David Taylor knows the hard work is only just beginning for Oklahoma State’s wrestling program. Despite landing one of the best recruiting classes in the country, Magic Man is quick to remind his team that talent alone won’t lead to success. “To go weigh in and wrestle one person, that’s not what wins the national tournament,” Taylor said. “To be able to string five matches together and be resilient, (does).” This is exactly the mindset Taylor’s instilling in his recruits, especially as they prepare for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, a crucial early-season test.

Taylor’s first recruiting cycle has been a major success. Oklahoma State signed 10 high school seniors, including eight who are ranked on the Flowrestling 2025 Big Board. The group is headlined by hometown star LaDarion Lockett, ranked #3 nationally, and features flips like Landon Robideau (#5), who had been committed to Minnesota, and Sergio Vega (#6), a former Cornell commit.

“It’s a fun class, a lot of really exciting guys that want to score,” David Taylor said. And while the excitement is palpable, Magic Man’s focus is on the work ahead. “Oklahoma State is a place that every single recruit wants to come to. Now we’re on the top of the list… but we’ve still got work to do, and I’m excited to get to work,” he said in early 2024.

This weekend’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational will be the team’s first real challenge of the season. Last year, Oklahoma State finished ninth in the team standings, but Taylor is aiming higher this time. “It’s a tough tournament, it’s a national championship tournament in December,” Taylor explained.

 “I think it will be a good test for our team… for guys to go out and wrestle the way they want to.” With all 10 weights seeded, Taylor’s looking for his athletes to prove they’re ready for the grind. The Cowboys have the talent, but as Taylor says, “It just means more, the element that’s more than just yourself in a tournament, and that will play a factor this week.” It is also important from the standpoint that this is the first time David Taylor is hiring because he has been wrestling for many years; now he is recruiting and trying to put together this team.

The next big challenge for David Taylor at Oklahoma State is life-changing!

In September this year, David Taylor decided to make a comeback wrestling after he had retired in the early year. Magic Man retired early when he stumbled and was knocked down a couple of times by Aaron Brooks in the U.S. Olympic Trials, having achieved all that in the squared circle – three world titles, one Olympic gold among them. Yet mere months after his loss, he returned to competition as the top seed in the 92 kg freestyle class at the U.S. Senior World Team Trials to be held in Omaha, Nebraska. His goal?

A place in the 2024 World Championships in Albania. It was a shock a little but for Taylor, it was the same opportunity to explain that wrestling is close to his heart and that he wants to go as far as he can. And he did! This decision was made soon after Oklahoma State recruited him as their head trainer for the wrestling team after John Smith, the man credited with the growth of perhaps one of the best wrestling programs in the world, retired.

Taylor took on some pretty big shoes, but he is no stranger to being under pressure. Coming in with two NCAA titles, two Hodge Trophies, and a prosperous international career, he along the line has all that one would expect of an authoritative figure in leading the Cowboys.

When he took the job, Taylor said it was about more than just his past success: “I’ve achieved everything I have wanted in my personal career, and this is no longer about me. I am just thrilled to be in the position to help others achieve their goals, and truly make an impact in the wrestling world and on the lives around me.,” the 2x Dan Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor said. Now, however, he steps into the head coaching position and all of the responsibility for continuing that progress and taking the team to even higher ground rests on his shoulders.