PennLive Wrestling Podcast

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders cover a ton of ground on this episode. Cael Sanderson's Penn State powerhouse is a heavy favorite to win its 13th NCAA title in the last 15 years. The three-day NCAA Wrestling Championships begin Thursday in Cleveland. Jim, Bob and Joe Hermitt will be there for PennLive. Jim and Bob go weight by weight and Jim makes his selections. Plus, Jim and Bob discuss...

Penn State's wrestling program put on another dominating display at the Big Ten Championships in State College last weekend. Now it's time for the big one. The NCAA Championships are next week in Cleveland from March 19-21. PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders take a deep dive into the Penn State seeds. Seven Nittany Lions are seeded first. Jim and Bob discuss the brackets and also examine the...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders are joined by Jeff Byers, the voice of Penn State wrestling, on this episode. Byers, Carlson and Flounders preview the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center this Saturday and Sunday. Cael Sanderson's Lions, unbeaten in the regular season, will be favored in many weights but there are some very talented individuals from Ohio State, Nebraska...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders share their early thoughts on the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Penn State on March 7-8 with Cael Sanderson's team off this week. PSU concluded its season with a shutout against Princeton last Friday. Jim also reflects on the life of Bobby Douglas, who recently passed away at the age of 83. Douglas, a two-time Olympian, was a standout coach at Arizona...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders reflect on all that No. 1 Penn State has accomplished with the Nittany Lions set to host Princeton Friday night in the Nittany Lions' final dual meet. The PSU career of unbeaten senior Levi Haines, a prep star at Biglerville and an NCAA national champ, is winding down. Jim shares his thoughts on what Haines has accomplished and what lies ahead for Levi. Pen...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders dig in to the most anticipate college wrestling dual meet of the season: No. 1 Penn State's Big Ten tussle with No. 2 Ohio State on Friday night at Bryce Jordan Center. Both teams are unbeaten. Both sides feature elite wrestlers. Jim and Bob look at the most interesting matchups, and they also look back at Penn State's impressive road win vs. Michigan last...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders are joined by special guest Jason Nickal on this episode. Jason Nickal is the head wrestling coach at State College Area High School and the father of Penn State great Bo Nickal. In a wide-ranging interview, Jason discusses his wrestling past, building the State College program, and what it has been like for him and his family to watch Bo Nickal's incredibl...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders are joined by Penn State wrestling general manager Clay Steadman on this episode. Steadman, a return guest, is a former PSU wrestler in his second year on the job. He shares his thoughts on working with Cael Sanderson and continuing to build the brand of the No. 1 wrestling team in the country. Steadman also offers some insight on a few of the factors that...

Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders look back on Penn State's 32-3 win at Iowa last week. Cael Sanderson's unbeaten Nittany Lions have won 80 consecutive matches heading into their weekend tests vs. Indiana (home, Friday) and Maryland (away, Sunday). PSU (9-0) also has six wrestlers in the No. 1 spot on the InterMat rankings. Plus, Jim provides a review of "Cael's Cookie" on this episode. Learn more abo...

The PennLive Wrestling Podcast is back with Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders and it is Iowa week for Cael Sanderson's Penn State wrestling program. The unbeaten Nittany Lions, winners of 78 consecutive matches, visit Iowa City on Friday night. Jim and Bob look at some of the most contentious bouts and Jim offers his insight into how the match will play out. Plus, a closer look at Cael Sanderson's nut...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders are back with the initial episode of the PennLive Wrestling Podcast for 2025-26 season. This one is all about Cael Sanderson's Penn State Nittany Lions, winners of 75 consecutive matches. PSU can make history by beating North Dakota State and Stanford on Saturday to break Oklahoma State's long-standing record of 76 consecutive wins. Plus, Jim and Bob discus...

We have a very special guest on this episode of the PennLive Wrestling Podcast. Shane Sparks, the Big Ten Network analyst and one of the great ambassadors of wrestling, joins PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders to look back on Penn State's magnificent season. Shane shares his thoughts on Cael Sanderson's influence, Penn State finishing with 10 All-Americans at nationals and what makes five-ti...

