Gavin Teasdale Steps Away from Penn State Wrestling for Temporary Break

The much-anticipated debut of Penn State wrestling true freshman and potential 125-pound starter Gavin Teasdale will be put further on hold, it appears.

Teasdale announced Tuesday morning he will be leaving Penn State for a temporary break due to undisclosed health issues. He tweeted that he still plans to return to Penn State “at full capacity” when the new semester begins in January.

I have left Penn State this fall semester for health issues. I will be returning to Penn State University this January at full capacity.

— Gavin Teasdale (@Teasdale_Gavin) November 20, 2018

Penn State wrestling confirmed Teasdale’s departure in a statement, saying, “Gavin Teasdale has withdrawn from school for the fall semester for personal reasons and is no longer on the Penn State wrestling roster.” 

Before the season, Teasdale and fellow true freshman Brody Teske were expected to compete for the starting job at 125. Neither competed in the Nittany Lions’ first dual against Kent State or in the Keystone Classic this weekend. Head coach Cael Sanderson has seemingly been delaying making a decision on how to manage their respective redshirts, opting instead to use Devin Schnupp and Justin Lopez at 125 early on in the season.

Teasdale’s health issues and absence could make that decision a bit easier for Sanderson, who won’t address the media again until next Tuesday. Just last week, he said that both Teasdale and Teske “plan on wrestling this season,” while cryptically explaining how he plans to move forward at 125.

Before coming to Penn State, Teasdale, a one-time Iowa commit, went 162-2 and won four PIAA state titles while wrestling for Jefferson-Morgan High School.