You become truly great only when you put all your efforts into executing all your tasks with perfection. Likewise, David Taylor is a national icon for a reason. Despite the chance of the Penn State alum defending his Olympic gold in Paris, Taylor has settled well into his new role as the head coach of Oklahoma State. It’s been over a month since Taylor took charge of the Cowboys’ wrestling program, and he’s already hit his first major milestone.

The transfer portal has been wide open for quite some time. With another NCAA season upon us, the country’s top recruiters are working tirelessly to bring the best young talent to their respective programs. Naturally, Taylor is right in the thick of the action.

David Taylor has a knack for identifying talent

A post by MatScouts on X from earlier today shed light on the strategic planning that the Magic Man has been doing behind closed doors. “Great, great pickup by the Pokes…Ronnie Ramirez has been 1-1-2 at the state tournament,” announces the post, and OSU fans can rejoice. The two-time California state champion, Ramirez has been projected as one of the biggest prospects of the Class of 2025. Ronnie has become the ninth pledge for the Cowboys for 2025.

Representing Walnut High School, Ramirez has made it to the finals of every event he’s participated in so far. With his junior year being a perfect one, Ronnie has a shot at making it 4-for-4 even before he embarks on his collegiate career under the tutelage of the Olympic gold medalist. Ramirez currently wrestles in the 120lb weight class, and it would not be surprising to see him bump up a few weight brackets when he takes up the orange uniform.

Understandably, Taylor thinks the youngster has a lot to offer OSU if they wish to take on the big NCAA powerhouses such as Penn State and the Iowa Hawkeyes. With this goal in mind, David has been using every resource at his disposal to help Oklahoma reclaim its lost status among the giants who dominate the collegiate wrestling circuit now.

No requirement is too great for the Olympic gold medalist

To make sure his team has the necessary infrastructure to better themselves, David has racked in major investment channels to help erect a new training center. While it will be some time before the results of the new building efforts start to show, Taylor’s commitment to helping Oklahoma begin its journey back to the top won’t go unnoticed. On the other hand, despite the fact that Taylor and the OSU squad failed to make their mark at the recently concluded U20 World Team Trials, the Olympian’s mere presence in their corner will massively boost the program’s self-confidence.

Only days ago, Taylor shared his checklist for the perfect wrestler to be considered a formidable force. “If you love to wrestle and are coachable, who is gonna fight hard and wrestle hard, then we’re gonna develop you. We’re gonna help you become the best wrestler you could possibly be,” David was heard saying, and we can only hope that Ronnie makes the most of the opportunity.

OSU’s new head coach also seems to be pretty impressed by this new squad’s fraternity-esque mentality and believes such bonding can do wonders for a program. “These kids look like they really care about each other, which is awesome. And we’re gonna continue to build on that and moving forward,” said Taylor about the Cowboys wrestling team. Now, it only remains to be seen if Ramirez can settle into the demanding environment of the NCAA with such a towering figure there to guide him through the whirlpool.