It's a special edition of the Blue-White Breakdown with PennLive's Bob Flounders and Austin Hertzog. Bob and Austin detail some of the Penn State wrestling program's amazing accomplishments this season, which concluded over the weekend at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. PSU won its 12th title in the last 14 seasons and set a new points record. James Franklin's Penn State program...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders preview the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia and Penn State's quest for another national championship. Cael Sanderson's Lions are heavy favorites to win the team title and PSU star 184-pounder Carter Starocci is seeking an unprecedented fifth NCAA title. Jimmy and Bob discuss PSU's title hopes, Carter's title hopes and examine many of the storyl...

PennLive’s Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders dissect the Penn State wrestling team’s performance at the Big Ten championships at Northwestern over the weekend. Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions crowned five individual champions and ran away with the team title. But the news was not all good. A couple of PSU wrestlers fell short of making the championship finals and young 197-pounder Josh Barr had to defa...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders take an in-depth look at the Big Ten wrestling championships this weekend at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions should have multiple champs but a couple of PSU wrestlers could face stiff competition in the finals. Jim and Bob share their thoughts on the toughest weights and Jim has an update on PSU's Braeden Davis. Lear...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders react to what Penn State was able to accomplish during its 15-0 regular season. The stats surrounding PSU's unbeaten campaign are astonishing. Jim and Bob also share their thoughts on Penn State AD Pat Kraft's recent comments on Cael Sanderson's impact at Penn State. Plus, Jim and Bob discuss Iowa's dual meet win over Oklahoma State. Learn more about your a...

PennLive’s Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders welcome Cumberland Valley wrestling great Tristan Warner to the show. Warner, a three-time NCAA qualifier at Old Dominion and two-time winner of the prestigious Elite 89 academic award, discusses his time at CV and Old Dominion, his role at Win Magazine and his thoughts on what Cael Sanderson’s wrestling team can do in the postseason. Learn more about your...

The question is no longer if any college wrestling program can beat No. 1 Penn State this season, it’s can any team stay close to Cael Sanderson’s team? Not likely. The unbeaten Lions, coming off impressive wins over Michigan and Maryland at home, are too good. On this episode of the PennLive Wrestling Podcast, Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders discuss Penn State’s two-match road trip this weekend, be...

PennLive's Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders react to Bo Bassett's decision to attend Iowa. Jim offers his thoughts on why Bassett picked the Hawkeyes and not Cael Sanderson's Penn State program. The news was all good for PSU last week, as the No. 1 Lions trounced No. 2 Iowa in State College. Jim and Bob preview PSU's home matches with Michigan and Maryland this weekend. Learn more about your ad choic...

Jeff Byers, the voice of Penn State wrestling, makes a guest appearance on this week’s episode of the PennLive Wrestling Podcast. Byers joins Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders to discuss what it’s like to be mat side to watch Cael Sanderson’s powerhouse Penn State program, one of the great dynasties in recent college sports history. Byers looks back on how he started calling Penn State wrestling match...

Cael Sanderson isn’t the first great Penn State wrestling coach, merely the latest. John Fritz was a pretty good one, too. Fritz, who won a national title for PSU in 1975, took over the Lions’ program in 1993 and immediately led the Lions to an unbeaten season. Fritz also coached a few national champs, notably heavyweight Kerry McCoy. Fritz, who still lives in the State College are, joined Jim Car...

Cael Sanderson’s unbeaten Penn State wrestling team toyed with Michigan State last week, and the Lions should have little trouble with Nebraska on Friday night in Lincoln. Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders discuss what PSU did to the Spartans, and what they might do to the Cornhuskers on this episode of the PennLive Wrestling Podcast. Other highlights: Penn State returning national champ Greg Kerkvlie...

PennLive’s Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders break down the latest news involving Cael Sanderson’s No. 1 ranked Penn State wrestling team on this episode. Jim and Bob dig into PSU’s performance in the Southern Scuffle and discuss some of Sanderson’s comments on how he is able to keep his wrestlers from transferring out of the program. Jim and Bob also preview the Lions’ Big Ten home match with Michiga...

We’ve got a special guest on this episode of PennLive’s Wrestling Podcast. Clay Steadman, in his first year as general manager for Cael Sanderson’s Penn State wrestling team, chats with Jim Carlson and Bob Flounders. Steadman, a former Penn State wrestler who had his career cut short due to injury, discusses some of his duties as GM. What it’s like trying to “sell” Penn State wrestling as the Lion...