Penn State’s coaching staff leaning forward, watching its wrestlers on the mat with little to no emotion is a cornerstone of going to one of the Nittany Lions’ wrestling matches.
Coaching styles differ, and it’s apparent that Cael Sanderson and his coaching staff have adopted a zen style of coaching that almost never shows emotion, even in close matches. Although, according to assistant coach Cody Sanderson, he feels like he’s “burning up inside with emotion.”
The coaching staff’s demeanor appears to have been adapted by the wrestlers who take the mat as well. Whenever a bout is paused because it went out of bounds, the wrestler in the blue-and-white singlet always bounces up and trots back to the middle of the circle.