The Crazy Saga That Brought David Taylor To Oklahoma State

CP details the big news that recently came out about David Taylor taking over the head coaching job at Oklahoma State.

Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe to access all of the latest wrestling videos!

Website: https://www.flowrestling.org
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/2p4v31C

Get the FloSports iOS app: http://bit.ly/FloWrestlingiOSApp_9

Follow FloWrestling
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloWrestling/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/flowrestling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowrestling/

David Taylor the head coach at Oklahoma State I can’t believe this has happened the way this has transpired following this from start to finish has been a crazy up and down Road it didn’t look like it was going to happen then it looked like it was and then it was ultimately David Taylor the next head coach at Oklahoma State and this is this video is going to go a lot of different directions but I want to start just with how this all came to be the timeline of things because the timeline on this is crazy and you you started April 11th the day it’s announced that John Smith is retiring the legendary coach of of the five-time champion Cowboys 35 or 34 total NCA titles for the Cowboys is the most historic program in all of college wrestling and when John Smith retired it’s you know they they they get together and there’s going to be a search committee and they start figuring out who it’s going to be and you you quickly realize they’ve got their eyes East they they want a piece of this whatever’s happening at Penn State they see what’s going on at Oklahoma State and they want a part of it so what’s their first option who’s their first guy they they’re really after it’s Casey Cunningham and Casey’s impressive and Casey is someone that they say that is who we want we want Casey Cunningham and and Casey declined the opportunity um and and which can just only speak to what a great job he currently has I mean Oklahoma state is one of the three most coveted positions in all of wrestling and Casey Cunningham remains in State College with kale Sanderson and Cody Sanderson and will continue you know nurturing the dynasty that they have built together and so an incredible compliment paid to to Penn State and kale Sanderson with with Casey remaining and you have to remember the timeline is is is incredibly relevant here because David Taylor is not thought of as a coaching Prospect at in 2024 because David Taylor is the pound-for-pound number one wrestler in the world in April of 2024 that was that was just known right and he’s going to be trying to make the Olympic team he’s in the two out of three it’s kind of assumed he’s probably going to win that and it’s also assumed he’s probably going to win the Olympics so the timing was never going to work for for David Taylor to be the next head coach of uh Oklahoma State at least not this year and then things change Aaron Brooks wins the two out of three and then all of a sudden things shift right but time passes and David doesn’t hear anything and I think you know you can assume that Oklahoma state is probably not really thinking this is something he’s going to want to do right probably thinking yeah David’s not going to be interested in in this position given what he’s been um you know he’s still in his competitive career they thought David Taylor wanted to hear from them and didn’t he was connected with Oklahoma State he initiated that that reach out and then Oklahoma State basically from that point on was Full Throttle for David Taylor and the conversations were great and ultimately after a couple talks they flew out to State College Pennsylvania to meet with David to talk about making him the the next head coach of goldan State he is very he’s very much being courted during this time he’s who they wanted and they leave Friday and David’s got a lot to think about and Oklahoma State’s got a lot to think about and a lot to figure out and I believe they left kind of with a lot of homework I think Oklahoma State left knowing all right this is what David want this is probably what it’s going to take to get David to accept and become the next head coach and David Taylor has got to do his own personal inventory and say hey is this is this really something I want to do do am I really about to you know two weeks ago I thought I was going to be wrestling in the Olympics and now I’m moving from Pennsylvania which I’ve called home since 2009 and I’m going to Stillwater Oklahoma to be the head coach of of college wrestling’s most historic program to follow one of uh the most Living Legends that the sport has ever seen John Smith and and a coaching Legend at that and so that was a uh that was a lot for for David and you also also are processing and you know going through the there’s the kale Dynamic right this is someone who is your hero and your mentor and your coach and someone who has you have been there with him since 2009 and and since that time that it’s just been nothing but winning for David Taylor it’s been nothing but winning for Penn State it’s been uh a great Synergy between kale and David and David and Penn State and he’s he’s ingrained with the community his wife has businesses he has M2 um Kyle D’s there his his very close friend uh of which he has many in in State College and so I think there was some turmoil there internally like do I am I really ready to leave this and go really set out on a completely different path and start competing against this place that I helped build right um kale is is the the number one bullet point and the the reason all this is happening at Penn State but David has contributed a ton to that not just on the map but as as an ancillary figure as well