As the collegiate season approaches, all eyes are on the new head coach of Oklahoma State University (OSU), David Taylor. The proud alumnus of Penn State spilled the tea on his alma mater at a press conference recently. And the tea is not all that pretty! Taylor, having had multiple NCAA wins at Penn, went on to talk about his former school’s Regional Training Centers (RTC), which once used to be the best in the country.

“Where I came from, the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club has had the best one for quite a long time, just with the talent that was graduating from Penn State,” Taylor said in an interview shared by the Stillwater Frontier Rotary Club. However, he went on to talk about a decline at Penn. “People were kind of seeking it out as a destination, but you know, there’s been a lot of fallout there recently, especially with people leaving and exiting.” Taylor’s statement carries weight, not just because he is an alum. But because the Nittany Lions are also one of the biggest forces in the upcoming season.

If it is any relief, Taylor is not doing it alone. Instead, he is doing it alongside a big name from his alma mater itself. David Taylor pulled off a masterclass in recruiting when he brought in two Penn State legends, Jimmy Kennedy—who’s also Taylor’s brother-in-law—and Thomas Gilman, to join his Oklahoma State staff as assistants. The Pride of Penn State, Kennedy, who had helped guide the Nittany Lions to three consecutive NCAA team titles and an undefeated 45-0 dual record, brought his coaching expertise to Stillwater. Meanwhile, Gilman, an Olympic bronze medalist and 2021 World champion, joined after training with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. This is another move from the Taylor playbook that can turn out to be fatal for Penn! But there is a larger goal behind the thrills of rivalry.

This rivalry’s significance is elevated amidst its possible recruits staying uncommitted. Bo Bassett and Jax Forrest are the two biggest names for the upcoming season. And guess what? Both of them have Penn State as well as OSU still on their shortlisted schools list. But to make it a whole lot more interesting, there is another big name in the mix. Both recruits have also been in Michigan’s sights, and Taylor did not miss a moment to mention their RTC!

The coach went on to talk about other possibly strong RTCs and said, “Cliff Keen at Michigan has a good one, Spartan at Cornell has a good one.” Yes, these big names are doing a good job. But The Magic Man has bigger and better tricks up his sleeve for OSU. “Most RTCs have one or two guys training. We want to have six to eight of the best guys in the world training at ours,” he further added. It is clear that he wants to see OSU’s team on top! And who better to help him with that than the top recruits?

As Bo and Forrest weigh their options, their decisions could impact the NCAA season heavily. While Michigan seems to have the upper hand, with it being the only college Bo’s parents visited, let’s not forget, on the other side stands David Taylor himself, the very man Bo looks up to. Though we’re not sure if that sole reason will be enough. As per the No.1 recruit’s recent newsletter, he heavily appreciated Michigan—more than Taylor would like—revealing, “I really like their focus on international wrestling and their RTC. Coach KJ was with my dad in the corner, in Budapest, when I won my first world title. As the weeks go by the graphic is getting harder and harder to eliminate teams. I have two more home visits scheduled with Oklahoma State and UPJ!”

Bassett also noted he’s in no hurry to make a decision until “I get to see all the schools I may be interested in”. As of now, still on his list are:  Virginia Tech, Cornell, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Air Force, Rutgers, Iowa State, Pitt-Johnstown, Princeton, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Northern Iowa, Missouri.

As for Jax Forrest, the 2022 U17 world silver medalist and 2024 Pennsylvania state champ, Oklahoma State is a part of his Top-10 list, as per an Instagram update on September 23. Other colleges in his list include Iowa, Iowa State, Lehigh, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, NC State, Oklahoma State and Penn State.

Having said that, as Taylor continues to strive to make OSU’s program the best, it is not without its challenges.

Coaching has been challenging for ‘The Magic Man’

Despite being one of the most celebrated wrestlers—with an Olympic gold medal in 2021, three World Championship golds among others—coaching is turning out to be a whole different ball game for David Taylor. The transition from champion to head coach came with its own challenges. While most aspects of coaching remain manageable, some nuances seem to elude Taylor. “I didn’t know there was so much flexibility in scheduling,” he said.

Taylor has been frustrated when it comes to scheduling because of another college that is in the mix. “We’ve wrestled OU (The University of Oklahoma), you know, home and away our whole—really, historically, forever. But they only want to do one match this year, so we’re only going to wrestle them once this year at OU. They don’t want to come back. I don’t know what that’s about.” The jockeying has not just been frustrating, but made coaching harder for David Taylor.

Taylor went on to expose the realities of coaching: “I think, you know, as a new coach, the other coaches thought they could kind of pull one over, like, ‘Oh, this is the way we do it.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s not the way we do it. The schedule says this; we’re going to do this.’ So, I think that was surprising to me, the jockeying with that.” Yet, despite all the hurdles, Taylor has his eyes set on the prize. It is, after all, not just his debut season in the making.

This season, the Magic Man will be seen competing at the 2024 Senior World Championships despite announcing his retirement. Both OSU and Taylor believe that this will improve the program as well as motivate the students. It is going to be a difficult road ahead for Taylor, with the hopes of all of his prodigies resting on his shoulders. As the Magic Man prepares for his last competitive game, the world eagerly awaits his new tricks on the mat.