David Taylor retired after a shocking loss against Aaron Brooks at the Olympics. However, what he did next raised even more eyebrows. Failing to make the U.S. Olympic team the defending champion, the gold medalist signed a high-profile coaching contract with Oklahoma State. Despite his unproven coaching credentials, Taylor became the highest-paid wrestling coach in the U.S.

The 34-year-old joined OSU and earned even more than his mentor, the legendary Cael Sanderson, and that planted the seeds of doubt in many wrestling fans. So as the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational approached, the fans and the doubters looked on in equal anticipation. Would David Taylor’s boys make their mark on the national stage? Or will the naysayers have the last laugh?

Even Oklahoma State wrestling was acutely aware of the stakes. “The CKLV Invitational poses Oklahoma State’s first major test under head coach David Taylor with 14 ranked teams expected to be in attendance, including seven in the top 10.” read a December 4 report by Cowboy Wrestling. However, Magic Man and the Cowboys silenced all doubters with impressive performances.

“Dustin Plott. Techs to the semis. @CowboyWrestling has 10 placers at CKLV.” Flo Wrestling posted on X. However, Plott wasn’t the only one; six of the 10 competing OSU wrestlers made it to the semi-finals in their bracket. What’s more? The epic performances by the Cowboys helped them finish Day 1 atop the team rankings at the major championship.

Besides Pott (184 lbs), Troy Spratley (125 lbs), Tagen Jamison (141 lbs), Cameron Amine (165 lbs), Dean Hamiti (174 lbs), and Wyatt Hendrickson (285 lbs) helped OSU take an early lead on Day 1. While the competition is not over yet, it’s difficult to argue against the results David Taylor has helped OSU produce so far. This is especially impressive considering how Taylor spent most of September and October splitting coaching and competition duties.

How David Taylor overcame criticism at every step

While Magic Man instantly attaining the highest-paid coach moniker ruffled a few feathers, he drew widespread criticism in September. That’s because shortly after joining as OSU’s head wrestling coach, the Olympic medalist and three-time world champion announced he planned to compete in the world championship.

The criticism was immediate, as many fans saw the move as David Taylor abandoning the kids he was supposed to train. In fact, it was OSU who had their coach’s back. “As an administration, we were definitely supportive of him. As a recruit, I would be really excited. I mean the head coach is living the life. he’s walking the walk, talking the talk,” said the OSU administration.

OSU’s athletic director, Chad Weiberg also voiced support for their head coach. “I think it’s a great thing any time that we can put the brand of the program out in the wrestling world,” said Weiberg. During the world trials, Taylor quickly reminded doubters why he was an Olympic medalist after making the team and then winning bronze on the world stage.

Now, after the Cowboys’ stellar performance on the first day of CKLV 2024, it’s clear that their faith in David Taylor was not misplaced. While this is just the start for the former Olympic champion, getting stellar results at the premier regular-season college wrestling event is something he can be proud of already.