Olympic, and world-level goals

2:44 Why his dad gets too nervous to watch

3:36 The small details that separate Penn State

4:28 The culture inside Penn State Wrestling

4:52 Wrestling to glorify God and help the team win

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#weare #pennstate #happyvalley

Luke Lilledahl, Penn State’s 125-pound national champion from St. Louis, Missouri, reflects on his wrestling journey, his father’s influence, his time at boarding school, winning Ironman as a team, and why Penn State became the right place for him.

In this interview, Lilledahl talks about the culture inside Penn State Wrestling, the high standards set by the coaches, competing in front of packed crowds at the BJC, and how he approaches pressure as a returning national champion.

Chapters:

0:00 — Meet Luke Lilledahl

0:22 — Father’s Influence on His Career

1:12 — Wrestling on the Number One Team in the Country

1:21 — Winning Ironman as a Team

2:18 — Why He Chose Penn State

3:05 — Penn State Coaches Care About the Person

3:15 — The High Standard at Penn State

3:32 — Scoring Points and Having Fun

3:52 — Wrestling in Front of Huge Penn State Crowds

4:16 — His Mindset as a Returning National Champion

4:39 — Taking Everyone’s Best Shot as a Privilege

4:48 — Going Out There to Dominate

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#weare #pennstate #happyvalley

On the debut episode of State Wide, Brian Tripp and former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg sit down with Rocco Becht to talk about his transition to Penn State, his relationship with Matt Campbell, stepping into the role as QB1, Big Ten expectations, and what excites him most about this Penn State football team.

Hackenberg and Tripp also break down what stood out from spring, where Penn State’s biggest strengths are, what questions remain up front, and why they believe this team has the pieces to win at least 10 games.

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing State Wide

03:25 Penn State’s culture is changing

05:55 Hackenberg on Penn State’s values

08:06 Brian Tripp’s Penn State journey

10:39 Iconic Penn State moments across sports

13:16 PAM Health message

19:41 Rocco Becht joins the show

23:31 Becht’s relationship with Matt Campbell

28:50 Why Becht’s leadership matters in a transition year

30:14 Breaking down Penn State’s roster

32:02 Why spring was unusual for Penn State football

34:22 What will define Penn State’s season

37:26 Penn State’s biggest strengths and concerns

39:50 Penn State’s win total predictions

40:56 Closing thoughts on debut

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#pennstate #weare #happyvalley

Penn State Wrestling is coming off its fifth consecutive national championship and one of the most dominant seasons in college wrestling history.

Behind the trophies is something even more powerful: a locker room built on a culture where every wrestler is chasing greatness.

In this Off The Mat Media Day episode, Dawson Bundy, Cole Mirasola, William Henckel, and Kysion Garcia talk about what makes Penn State wrestling different: the attention to every detail, the family culture, workouts, the hidden moments fans never saw, and the balance between individual goals and team dominance.

They also discuss the pressure of being part of a dynasty, why Penn State feels like home, who the team’s “glue guy” is, what Josh Barr is like before a match, and how a group of 30 wrestlers can all chase the same dream together.

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Dawson Bundy, Cole Mirasola, William Henckel & Kyson Garcia

0:52 Penn State’s 5th Straight National Championship

2:02 The Daily Habits Behind Penn State’s Dominance

3:11 What Made This Championship Team Different

4:22 How The Team Grew

5:16 The Hidden Moment Fans Didn’t See

6:24 Which Wrestler Stepped Up This Season

7:43 The Funniest Guys On The Team

8:44 Who Flips The Switch On Match Day

10:05 What Each Wrestler Brings

14:03 What Makes Penn State So Special

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#pennstate #weare #happyvalley

Penn State wrestlers PJ Duke and Mason Ellis join Off the Mat for one of the wildest conversations yet. The guys revisit the moon landing debate, then get into UFO’s, UAP’s, aliens, The Matrix, and then get into the importance of mindsets before sharing some anecdotes they’ve learned from Coach Cael. This episode starts hilariously off the rails, then turns into a deeper discussion about wrestling and the culture at Penn State.

Chapters:

0:00 PJ Duke returns to the podcast

1:54 PJ’s biggest first year takeaway

3:52 Did the season feel fast or slow?

5:42 College athlete procrastination struggles

7:11 Conspiracy debates

9:01 Highest GPA freshman at Penn State Wrestling

11:54 Switching from folkstyle to freestyle

18:58 Wrestling in Alabama

24:22 PJ Duke adopts a cat

30:05 Was the moon landing fake?

32:34 Are aliens real?

33:00 “I don’t believe in coincidences”

35:25 The importance of reading and stretching mindset

44:40 Coach Cael’s cookies obsession

46:45 Future content ideas

47:38 Wrap Up

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#Wrestling #pennstate #weare #happyvalley

Penn State Wrestling’s Mason Ellis, Kyison Garcia, and Sean Degl join Off the Mat for one of the funniest episodes yet.

Mason shares the story of how he became the “Alabama Slamma”, Kyle shares a wild story of wrestling in a state tournament with a broken leg, and then the episode takes an unexpected twist.

The guys start debating the moon landing and more. This is a must-watch for any sports fan.

Chapters:

0:00 Mason Ellis coming from Alabama to Penn State

1:24 Mason on Alabama wrestling

2:21 Gabe Dean’s influence on Mason

3:47 Mason’s undefeated Alabama state title run

4:59 Mason’s Alabama football background

5:37 The “Alabama quarterback” story

8:13 Did Penn State wrestlers win the football game?

9:40 The origin of “Alabama Slamma”

11:49 Kyison Garcia’s Utah wrestling story

15:18 How he wrestled with a broken leg

17:14 KG’s national wrestling background

19:06 Why Sean hated wrestling at first

25:31 Moon landing debate begins

30:20 The Katy Perry space trip debate

33:03 Mason on Southern accents

34:08 Wrapping up the episode

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#pennstate #weare #happyvalley

Penn State legends Christian Hackenberg and Jason Cabinda react to the 2026 NFL Draft, break down the Penn State players selected, recap Penn State spring game, and also analyze all the changes that are improving Penn State football. This is MUST WATCH for any Penn State die-hard.

Chapters:

0:00 Spring Game + First Impressions

2:00 How the Culture Has Shifted

3:30 Depth Issues

5:00 What Looked GOOD This Spring

6:30 Energy Change

7:30 The “PR Campaign” Explained

9:00 Media Strategy

11:30 “We Got Too Comfortable”

15:30 Alabama Standard vs Penn State

23:30 The Turning Point for the Program

26:00 NFL Draft Reactions

40:00 Undrafted Players to Watch

43:00 NCAA Rule Changes (5-for-5)

47:30 NIL Problems & Lawsuits

51:00 Nebraska NIL Controversy

54:00 What’s Next for Penn State

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