The shocking loss in the 2024 Olympic Trials came with a sad realization for David Taylor. He was falling out of love with the sport that had given him an Olympic gold medal. However, an even bigger twist was his decision to take on the responsibilities of a head coach so soon. And then in May 2024, he was announced as the head coach of the Oklahoma state.

Fast forward to August 2025, and David Taylor has certainly proved a lot of people wrong. His Cowboys looked formidable in his debut season and in the NCAA Championships where they finished 3rd overall. Most importantly, Taylor himself has looked the part. “Every day we go to work and we’re just trying to help our guys get better at wrestling … help to lead them to a championship mentality,” Taylor told The New York Times in March.

For the most part, he has done it, even mentoring his boys to World Teams. Which only means his next accomplishment as a coach is awaited. But, maybe he has to wait a bit longer as the U20 World Wrestling Championships don’t bear the best of news. An X user associated with Cowboys wrestling shared the news on August 17. “If Dee Lockett is pulled back into repechage this is his route to bronze…” And let’s just say it’s a daunting road.

The 1st round of repechage will be against Vatan Annaorazov of Turkmenistan. He happens to be the U20 and U23 Asian bronze medalist. We don’t want to sell the Cowboy youngster short. Dee Lockett is a U20 World Wrestling Silver medalist in 2024. He also won the Gold in the 2023 U17 World Wrestling Championships in Istanbul. But his way through the U20 Worlds this time is trial by fire. Even if he clears the Repechage 1, in the next round, he faces Manuel Wagin, the 2024 U17 World silver medalist and 2025 U20 European Wrestling Champion.

And after all this, he qualifies for the bronze match, which would be against Kanata Yamaguchi of Japan. The Cowboys commit for 2026 was a favorite in the 74 Kg weight class, but fell to Ismael Khaniev 5-2 in the R16. It obviously won’t be the end of the world if Dee Lockett comes home empty-handed. He has his whole career still waiting to take off. And we are sure he will land more medals, especially as he comes under David Taylor’s mentorship.

But right now, the Cowboys head coach will have to wait. We know he is watching his boys in combat, analyzing their matches, reading what needs to be done. And you know what? The Olympic Champion may not have to wait too long for his first Worlds medal as a coach.

Coach David Taylor still has a strong lineup for Worlds

The Cowboys had two representatives at the U20 World Wrestling Championships being held at Samokov, Bulgaria. Dee Lockett was a heavy favorite, Rin Sakamoto not so much. The 20-year-old Cowboys wrestler is representing Japan and is in the 57 Kg weight bracket, same as U20 Euro medalists Vasif Baghirov, Nika Zangaladze, and Magomed Ozdamirov. And there’s also the American representative, Anthony Knox.

Again, Sakamoto can easily clinch a medal – he has been training under David Taylor to do just that. But Sakamoto has bigger prospects. He is also going to Zagreb as part of Japan’s senior team at the 2025 World Wrestling Championships. Yes, Sakamoto can land the biggest prize of all. But he won’t be alone. The Cowboys have four more names wrestling for a medal in Zagreb.

Wyatt Hendrickson and Zahid Valencia are serious contenders for a medal for Team USA. Along with them is Jax Forrest, who booked his spot late in Fargo. The last name is the list is Roman Bravo Young from Mexico, who has earned a lot of recognition lately. But what each and every one of them does is a reflection on the coach itself. One cannot deny that David Taylor has had a role to play in so many Cowboys dominating the mat since his arrival. We keenly watch how his boys do at the Senior Worlds.