so I think that there was the back and forth I think on Saturday I I this is literally what I think happened Saturday he was in I think it was a done deal and I think those close to him would confirm that that that was happening Sunday I don’t know what changed was there a conversation was it just am I ready to to say hey my competitive career career changed altered maybe done I’m completely changing my career and moving my entire family to Oklahoma and I think that was what he was struggling with and on Sunday as of Sunday night he was not going to be the next head coach at Oklahoma State and had declined the opportunity and then on Monday I don’t know the exact order of events but it was not or it was Midday it was around no when I’m getting calls hey guys everything’s changed things have changed there was a meeting on the books with Coleman and that meeting is getting delayed and delayed and delayed and that meeting’s on the books probably said on a Sunday because why they’re probably they’re probably about to name Coleman the next head coach that’s what I believe and when that meeting gets pushed and pushed and pushed then you’re like oh wow this is there’s kind of only one reason to probably do this and that’s because it was very much actively it was it was live it was all happening I think yesterday and yesterday that a deal got done I believe you know you think negotiation you think all right how much money do I make and I don’t think it was probably as simple as that for David and and this is this aspect is you know no no inside information but you want to know that not yeah are you going to be taken care of of course yes that’s important but what kind of of budget this is a big thing budget for my staff what kind of budget do I have to hire the best people what kind of budget do I have for recruiting how are you guys supporting nil how are you guys supporting nrtc and I believe that those All Those Questions got answered and and then some and I think they made it so David was just in a great position and felt like all right this is what I want to do it got David over the hump and I I tweeted yesterday Oklahoma State wouldn’t be denied this was who they wanted they wanted David Taylor and now now they’ve got their their Cowboy the next the next head coach and for there’s so many the Ripple effects of this are insane because on the one hand who does David bring in what staff does it does um you know the the obvious one is his brother-in-law Jimmy Kennedy um it it’s sort of been thought and assumed that he would be part of David’s prospective staff should David get a head coaching job I think him I think Thomas Gilman and I also think that there’s a a strong likelihood that it’s Eric Thompson uh coach at Arizona State heavyweight um goes back to his time with David at M2 that’s my guess on his staff and it’s just that right now it’s it’s a guess I feel stronger about uh the Penn State Side than maybe Eric but that’s who I feel David is identified as his prospective staff now what does this mean and and then you also have like the the Ripple effects for a a really solid staff that was already established in Stillwater with with Coleman with Chris Perry with Tyler Caldwell um you know what happens with with those guys and you know and there’s so many there’s a lot of things there’s a lot of Still Water is um it’s an interesting it’s an interesting Dynamic they’ve had there right you’ve got zo uh uh Lok a guy that’s been there for a long time helping out on the on the high school RTC side you’ve got the The Still Water connection you’ve got you know how they’ve been able to bring in some of these families and move in they’re like how does that infrastructure shift or change or move or or whatever and and the most interesting thing about this entire search was for the last and I think I think Willie talked about this but I I would say since 2016 17 on every offseason there’s been conversation is John done is John gonna when is John done and if he’s done I must have had this conversation 50 times with with Mark Bader and and some of the flow staff like who so who would it be would it be Coleman would it be Mark Branch would it be Pat pop would they ever look no they will not look outside the Oklahoma State family that was just an assumed thing and I I’m not a person that thinks hey you got to stick with the the alumni that that’s an important thing I really don’t I’ve seen the biggest dynasties in in our sport have been run by guys that didn’t go to school there I don’t think it’s I think winning is the most important thing getting the right person is the most important thing but it it doesn’t change the fact that even though I feel that way personally you didn’t know one the the influence that the coach Smith would have in the decision and two that he would ever go outside of of the cowboy family but I think ultimately while I I think and I’m certain coach Smith was counseled here I think the administration and the search committee were were driving this primarily and I think they’re ultimately why David Taylor is now the head coach at Oklahoma State and it’s been following this thing has been insane and the changes have been unbelievable and I’m sure more will come out about it um the timing and you know I I had said hey this is not happening and that everything that was true that was the thought in still water it’s not happening it’s going to be Coleman and in the ninth hour everything everything shifted and it shifted David Taylor’s way and for and truly Oklahoma State’s way this is the guy they they wanted and so yeah there’s question you know this the some of the Oklahoma State crowd they’re loyal fan base right and they they love their own they love they love the Cowboys and it’s an insular play place and so the questions being raised about David are