Daton Fix, Jason Nolf and others react as Zack Ryder commits to David Taylor-coached Oklahoma State Cowboys

Several wrestlers like Daton Fix and Jason Nolf shared their reactions to former Penn State wrestler Zack Ryder's announcement of his commitment to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Ryder is a silver medalist at the U20 World Championships, a feat that he achieved last year.

Ryder also had impressive performances in his first year of college last season and accumulated eight wins, including victories against TJ Stewart and Brian Soldano. After a one-season stint at Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions program, Ryder has decided to leave the NCAA defending champions to join the David Taylor-coached Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Taylor shared a post on his Instagram handle to announce this news of his new endeavor.

Nolf, a former Penn State wrestler and three-time NCAA Champion in the 157lb bracket, reacted to this post and shared a one-word reaction. He wrote:

"Congrats"

Nolf's comment on Ryder's post (Image via; Ryder's Instagram)

"Welcome to the family," wrote former Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestler Daton Fix.

Fix's comment on Ryder's post (Image via: Ryder's Instagram)

Former Oklahoma State wrestler and UFC Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier also commented on Ryder's post. He wrote:

"Hello cowboy! Welcome!!! #Let’sride"

Cormier's reaction to Ryder's post (Image via: Ryder's Instagram)

Zack Ryder competes in the 184lb category and was one of the major prodigies for that weight bracket for the Nittany Lions. However, the 2025 NCAA Champions added Ohio State Buckeyes wrestler Rocco Welsh for the 184 lb bracket, who recently bagged a bronze medal for the national team at the 2025 Zagreb Open.

In addition to Ryder, several other Penn State wrestlers, such as Alex Facundo and Gary Steen from 165 and 125 pounds, respectively, will also be joining the Cowboys program.

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Zack Ryder opened up about his feelings while competing at the U20 World Championships

Zack Ryder shared the nervous situation he faced during the 2024 U20 World Championships, where he returned with a silver medal. In an interview during the tournament, Ryder said that the nerves are still high for him despite being on the world stage several times in the past.

Additionally, he also expressed his happiness as the hard work was paying off in this tournament. He said (via USA Wrestling, 00:19 onwards):

"Nerves come and it's all I've been getting but I'm like a vet kind of on this world stage but the nerves are still coming but it feels good that the hard work is finally paying off."

Besides his silver accolade, Zack Ryder also has two bronze medals at the U17 World Championships in 2022 and 2023 respectively.