When David Taylor first announced his move to coaching after failing to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, the critics swarmed the internet. Everywhere, the doubters raised questions about the form of the Olympic gold medalist inheriting coaching duties at Oklahoma State from the legendary John Smith. More criticism came when Taylor embarked on his final, bronze-winning world championship run while coaching at OSU.

Yet, the rookie coach persevered. “What I realized yesterday was that it looked like family. These kids look like they really care about each other, which is awesome. And we’re gonna continue to build on that and moving forward,” the 34-year-old had said while joining OSU. Today, after just one season as OSU’s coach, Taylor has pretty much shut the doubters up. And considering how OSU’s recruits are performing, it’s only the beginning.

If David Taylor putting the Cowboys back in the top three in his rookie NCAA season wasn’t impressive enough, things are only getting better. With the Fargo 2025 results coming in, Taylor’s OSU has just made a statement. Rocklin Zinkin, Dreshaun Ross, Kellen Wolbert, and Jordyn Raney have all made it to the podium at Fargo. In fact, three of them have won their division.

Zinkin, who committed to the 2026 class way back in 2024, just won the 120 lbs gold at Fargo. Meanwhile, it looked like we had a sneak peek at Wyatt Hendrickson’s potential successor as Dreshaun Ross earned gold at 286 lbs. However, the most interesting result came in the 138 lbs final, where two Cowboys, Kellen Wolbert and Jordyn Raney, battled for gold.

While Wolbert had to settle for the silver, it was ultimately David Taylor’s boys who won both silver and gold at 138 lbs. Besides Zinkin, all three committed to OSU between February and May this year. What’s more? This isn’t even the only statement the Cowboys have made.

Rin Sakamoto (57 kg/125 lbs), Roman Bravo-Young (57 kg/125 lbs), Jax Forrest (61 kg/135 lbs), Zahid Valencia (86 kg/190 lbs), and Wyatt Hendrickson (285 lbs) have all made it to the US team for worlds. So, it’s safe to say that David Taylor is laying the foundation for a formidable OSU team in the coming season. What’s more? The former world champion is doing it at all levels.

David Taylor isn’t just recruiting wrestlers

It’s safe to say that within just one year, the OSU wrestling head coach hasn’t just improved their NCAA standings; he’s also shown a knack for spotting talent. Since taking over at the start of the 2024-25 season, Taylor has recruited several new faces. While those wrestlers are already making headlines for the Cowboys, Taylor has also tried to bring fresh faces to the coaching team.

David Taylor succeeded in doing just that in April this year when he roped in eight-year Northern Iowa coaching veteran Lee Roper. The former volunteer coach who transitioned to full-time coach lent his expertise to take Iowa to #2 in the national rankings, only behind the ever-dominant Penn State. Now, just two months later, Roper is ready to move to Cowboy country.

“We did it—officially, Okies! Closed on our new home in Stillwater today!” the veteran wrestling coach’s wife, Rebecca Roper, posted on X. “Headed back to Iowa one last time to grab a final load—and then it’s folding chairs and takeout until the rest gets here,” she added in her post. Roper’s presence at the OSU has already started drawing in talent.

Gary Steen (125/133) and Alex Facundo (157/165/174) transferred from the Nittany Lions to the OSU after Roper made his move to the Cowboys. So, while David Taylor’s wrestlers are tearing it up on the mat, he is also paying attention to finding the right people to sustain the program’s upward trajectory.