"So many things you don't know"- David Taylor reflects on first year as Oklahoma State Cowboys' head coach

Olympic gold medalist and current head coach of the Oklahoma Cowboys Wrestling team David Taylor shared his thoughts on his first year as a coach so far. Born and raised in Nevada, Taylor's schooling years were at Graham High School in Ohio where he became a four-time state champion, with a highly impressive record of 180 wins to two defeats.

Taylor then represented Penn State University and won two NCAA Division I titles. After graduating from college, Taylor pursued wrestling as a full-time career as he won gold at the US Open in 2015. The rest of his career was followed by impressive milestones such as winning gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and grabbing three World Championship gold medals. Taylor retired in 2024 after a loss to teammate Aaron Brooks in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team trials, a loss that shocked many.

Following retirement, Taylor was appointed head coach of the Oklahoma Cowboys Wrestling team in May 2024. The Cowboys had recently managed to grab a Big 12 Conference title under his reign and will be competing in the NCAA Championships from March 20-22. Taylor was asked how his coaching experience has been so far, a year into the role:

“It’s probably a question answered better after the National Tournament but I think it's, I'm so proud of these guys you know, this season, it's hard to predict what it was going to be like you know, when I got here there's just so many things you just don't know because you haven't been through it you know, and every week it's a concept," David Taylor said in an interview with FLOWrestling (4:58 onwards)

"I think we kind of really found our groove once we got into the season and um yeah, I mean really excited and we just got to go out and wrestle hard this weekend and afterwards we can make some adjustments,” he added.

Overall, Taylor's career in wrestling has been recognized as one of the best. The American finished his senior freestyle career with a record of 161-22.

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David Taylor confident in his mentees ahead of NCAA Championships

David Taylor at the Team USA Olympic Portrait Shoot - (Image via Getty)

Cowboys head coach David Taylor shared a few words of appreciation for his squad as he targets the NCAA Championship. The 34-year-old emphasized the importance of practice within his team and how he takes the pressure off his players:

"I think as a coach it's learning how to take that off of your guys and help them to wrestle at the best level. I think it's just communication it's constant learning you know. I think a coach is an athlete you never have everything figured out I've learned different things how to communicate to guys, how to help them prepare, how each guy's wired throughout the day and again we're talking about practice. It is all practice," Taylor said in an interview with USA Wrestling.

The Cowboys are set to compete for the NCAA title between March 20-22 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.