Oklahoma State finds itself at the cusp of building a new legacy under new head coach David Taylor. Though Penn State has done wonders under Cael Sanderson, Taylor is also looking forward to taking Oklahoma State to new heights. While Sanderson redefined the college wrestling dominance, Taylor worked to reform OSU’s storied wrestling program to new glory and navigated challenges faced by the former head coaches.

Wrestling is history, and history repeats itself, with eras defined by certain programs that dominated the mat. Now, the focus shifts to Taylor’s approach and how the team will perform.

David Taylor is learning from the past, shaping the future

David Taylor shared his thoughts with USA Wrestling about the Cael Sanderson legacy and how he looks at a decade of his coaching before the Virginia Tech dual. When asked about how much he thinks back on what it was like for Coach Sanderson at the beginning of Penn State and if he talked to him at all during the year, Taylor replied with a plain face, “Yeah, I mean, I think that there’s some—there’s a lot of similarities to what we’re doing here now to what Penn State did, you know, [number] years ago. College athletics is much different now than what it was then, that’s for sure.” Indeed, with time, competition increases, and things get different but hard work, patience, focus, and everything else stay the same.

Taylor continued and said, “But, um, I think there’s something similar in this team to what they were back then, and, um, wrestling—I think history and wrestling kind of repeat themselves, you know.” Cael Sanderson worked over a decade to nourish Penn State and given talented wrestlers, the results are for everyone to see.

David Taylor has also been coached by Sanderson—and he is here, holding the position of a head coach. Hence, the current OSU team also has gems like Wyatt Hendrickson (transferred from Air Force), Dean Hamiti, and Dustin Plott, who can take collegiate wrestling or OSU to new levels. Currently, they boast of a 3-0 record with 368 points and find themselves seated in the third place in college rankings.

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“If you look back in the history of time—it’s the same programs; it’s just different eras, right?” Taylor said. The 34-year-old has a good opportunity to create history; how you may ask? When Cael Sanderson started in 2009, he failed to take Penn State to a high level; even in 2010, Penn State placed ninth at the NCAA championships. But Taylor can make his mark in college wrestling and have a chance to bring the national title for the Cowboys in his first year—an achievement even his mentor Sanderson could not achieve.

Wrestling sensation, Taylor further said, “So, I think Oklahoma State is—you know, we’re trying to do the best that we can to continue to improve and get better.” Taylor is looking forward to rewriting the script, and with his unique techniques on the mat, he will embrace the team, giving freedom and discipline at the same time.

Sanderson’s legacy and journey of Taylor as a head coach 

“I took the way that he competed, and that’s the way I wanted to compete, and he took that and passed it on to his team. Obviously, I want to be able to pass on that similar mentality,” Taylor once said. Sanderson and Taylor are two important figures in Penn State Wrestling, as a coach and wrestler, respectively. Sanderson has instilled wrestling to the core in Taylor, and now Taylor is on the hunt for his legacy as a coach at Oklahoma State.

David Taylor joined OSU as a head coach earlier this year when he failed to enter the Olympic team. Though he was not satisfied with his ending on the mat, he decided to be back on the mat and won a bronze in the World Championships, and now he is back in the coaching field. And he has a good start.

Moving on, Cael Sanderson’s legacy can never be overlooked, though his career at Penn State was not a great start, the team has managed to stay on the top since then. If that’s not enough, Penn State topped 11 seasons from 2010 to 2024. And this is the legacy David Taylor will likely aspire to bring to OSU.

Taylor recognizes this nature and draws inspiration from Sanderson’s success, not only in shaping his coaching philosophy but also in crafting a vision for Oklahoma State’s future. In his first-ever coaching debut, the team scored 38-6 and later even dominated Wyoming with 32-6 in the first dual and even won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. And the journey goes on. It is to be seen how Taylor will shape the future of OSU and the team’s performance at the Virginia Tech dual.