Former Penn State wrestler Zain Retherford ready for ‘shift in perspective’ in move to coaching

Zain Retherford was named a coach for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club on Monday, becoming the second former Nittany Lions wrestler to become a coach this year, after Nick Lee was named an assistant with Penn State in May.

Retherford said Tuesday that he’s looking forward to working with wrestlers in a different capacity.

“I’m changing that perspective from primarily focusing on how I can get better, to focusing on how can these guys get better,” he said. “I’m looking forward to that shift in perspective. I’ve kind of done that some since graduating. I think it will be pretty natural because I teach some wrestling camps on my own. I enjoy going through technique and helping guys clean things up. It’ll be fun for me.”

Retherford competed at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, where he lost a first match to 2022 world champion Rahman Amouzadkhali of Iran and withdrew from further competition as a medical precaution.

Competing in Paris adds to his already impressive resume, which includes three NCAA champions, two Hodge Trophys and the title of world champion. His time in France was memorable, Retherford said.

“Being able to be there, the entirety of it, was awesome. I was around a lot of big name athletes like Simone Biles and LeBron James,” Retherford said. “They were all like two feet from me at a certain point, so it was super cool. It hit me that I was competing in the same event as all of those athletes, which was pretty neat. Both sides of my family came out, so that was super fun.”

It’s moments like that, that Retherford says keeps the flame lit for him to continue with the sport.

While he said he never envisions himself ever getting out of the sport, that nearly happened at the beginning of the year after he got a job with a financial firm in New York. During the Olympic Team Trials in April, he said he almost didn’t compete because he’d planned to move and start that part of his life.

But that’s all on hold for now.

“I still have interest in finance and business — that’s what I got my MBA in. (The coaching role) allows me to figure out what else I would like to do,” Retherford said. “It’s kind of what went into the decision process. My wife and I love State College also. We have a great community here, and it’s only 1.5 hours from my hometown of Benton. We just decided to stay in town here. I think in order for me to be effective in that role (financial position), we would have to move, so wanting to stay in State College was the main decider.”

Now that the Olympics have passed, wrestlers shift their focus on the World Championships, which are set for Oct. 14-15 in Greece.

There is a qualifying process to make the United States team just like the Olympics, which is Sept. 14-15 in Omaha, Neb. Retherford said “time will tell” when it comes to his future plans.

“I would say I’m in semi-retirement with wrestling. I don’t see myself ever making 65 (kilograms) again. It was fun, but I don’t want to put myself through that again,” he said with a laugh. “I’m already qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2028, if I would choose to compete, as I’m an Olympian this cycle. I’m not ruling that out, but I’d also be content (with not wrestling) if that’s where we are at in four years.”

When it comes to coaching, Retherford said he isn’t going to reinvent the wheel.

He plans on just reiterating what he learned from his time with coach Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions: being grateful and enthusiastic when competing. Retherford mentioned that Sanderson kept reminding him of being grateful as he went through the weight cutting process from 70 kilograms down to 65 kilograms to make the Olympics.

“We have a great staff at Penn State and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. I think it’s just reminders really,” Retherford said. “The same messages they are getting from the staff I think are what makes this program so special. It’s why it’s exciting to stay here and continue to be a part of it.”

Retherford wasn’t the only former Penn State wrestler to make a big announcement this week — his former teammate Jason Nolf announced his retirement from the sport on Monday.