David Taylor is saving one date every year for Penn State. He’ll wrestle the Nittany Lions in Stillwater, State College or wherever they want. Taylor knows Penn State is the standard—and he’s building Oklahoma State to challenge it. The ball is officially in Penn State’s court.
Should Penn State accept David Taylor’s challenge and wrestle Oklahoma State?
David Taylor could avoid this conversation and nobody would blame him.
Penn State has won five consecutive national championships and remains the standard every college wrestling program is chasing.
It's also Taylor's alma mater.
He became a legend there.
He helped build the dynasty Oklahoma State is now trying to catch.
So scheduling Penn State could create an uncomfortable situation.
Taylor's response? Bring it on.
Taylor made his position perfectly clear during Oklahoma State's summer media availability.
He's saving one date on the Cowboys' schedule every year for Penn State.
If the Nittany Lions want to wrestle, Oklahoma State will wrestle.
In Stillwater. In State College. Wherever.
That tells you everything you need to know about what Taylor is trying to build.
He didn't leave Penn State country and come to Oklahoma State to avoid the best program in college wrestling.
He came to build one capable of beating it.
Taylor Put the Ball in Penn State's Court
There wasn't much ambiguity in Taylor's message. Oklahoma State is ready.
Taylor made it perfectly clear that he's leaving room on the Cowboys' schedule for Penn State whenever the Nittany Lions are ready.
“When it comes to Penn State, I’m saving one date on my schedule every single year for when they wanna wrestle,” Taylor said. “So, as soon as they say they want to wrestle, we’ll do it. We’ll go there. If they ever wanna come back here, we don’t really care. We just wanna wrestle the best teams, and we want to challenge ourselves.”
That's a challenge if I've ever heard one.
Taylor isn't demanding a home-and-home.
He isn't asking Penn State to come to Gallagher-Iba Arena first.
He's willing to take Oklahoma State directly to State College.
Just name the date. That's confidence.
More importantly, it's exactly the mentality Oklahoma State should have right now.
The Cowboys finished second at the NCAA Championships last season.
They crowned three true-freshman national champions.
Taylor has produced five individual national champions in only two seasons as Oklahoma State's head coach.
This isn't a program trying to become relevant again.
It's trying to become No. 1. If that's the goal, eventually you have to wrestle No. 1.
Taylor has already saved the date. Now the ball is in Penn State's court.
The Storyline Almost Writes Itself
Think about everything surrounding this potential dual.
Oklahoma State is the most historically successful program in college wrestling.
Penn State is the modern dynasty. Taylor directly in the middle.
He went 134-3 during his collegiate career at Penn State.
He won two individual national championships.
Penn State won the NCAA team championship every season Taylor competed.
He helped lay the foundation for what Cael Sanderson eventually turned into the dominant program in the sport.
Now? Taylor is wearing orange and trying to build Oklahoma State into the program capable of ending Penn State's run.
You couldn't manufacture a better storyline.
This Would Be Great for College Wrestling
Taylor made another point that shouldn't be overlooked.
The sport would benefit from this matchup.
He's absolutely right.
College wrestling needs events people circle on the calendar months in advance.
Oklahoma State-Penn State would immediately become one.
The two programs last met in a dual in 2017, when 14,059 fans packed Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Imagine it now. Penn State's dynasty. Oklahoma State's resurgence. Taylor against his alma mater. National champions everywhere.
Whether it's inside Gallagher-Iba Arena or Rec Hall, the atmosphere would be ridiculous.
This wouldn't just be another dual. It would feel like an event.
Oklahoma State Shouldn't Wait Until March
There's also a competitive reason to make it happen.
If Oklahoma State's ultimate goal is beating Penn State at the NCAA Championships, why wait until March to see how you stack up?
Wrestle them during the regular season. Find the weaknesses. See which matchups work.
Discover which wrestlers respond when they're facing the best roster in the country.
Maybe Oklahoma State loses. So what?
Taylor has made it clear he wants to challenge his team.
You don't become the best by protecting yourself from the best.
You become the best by finding out exactly where the gap exists— then trying to close it.
Taylor Knows Exactly What Oklahoma State Is Chasing
Nobody understands Penn State's culture better than Taylor.
That's what makes his willingness to schedule the Nittany Lions so fascinating.
He knows what Oklahoma State would be walking into.
He knows how Sanderson prepares his wrestlers.
He understands the mentality inside that program.
He's lived it. And he's still saying: We'll go there.
That's not ignorance. That's belief.
Taylor clearly believes Oklahoma State is reaching the point where it belongs on the mat with Penn State.
This Isn't About Bad Blood
Taylor doesn't need to hate Penn State. He shouldn't.
That program played an enormous role in making him who he is.
This doesn't have to become some bitter revenge storyline. It's competition.
Taylor respects Penn State enough to understand what beating the Nittany Lions would mean.
That's what makes the matchup even better.
He isn't trying to destroy his past. He's trying to surpass it.
Oklahoma State Is Closing the Gap
Penn State remains the standard. Let's make that clear.
Five consecutive national championships speak for themselves.
Until somebody knocks the Nittany Lions off, everyone else is chasing them.
But Oklahoma State is getting closer. Second nationally.
Three true-freshman champions.
Five individual champions through Taylor's first two seasons.
A roster being built to contend for championships for years.
That's why this conversation feels different now.
Oklahoma State doesn't want Penn State simply because it would sell tickets.
The Cowboys want Penn State because they increasingly believe they can compete with Penn State.
Imagine This One in Gallagher-Iba Arena
We've already seen what this matchup can produce.
More than 14,000 fans watched the programs wrestle in Stillwater in 2017.
Now add Taylor. Add everything Oklahoma State has built over the past two seasons.
Penn State's continued dominance. Gallagher-Iba Arena would be insane.
If Penn State doesn't want to travel? Fine.
Taylor already said Oklahoma State will go there.
No excuses. No conditions. Just wrestle.
Final Thoughts
David Taylor could spend the regular season avoiding Penn State and hoping Oklahoma State catches the Nittany Lions at nationals.
He wants the opposite. Give him Penn State now.
Give him the best roster in college wrestling.
Let Oklahoma State discover exactly where it stands.
That's the mentality required if the Cowboys are serious about returning to the very top of the sport.
Taylor knows how great Penn State is better than almost anyone. He helped make it that way.
Now he's trying to build something capable of challenging it.
One date is waiting every year. Penn State just has to say yes.
