Penn State wrestling to hire Nick Lee as assistant coach, Cael Sanderson says
Penn State wrestling has found its newest assistant coach.
Former Nittany Lion wrestler Nick Lee will take the open spot on staff, according to head coach Cael Sanderson’s comments on the “Strong and Grateful” podcast.
Lee will replace former assistant Jimmy Kennedy, who left the staff to join Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor, his brother-in-law, as associate head coach.
“He has a knack for coaching,” Sanderson said on the podcast. “He’s really smart, he has really taken a vested interest in helping the people around him get better. Even at times when he’s supposed to be training, he’s trying to help others. I think he’s gonna do an outstanding job. It gives us a younger mind who is gonna see things a little differently and can add a lot to what we’re doing as a staff.”
Lee won two national titles in his time as a Nittany Lion, both at 141 pounds where he competed at for his entire career. He also won a Big Ten title in 2022. He went on to have freestyle wrestling success as a member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, winning gold at 65 kg at the 2023 US National Championships and the 2024 Pan American Championships.
He competed in the United States Olympics Team Trials in April at the Bryce Jordan Center, falling just short of being the country’s representative at the weight. He fell to former Nittany Lion and fellow NLWC member Zain Retherford in the finals.
Lee has not been officially announced by the wrestling program. Sanderson said they’re going to get Lee going as soon as they possibly can, and that “you just have to jump through the different hoops that are required at a university like this.”
Penn State did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
