Always keep them guessing. Isn’t that how the saying goes? Fans were crushed when David Taylor couldn’t secure a spot on the Paris-bound wrestling team at the Olympic Trials. However, he stunned the crowds by walking away from the sport with his head held high. But the legend couldn’t stay away for too long. The 34-year-old re-emerged as the head coach of Oklahoma State University’s wrestling program. With a move as unexpected, the bar of expectations was sky-high. 

Yet, fans had nothing to worry about. Despite not having any prior coaching experience, the wrestler still knew his way around the sport. He immediately shifted his focus to preparing his mentees for a long road in the NCAA championships. As it turns out, the Olympian is just as good a coach as he was a wrestler. And OSU is now bearing the fruits of their dominant performance so far. What does the 34-year-old’s squad have in store?

David Taylor’s Cowboys take on an interesting deal

OSU has been performing exceptionally well under the guidance of David Taylor. However, their NCAA journey is set to take a turn for the better. On January 26, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will lock horns with the Iowa State Cyclones in Cedar Falls. But here’s the best part. Their thrilling duel will be nationally televised on ESPN, starting at 4 PM CT. On the other hand, this marks the second-ever regular season college wrestling meet to be aired. The first was between Iowa State and Iowa last November. 

The broadcast crew, consisting of Jim Gibbons, Shawn Kenney, and Rock Harrison, will take fans through a battle between two of the most storied programs in college wrestling history. Given its epic proportions, it only makes sense for veteran reporter Quint Kessenich to call the action. However, this isn’t the first time the Cowboys have found themselves on the telly! In 2022, the Bedlam duel was nationally televised on ESPNU.

For the fifth season in a row, one of the two duels between OSU and OU was broadcast on the network. Fans could stream all of their home matches on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ as well. When the Cowboys and Hawkeyes locked heads at Gallagher-Iba Arena last season, FS1 broadcasted the intense tussle between the two. So, David Taylor’s squad should be used to the glitz and glamor now. But the Olympian had some essential words of advice. 

Having been a former NCAA star, the 34-year-old brings a plethora of experience to the team. In fact, he helped his wrestlers push beyond their current limits every time they were on the mat. With this, the Cowboys kept churning out dominant performances this NCAA season. On the other hand, the wrestler-turned-coach doesn’t want them to stray away from the campaign. He reiterated that if they lose focus, they won’t be able to perform as well. What has their stint looked like so far?

OSU continues to push forward

The Cowboys contested at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on December 7 and obliterated their competition by racking up 192 points on the table. In fact, they outscored second-place Nebraska by a whopping 77 points. All 10 wrestlers placed no less than fifth place or above, winning the invitational with a combined 48-10 record.

David Taylor’s squad beat out 18 conference opponents and 31 ranked wrestlers, making this his first career win as a coach. The Cowboys’ win at the meet makes them the first to do so since 1999. How impressive is that? But this was just the beginning of the 34-year-old’s magical stint.

Leading up to the Bedlam duel, fans couldn’t wait to see how the Cowboys performed. Given how this was the Olympian’s first duel, many hoped to see him replicate the victory from Las Vegas here. And what do you know, the Orange brigade reigned over the Red again. Out of 10 OSU wrestlers, nine pinned their rivals down at OU’s McCasland Field House. 

They ended the duel with 35-3, with the only defeat coming from a tiebreaker decision against Carter Young in the 141-weight category. But apart from this, everything was smooth sailing. The star wrestlers Wyatt Hendrickson and Dean Hamiti Jr. overpowered their opponents with ease. However, many expected after their stellar performance at the CKLV. This inspired Reece Witcraft to beat better-ranked Cleveland Belton in the 133-weight category. The NCAA season is still far from over. Are you excited to watch them grace your screens?