2025 is turning out to be a landmark year for college wrestling, and it all started with the re-igniting of the National Duals debate. The 2025 NWCA National Duals featured a Division 1 bracket for the first time since 2011, leading some, like Oklahoma State coach David Taylor, to rediscover a taste of what they have been missing. Taylor even came up with a suggestion to scale things up.

“We should bring back National Duals. Do it in November before conference competitions,” the 34-year-old wrote on X shortly after the 2025 event. The first-year Oklahoma Cowboy wrestling coach hopes to see all Division 1 colleges compete in the event. A perfect appetizer to kick off the NCAA regular season. However, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson had a slightly different opinion.

Sanderson didn’t seem too keen when asked about his take on David Taylor’s solution to smoothly integrate the event. “I mean, I think, you know, you can create a big event without including every team in the country, right? I think it’s sad that we think we have to have a National Duals to create a big event,” said Taylor’s former coach at Penn State in a clip by Christian Pyles.

Sanderson revealed that he didn’t really think too highly of the national dual even during the event’s heyday. “I don’t really feel any differently now than I did about it 10 years ago,” said Sanderson about the National Duals. Instead, the 11-time NCAA title-winning coach hopes that the new event built from the ground could do the trick.

“I think there’s obviously some merit to the idea, but it’s just kind of like a broken record,” added the veteran coach. However, Sanderson didn’t elaborate on what other ‘big event’ event could be created. Meanwhile, David Taylor had elaborated exactly why he would like to see the National Duals return, it’s all about growing college wrestling.

“We have to figure out ways we can continue to market our teams, our programs, and the guys that are on the mat — that’s the future,” the former world champion explained. So bringing back a fan favorite even to all D1 colleges would be the perfect way to achieve that growth. The fact that “they’re easy to follow for the casual fan,” has also motivated Taylor to make such a suggestion. And maybe his appetite to grow the sport is also why Magic Man felt excited about another landmark moment in college wrestling.

David Taylor on the NCAA introducing women’s wrestling

Amid the speculation regarding the future of National Duals, the NCAA made a massive move to boost the sport’s overall popularity. They added women’s wrestling to the vast roster of college sports. “We are thrilled that women’s wrestling will be an NCAA sport, making it the 91st championship that we host,” the NCAA President Charlie Bake said on January 16.

“We extend a big thank you to everyone who supported this effort,” added Bake, lauding the passionate players, coaches, and fans, who made it a possibility. Unsurprisingly, David Taylor was among the coaches who were glad to see women’s wrestling officially included in the NCAA. In fact, Taylor has already been training with a handful of female athletes at OSU.

“We’re practically wrestling every morning we wake up… And I think women’s wrestling is growing very fast,” explained the former Olympic champion. So it’s given that Oklahoma State is itching to capitalize on the opportunity. However, while he’s excited about the Cowgirls to shine in the coming days, Taylor won’t be the one in charge of the women’s team.

The three-time world champion shouted out former cowboy Izzak Olejnik and his team for working with the girls at Oklahoma State. So whether it’s through sanctioning women’s wrestling or reintegrating the National Duals, or both, David Taylor hopes to see the sport grow in the coming years.