47 Days as Head Coach, David Taylor Reveals Everything That’s Keeping Him Afloat at Oklahoma State: “I’ve Been Fortunate”

David Taylor is enjoying his time as the coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling team. Taylor, who recently suffered a shock defeat to Aaron Brooks, is an Olympic gold medalist. Competing in the 86kg division, Taylor clinched gold at the Tokyo Olympics. However, this was not his only accomplishment. Apart from the Olympic triumph, Taylor also won the World Championship three times, in 2018, 2022, and 2023. His decorated collection of accolades also includes gold medals in the Pan American Championships, US Open Championships, and the Golden Grand Prix.

And now, taking over as the head coach of the decorated Oklahoma State, Taylor has his work cut out. He will be replacing the legendary John Smith, who helmed the team for 33 years, notching up 23 conference titles, 5 NCAA team championships, and 33 individual champions. While it is undoubtedly a tough task to match these figures, David Taylor is looking quite confident in his new role.

David Taylor is excited about his new venture

David Taylor appeared in a recent interview, a snippet of which was uploaded by an account named Christian Pyles on X. Taylor discussed his initial 4-6 weeks at Oklahoma State, highlighting that the new journey was exciting and that he was focused on strengthening bonds and relationships with the rest of the group. The Olympic gold medalist also acknowledged the team’s efforts and stated that the ultimate goal was to strive toward overall betterment.

Taylor then went on to praise the administration and the work environment at his new job. He said, “I got a great team around me. Our administration’s amazing, our coaching staff is amazing, you know, so we just, we compliment each other really well, you know, and everyone has different levels of experience and you know, we’ll just figure it out.”

Well, as the discussion took several turns, the obvious angle of adapting to John Smith’s shoes popped up. Taylor mentioned how he was initially recruited by John Smith fifteen years ago and expressed his hope that he would have Smith’s support throughout his tenure as the head coach at Oklahoma State. The Olympian also shared his plans going forward stating, “So I’ve been fortunate to learn from the best, you know, Coach Kael, and, you know, now I get a chance to be around coach Smith, and, you know, it’s a different. It’s a different way to compete now. And looking forward to the challenges ahead.” And while this is enough pressure itself, David Taylor will have his responsibilities doubled as his alternate venture expands its wings. 

Taylor gets a new location for K2 roots

David Taylor and his wife, Kendra Taylor, initiated their own startup cafe, K2 Roots, back in 2017. Beginning with renting out a church kitchen, the duo soon saw their juice business grow in stature, leading to the opening of their first shop within a year in Gray Woods. Now, as the business has blossomed into a well-known brand, Taylor announced the opening of a new branch in June. The announcement made on Instagram read, “New space update! Finishing touches are all that’s left and then it’s showtime at our 114 S Garner St location.”

Thus, with the pressure of his business expanding, David Taylor will surely have to take on extra responsibility for its smooth running. On the other hand, he will be accountable for the performance of the Oklahoma State wrestling team this session, with significant scrutiny waiting to be unleashed. As Taylor juggles these double ventures, it will be interesting to see how well he manages both.