Bo Nickal Puts Penn State Wrestler on Blast Amidst Nittany Lions Concerns

The winds of change reached Penn State shortly after the Nittany Lions, a modern NCAA wrestling dynasty, won their fourth consecutive national team title. Things started out with a few students looking to enter the transfer portal, before the floodgates opened. Rising UFC star Bo Nickal’s alma mater suddenly lost multiple wrestlers to the transfer portal and rivals like Oklahoma State.

Alex Facundo (165 pounds), Gary Steen (125/133 pounds), and Zack Ryder (184 pounds) transferred to OSU under former Nittany Lion and world champion David Taylor. This came shortly after arguably Penn State’s biggest star, Carter Starocci’s, college career ended at the 2025 NCAA championships. And now, former wrestler Beau Bartlett has vaguely hinted at some concerning practices at the NLWC. Yet, amid the concerns, Nickal decided to take a hilarious jibe at another Penn State wrestler.

It started when The Barn Session – Wrestling Podcast shared a photograph of Nickal’s Nittany Lions teammate and former NCAA Champion Anthony Cassar. “Initially wasn’t extremely concerned with all the news coming out of the Penn State wrestling room. But then I saw THIS fit…” they wrote while sharing a snap of Cassar standing near the squat machine while wearing socks over his tight, navy blue jeans.

While it was definitely a joke, Bo Nickal shared the post endorsing the joke that Cassar’s gym outfit missed the mark. “Not gonna help with these allegations,” wrote the UFC middleweight with a couple of laughing and crying emoticons. What’s more? The Barn Session – Wrestling Podcast page revealed that they took the picture from Nickal’s own Instagram handle, and simply dropped the UFC star out.

“Bo YOU posted this on the gram. How could you hang your boy out to dry like that?” the page commented on Bo Nickal’s re-tweet. “I don’t judge, just gotta love him for who he is,” said Bo Nickal. And he had a point because Cassar is known for his quirky sense of fashion. What’s more, he has completely endorsed that persona.

The NCAA wrestler-turned-real estate investor recently posted a video where he wore a tank top and showed his signature toothpick while negotiating an important deal. “Only pull out the tank and toothpick for GREAT deals,” Cassar wrote on Instagram. That being said, this isn’t the only time Nickal posted something sensational about the Penn State wrestler.

Bo Nickal’s “awkward” podcast release

On April 8, the UFC middleweight released a regular Nickal’s and Dimes podcast episode. The only difference was that episode 74 of the former NCAA wrestler’s podcast didn’t turn out to be anything but regular. That’s because none other than Zack Ryder was the guest for that fateful Nickal’s and Dimes episode. Yes, that Zack Ryder who signed with OSU.

Now you may be wondering what that would be a problem. Well, it was all about timing, because when Bo Nickal shot the podcast with Ryder, he was still with Penn State. However, by the time episode 74 premiered, Ryder had committed to OSU. “Shot a few weeks ago…. Awkward…” Nickal wrote while posting the link to the podcast on X. But wait, it gets worse.

What made it so awkward was what the 184-pounder said about Penn State during his appearance on the podcast. In fact, Ryder seemed excited about his future at Penn State when filming the podcast. “I’m excited. No matter who’s in the lineup, I just want to go out there and dominate with them,” Ryder said about competing as a Nittany Lions member.

“I know you guys talk about it all the time, but I really feel like this recruiting class could be the best team ever at Penn State,” added the NCAA wrestler. So, it’s no wonder Bo Nickal felt awkward sharing the episode after his move to OSU. However, all concerns, including Beau Bartlett’s “intimidation” confession aside, Penn State is marching on with several Nittany Lions ready to contend for a spot at Senior Worlds through Final X in Newark, New Jersey.