David Taylor continues to cast a tall shadow on his alma mater. And that’s despite leaving Penn State years ago. The “Magic Man” once again proved his determination to reinstate OSU to its former glory, this time at the expense of Cael Sanderson.

In a shocking announcement on social media, former Penn State wrestler Gary Steen revealed that he would be taking a page from Taylor’s book to join the Cowboys. In a post on Instagram on March 31, the Penn State junior shared that he is set to wave the Olympic champ’s flag for the next season. “Psalm‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭2 🤠 #homesweethome”, read the caption of the post he shared on his Instagram handle.

Steen started his NLWC journey as a 125-pounder but quickly made his mark in the 133-pound weight class. At Penn State, Steen compiled a 12-18 overall record. Days ago, he had entered the transfer portal, and it seems like his skill will continue to aid the decorated PSU alum in his quest to make OSU great again. In his social media update, Steen shared images of himself in the Cowboy stripes, highlighting his elation at being part of David Taylor’s squad.

The two-time PIAA state champ went 3-3 in the last season wrestling for Sanderson’s camp. During his time at Penn State, Steen redshirted during the 2021-22 season and became a steady member of the starting line-up in the 2022-23 season. However, considering that David Taylor has multiple options in the 133lb bracket, including Cael Hughes, JJ McComas and Rin Sakamoto, Gary will have to fight tooth and nail to establish his dominance in the Cowboys’ beefy locker room.

On the other hand, having the former Nittany Lion in his team would definitely make things brighter for Taylor. David’s boys finished the 2025 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships in 3rd place, while Penn State bagged its fourth consecutive national title. Will the next season see the Cowboys finally fare well? But Gary Steen won’t be the only one to carry the hefty responsibility on his shoulders. Instead, familiar faces will be standing by to lend aid.

David Taylor’s second season at the helm looks hopeful

Just hours before Steen’s commitment to OSU, Alex Facundo also confirmed that he would be exchanging his NLWC singlet for the Cowboys’ one for his next season. Facundo’s career at PSU started in the 165-pound bracket, in which he racked up a 19-6 record and qualified for the NCAA Championships. It was only in the last season that he dropped to the 157-pound category after taking an Olympic redshirt in the 2023-24 season. As things stand, he has a 5-1 record in the category, with his only loss coming against teammate Tyler Kasak at the Army Black Knight Invitational final in November.

In fact, until Tyler Kasak stole the show in the weight class, Facundo had been a steady customer in Cael Sanderson’s stellar campaign as the Penn State head coach. On Monday, Alex took to Instagram to note that he will now use his expertise to help David Taylor with his goal of bringing OSU its 35th national title, the first since 2006.

Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski will also join Steen and Facundo to add more strength to Taylor’s Cowboys for the next NCAA season. The 2024 NCAA All-American wrestler announced his commitment to join the Cowboys just days ago. With all this talent in his team, will David finally manage to topple Penn State from its high altar? What do you think? Tell us in a comment!