Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson has signed a contract extension, a university spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was first to report the news. Details of Sanderson’s new contract have not been disclosed.
In 2017, Sanderson signed what was described as a long-term extension but Penn State also elected not to disclose the length and financial figures of that contract.
Since Sanderson was hired at Penn State in 2009, the Nittany Lions have morphed into a wrestling dynasty. Penn State captured the 2022 NCAA team title, which was the program’s ninth NCAA team championship in the past 11 seasons. Sanderson, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist and a four-time NCAA national champion who went a perfect 159-0 in his collegiate career, has coached 32 individual national champions and 75 All-Americans during his Penn State tenure. During that same span, Penn State won six Big Ten titles.
Sanderson’s legendary wrestling and coaching career made Penn State a destination for some of the best wrestlers in the country. This past season, Penn State’s wrestlers went 5-0 in the national finals and were so dominant that Penn State had the team title secured before the finals even started.
Penn State had a change in leadership on July 1 when Pat Kraft took over for newly retired athletic director Sandy Barbour. It's unclear if Sanderson's extension was one of Barbour's final moves as athletic director or one of Kraft's first. Regardless, keeping Sanderson in place should've been a top priority and it keeps Penn State wrestling well-positioned for years to come.
(Photo: Hunter Martin / Getty Images)
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