Report: Penn State Wrestling Veteran Enters Transfer Portal

Barraclough’s ideal weight was 165 but he wrestled as low as 157 and as high as 174.

It was at 174 where Barraclough wrestled each of his three dual meets this past season, his fourth and, likely, final with Penn State wrestling. With regular starter and future four-time national champ Carter Starocci battling illness, coach Cael Sanderson called upon Barraclough to wrestle up at 174 in dual meets at Michigan and Michigan State and at home against Rutgers in this season’s Bryce Jordan Center dual.

In his first dual meet, Barraclough had a solid showing against Michigan’s Shane Griffith, who came in ranked No. 4.

Barraclough fell just 2-1 against the former national champion.

Less than 48 hours later, Barraclough beat Michigan State’s DJ Shannon 8-1.

Barraclough’s finest hour came several weeks later at the BJC. He took on Rutgers’ Jackson Turley, ranked No. 13, and won 4-3. Barraclough’s effort earned him Performance of the Night.

At Sanderson’s weekly media availability the next day, he said he felt Barraclough “just keeps getting better.”

“He’s been in and out of the lineup since he was a freshman… He’s still been in big matches, and he’s always competed really well,” Sanderson said. “He’s very consistent. He prepares for every match the same as if he is going to wrestle for every match. That’s a pretty rare thing.”

Unfortunately, Barraclough’s chances of cracking the starting lineup probably wouldn’t have been any better in 2024-25. Penn State has Levi Haines, the defending NCAA Champ at 157, returning, as well as Mitchell Mesenbrink, the reigning runner-up at 165. Those two could flip weights but will certainly be in the lineup if healthy. With Starocci likely to be either moving on from college wrestling or coming back at a new weight, Penn State will probably have a new starter at 174. But that starter is likely Alex Facundo, who took an Olympic redshirt this past season but beat Haines 6-0 in the Olympic Trials earlier this month.