"Their guys live a God lifestyle" - AJ Ferrari reveals the secret behind Penn State Wrestling's dominance

American wrestler AJ Ferrari recently shed light on the secret behind the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program. The Nittany Lions have won the national titles in the last three years under Cael Sanderson.

Moreover, Penn State also won the Championships between 2016 and 19. On the other hand, Ferrari's former collegiate program, Oklahoma, despite being the most decorated program in terms of NCAA titles (with 34), last won the title in 2006 under coach John Smith.

2021 NCAA champion (197 lbs), AJ Ferrari, tried to explain the possible reason behind this continuous success of the program. He said that the Nittany Lions program has several talented coaches, and they are very spiritual and very disciplined in that spiritual sense.

He also mentioned that this faith in god is also important for him, and this is the reason that former Nittany Lions wrestler Bo Nickal is so successful. For the uninitiated, Nickal won four NCAA championships with the Nittany Lions, is currently in UFC, and has a record of seven wins in as many contests. In an interview with FloWrestling, he said:

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all these things, conference championships, national championships, all these things will be added unto you. So, that's been really key for me and that's why Penn State is doing so great. I think Penn State has great coaches but all their guys live a God lifestyle, most of them. Bo Nickal getting success in the UFC because God sees because he's living a disciplined lifestyle. A lot of Penn State guys are very close to God." (6:07 onwards)

AJ Ferrari also talked about what he hopes to achieve apart from the National Championships.

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AJ Ferrari opens up about his aspiration to win the Olympics

Ferrari competing for Oklahoma Cowboys during the 2021 NCAA Championships (Image via: Getty Images)

AJ Ferrari recently shared his thoughts about winning the Olympic games in the near future. In his interview with FloWrestling, Ferrari stated that he is looking to rise his career graph from this point in time.

He further explained that the NCAA titles are special, but he has his eyes set on the Olympics. He said:

"I think it's just uphill from here. National Championships are great but I want to win the Olympics and I want to dominate and I want to be the greatest 197 pounder ever." (9:37 onwards)

AJ Ferrari won the 197 lb bracket at the recently concluded 2025 Pac-12 Championships. He defeated Little Rock's Stephen Little in the finals of the event through decision. Ferrari's other career achievements include the 2021 NCAA and Big 12 titles in the 197 lb category.