The time to produce David Taylor‘s first-year scorecard as the OSU head coach approaches. With the NCAA Championships inching closer, Taylor will be feeling the pressure to reinstate the Cowboys to their former glory days, and his quest just got another boost to the system.

The Magic Man was appointed as the new Cowboys boss last year after his Olympic dreams were halted at the Team Trials in June. Under the new leadership, OSU is currently riding on a boastful 13-0 record. However, the championship will be a different ballgame altogether. And as Coach Taylor prepares for the NCAA campaign, the Cowboys are also set to collaborate with someone whose NCAA days are behind him.

Baschmania’s Justin Basch took to X on February 22 to share that the 2018 Big Ten champ Joey McKenna will be joining the Cowboy RTC ahead of the national wrestling rumble. “The @CowboyRTC is adding more senior-level talent, with @Joey_McKenna now heading to Stillwater to train with the Cowboys,” the social media update reads. 

The Stanford and Ohio State alum is a two-time Big Ten champion and also boasts two Pan American Championships golds under his belt. The experience that he brings is surely going to benefit the Cowboys as they head to the NCAA championships. Before his move to Stillwater, McKenna was training at the Pennsylvania RTC, home to Taylor’s alma mater Penn State.

The Cowboy RTC announced news of Joey’s move on Saturday. The three-time All-American wrestler boasts an impressive 105-11 NCAA overall record over four years and cemented himself as an elite collegiate athlete. It’s safe to say that Luke Surber and co. will be taking notes from the 29-year-old as he trains under David Taylor, who himself would want to show his alma mater his worth as a coach.

Friction with alma mater pushing David Taylor to go all in

Just a few days ago, the Cowboys came close to fumbling on their winning run when they locked horns with Little Rock in Arkansas. OSU dropped three of the first five bouts on February 8, before Taylor’s boys found their footing on the mat. While the visitors ultimately won the dual 25-13, fans were astounded by how the Trojans put up a grand fight against one of the country’s top wrestling programs. But if Taylor wants to settle the score with his former camp, he needs to ensure that such scares are eliminated altogether before the NCAAs.

Ever since David became the head coach for Oklahoma State, sneers and jibes have flown in from Penn State athletes and coaching staff. Viewing Taylor’s move to OSU as a sort of betrayal, NLWC senior Carter Starocci didn’t hesitate to infer that it was the massive paycheck that wriggled out the former’s agreement to join the squad. Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft also took a potshot at the former NLWC wrestler and noted that OSU would have to settle for second place no matter what happens.

Taylor and his former college crossed paths again recently when Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson dismissed David’s calls to bring back the NCAA National Duals as misguided. From all that’s happened, it’s easy to understand that David has a score to settle with Penn State, both on and off the mat, the upcoming NCAAs will be the perfect place to make his points. But will the Olympian be able to do it? Tell us in a comment!