Wrestling fans are keenly awaiting the clash with the highly anticipated matchup between Penn State and Oklahoma State just three months away. David Taylor, the NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist from Penn State, now finds himself in a new role as the head coach of Oklahoma State. Reflecting on his transition, Taylor remarked, “I knew in 2024 that this was going to be it for me as a competitor.” 

His shift from a top wrestler to a coach brings added responsibility, including devising new strategies for his team. Taylor’s Instagram post, “First to 15. #gopokes,” reveals a commitment to more interactive and intense training sessions. As the 2024-2025 season approaches, Taylor offers a glimpse into his team’s preparations, hinting at a thrilling showdown ahead.

David Taylor preps for upcoming major events, setting his eyes on November’s glory

On Instagram, Cowboy Wrestling recently shared a video clip of David Taylor speaking about the team’s preparation, captioning, “It’s exciting to see the progress that we’ve made and where we’re going,” along with the hashtag “#GoPokes”. In that video clip, he shared insights into their training cycles and how the team may perform in all upcoming events. The new coach appreciates the positive and productive training cycles while giving due importance to the recharge time for athletes. He indicates some adjustments that will help the lineup.

Then, he continued, “You know they’re getting used to our school schedule. You know, we got meetings, this acclimation, you know, freshmen getting used to things. So, you know, the exciting thing is I told them that, you know, this summer was, you know, kind of starting to build that foundation,” emphasizing the transitional period of the athletes. The growth mechanism of adjusting to school life and team meetings is crucial to them. Taylor said summer is the cornerstone phase for building teams. 

He confidently said, “You know, it’s good to have everybody back in the room. You know, we had a really good training cycle this summer, gave the guys some time off. And you know, today’s this week’s first week back. And they got a lot of things going on.” Through this statement, he reflects the excitement of returning as a team after the summer break. David picks up the team’s ability to handle the unexpected and is very pleased with who they have become. Lastly, he highlighted the transition from preparation to concentrating on the upcoming events. 

The 33-year-old further remarked, “And, you know, now we get to start really getting ready for the season. You know, we’ve been here for three months. Um, and now we’re three months till the season starts. So it’s, uh, it’s exciting to kind of see the progress that we’ve made and also just the excitement of where we’re going.” So, now, the coach waits to see how things develop after this short training period. He shows a sense of expectation and hope concerning the road ahead, ready to meet its challenge. As the team prepares for the battle, joy is still there.

The OSU wrestling team’s primary goal is to give stellar performances at the NCAA championships. Reflecting on the current progress, John Smith is really impressed. But, they have now set their eyes on the upcoming Oklahoma Wrestling season, 2024-2025, and the NCAA Championships in November.

OSU Wrestling gears up for NCAA Championships under David Taylor

The OSU wrestling team is one of the most successful teams in the NCAA Championship. With 34 NCAA titles, the new team under David Taylor’s coaching prepares for the upcoming one. In the 2023-2024 NCAA Championships, Oklahoma finished off in style with 56 points, securing their standing at 10th. The top performers were Daton Fix and Dustin Plott. Daton Fix, the outstanding wrestler, completed a historic career on March 23, 2024.

He finished runner-up in the 133-pound bracket at this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships. That’s four NCAA titles now for Daton Fix. He has been a finalist four times in his college wrestling career. Reflecting on Fix’s achievement, John said, “He’s one of our all-time bests.” On the other hand, Dustin Plott was runner-up in 184 pounds, setting a personal high for his finish in the competition. However, the Cowboys’ success began much earlier than Smith’s. With head coach Ed Gallagher leading them, the Cowboys won their first NCAA championship in 1915.

Moving on, OSU is looking to re-establish itself, even though it hasn’t won since 2006. The training with Olympic gold medalist David Taylor hopefully works as a way to regain their dominance in wrestling. Following a heated rivalry, Taylor now looks to play smartly and take down Penn State’s only supremacy.

The current form and training sessions are going pretty well under David. The 2025 lineup is ready with in-house star performers, as David said, “The state of Oklahoma will be our foundation.” There is LaDarion Lockett, the class’ number three pound-for-pound recruit. New names on the list include Kruz Goff from Blackwell, who picked up three state titles, and Beau Hickman of Tuttle, not to mention Ethan Teague, Ishmael Guerrero, and Kaden Purler. 

Looking ahead to the end of 2024, one big event will be The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. And, of course, The NCAA Championships, which is the main tournament. David Taylor now believes that the wrestlers are doing great, and they will try to showcase their skills in the best possible way to mark the team’s success and get medals.