“Second place is cool,” joked Penn State’s Athletic Director Pat Kraft last year after Olympic champ David Taylor was hired by OSU as the program’s eighth head coach. Looking back now, it’s astonishing how Kraft had almost pinpointed the Cowboys’ position at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Taylor’s boys finished the national tournament in third place, while his alma mater bagged its fourth straight team title. That being said, things could be looking brighter for the “Magic Man” ahead of the next season.

Just days ago, it was announced that David’s sparring partner in Stillwater, Brayden Thompson, was looking for a new home. Starting as a true freshman at 174 pounds, Thompson went 12-11 in the 2023-24 season to secure a nationals berth. This past season, he bumped up to 184 pounds and redshirted, going 9-0 in open tournaments. The rumors of his entering the transfer portal came on the back of Zack Ryder, who is also a 184-pounder, pledged his loyalty to Oklahoma State after leaving the Nittany Lions. But it looks like Taylor wouldn’t need to part ways with the OSU junior just yet.

Baschmania’s Justin Basch took to X on April 13 to share some uplifting news for the Cowboys community. “Brayden Thompson will be staying in Stillwater,” the social media post reads, and we can almost hear David Taylor breathing a sigh of relief to know that his squad won’t need to scurry to find a replacement to ensure its 184lb doesn’t pose a gaping hole for the opponents to exploit.

Winning the Bob Smith Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions, Thompson has made it clear that he has a lot of steam under the hood to become an NCAA celebrity. With him still on the roster, Taylor can finally start building on the momentum the Cowboys generated in their first year with the 2020 Olympic gold medalist at the helm. Brayden’s accolades don’t end there; instead, the OSU star has a long list of achievements to show why Taylor can depend on the former with closed eyes.

As a high school athlete, Thompson’s record stands at an impressive 152-11. As for his losses, none came after his freshman year. What’s more? The 2022 Ironman winner gained more experience when he went to Albania last year to train with David to help the Olympian come out of his retirement ahead of the World Championships. Naturally, as a Cowboys fan, it’s only heartening to know that Taylor’s poster boy will continue to perform on the wrestling mat with the orange singlet on. However, Thompson isn’t going to be the only talent in the OSU roster who should make Oklahoma’s opponents take notes before the next season arrives.

Over the past few days, David Taylor has scored a jackpot amidst the transfer portal turbulence. Following the footsteps of the former NLWC wrestler, two more wrestlers have cut ties with Cael Sanderson to arrive at Stillwater. Alex Facundo (165/157) and Gary Steen (133/125) have both recently announced that they would be competing under Taylor’s banner in the upcoming NCAA season. Along with them, Iowa’s Casey Swiderski will also add depth to OSU’s 2025-26 roster.

While the team is shaping up nicely to make fans hopeful of David Taylor’s second season as the Cowboys’ head coach, the staff to guide them to glory has also started arriving at OSU.

All hands on deck to give David Taylor a boost for the next season

Olympian Thomas Gilman had left Happy Valley to help Taylor in his quest to reinstate OSU to its former glory. However, just days ago Gilman announced that he would be returning to Penn State to take a coaching role under Cael Sanderson. “It (the decision of transferring to OSU) was fast… that’s probably the genesis of everything,” said Gilman, reflecting on the reason. But it seems like David has already taken steps to ensure his colleague’s departure didn’t affect the Cowboys’s triumphant momentum.

On Friday, French wrestler Zoheir El Ouarraqe was officially announced as Cowboy RTC Developmental Coach. While the news is undoubtedly massive, it isn’t the first time that Team Orange will be benefiting from El Ouarraqe’s talents. In 2019, the Frenchman also helped Daton Fix to become the youngest OSU wrestler to make it to the senior worlds team. What’s more, Ouarraqe will join hands with 2x Big Ten champ Joey McKenna, who arrived at Stillwater earlier this year.

However, many fans have also noted their displeasure about Taylor depending on external talents to develop the OSU program. Thankfully, there also have been a number of people who have underscored the necessity to grant David some time before his strategies begin yielding results. But looking at how the Penn State alum has roped in some emphatic stars to his team, how do you think the Cowboys will fare next season? Share your predictions with us!