Former Penn State Wrestler Terrell Barraclough Says He's "Coming Home"

Barraclough will return to his home state of Utah to wrestle for Utah Valley University.

Former Penn State wrestler Terrell Barraclough competes against Iowa in a Big Ten Conference dual match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen /

Former Penn State wrestler Terrell Barraclough, who was one of the roster's most respected athletes, will return to his home state for his final season of eligibility. Barraclough announced that he will wrestle at Utah Valley University. "Coming home," he wrote in a post on Instagram.

Barraclough wrestled primarily at 165 pounds for the Nittany Lions last season, compiling a 12-2 record in open events and three dual-meet starts. He made all three starts at 174 pounds in place of eventual four-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci. Barraclough won two of those bouts, including an upset victory over 13th-ranked Jackson Turley of Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center in February.

Barraclough rocked the Bryce Jordan Center with his performance. He reversed Turley in the second period, tying the score at 3-3, and then rode him for the entire third period to claim a 4-3 decision. Barraclough finished with 2:49 of riding time against a ranked wrestler while competing up a weight class. Following the match, Barraclough discussed why he enjoyed wrestling in Penn State's competitive room.

"You don’t want to be thinking about, 'Oh, I’m not going to be wrestling.' There’s, like, a more excellent way," Barraclough said. "If you choose to be a Debbie Downer about it, you're just not going to get any better in my opinion if you go into practice thinking every day, 'What’s this for?'"

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A post shared by Terrell Barraclough (@swa_barraclough)

Barraclough, from Kaysville, Utah, will be a strong addition to Utah Valley's roster. He compiled a 27-15 career record for coach Cael Sanderson at Penn State and had a particularly strong year in 2023. Barraclough went 3-0 at the Journeymen Classic, outscoring his opponents 18-0 in the season-opening event. He also went 3-1 at the Black Knight Invitational, losing only to teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink, the NCAA runner-up at 165 pounds. His other loss was to Michigan's Shane Griffith, who placed third at NCAAs at 174. Barraclough scored three pins, three major decisions and a technical fall among his 12 victories.

Utah Valley, which competes in the Big 12, recently hired Adam Hall as its new head coach. Hall spent nine seasons on the staff at North Carolina State before taking the job at Utah Valley.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.