The current 2024-25 NCAA season has started at full pace and has observed many talents on the way. However, this doesn’t make wrestling fans ignore the upcoming prodigies in the sport, as one of them who is the most anticipated is Bo Bassett. The 18-year-old has been hopping colleges as he is deciding his future after completing high school as a top wrestling prospect. So, at which institution and under which coach does he aspire to become an international wrestler?

Rumors have it that it is most likely Bassett will join the current dominant Oklahoma State University, as the Cowboys have been led impressively by their new head coach, David Taylor. The Olympic champion made many promises before taking on the role, and he is already delivering on them. Recently, Bassett has also been seen on OSU’s premises, attending their home game from the audience’s POV, and he has also spared some time to train with the assistant coach Thomas Gilman, leaving the community to speculate over his future in the NCAA.

Orange looking good on Bo Bassett

Bo Bassett is aware of his demand in the college wrestling scene. Everyone has high expectations of him and his choices, including his future university that would form his wrestling career at the professional level. Surely, it would be a big decision, but the 18-year-old isn’t rushing things. He has been all over the US, heading into various universities and going through all the details of their wrestling programs. However, the moment he stepped into the OSU territory, many heads were turned immediately.

OSU has been one of the most anticipated colleges this wrestling season. They are being led by David Taylor, who has taken an oath to get to the top of the NCAA standings in the years to come, where he would serve as the head coach of the Cowboys. The moment the Olympic champion joined the team, after John Smith’s retirement, many changes have been observed in the coaching staff and even the mindset of the wrestlers. All of these changes contributed to a season-opener dominance of the Cowboys, which is something that attracted many talents like Bassett.

Previously, the 18-year-old has also visited other colleges, like Iowa and Michigan, but his stay at OSU was something different. On his official X profile, Bassett uploaded a picture after training with assistant coach Thomas Gilman, stating, “Amazing workout with Coach Gilman. He brought it for two hours! Blessed to little so many small details. His enthusiasm was contagious. I loved the talk about enthusiasm and how it means inspired by god.” Gilman joined OSU alongside Jimmy Kennedy, the associate head coach, and both of them were announced to assist Taylor in his pursuit of dominance.

The Olympic champion has put in a very strong mentality in his coaching staff and wrestlers. It is also evident by their performances in the recent matches, and Bassett had a lot of learning with this visit. Furthermore, the prodigy mentioned that Gilman’s enthusiasm was driven by his faith, which he felt a strong presence of while training with him. Cowboy’s official Instagram page also took this opportunity to upload a picture of Bassett in the OSU singlet alongside Jax Forrest. All of these social media updates were sure to trigger more speculation among the wrestling fanbase, and it eventually did. 

Mixed opinions on his future

Whenever talents like Bo Bassett are seen in a singlet of a big team like OSU, it’s a big hint for the fans to guess what’s coming next. The Cowboys hold a strong stature in the current NCAA season, as one fan stressed, stating, “The Cowboy Culture is something you don’t want to miss out on. I promise you that.” Many are also confident with David Taylor’s ideas, as this fan wrote, “You won’t find fans that love the sport you love as much as you do anywhere else. DT and co have started the resurgence and you’ll get to say you came in and woke the sleeping giant. You’ll be a LEGEND.” “Let’s go! Coach Gilman’s the man!” another fan stated in excitement.

The Cowboys have a whole package this year. They have an Olympic champion as their head coach, who has brought in talents like Jimmy Kennedy and Thomas Gilman to assist him during his six-year tenure with the university. The moment Taylor came to OSU, surely, there were plenty of questions, but eventually, the doubters were silenced by the head coach, who trained his wrestlers to be one of the most dominant season openers out there. OSU did spend a whopping $6 million on Taylor, and they are already seeing the results of hiring such a prominent talent.

However, there were also comments that suggested Bassett join anywhere else than OSU, as one read, “Lol your better at Iowa. Ask Spencer.” Another fan stated, “Hell nah penn state.” This fan wanted the prodigy to go to Iowa, as Gilman spent his college days wrestling in there, stating, “He was trained at Iowa!”

Who wouldn’t want a prodigy like Bassett on their team? Surely, the way the 18-year-old has proved his skills in the high school scene has resulted in all the anticipation. But whatever the decision he will be making in the future, it will definitely impact his whole career, and it will also bring a plethora of new fans for the team, making him just more than a wrestling prospect.