Penn State wrestling commits claim coveted spots in new MatScouts high school rankings; Mesenbrink earns top honor

New high school wrestling rankings are out. Unsurprisingly, Penn State commits are featured heavily in

MatScouts put out its first review of things last week. It is a fresh look at how the country’s top high school recruits stack up. Three Penn State Class of 2027 commits are in the top 10 of the first pound-for-pound rankings of the 2026-2027 season. Perrysburg, Ohio, standout Grey Burnett is No. 2 behind only Bishop McCort star and Virginia Tech commit Melvin Miller. Norwin, Pa., state champ Landon Sidun is No. 4. And Indiana standout Clinton Shepherd is No. 5.

Here is where Penn State commits are in the weight class rankings:

126 pounds

Grey Burnett — No. 1

Landon Sidun — No. 2

150 pounds

Clinton Shepherd — No. 1

Gavin Mangano — No. 4

You can see the full rankings here.

Sidun will aim to become the 31st wrestler in Pennsylvania history to win three PIAA state championships during the 2026-2027 season. Mangano seeks his fourth New York state crown this winter. Burnett aims to do the same in Ohio. And Shepherd seeks his second in Indiana.

“I’m definitely going to get a lot of training, get a lot of good partners and everything,” Sidun said in March when asked about his offseason plans. “Just keep growing and growing. I’m a student sport. Never, never satisfied. I just know I’ll probably be at practice tomorrow or the day we get back just work on things to keep growing.”

In other news, Penn State wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink is taking home a new honor. The 2026 Hodge Trophy winner is also The Open’s Mat’s 2025-2026 Division I college wrestler of the year. He joins coach Cael Sanderson in being honored by the outlet.

“The Wisconsin native finished the 2025-26 season with a perfect 27-0 record and an astounding 96.3% bonus-point rate. His season included 11 technical falls, eight pins and six major decisions,” The Open Mat writes. “Mesenbrink was dominant throughout the dual meet season. He recorded bonus-point victories over many of the nation’s top wrestlers, including multiple wins over Caliendo, Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher, Nebraska’s LJ Araujo and Minnesota’s Andrew Sparks.

“Mesenbrink has already built one of the top résumés in Penn State wrestling history. He owns an 80-1 collegiate career record, is a two-time NCAA champion, three-time Big Ten champion, and has compiled the highest winning percentage in school history among wrestlers with at least 50 matches.”