you know I I I find them relevant right he’s he’s never been a a college coach he hasn’t been an assistant coach why do you think you can do this and wrestling is unique it’s it’s Unique that the goats of our sport also wound up being like the goats of coaching kale Sanderson is the greatest folk Styler ever he’s also maybe the greatest coach ever Dan Gable is the most iconic uh wrestler that that sort of known who’s a mainstream wrestler like who does that and he he’s he formed the most feared Dynasty in in the sport John Smith is the goat of American wrestling in many people’s opinion and he did they had F he was a five-time champion the best in our sport there’s some connection there to to being a coach right what what is it about wrestling is it the individual nature is it is it something about what it takes to be the best at wrestling just something about that also translates to coaching because Joe Montana’s not a a coach Michael Jordan was a a a flame out and as a as an owner and as a GM and all this stuff and the the goats it it doesn’t necessarily translate but in wrestling it does and also another thing that David has going for him is he he’s entrepreneurial which I think is a ex an extremely underrated aspect of coaching up being a coaching you when you think about you know Rob Cole Pat pop Brian Smith Tom Ryan the these are the guys they weren’t the best best wrestlers I me Rob Cole’s an NCA Champion but they weren’t known as the legends of the sport but these are guys with strong business Acumen with strong understandings of um you know how pieces work together and not just in in the wrestling room but outside the wrestling room and David’s clearly entrepreneurial he’s got a lot of side interests in businesses and now I think he’s GNA you’re going to see all of that pour into you know his his career now as as the head coach at Oklahoma State and so what’s the next thing all right well what what happens with the portal okay who’s in the portal that would consider coming to Oklahoma State and who at Oklahoma state is going to hit the portal and and I would be shocked if if no cowboys hit the portal I feel like no matter what when there’s a coaching change and there’s a period of time I know I’ve been saying hey the Portal’s closed May 3rd well if there’s a coaching change you can you can hit the portal for a period of like 10 days and so who stays in in still water and who goes and and there’s naturally going to be attrition they’re not all going to make the the time from John Smith as their head coach to David Taylor that’s just not how it ever Works kids are GNA leave and um how many David keeps I think is that essential this is more of a long-term play and so I don’t know if we’ll see David keep everyone if he’s able to keep everyone um I think that that natural attrition is probably a good thing for for all parties sometimes so we’ll see who who that is though I’m talking about you know Christian Carroll tweeted hey I’m loyal and true and and you know basically saying hire Coleman when when it came out that they were looking at David Christian Carroll tweeted you know basically hire Coleman Scot but things can change and wrestling for David Taylor you know you think about it David Taylor came up and he wanted to wrestle like kale Sanderson so he went to kale you know his first Club was was coach sanderson’s Club in Utah and then he wanted he committed to kale not Iowa State and then he committed to kale at Penn State because that’s who he wanted to wrestle like that’s what he wanted to do and I think for a lot of the the wrestlers in in high school and coming up they want to wrestle like like David Taylor right that high action a lot of winning a lot of scoring exciting style you’ve seen the wrestlers he’s he’s been able to help develop at M2 and you feel like wrestlers are going to gravitate towards that um and M2 is an interesting Dynamic what happens with the M2 Training Center this kind of Juggernaut High School um club and youth club for for wrestling in State College Pennsylvania does that get maintained by by Mark mcnight and Brad Pataki is David makes the move does he start one of those in Still Water how does that work um man there’s so many questions uh I’ll probably be do a few more of these throughout the next couple days as more news comes out but man what a shift and and as you think about you know major landscape shifting moves and this has not been that yet but it feels like it’s going to be and this is the most the the biggest shakeup in coaching and surpr R since kale went to Penn State in 2011 and and remember that 2011 social media is it’s really it’s kind of like it’s real message boardy it’s not like Twitter Instagram and you it’s it’s it’s way way smaller tight tight-knit community and it was basically kept totally under the radar that kale was was going there and most people didn’t find out I would say 99.99% of all wrest wring fans found out when the news was dropped by Penn State that’s how under the radar that was but we’ve been able to follow this for the better part of a month and I really think this is the biggest move since kale made that that Earth shattering move to to Penn State and now we’ll see the impact but it feels like this is going to be a point in time you reflect at where were you when you found out David Taylor was the head coach at Oklahoma State and then what’s going to happen beyond that but man all you can do is is wish him wish David the best of luck you but your heart also goes out to the you know it’s very likely Coleman Scott and Company are are not gonna remain in still water and right now they’re having to scramble and that’s a tough tough aspect of this as well so hoping for for the best for everyone but can’t help but be excited for the future of cowboy wrestling with David Taylor at the helm