When blood starts to pour and a tooth is lost mid-match, most wrestlers would call it a day. Nevertheless, Tagen Jamison was the exception to the Oklahoma State University wrestling team. He had a terrible injury during his match with the Air Force, but he didn’t allow it to divert his concentration. The calmness and commanding presence of Jamison were praised by David Taylor, the OSU coach.

Under Taylor’s leadership, the team has experienced an outstanding transition. Whereas the previous year’s squad was plagued with numerous mishaps, this year’s Cowboys have yet to be defeated, thanks in great measure to Taylor’s toughness and focus under adversity. His approach to coaching has made the team nearly impenetrable, as each player has come to embrace the adversity that comes with striving to achieve success, just like Jamison faced.

David Taylor’s words for the Cowboys wrestler are everything

Although wrestling demands certain physical toughness, the mental strength of the fighters is what makes the champions different. The 22-year-old clearly demonstrated this assertion when he continued fighting against the Air Force despite the fact that his mouth was bloody and he had lost a tooth. He was fighting in a duel against Air Force at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on Friday night. And there was no chance that this dedication put forth by the wrestler went unnoticed by his coach.

Coach David Taylor’s reply to the incident shows how he appreciates his wrestlers and team. After Tagen’s match with the broken tooth against Carter Nogle, Taylor said via The Oklahoman, “Tagen is really tough. We’ve kind of figured that out this year. He just got up and was like, ‘I lost my tooth.’” With a 20-5 technical fall by Jamison, the No. 4 wrestler in the country at 141 pounds, the third-ranked Cowboys easily defeated Air Force 43-6.

OSU’s head coach further shared his feelings, saying, “He didn’t lose his whole tooth, so it cut his mouth open, and he’s got all this blood in his mouth, and he’s holding it in his mouth as he’s wrestling, finishing out the period.” This kind of effort shows how Tagen Jamison is dedicated to his wrestling, and the head coach is also impressed with him.

While talking about the toughness, Taylor said, “It’s just nice to have tough guys, and Tagen’s pretty tough, to just continue to not lose your composure and not change the way you’re gonna wrestle.” After the first period, Jamison had a 3-0 lead, but he closed out the technical fall with five takedowns and a reversal in the following 3:40. Taylor also mentioned that many a time, wrestlers go blank and lose the bout. “That’s a time in a match when you can easily be thinking about something else and not want to be out there,” he said.

With the exception of a forfeited game at 133 pounds, the Cowboys (7-0, 5-0 Big 12) won all nine of their games that night. Seven of those victories were pins or technical falls. After the forfeit, Jamison put the evening back on track after Troy Spratley, weighing 125 pounds, began the evening with a technical fall. David Taylor put it in words, “He just wrestled a really complete match.” David Taylor became head coach of Oklahoma State University earlier this year and has shown his skills as a coach to lead the team to win.

David Taylor’s leadership approach aims to take the team to the top

The 34-year-old’s leadership has brought a transformative shift to Oklahoma State University’s wrestling program. David Taylor is known for his aggressive and forward-thinking approach and wants to instill the same in his team. Oklahoma State University’s wrestling team, under his leadership, has made a fantastic improvement when comparing the past year’s results. In the 2023-2024 season, the Cowboys were placed on the 10th line at the NCAA Wrestling Championships after Daton Fix and Dustin Plott lost in the finals.

However, the 2024-2025 season has seen the team achieve a perfect 6-0 record in dual meets, which means they have won all their matches in singles and doubles and are ranked #3 for both dual and tournament placements. Wrestlers like Dean Hamiti have shown resilience and proved Taylor is one of the best wrestling coaches ever.

“Wrestling in Gallagher is awesome. The momentum will continue to build. Oklahoma State loves wrestling,” said the Magic Man after experiencing the Gallagher-Iba Arena match. As the NCAA wrestling championship is approaching, head coach David Taylor and the OSU team are all geared up to show their magic.