"The guy was freaking beat up"- Thomas Gilman makes feelings known about Oklahoma teammate's impressive performance despite injury

Olympic medalist Thomas Gilman recently praised Teague Travis' impressive performance at the 2025 NCAA Championships despite his knee injury. Travis, the starter at 157 pounds for Oklahoma, suffered a knee injury at the start of the year on November 17, 2024, that kept him away from the mat for eight weeks.

However, showing his unfettering resilience, he competed at the Big 12 Championships in the 149 lbs category and won three matches. This feat settled him in fourth place, earning him a spot at the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. He was the first Cowboy to compete at the Championships and defeated Campbell's Wynton Denkins by 5-3.

However, the Oklahoma wrestler couldn't make it past round 3, where he was overpowered by Malyke Hines with a dominating lead of 17-8 points. Former Oklahoma coach Gilman still praised Travis for his determination.

"I think about Teague Travis at nationals this year," Gilman said on the Baschamania podcast. "I mean he lost in that round on the backside, and the guy was freaking beat up and he tore his, tore his knee up in the beginning, and he was out for the year and then comes down a weight. We throw him in, bust up his face, bust up his other knee. You know it's just like he couldn't even walk off the mat and I'm just like, 'Man, this guy's a freaking warrior.'"

"I mean, he lost and he kind of got his butt kicked in that last match but who cares? That literally does not matter," he added.

Thomas Gilman opens up about returning to Penn State from Oklahoma Wrestling

Thomas Gilman during the NCAA wrestling championship in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo via Getty Images)

Thomas Gilman recently revealed the reason for his return to Penn State from Oklahoma after serving as a coach for a year, stating the decision was too quick and that he faced certain issues with the staff.

"I mean obviously kind of addressed it in the beginning, the decision in the first place I'm not saying it was the wrong decision. 'I'm just saying the state of mind I was in when making the decision was probably wasn't a good headspace," Gilman said.

"Right when we got down here, it seemed like there was issues. Were they with me? Were they with the staff? I think that everybody's at fault. I'm not gonna point fingers. I'll put the blame on me for the most part, but also I'll make people take accountability for their actions. So I think that it was mutual," he added.

Thomas Gilman joined Oklahoma coach David Taylor last year after continuing his training with the Lions program following his collegiate career.