Tokyo 2020 gold medalist David Taylor announced in May that he had joined as the head coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This news surprised many, as the 33-year-old had competed in the Olympic Trials just a month earlier. Today, Taylor has once again shocked the wrestling community, but for a different reason.

“The highest-paid college wrestling coach in the country now resides in Stillwater,” informed X page The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo). According to the page, PFB obtained details about Coach Taylor’s contract with OSU. They revealed that the 33-year-old signed a six-year contract with a whopping base salary of $1 million. However, fans were baffled as they believed The Magic Man’s former coach, Cael Sanderson, was the highest-paid coach in the U.S. Yet, there was more to Taylor’s contract.

David Taylor is set to receive a $30,000 raise each year. Therefore, the 33-year-old will make at least $1,150,000 in the final year of the contract. However, the contract doesn’t specify if the former Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member will earn further bonuses. Fans couldn’t comprehend how Taylor could earn more than arguably the most successful wrestling coach in the country as a rookie.

To put things into perspective, Cael Sanderson has turned the Nittany Lion into the #1 ranked NCAA wrestling team in the nation. Since the 45-year-old took the helm at Penn State 15 years ago, the team has won 11 national titles in 13 years. They have also won 55 consecutive dual meets and an astounding 121 of the past 123 such meets.

In contrast, the Penn State Wrestling team hadn’t won a single national title in 50 years before Sanderson arrived. It may be an understatement to say David Taylor’s former coach propelled Penn State to wrestling stardom. He turned the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club into a dynasty. Yet, Sanderson’s former pupil became the first coach to reach the $1 million mark. David Taylor’s predecessor at OSU, John Smith, earned $500,000 last year.

In a news about David Taylor, Cael Sanderson became the topic of discussion

The news took the wrestling community by surprise, baffling many that Cael Sanderson isn’t the highest-paid coach in the country. “How does Cael not make this already?!! What more does Penn State want from him?” commented a shocked fan. He had hoped the 2004 Athens gold medalist would be the highest-paid coach by a large margin because of his achievements.

Another fan expressed a similar sentiment of disbelief, “I’m more shocked Cael doesn’t make that already.” The fan couldn’t fathom the fact that David Taylor took the top spot while the Iowa and National Wrestling Hall of Famer fell behind. Some fans even refused to believe that Sanderson isn’t earning more than Taylor.

“I like how everyone is worried about Cael (Sanderson),” a fan wrote. “NLWC brings in more money per year than the next 9 added up. Like Cael isn’t getting some money through there,” he added. However, the fan wished Sanderson would get a salary boost. “Prayers up for Cael’s salary!” he wrote. Meanwhile, others congratulated David Taylor.

“All the best to @magicman_osu. Looking forward to continued years of competitive wrestling from OSU!” commented a follower. With an Olympic medalist who trained under Cael Sanderson at the helm, the wrestling enthusiast hopes to see OSU reach new heights. One netizen made a bold prediction about the Oklahoma State Cowboys’ future.

“The Magic Man is going to have Oklahoma State winning a national title within three years,” wrote the fan. This prediction would see David Taylor go up against his former coach, challenging his dominance at the national level. However, only time will tell how much success David Taylor can bring to OSU’s wrestling team. How do you think it will play out? Do you see David Taylor challenging or even possibly dethroning Cael Sanderson within these six years? Write your thoughts in the comments.