With the next dual on the horizon, Oklahoma State Wrestling’s head coach David Taylor radiates confidence in his squad. Since stepping in as the Cowboys’ eighth head coach in May 2024, Taylor has sparked a resurgence, guiding the team to a third-place NCAA finish, producing two national champions, six All-Americans, and nine qualifiers – their best showing since 2017.
Taylor’s own wrestling legacy is impressive, boasting Olympic and World Championship medals and two NCAA titles at 165 pounds, capping a dominant collegiate run at Penn State.
Oklahoma Wrestling Head Coach David Taylor Ahead Of Next Matches
The Cowboys are riding high this season, boasting a 10-1 overall record and a perfect 5-0 in conference play. Their latest outing saw them dominate the Missouri Tigers 33-3 at the Hearnes Center, winning nine of 10 bouts and surrendering just a single takedown.
Looking ahead to home duals against Northern Iowa and Iowa State at Gallagher-Iba
Arena, Taylor shared the team’s upbeat mood, also noting the recent snowstorm that postponed their Utah Valley matchup.
“I mean, anytime we get a chance to wrestle here [in Oklahoma], it’s awesome, you know. And I think we’ve got Northern Iowa this weekend on Friday and Iowa State coming Sunday. Looking forward to it. Little disappointing that we lost our Sunday home match last week, you know, we really value our home matches, so this gives us a chance to make up for it this weekend with some pretty fun duels.”
When asked about whether the tight schedule affects his team (five duels in the past few weeks), he said:
“Yeah, I just think they are excited to compete. There is some scheduling things we can control, some things we can’t control, but we’re getting here towards the tail end of this kind of regular season, so just getting excited to go compete.”
Oklahoma State has owned the rivalry with Northern Iowa since 1964, dropping only four duals in the series. Their record against Iowa State is equally commanding at 64-22-3 all-time.
Freshmen Make Instant Impact At Oklahoma State
Oklahoma Wrestling’s season has been electrified by standout freshmen: 157-pounder Landon Robideau, 141-pounder Sergio Vega, and 133-pounder Jax Forrest. Along with hometown hero LaDarion “Dee” Lockett, all four are ranked in the nation’s top 15, combining for a remarkable 34-1 record.
Forrest, the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2026 class, has wasted no time making his mark, rolling to a 16-1 technical fall over No. 26 Gage Walker of Missouri to move to 6-0.
