It's a new year and a new era of Oklahoma State wrestling. 

One of wrestling’s greatest legends left the Cowboy corner for the final time when John Smith announced his retirement. But while one icon left, a legend of the current generation took his place when Oklahoma State hired David Taylor. 

Landing a legend like Taylor was massive for the OSU athletic department on multiple levels. Oklahoma State nabbed a great wrestling mind, whose discipline and knowledge of the sport have taken him to the greatest peaks it has to offer. Pair that with the success of his wrestling room in Pennsylvania, the M2 Traning Center, and Taylor has all the makings of potentially another great coach in a long lineage of greats to walk the campus in Stilwater. 

The new coach coming off a bronze medal performance at the World Championships, coupled with the addition of three All-American transfers and a brand-new, innovative wrestling facility on the horizon has generated some of the biggest talk about Oklahoma State wrestling in a long time.  

When it seemed like his competitive career was over, Taylor won the U.S. World Team Trials, sending him to Albania in October to compete at the Senior World Championships. There, he won bronze against Iran’s Kamran Ghasempour, garnering more recognition for the Cowboys on the international stage.

But, for Taylor, it went deeper than that. As he reflected, he said in his earlier years of wrestling, he had more clarity. But in the latter part of his career, he said he began to struggle with it. Going into this final championship, knowing it was the last hoorah, Taylor said it was about appreciation. Appreciation of all the things that he’d grown to love about the sport for nearly 30 years. 

“It was nice going into this World Championships knowing it was my last one,” Taylor said. “I started to really appreciate all the things I’ve done in my career, but also the little things on that trip. You’re warming up, you’re lacing up your shoes, you’re taping you’re shoes, the things you kinda take for granted when you’re in it all the time. I’m glad I competed. I think, when you finish your career, not many people get to finish completely satisfied. And I feel completely satisfied with what I was able to do and I’m looking forward to this next chapter.”

Young Looking 'Sharp' 

In the first match of the 2023 Big 12 Championships, Young wrestled Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado, the eventual national champion at 141 pounds. Just 15 seconds into the match, Young suffered a devastating knee injury derailing a potentially triumphant finish to a turbulent season where he went 14-14. One surgery and redshirt year later, Young is back. 

“He’s good, he actually is looking really, really sharp,” Taylor said. “He looked really good in the wrestle-off on Monday. I’m really excited, obviously for him to go out and compete. He seems to be in a really good headspace right now.”

Young is up a weight, now wrestling at 149 pounds for the Cowboys. He said he feels good at 149, and he feels better than ever after much-needed time off to recover and reset.

“It’s good to be back, it was a good break,” Young said. “I think it’s good to have a break every now and then. I’d been going at it for a lot of years in a row, with no real time off. It was a good recovery and I'm excited and ready to be back out there. (I’m) feeling better than ever.

Taylor Talks Transfers

There were two teams who signed three All-Americans in the transfer portal this cycle —  Oklahoma State and Iowa. The Cowboys overhauled their roster and the impact of the talented group is already being felt. OSU added multiple Big Ten standouts through the portal and one of the best heavyweights in the nation out of the Big 12.

The Cowboys landed Dean Hamiti from Wisconsin, a two-time All-American at 165 pounds and the 2023 Big Ten champion. OSU then signed Cameron Amine from Michigan, where he was a three-time All-American at 165 pounds. OSU also signed Michigan State standout Caleb Fish, who also wrestles at 165 pounds. Fish is taking a redshirt year and cutting down to 157 to provide depth at the weight and avoid a logjam in the middle weights. Hamiti will wrestle at 174 while Amine will stay at 165. Taylor said these wrestlers are not ordinary transfers.

“We got very fortunate with the transfers that we had,” Taylor said. “Some were prior to us getting here, some were after. Sometimes, I think you get transfers maybe at the end of their career and they’re just checked out, they’re just trying to figure it out one more year — and these guys are not. They’re engaged, they’re focused, they’re hungry. They’re wrestling ike they got a mission this year and they’re trying to achieve something… that’s been really awesome to be around.”

The Cowboys also signed Hendrickson, the standout from U.S. Air Force Academy, dubbed, “America’s Heavyweight,” Hendrickson has garnered a reputation of being a pinning machine with 66 falls in his career. Those account for more than two-thirds of his 96 career wins. Of the 11 losses in his career, eight of them have come at the NCAA and Big 12 Championships. Taylor said he wants to help Hendrickson get over the hump. 

“He’s a great leader, got a great personality,” Taylor said. “From the very first day he stepped in the room, he’s the guy that people gravitated toward. I think, from a community, we’re excited to watch him compete. He’s been a guy that’s dominated for the last couple of years and maybe was missing something at the national tournament. I’m hoping we can help him in that area, and I think he feels really confident in that.”