Jayden James is officially grayshirting at Penn State
The Nittany Lion signee will train with NLWC and wrestle opens and freestyle this season, with his 5-for-5 clock starting next year.
Jayden James is officially grayshirting at Penn State, he told Justin Basch.
He'll train with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club for the upcoming season and wrestle in college opens & freestyle events.
Per Basch, James will train with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club for the upcoming season and wrestle college opens and freestyle events rather than compete in the Penn State lineup. His 5-for-5 clock will not start until next year.
That is the whole point of the grayshirt. James spends a year in the room and on the mat in unattached and freestyle competition, and Penn State gets five years of him starting in a season that is not this one.
Kosko still likes him this year
Nick Kosko wrote that he is "still of the belief he could win an NCAA title THIS season," and pointed to a story by @BrandonGouldHS in which James described the plan as "delayed gratification." Kosko added that James will be an interesting follow even before he steps foot on Penn State's campus.
Nobody in the reporting has laid out a weight class or a target date for James to join the lineup, and no reason beyond the delayed gratification line has been given for the decision.
Our take: the open circuit is where fans get their first real look, because that is where a grayshirt in a room like Penn State's shows up against college competition without burning anything.
What to watch
Which college opens James enters this season, and at what weight.
How much freestyle he takes on while the eligibility clock sits idle.
I'm still of the belief he could win an NCAA title THIS season