David Taylor definitely isn’t the most popular NLWC wrestler in the country right now. After hopes of Taylor defending his 2020 Olympic gold were denied by Aaron Brooks at the Team Trials, the Magic Man made the startling decision to head to OSU as the head coach of their wrestling program. Surely enough, the move has drawn the irk of many fans and Penn State stars alike. However, David apparently wasn’t the only one who had the offer to lend their expertise to budding stars.

Under the commanding guidance of Cael Sanderson, Penn State has emerged as the country’s top program when it comes to wrestling. The squad’s last NCAA season saw them lift the national title for the fourth time in a row, with multiple NLWC wrestlers picking up individual NCAA trophies. Understandably, when Oklahoma was looking to replace John Smith, their gaze was always sharp on Penn State’s alums.

The four-time World Championships gold medalist Kyle Dake, who moved to Penn State in 2022 after leaving Cornell, was also offered the position of the head coach at OSU, as revealed by a recent post on X by Pat Mineo. The post shares a snippet from Dake’s recent interview with CNBC Make It. In the interview, Dake talked about the offer that came his way last season, even before the Olympic Trials, and how he had to make a tough decision about his career’s future.

“There were plenty of opportunities for me to move on from wrestling,” said Kyle in the interview. However, he didn’t fail to mention that the prospect of continuing to compete at the highest level was far more intriguing than assurances of a secured life. “that wasn’t something I wanted to do. I wanted to make it work and be able to compete and wrestle at the highest level.” said Kyle.

While Dake’s reluctance to trade “massive” amounts of money for an extended career is justifiably commendable, David Taylor isn’t one to bow down to the criticisms either. Instead, he has his own mind fixated on making his latest venture work out to the best of his abilities.

David Taylor could be the one to usher change for OSU

Ever since the two-time NCAA champion assumed his new office, he has been scurrying to use all of his wisdom to make sure the Cowboys’ upcoming season can be made into something better than ever before. Along with a 14-1 overall record last season, the OSU wrestling team finished 10th at the 2024 NCAA Championships, but David can be the one to change all that. However, that is not going to be easy because of the shadow of John Smith, the iconic former coach.

“Replacing a legend like John Smith is a daunting task. He has been the face of Oklahoma State wrestling nearly four decades. In many ways, David has had a similar path in becoming our head coach. I know he respects and admires John and is up to meeting the high expectations we all share for this program,” Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg said after David joined OSU. But the authorities have come forward with all kinds of support for David.

Soon after the move, it was revealed that an estimated $40 million investment was already headed OSU’s way with an eye to overhauling its infrastructural conditions so the wrestlers could train with better equipment. But it isn’t just Taylor’s resources that OSU will be depending on to turn their fate into something glorious in the coming days.

On several occasions, the three-time World Championships gold medalist has iterated the fact that he wants to be the best there is. From his track record and dedicated mentality, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched thought to assume that this relentless mindset transcends beyond the notion of becoming the best wrestler himself. Instead, it wouldn’t be too bold to believe that Taylor will be bringing his iron-string will to instill the same among his new pupils.

While NLWC stars like Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci continue to share their not-so-supportive feelings about Taylor taking up his new responsibilities, do you think Kyle Dake could have been a better choice? Tell us your take on the matter in the comments.