The Cowboys look to maintain their clean sheet as they take on Iowa State tonight in Ames. The two of the country’s most historic wrestling programs are set to heat things up on the mat, but that’s not the only thing that’s making OSU head coach David “Magic Man” Taylor look forward to tonight’s Big 12 clash. Instead, it’s a different milestone for NCAA wrestling that’s hogging Taylor’s euphoric state of mind.

For the first time in history, Big 12 wrestling will be broadcast on the ESPN network, and the Olympic gold medalist is justifiably over the moon to see his beloved sport grow. In a post on X from January 26, Taylor noted his glee about Sunday’s match against Iowa State. “Cowboys are wrestling today on @espn,” reads the social media update, and David’s excitement cannot be ignored.

The Cowboys boast a 63-22-3 all-time record against the Cyclones, and the prospect of picking up their 64th win on national TV is understandably looking like a milestone affair for David Taylor & Co. “It’s good for our program and it’s good for wrestling,” he said further about how this is a seminal moment in collegiate wrestling history. The Olympian went on to state, “We want to wrestle in matches that matter. We want to wrestle in things that make an impact on the sport of wrestling,” highlighting how the ESPN broadcast is an event that transcends the OSU Cowboys and Iowa State, and instead focused on the bigger picture.

However, for the Cyclones, this isn’t the first time their match will be shown on one of the world’s biggest sports networks. Last season, the Iowa vs Iowa State rivalry was also broadcast on ESPN’s primary linear channel, giving them a taste of what it’s like to have the nation’s eyes on you.

Iowa State has a spotless 3-0 in the Big 12 conference so far while OSU boasts a perfect 10-0 overall. Surely, tonight’s competitors will make sure the national broadcast event is well-used. However, getting to show their faces on ESPN isn’t the only major news of the collegiate wrestling circuit in recent days. Instead, Taylor has been making mountains move to give the sport a bump up so that it can get more exposure in the coming days, and thankfully, the NCAA is also doing its part.

David Taylor and his colleagues are working overtime for wrestling

Only last week, the country’s collegiate sports’ apex body announced that from 2026, women’s wrestling will be introduced as a D1 NCAA Championship. “We are thrilled that women’s wrestling will be an NCAA sport…We extend a big thank you to everyone who supported this effort and the athletes, coaches and fans for their passion for a fast-growing and exciting sport that brings even more opportunities for women to participate in athletics,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said about the incredible news. The announcement undoubtedly made the folks over at Iowa feel elated as the Hawkeyes have had slim competition in the USA ever since the college introduced women’s wrestling in its D1 program.

Moreover, on January 22, just days after Taylor’s social media post about bringing back the NCAA National Duals, it was revealed that the prestigious tournament would indeed make a comeback more than a decade after it was halted. The 2025 NCAA National Duals Wrestling Invitationals will happen at the BOK Center in Tulsa in November, with OSU playing the hosts. With a prize pool of $1 million, the event not only promises to showcase exciting competition but also means a good payday for the teams. But this hasn’t been the first time that Taylor’s determination to make college wrestling popular has come to the fore.

Right after he took up his new job as the Cowboys’ head coach last year after David’s Olympic title defense dream was shattered, the Ohio resident roped in $40 million in investments to revamp OSU’s wrestling infrastructure from the ground up. “Wasting no time in making it magical,” wrote The Wrestling Room’s Pat Mineo on X in May last year. So, do you think these latest moves will help collegiate wrestling to onboard more fans? Tell us in a comment!