Wrestling fans will have to wait another year to see the Penn State wrestling team's highly touted freshmen class compete for the Nittany Lions.

Coach Cael Sanderson announced his plans Tuesday to redshirt all the Lions' true freshmen -- a move that could become a regular occurrence in the coming years.

"For the most part, we'll be redshirting most of our incoming freshmen as they come in unless we feel like wrestling somebody right away," Sanderson said. "Unless it's really going to really help our team challenge for that national championship, for the most part we want them in our room and getting adjusted to school for the first year."

This year's talented freshmen -- which gave the Lions the sixth-ranked recruiting class in the nation -- will still get a chance to compete individually in open tournaments during the season.

Redshirting as a freshman is a common practice in wrestling done for a variety of reasons.

Lion assistant coach Troy Letters, a three-time All-American at Lehigh, finished as the national runner-up in 2003 as a freshman following a redshirt season.

Letters said not all freshmen are ready to take on the mental toughness required in collegiate wrestling right out of high school, and a year of preparation is important for them.

"We want our freshmen to be in the hunt to win the [national] title their first year competing," Letters said. "The difference between a fifth-year senior and a freshman is not only physical, but it's mental, too. It's a lot of attitude and a lot of confidence."

Sanderson said there's flexibility with the freshmen, and a redshirt isn't a done deal until the season is over. Two freshmen he believed could have the skills and mentality to compete this season are David Taylor and Ed Ruth.

With veterans Bubba Jenkins and Quentin Wright possibly redshirting, Taylor and Ruth could provide depth at the 149- and 174-weight classes.

Despite being recruited as the one of the top wrestlers in the nation, Taylor said he expected to redshirt his first season. He said he'll use this year to adjust to the speed of collegiate wrestling.

Taylor said Sanderson hopes to get the freshmen about 30 matches in open tournaments, which is something Taylor believes will benefit the team.

"One thing that's nice about redshirting in wrestling is you can still compete," Taylor said. "It's not like other sports. I can still go a wrestle some pretty good competition and get a feel for where I am and see what I need to work on."