Imagine being a wrestling powerhouse that just last year boasted 5x National Champion Carter Starocci and now you’re not even able to keep your roster intact. And it all started with one name that the Nittany Lions are all too familiar with. In 2024, Penn State had David Taylor leading Penn State towards championships. Fast forward to now, after Taylor joined the Oklahoma State and led the Cowboys to a third-place finish, and two individual titles in the NCAA, he is all set to architect a new rivalry that might as well become one for the books. Turns out, he is already making moves.

Wrapping up March, the Nittany Lions backup Alex Facundo, who has bounced between 157 and 165 pounds in his three college seasons, announced his commitment to the Cowboys as he claimed that his latest destination “Feels like home.” Just when we were getting normal from the blow, Gary Steen, who has wrestled at 125 and 133, announced his departure as well. Fast forward to early April, Taylor made another move against the Nittany Lions while not even entering the ring. But this is not the only story of one friendly face turning into enemy.

Zack Ryder, redshirt freshman in Penn State, announced his entry into the transfer portal. Soon enough, we saw him in Oklahoma State university, preparing for the upcoming season. Of course, having been close to many of his teammates, this one stung the most. And the Nittany Lions are no longer denying the sadness either.

In the latest episode of Nickals and Dimes, Bo Nickal brought in the Mirasola twins from Penn State. Talking about various things, Zack Ryder’s name popped up in relation to a fun 100m race question. But Nickal didn’t miss the opportunity to ask the brothers, “Before we move on, how do you guys feel about that (Ryder’s transfer)?”

It was a unanimous confession from both the brothers – “That was sad”, and the sentiment was backed in essence by the UFC fighter himself: “He’s our dog, bro.”

Cole Mirasola further shared his experience with Zack Ryder, “We stayed here for the Olympics, we stayed at his house for the Olympic trials,” and his brother chimed in too, “(We) stayed at his house for the Olympic trials, NSO like, (he) helped us move in, like great friend… it’s not the same. He’ll still be our friend, like we went and saw him before he left. But it’s not going to be the same. Hope he finds what he’s looking for but nowhere else is like here (Penn State), so yeah.”

The disappointment of losing not only a quality wrestler but also a great friend and a good guy was evident from the voice of the Penn State wrestlers. “He’s a good dude. That’s unfortunate,” went Cole. And it’s obvious why. The answer plainly uttered by Nickal without trying to conceal it or downplay it: “Now he’s the enemy.”

They don’t fail to acknowledge that a brother of theirs is with the Cowboys now, and soon they will be crossing paths, but the Mirasola brothers are Nittany Lions for a reason. And their conviction about the wrestling journey they are on gives them one clear verdict – Penn State is the place to be.

And those words would definitely be music to Bo Nickal’s ears, being a Penn State alum himself. And especially after what had happened in the context of his previous podcast episode.

‘Betrayed’ Bo Nickal takes the high road

Nickal is a 3-time NCAA Champion with Penn State. Hosting the Mirasola brothers was like hosting one of your younger alum brothers. And in the previous episode, any guesses who his guest was? Another Penn State collegiate. At least he still was when he did the podcast. But by the time the episode was released on April 8, the podcast guest had already transferred to the Cowboys. Wait what? It can’t be, right? It can’t be Zack Ryder – being introduced by the UFC wrestler as “My boy, my buddy, good pal, Zack Ryder.”

And the hollow words of assurance given by Ryder? “Just finally being here, my whole life just watching—I’m excited just like whoever’s in the lineup, just dominating with them.” Maybe his mind got made up when the news broke that Rocco Welsh was going to wrestle for Penn State in the 184 lbs category, Ryder’s category, from 2025-26.

Speculations were on about Ryder being the successor to Carter Starocci. Well, that’s all done for now. And as for Bo Nickal, whose only defense to the Ryder episode was “Shot a few weeks ago…. Awkward…”, the confession on X did hide the whole lot of betrayal he must have been feeling since then. But Bo Nickal has kept it classy. “Part of life” – that’s his explanation for the Zack Ryder incident.

Sure, it’s disappointing seeing one of your own joining the enemy camp. But the UFC fighter knows Penn State is “definitely the place to be” for 4-time consecutive Championship winners from 2022 to 2025. Can David Taylor and Zack Ryder stop this juggernaut?