AP Photo Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, right, and the Nittany Lions host Oklahoma in their season opener Friday.

UNIVERSITY PARK — When the No. 1 Penn State wrestling team takes the mat at 6 tonight in the Bryce Jordan Center against No. 18 Oklahoma, there will be plenty of familiar, talented names on the roster and in the lineup.

The four-time defending NCAA champion Nittany Lions, who are riding a 71-match winning streak, can count two NCAA champions and nine All-Americans among its ranks to start the 2025-26 season.

Six projected starters are All-Americans and one is a returning NCAA champion as Penn State starts head coach Cael Sanderson’s 17th season. The Nittany Lions are on a quest for a fifth consecutive NCAA title. It would be the 13th championship under this coaching staff and 14th in school history.

Add to that the No. 1 batch of recruits in the Class of 2025 and there’s arguably the best collection of collegiate talent in the country.

“People are coming to Penn State because this is the best place in the world to wrestle and the best place to see how good you can get in wrestling,” Sanderson said Tuesday at the team’s first media availability.

The lineup the Nittany Lions are expected to send out against the Sooners will feature a blend of accomplished veterans and blue-chip recruits.

Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, who placed third in the NCAA tournament last March, is ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds and a favorite to challenge for a title this season.

“Lightning Luke competes and he just keeps getting better,” Sanderson said. “I can’t really do justice to just the kind of competitive person Luke is. Very athletic, very fast. He’s a special one.”

At 133, true freshman Marcus Blaze, a four-time Ohio state champion and a U17 and U20 world champion, is expected to make his debut.

“Obviously, Marcus Blaze is just one of those guys … he’s as good of a wrestler as there’s ever been,” Sanderson said. “He’s a great kid, great person, tremendous competitor. We have all the confidence in the world in Marcus.”

Junior All-American Aaron Nagao, ranked No. 11 at 141, will return to the lineup after two years spent battling injuries.

“I am excited. It has been two years since I have competed, so I am hoping to shake the dust off,” Nagao said Tuesday. “I think a big part of competing is your mind, and if you are feeling well physically and mentally, you can wrestle free.”

At 149, two-time All-American Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1, is back and trying to improve on two third-place finishes.

The 157-pound weight class will feature another blue-chip freshman in PJ Duke, the top-ranked recruit in this class. He is a U20 world champion and was a U.S. senior world team member this year.

At 165, two-time finalist and 2025 NCAA champion junior Mitchell Mesenbrink is ranked No. 1 and the odds-on favorite to repeat.

Levi Haines, a three-time All-American who has placed second, first and third in the NCAAs, is back for his final season as the No. 1 ranked 174-pounder and the favorite to win the weight.

Five-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci graduated, but there won’t be much of a dropoff in talent at 184. Sophomore All-American Rocco Welsh, the transfer from Ohio State, is ranked No. 2.

“He fits right in with our mentality,” Sanderson said. “He’s a very hungry kid. Just a very motivated, hard-working, obviously extremely talented, great competitor.”

Returning NCAA 197-pound runner-up Josh Barr is ranked No. 1 to start the season, but his return to the lineup will be delayed by a rib injury he sustained at the U23 World Championships. Redshirt freshman Connor Mirasola will step in for Barr.

And, at 285, Connor’s twin brother Cole, ranked No. 11, or senior Lucas Cochran will get the nod.

Notably, Sanderson revealed that two returning All-Americans, 141-pounder Braeden Davis and two-time third-place finisher at 157, Tyler Kasak, “have a good chance of redshirting.” Add to that mix a former U20 world champion from Japan, Masanosuke Ono, who Sanderson said will redshirt, and that’s three wrestlers who would start for just about any team in the country.

Sanderson said the key to getting buy-in from those three and others who may not see the starting lineup is honesty and communication.

“It’s just communication and transparency. Our kids know we’re honest, they know sport is sport,” he said. “At the end of the day, the best guy goes. But when you have the flexibility that you have in college sports, with redshirts and different opportunities, we can be flexible. You want guys that are team guys. Tyler Kasak is a good example of that. He’s one of the best wrestlers in the country. Absolutely love watching him wrestle. That’s a tough guy to redshirt. He’s a beast and a gamer.”

Tonight’s dual is the first of three scheduled for the BJC. Big Ten Network viewers will see eight ranked Sooners, two of which are ranked higher than their Nittany Lion opponent.

Duke will be tested in his debut by seventh-ranked Rafael Hipolito at 157. Oklahoma’s eighth-ranked DJ Parker will be a challenge for Connor Mirasola at 197.

“They have a strong team,” Sanderson said. “I think they had a lot of success in the transfer portal, picked up like five or six really good quality guys. It’s gonna be a good test for us. There’s gonna be some big matches in there. Oklahoma is one of the traditional powerhouses in the sport of wrestling, so we’re excited.”