"Part of the game we are playing"- David Taylor weighs in on recruiting committed athletes amid takeover as head coach of Oklahoma State Wrestling 

David Taylor spoke about the colleges recruiting already committed wrestlers as he is about to take charge as the head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling program for the upcoming NCAA season. The former Olympic gold medalist expressed his stance on the hot topic and shared it is a two-street. However, he believes in not taking things personally while handling such situations.

Taylor competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2024 for the spot in the team for the quadrennial games in Paris. However, his Olympic dream could not be fulfilled after he lost to Aaron Brooks in the trials. A month later, he announced that he had retired from professional wrestling after taking over as the head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling program.

However, he announced his return to the professional circuit in September 2024 to compete in the World Wrestling Team Trials and emerged victorious to seal a spot in the team. Amid all the developments, he spoke to Flo Wrestling about the ongoing colleges recruiting committed athletes ahead of the upcoming NCAA season and said:

"I think that recruiting is you know a little bit of the wild wild west. I. think that it is evolving, it's changing and I would say in our position, you know, we stepped into the recruiting class and people are excited about Oklahoma State you know, they want to come here. So, we didn't get a chance to recruit those kids on the front end you know, and I think it's definitely a two-way street and we're certainly not going to turn down kids that want to come and be a part of our program."

"So I think it's just a part of the game that we are playing. It goes both ways and one thing that I kind of took from one time that I was talking to Cael and he just said one of the things that you got to do is not take things personally," he added.

David Taylor on taking up a new role as the head coach of the Oklahoma State Wrestling Program

David Taylor at the OLYMPICS: APR 20 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials - Source: Getty

David Taylor spoke about taking charge as the head coach of the Oklahoma State Wrestling Program a week after losing a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team. The 33-year-old expressed gratitude for being bestowed upon with the opportunity to lead the team.

"It's an honor to be in this position and I'm extremely grateful. I'm looking forward to the future of Oklahoma State wrestling. It has an unbelievable tradition and I'm excited to be part of it moving forward," he said.

Furthermore, he expressed his excitement to continue the program's legacy as he represents the Orange Color in the NCAA circuit.