Former Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler David Taylor, who won two National Championships in college, is the newest head coach at Oklahoma State. Taylor is the successor to legendary coach John Smith, who in his time with the Cowboys won five National Championships and posted a dual meet record of 490-73-6. Not only is Taylor replacing a decorated head coach, he becomes the highest paid head coach in all of college wrestling as Oklahoma State inked him to a 6 year, $6.45 million dollar deal. In year one with the Cowboys, Taylor will make $1 million dollars, and his salary will progressively increase over that time with him making $1.15 million dollars in year six.

Along with a handsome salary, Taylor is privy to some elite perks via the university. He gets a membership to the university’s golf course, four tickets to every OSU football game over the six years he’s head coach, spouse and family travel to away meets, and a luxury suite for his family and friends to use during Cowboys home meets. On top of his perks, Taylor will receive bonuses for any milestones his squad hits. He’ll receive a $125,000 bonus if he wins a National title, $80,000 for a runner-up finish at National, $60,000 for a third place finish at Nationals and $10,000 for every individual National Champion on the Cowboys squad. The sky is the limit for Taylor at Oklahoma State.

With all of that being said, there’s no doubt that the pressure is on for Taylor at Oklahoma State. Despite having John Smith at the helm since 1991, the Cowboys last won a National title in 2006. Their last runner-up placing came in 2016. Right now, the college wrestling landscape is dominated by Penn State with Cornell and Iowa closely behind.

Despite the fact that Oklahoma State hasn’t seen the top of the podium in over fifteen years, Taylor inherits a talented lineup with major upside. The Cowboys landed two major offseason transfers with heavy weight Wyatt Hendrickson from Air Force, who went 27-2 last year, and 165 pounder Cam Amine from Michigan, who went 16-9 last season. On top of Amine and Hendrickson joining the squad, Dustin Plott returns after a trip to the finals and a 31-4 record last season.

It’s very clear that Oklahoma State trusts Taylor. They made him the highest paid coach in the sport as a first time head coach, which is amazing to see. Maybe Taylor’s youthful look at the sport could be the spark that the stagnant Cowboys need to get back to the top of the podium in March.