Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
5 8 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M S ome are predicting the demise of Penn State's wrestling dynasty, but it's not going to happen because one person — a Nittany Lion legend who was not a coach at his alma mater but who certainly was having an influence on the program — has left for a different college town. With that said, there is no question that David Taylor's decision to accept Oklahoma State's head coaching job fol- lowing the recent retirement of Cowboys legend John Smith will have short- and long-term impacts on Cael Sanderson's program. "Forever grateful for my Penn State family," Taylor wrote on X (formerly Twitter) May 6. "I am looking forward to this new chapter with [Oklahoma State]." That was Taylor's first comment on his decision to leave the State College area, where he has a farm, other business interests and the highly successful M2 Training Center. His entry into the col- lege coaching ranks for the first time at age 33 is likely an acknowledgement that he's done competing on the international freestyle stage. That was probably going to be the case regardless of his job title, making this an opportune time for a ca- reer change. And it's not like he's going into an en- tirely unrelated field. There may be dif- ferences between being the owner/op- erator of a club and being a college coach, but he'll figure those out with time. As for Penn State, Taylor's move fig- ures to impact Sanderson's program in three ways initially. The first is an obvi- ous one: Who will accompany Taylor to Stillwater? The transfer portal is closed, so barring a loophole, no current team members will leave unless they plan to sit out the 2024-25 season. They could move on next year, though. Also, Penn State's 2024 signees could possibly get out of their letters of intent, while 2025 commits could de-commit and follow Taylor. There was no indica- tion of any changes as of early May, but we'll be watching for them. The second effect involves the coach- ing staff. Assistant coach Jimmy Ken- nedy is Taylor's brother-in-law. It came as no surprise that he will be joining Tay- lor in Stillwater. That will now require Sanderson to make a coaching hire this offseason. Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Thomas Gilman is also leav- ing State College to be an assistant on Taylor's staff, and Penn State could lose other NLWC members, who compete with and mentor the PSU wrestlers. Pos- sibilities on that front include Kyle Dake, who, like Gilman, is close with Taylor. One other effect could involve recruit- ing. Taylor taking the head coaching job in Stillwater won't suddenly cause the Penn State pipeline to dry up. Sander- son and assistants Cody Sanderson and Casey Cunningham will ensure that doesn't happen, and the program's sto- ried success will continue to work in its favor, too. But it will mean that the Lions will likely miss out on some top targets mov- ing forward, both at the prep level and in the transfer portal. Taylor's M2 facility, whose future is now up in the air, nurtured the likes of rising junior Levi Haines, sophomore Tyler Kasak and incoming freshman Zack Ryder as high school seniors before they enrolled at Penn State. The first two enjoyed tremendous freshman seasons with the Nittany Lions, in part because of Taylor's influence on their develop- ment. Ryder aims to do likewise in 2024- 25. Will that continue now? We'll have to wait and see. All told, Taylor taking the Oklahoma State job is a boon to him and also to the sport. It hurts Penn State some, but not in the drastic way that some have sug- gested. And make no mistake — it hurts other schools, too. The Lions have plenty going for them moving forward and will keep the train chugging down the tracks for years to come. Don't believe me? Take Taylor's word for it. "You have generation after genera- tion after generation of talent. And as we graduate, we want to stick around," he told PennLive.com in April. "As the older generation helps the newer generation, inevitably they're going to compete, and that's just the natural evolution of a great program. "I wouldn't be where I am without my training partners, and my training part- ners wouldn't be where they are without wrestling with me. And I think that's just the approach that we all take at the Penn State Nittany Lion Wrestling Club." ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M David Taylor's Move Shakes Up College Wrestling THE LAST WORD Taylor (center) won two NCAA championships at Penn State and was a gold medalist at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He's now headed to Oklahoma State, where he will succeed John Smith as head coach. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL