Carter Starocci has done what no other wrestler in the NCAA has done before. And coach Cael Sanderson knew exactly what separates the five-time NCAA Champion from the pack. “He’s a competitor,” the Penn State coach had said to FloWrestling. “He puts the time in and he does what he thinks he needs to do to be ready mentally and physically.”
That mindset has helped Carter Starocci create a legacy in the NCAA that few will be able to match, if any. With that legendary status, the Pennsylvania native bid adieu to collegiate wrestling in 2025. But what next has been the lingering question for the Penn State alum. Well, from the latest move, we know the freestyle wrestler is not afraid to be bold and ready to push his boundaries.
The 24-year-old dropped the big update via his Instagram story on August 11. It will be Coach Carter Starocci on August 17 who will come to the mat to share some of his expert insights with anyone who registers for the three-hour session. Unprecedented, isn’t it? Even the Instagram Story’s pitch was bang on point: “Step on the mat with a legend. America’s most decorated wrestler is ready to coach the next generation of champions. Are you in?” You are surely considering it, aren’t you?
With limited spots available, anybody can register for the session…but they gotta be fast! The cost? $200, and you literally get to learn from the very best. It will be held at the World Team Trading Center, Van Nuys, California, from 9 am to 12 pm. So, clear up your schedule and get your wrestling boots and singlet out. Carter Starocci is ready to lay down some wisdom for any dreamer out there. For more information, go to the alldayworkofficial website.
Hey, but the big question is why? Why is Carter Starocci giving coaching a try? Because he’s been inspired. What’s better than being a five-time NCAA Champion? Coaching a young blood to NCAA titles and Olympic medals. After the 2025 win, talking to FloWrestling, Starocci said, “I think it’s one thing to go out there and do it, but I think it takes a whole other level of understanding and knowledge and things like that to get other people to do what you know how to do.”
March 19, 2025, Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: Penn State s CARTER STAROCCI speaks to the media during the NCAA, College League, USA Wrestling Championships press conferences at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philidelphia USA – ZUMAh193 20250319_zsp_h193_011 Copyright: xDanielxMcGregor-Huyerx
Carter Starocci’s name will always be etched in gold in NCAA history. But he honors his Penn State coach, Cael Sanderson, as the ultimate GOAT, and the legacy of the head coach is immortal. “When you are able to replicate that, that’s something that’s going to live on forever, where something like five national titles, I feel something like that comes and goes. But he really marked this thing. I think he’s the greatest of all time.”
We have seen many NCAA wrestlers who have transitioned to successful coaches. Sanderson himself is a four-time NCAA champ and has coached Penn State to 8 NCAA team titles. That includes 40 individual NCAA titles. Another Penn State alum and Olympic Champion, David Taylor, has had a great start at Oklahoma State. And the level of wrestler Carter Starocci is, any wrestling apprentice will be enlightened by learning how the Penn State icon sees the game.
The coaching news has come as a surprise, no doubt, especially when other speculations have been rife about Starocci.
MMA is always an option for Carter Starocci
Even during his NCAA years, the three-time Big Ten Champion has been vocal about his leaning towards the UFC. In 2023, he contemplated very hard about a transition. Well, he stayed put at Penn State and made collegiate history. But we feel we will see the wrestler in the UFC in the near future.
In 2024, Starocci made his way to UFC 303 as a fan. And coming out, he made his declaration, “Soon, I will be taking over that Octagon and making it home!” That sounds like not just a dream, but an open challenge. Carter Starocci fights to win. Like coach Sanderson said, “He’s a competitor … There are certain things where you hate to lose so much that you will do whatever it takes—diet, training, anything within the rules, of course.”
Maybe, right now, Carter Starocci is in preparatory mode. He was recently seen hanging out with MMA fighter Taylor Cahill. Maybe picking Cahill’s brain about the UFC got Starocci thinking about giving back to wrestling, to help the upcoming youth succeed in their dreams. More power to coach Carter Starocci.
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