David Taylor makes private jet journey with Oklahoma State as Cowboys gear up for big weekend

David Taylor and the Oklahoma State Wrestling team traveled to Iowa in a private jet ahead of the highly anticipated clash against the defending Big 12 champions. Cowboys are ranked third in the nation and are on a nine-match win streak.

Taylor, a two-time national champion for Penn State, is in his first season as Cowboys' head coach after announcing his retirement from professional wrestling last year. The team started off the 2024-25 season with a win against Utah Valley in November and has been undefeated since.

They are set to face Northern Iowa and Iowa State on Friday and Sunday respectively, and made the journey to Cedar Falls in a private jet on Thursday, January 23. The Cowboys wrestling's, Stillyboys, shared the pictures of the journey on Instagram, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion could be spotted leading the way for college wrestlers.

"Travel day ✅ We’ve arrived in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI dual kicks off tomorrow night at 7 PM CT—be sure to tune in on Flo!," the caption read

The No.3 Oklahoma won 30-12 in their last outing against West Virginia and will look to continue the momentum in Iowa. They have faced Northern Iowa 34 times and have dominated the head-to-head record with 30 wins. They are 63-22-3 all-time against Iowa State in a rivalry dating back to a century.

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David Taylor paved the way for the return of $1 Million wrestling tournament

Team USA Olympic Portrait Shoot - David Taylor poses - Source: Getty

Earlier this month, David Taylor posted in a message on X that the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s National Duals should return to the college wrestling calendar and suggested that it could be scheduled in November.

"We should bring back National Duals. Do it in November before conference competitions," he wrote

Taylor's dream came true just a week later when Flowrestling and Oklahoma State announced the National Duals Invitational, which would be sponsored by Paycom. The competition has been set for November 15-16, 2025 with Tulsa as the host city and the two-time NCAA champion is excited for its return.

“This is an event that programs and fans can get really excited about. It’s early, it gives people something to put on their calendar, you can schedule around it how you want to. I think it’s going to be something that can be a part of really growing our sport. People are really excited about it," David Taylor said (via Flo Wrestling)

The event will feature 16 top-ranked college wrestling teams and offers a staggering prize purse of $1 million. While the winner will take home $200,000, each of the participating teams will also receive $20,000 or more.