“I think when you finish your career, not many people get to finish completely satisfied. I feel completely satisfied with what I was able to do, and I’m looking forward to now move into this next chapter,” said the Magic Man after he took for his singlet one last time. But unlike most athletes, David Taylor doesn’t intend to fade away into oblivion. Instead, he is back in action, just that this time, he is back as Coach Taylor.

It was not long ago that the Magic Man, with the support of Oklahoma State University, stepped out of retirement for the Senior World Championships. While the championship did not take Taylor where he expected to be, winning a bronze is no small win. But it’s time for Taylor to put his all into the upcoming NCAA season and coach his prodigies!

The NCAA season is set to begin, but the Cowboys are missing!

Less than 24 hours ago, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) went on to make an announcement about the 2024-2025 NCAA season. The NWCA/USMC Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships are all set to come back for the first time since 2017. All the big names are on the list. There are universities like California Polytechnic Institute, Ohio University, Sacred Heart University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Wyoming, among others. But where is OKC?

Well, it seems like the Cowboys are missing the National Dual Meet Championships. But why? It could be because of two possible reasons. One is, of course, the glaring fact that it is David Taylor’s first year as a coach, and he has to go against the big names of wrestling. And going against, let’s say, defending champions Iowa could turn out to be a challenge. On the other hand, OKC could also be simply avoiding Taylor’s alma mater, Penn State. Or could there be none of it, and the second reason, which is a change in the OKC roster?

OKC is entering the 2024-24 season with a revamped and strong roster! It has big names on the transfer list, including Cam Amine, Caleb Fish, Dean Hamiti, and Wyatt Hendrickson. Amine and Hamiti both transfer from Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively, while Hendrickson joins from the Air Force. There are, of course, the big names as well, including Troy Spratley (125 pounds), Reece Witcraft (133 pounds), Teague Travis (157 pounds), and Brayden Thompson (174 pounds), amongst others. While this could be the second reason, there is also another blatant possibility. Maybe the schedule is too packed?

Regardless of the missing name, OKC has a packed season headed by coach David Taylor!

The National Dual Meet Championships got nothing on the OKC schedule. Despite skipping the championship, David Taylor and his prodigies have a season that is anything but slow. In fact, they have their first match in 6 days! On November 15th, Coach Taylor will have his first match against Utah Valley. After a 2-day break, they continue at Oregon State. But that’s just the beginning!

The Cowboys have some home matches after that. They go up against Wyoming and Arizona State on November 22 and 24. After Thanksgiving, they’ll head to Las Vegas for the challenging Cliff Keen Invitational on December 6, then face off against Oklahoma on December 13. But these are the toughest matches of the season. But not just because of the competition!

As David Taylor himself puts it, “It’s a very tough tournament for two reasons. One, it’s right after the holiday, so guys have to be disciplined with their weights. Two, it’s a tough tournament.” While there are challenges along the way, OKC doesn’t stop there. They round off the year with another home match. OKC will host Virginia Tech at Gallagher-Iba Arena on December 19. This will be the last match of 2024 until the next one on January 3rd. Here, things get a little more interesting.

The Cowboys start their new year at home. They will be hosting Air Force on January 3. But after this comes an eight-day gap before their next match. The Cowboys will wrestle NC State on January 12 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Interestingly, the championship dates fall during their eight-day gap. The championship is set to happen on January 10 and 11. It seems like OKC is playing it safe after all. As OKC prepares for their NCAA season, this will be a litmus test for Coach Taylor. The Magic Man better come prepared, as the stakes are higher than ever.